STAD and collaborative peer learning in Mathematics Primary

STAD and collaborative peer learning in Mathematics Primary 3 [2015] A Proposal by Norsinah Bte Suadi

Practical Action Research in 2015 The JOURNEY

Stringer’s (2007) Action Research Interacting Spiral Look Act Think Look - Reflexive - Recursive - Dialectical Act Think Look Think

Implications to P 3 Teachers (2015) • Teachers are all RESEARCHERS, fully involved in this Practical Action Research journey throughout the year • Teachers are all RESOURCES that the level needs to tap on to discuss the sow, activities and materials used and to design the Pre and Post tests • Teachers are all LEARNERS as they continuously engage in purposeful quality discussions after each sub-unit or lesson taught and after each post test

Special Request: Norsinah • Teach P 3 Mathematics in 2015 • Get to be part of the Practical AR team to work together with the P 3 teachers in: - studying the current resources - designing the pre and post tests • Have a greater clarity of issues, constraints and challenges faced by teachers and work together to find practical solutions

Why STAD? Student Teams Achievement Divisions [Slavin, 1995)

Student Teams-Achievement Division [STAD] as a teaching strategy to improve students’ performance in Mathematics (Slavin, 1995) STAD from the cognitive-developmental perspectives: Piaget & Vygotsky Piaget – social arbitrary knowledge, language, values, rules, morality and symbol systems can only be learned with interaction with others. Vygotsky – functions are first formed collectively in the form of relations among children and then becomes mental functions for the individual. (Slavin, 1995) 3 Key Concepts: 1. Team Rewards 2. Individual Accountability 3. Equal opportunities for success (Slavin, 1995) Positive effects: 1. Student achievement 2. Self esteem 3. Liking of class 4. Attendance 5. Behaviour Teach Team Recognition Research on STAD (Slavin, 1995): - Implemented in regular public schools for students in grades 3 to 12 - 17 out of 22 studies found significantly higher students’ achievement A regular cycle of 4 instructional activities Test Team Study

STAD – A regular cycle of 4 instructional activities (Slavin, 1995) (1) Individual Improvement Scores - Based on student’s performance from pre to post test (2) Team Recognition in the form of certificates or other rewards such as newsletter recognition, bulletin board displays, special privileges, small prizes etc. Main Strategy - Teacher’s explicit instruction Supported strategies - Teacher-led discussion - Pupil presentation - Audio-visual presentation Teach Team Recognition Team Study Test - Post test to check on pupils’ understanding and mastery - Student is NOT allowed to help peers - Ensures individual responsibility - 4 or 5 students in a team representing a cross section of class performance, sex, gender and race/ethnicity - Major function: to prepare members to do well in the tests/quizzes - Form: Students discuss problems together, compare answers and correct any misconception if teammates make mistakes - Emphasis at every point: (1) team members doing their best for the team and (2) on the team to do its best to help members - Strengths: Team provides (1) peer support for academic performance [effects on learning] and (2) mutual concern and respect [effects on intergroup relations, selfesteem and acceptance]

Through the Practical Action Research approach of using STAD in the local context, researcher saw a need to modify Slavin’s STAD strategy to further meet students’ needs. STAD by Slavin (1995) Modified STAD by Researcher (Re) Teach Team Recognition Team Study Test

Modified STAD (Re) Teach Focused Remediation - Tr selects pupils who still showed weak mastery; or not up to mark with peers, for remediation. - Process is cut down to 3 activities. Teacher-Facilitator to check on peer coaching and pupils’ (mis)understanding of concept and/or skill. Team Study Team Recognition Test Tr-Facilitator to reteach any misconception or demonstrate how peer coaching should be carried out using common mathematical language.

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Materials include: (1) SOW / lesson plan (2) Pre and post-tests* of a few subunits (3) Textbook and Activity book (4) Supplementary worksheets [dept] (5)Focused remediation with individual tr-prepared worksheets *A combination of sub-units prepared by one tr i/c e. g. , algorithms on renaming involving addition with two, three and four place values.

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Steps involve: (1) Team Summary Sheets for each team (2) Rank students from highest to lowest [based on school exams e. g. , SA 2 of previous year, CA 1 of current year etc. ] (3) Decide on the number of teams [4 -5 per team] (4) Assign students to teams (5) Fill out Team Summary Sheets (6) Determine initial base scores [based on pre-test]

Refer to the two excel documents: • Math groupings • Team Score Sheet Please complete BEFORE the next PS: 15 January 2015, Wednesday

Preparation BEFORE STAD of each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Steps involve: (1) Teachers introduce the teams (2) Teachers have students move their desks together to make team tables (3) Tell teams they will be working together for the whole term and will earn certificates or other rewards on their team’s total performance (4) Students take 10 mins to come up with team name [Follow Alphabet] (5) Students to come up with the team cheer (6) Administer post test

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading A cycle of 4 activities: • Teach and re-teach • Team Study • Quiz/Test • Team Recognition

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Steps include: (1) Figure improvement scores (2) Announce at the beginning of the next lesson - This will make connection between doing well and getting the due recognition - Hence, improve motivation to do their best

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading 2 levels of team accomplishments: Great team Super team Rewards or recognition in the forms of: - Team certificates - Bulletin-board display of the recent post-test super teams and great teams; may come with pictures of each team

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Rationale for Improvement Point System The FIRST post test that is returned, tr to emphasize the following: Main Purpose: Equal opportunity for everyone to beat their pre test score. Second Purpose: Team accountability as every member is important in contributing points to the team. Third Purpose: Point system is fair as everyone only competes to improve his/her own performance regardless of what the class does.

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading New base score is computed based on the pre-test of a few sub-units.

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading Reassign students to new teams after each exam e. g. , CA 1, SA 1 and CA 2. Rationale 1: Gives students from low scoring teams a new chance. Rationale 2: Allows students to work with other classmates. Rationale 3: Keeps the program fresh.

Preparation BEFORE STAD in each term (1) Materials (2) Assigning students to teams (3) Getting Started (4) Schedule of Activities (5) Figuring Individual and Team Scores (6) Recognising Team Accomplishments (7) Returning the different quizzes (8) Recomputing Base Scores (9) Changing teams (10) Grading is based on student’s achievement in CA 1, SA 1, CA 2 & SA 2. Individual pre and post tests performance to be put into the PERI Holistic file. Rationale: Parents to see their child’s progress.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT -Dylan William- How does STAD support FA?

Teachers’ Job STAD Learners’ Outcome • Engineers of effective learning environment [p. 50] • A vehicle to drive the 5 key strategies of FA • Engaging classroom discussion makes a student smarter William, D. , (2011) Embedded Formative Assessment

STAD – A vehicle to drive the 5 key strategies of FA [William (2011), p. 46] Where the learner is going right now How to get there Teacher Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and criteria for success Providing feedback that moves learning forward Peer Understanding and Activating learners as instructional resources for one sharing learning intentions and criteria for another success Learner Understanding learning intentions and criteria for Activating learners as the owners of their own learning success Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and tasks that elicit evidence of learning

What is a Practical Action Research design?

About Action Research • Seeks to improve specific, local issues in a specific school situation. • Involves teachers in research to study concerns in their own schools or classrooms and to implement site-based councils or committees in schools to enhance research as an integral part of daily classes and education. • In this spirit, educators and teachers can test their own theories, and explore the impact of approaches on parents, colleagues, and administrators within their schools.

About Action Research: Teachers’ Role • Learners • Reflective practitioners • Individuals engage in smallscale research projects (Mills, 2011) Major Principles • Teacher-researchers (TRs) have decision-making authority to study an educational practice as part of their own ongoing professional development. • TRs are committed to continued professional development and school improvement, a core assumption for any teacher who decides to engage in action-research. • TRs want to reflect on their practices. They reflect so that they can improve their practices. They do this individually or in school-based teams composed of students, teachers and administrators. • TRs use a systematic approach for reflecting on their practices, meaning that they use identifiable procedures to study their own problems rather than using random, anythinggoes design. • TRs will choose an area of focus, determine data collection techniques, analyse and interpret data, and develop action plans. (Creswell, 2012)

What is to be done NOW?

Dialectic Action Research Spiral (Mills, 2011) Identify an Area of Focus Develop an Action Plan Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data

Dialectic Action Research Spiral (Mills, 2011) Identify an Area of Focus Develop an Action Plan P 3 Mathematics Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data

Dialectic Action Research Spiral (Mills, 2011) Identify an Area of Focus Develop an Action Plan Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data Find out from the current P 3 & P 4 teachers on their: (1) strategies to teach math (2) their struggles in teaching math

Dialectic Action Research Spiral (Mills, 2011) Identify an Area of Focus Develop an Action Plan Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data Clusters the findings into themes and shares at management

Dialectic Action Research Spiral (Mills, 2011) Identify an Area of Focus Develop an Action Plan Implement STAD with P 3 teachers to improve student performance in Math Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data