Intensive Intervention (Part 1): Using Data-based Individualization To Intensify Instruction

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi1/

1. What is intensive intervention? For whom is it necessary and why?

Intensive intervention is Tier 3 / tertiary level instruction. It is the individualization of
instruction based on data, and it is also increased intensity, which is in relation to
smaller groups, and more instructional time. Intrusive intervention is provided to
students in groups of 1-3, it is used in addition to primary instruction. It is used for
students who have disabilities and are consistently missing their IEP goals, and to
students (with or without disabilities) who are not responding to targeted instruction.
2. Briefly describe the DBI process.
DBI is a solution for how to provide intensive intervention to students. It helps use data
to show how and when students need intervention. In addition it is also content specific,
depending on what the class is, it could be different. It is also a continuous process of
evaluating instructional adaptations. The DBI process has 5 steps.
Step 1: Validated Intervention Program
● Quantitative changes to the instruction that a student receives
Step 2: Progress Monitoring
● Evaluate the students response to the intensified intervention by collecting data
Step 3: Diagnostic Assessment
● Collect and review data to identify areas that the student needs help in and make
decisions about how to change the intervention.
Step 4: Intervention Adaptation
● Adapt the intervention based on the student’s needs found in step 3.
Step 5: Progress Monitoring
● Collect progress monitoring data to evaluate their response to the adaptations.

3. a.) Suggest one quantitative adaptation that Morgan’s teacher can make for Step 1 of the DBI
process. Explain why you chose this adaptation.
An adaptation that Morgan’s teacher can make is changing the time amount for his
heterogenous instruction. I think that it is a good idea, but if it is known that he has
difficulty staying focused for more than 10 minutes at any time, instead of doing 30
 minutes 3 times a week, it can be 10 minutes each day. It can also be 10 minutes, twice
a day, every day in the week, as long as it is 10 minutes or under so that he maintains
focus for the full duration, it can help him retain the information.

b.)Describe at least two adaptations his teacher can make for Step 4 of the DBI process. Include
at least qualitative adaptation. Explain why you chose these adaptations.
An adaptation that the teacher can make for step 4 of the DBI process could be a use of
these instructional strategies; modeling procedures, repeating important information,
and reviewing steps. Morgan can see it being done, and be told to copy exactly what the
teacher does, and do it how she does it. Another adaptation the teacher can make is that
she/ he can try and tell Morgan that there is a rule that you start from the right, and then
go to the left, she can repeat this rule to him, as well as continuously model for him
exactly how to start from the right and go to the left. She can also use self attribution
and have him self-talk to himself. Anytime he sees an additional problem, he could say
to himself right first, left last. She can also show him how he can use the two L’s to
remember it. ‘Left Last”.

Intensive Intervention (Part 2): Collecting and Analyzing Data for Data-Based Individualization
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi2/
 1. Describe why collecting data is essential in the DBI process. Be sure to mention the two types
of data that should be collected.
Collecting data is essential in the DBI process because the teacher needs to know where the
students are at. If you are in step 1 of the DBI process, and you are making changes to your
students' instruction, you need to make sure that the changes are effective. You do not want to
make any changes that are not benefiting your student. You need to check on their work and
see if there are any improvements to what they are doing.The two types of data that should be
collected are progress monitoring and diagnostic assessment. Progress monitoring is used to
indicate how students are performing. Diagnostic assessment is used to understand why
students are struggling to make progress on certain tasks.

2. Explain the importance of conducting error analysis of student's data or work samples. Be sure
to include the types of information that you can obtain.
The importance of conducting error analysis of student's data or work samples in math is so the
teacher can identify the steps a student can perform correctly, identify patterns of errors, and
determine whether the error is a one-time miscalculation or whether it is a persistent error
indicating an important misunderstanding of a math concept or operation.

3. Noah is a third-grade student who has severe and persistent difficulties in reading. He receives
intensive, individualized instruction (tier 3).
a. Below is a graph of his progress monitoring data for the last eight weeks. View the graph and
note whether Noah is responding to the intervention.
By looking at the graph of his progress monitoring data, I don’t think you can say Noah is
responding to the intervention. Noah’s words read correctly are not consistently increasing with
the goal line, there is visible fluctuation.
b. Describe what the data pattern suggests (i.e., factors that might be contributing to his
performance)
The data pattern suggests that this intervention is not helping Noah, and he is not consistently
getting better at reading words correctly as time goes on. This could suggest that there needs to
be a change in the intervention that he is receiving.

c. Next, conduct an error analysis of Noah’s passage reading fluency probe using the attached
error analysis form.
 Noah had 8 errors in his reading passage. Out of 149 different words, that scored him a 141/149
which is 95% of the words that he is getting correct. When looking at the error categories,
Noah is mainly messing up with the vowel teams and the ending sounds of words.

d. Based on the information on the error analysis form, what type of errors is Noah typically
making?
Noah is typically making errors mainly with vowel teams, but also with the ending sounds of
words. He is frequently getting stumped when there are multiple vowels lined up next to each
other in a word.

Evidence-Based Practices (Part I): Identifying and Selecting a Practice or Program

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_01/

1. Devind an evidence - based practice.

Evidence - based practice’s effectiveness is supported by rigorous research. An EBP is skills,
techniques, and strategies that are used by a teacher. (These are often confused with
Evidence-Based Programs)
2. List at least three benefits of implementing an EBP.
Three benefits of implementing an EBP are an increased likelihood of being responsive to
learners’ needs, less wasted time and fewer wasted resources because educators are not
working through trial and error, and an increased likelihood of positive child or student
outcomes.

3. List three areas that an education professional needs to think about when selecting an EBP.
Three areas that an education professional needs to think about when selecting an EBP are the
students and setting, the resources, and the evidence level.

4. Briefly describe the process you can use if you cannot find an EBP that matches your students
and your resources.
If you cannot find an EBP that matches your students and your resources, you can review the
research literature yourself, review professional organizations and federally funded centers and
agencies for discipline - or disability specific resources about practices or programs, and you
can select the practice por program that best meets your criteria -- but be aware the you might
not get the same results as the studies that validated the EBP.

Evidence-Based Practices (Part 2): Implementing a Practice of Program with Fidelity

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_02/

1. Define fidelity of implementation and discuss its importance.

● Fidelity of implementation is the implementation of a practice or program as intended by the
researchers or developers. To implement a practice or program with it, you should understand
how to include evidence-based practices as needed, you need to gather and organize the
resources necessary, and you also need to adhere to the implementation procedures of the
practice / program. This is important because educators are not properly implementing the
 practice or program, which is why they are not getting the results that they anticipated or want.

2. List the key components of fidelity of implementation and briefly describe each.
● There are three key components of fidelity of implementation. The first component is
Adherence. Adherence is following the procedure of the practice / program as they were
intended and implementing the components of the EBP in the correct order. The second
component is exposure / duration. This component is implementing the practice for the
recommended length of session, duration of EBP, and frequency. The third component is
quality of delivery. The third component is delivering the EBP using good teacher practices.

3. Discuss the importance of implementing an EBP for the recommended exposure/duration.

What can happen if you do not?
● It is important to implement an EBP for the recommended duration / exposure because that way
it will increase the likelihood that its intended outcomes will be achieved. You would be able to
see results if you use the recommended duration / exposure.

4. Imagine that you are implementing an evidence-based reading practice to improve the
reading comprehension of the 20 students in your classroom. It is near the beginning of the
year, and until now much of your reading instruction has been conducted in a whole-group
setting. However, this EBP requires instruction with small groups.
a. For this practice, there are no formal training opportunities. Describe how you
will learn how to implement the practice with fidelity.
● You can prepare to implement the practice with fidelity by using physical resources. You can
have your own teacher materials that you will look at to help you, such as a demonstration book
or a manual.

b. The EBP contains three core components. Following several weeks of

implementation, you decide to stop implementing one component that your
students appear to find boring. Discuss how this adaptation might affect your
students’ outcomes.
● This adaptation might affect the students’ outcomes in a good way. This can make the students
more engaged in the learning and give them more of a positive mindset on what they are doing.
 Evidence-Based Practices (Part 3): Evaluating Learner Outcomes and Fidelity
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_03/
1. Why is it important to monitor fidelity of implementation?
It is important to monitor fidelity of implementation because it will increase the
likelihood that the children or student’s performance improves, and so it is important to
monitor it to make sure it is being implemented correctly and effectively.
2. Explain why it is important to review both fidelity of implementation data and progress
monitoring data to determine the effectiveness of an EBP for a student.
It is important to review both fidelity of implementation data and progress monitoring
data to determine the effectiveness of an EBP for a student because this will show
whether or not the student is actually making progress and if they are successfully
benefiting from EBP.
 3. View the progress monitoring data graphs below.
a. Discuss the performance of the student in Graph A.
The student in graph A has good, positive outcomes. The students' data is close to the
goal line and this shows a positive correlation which shows that there is a good
relationship between the EBP implemented and the students' achievement level.
b. Discuss the performance of the student in Graph B.
In graph B we can see that there is still a positive relationship between the EBP and the
achievement level, but this relationship does not appear to be as strong as the one in
Graph A.
c. Describe the instructional decisions that can be made based on the data.
Based on the data, I think the teacher can be content with the implementation of the
EBP, we can see that the students are right there with the goal line, and that the EBP is
clearly working for them. In graph A it is a little better for that student than in graph B,
but there is still a positive correlation in both graphs, so whatever is going on is
working.
4. Discuss two ways to collect observational data on fidelity of implementation.
Two ways to collect observational data on fidelity of implementation is to either have a
colleague watch you, or record yourself implementing the EBP, this way you can
review it later or get feedback from another teacher. Another way is to make / use a
checklist. You can use an observational checklist, or use your own.
Progress Monitoring: Mathematics
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/pmm/cresource/#content

1. Name at least three benefits of formative assessment.

Three benefits of formative assessment are that they provide useful information about a
student’s progress toward certain learning objectives, their understanding of the skills,
and misconceptions they have. Another benefit is that they help identify students who
are consistently struggling. They also allow teachers to make informed decisions about
when to review or reteach content or skills or to adapt instruction.

2. Describe how GOM allows a teacher to track a student’s growth in all skills across the
entire academic year.
GOM allows teachers to check students' progress on a regular basis, using a measure, or
 a probe. This can help the teachers to frequently see if what they are doing and their
methods are effective. It is a good way for them to monitor where the students are at
throughout the duration of a full unit.

3. Briefly describe the GOM process, making sure to include each step.
The GOM process starts with selecting a measure, then creating a graph, creating a goal
line, administering, scoring, and graph, then make data-based instructional decisions,
and then communicate progress.

4. Mr. Alexander is a 6th-grade mathematics teacher who is monitoring the progress of all of
his students.
i. Score Imani’s week 6 probe by digits correct.
Imani got 22 digits correct out of 24 on the first 6 problems she completed on her
computation probe.
ii. Describe what Imani’s data indicate and the resulting instructional decision that
Mr. Alexander should make.
With the digits that Imani messed up on, they were in the same spot on both questions.
This could mean that Imani struggles with addition when it comes to the middle values of the
numbers. Mr.Alexander can schedule a time to go over this with Imani and even provide extra
problems for Imani to work on.
iii. List two points that you would note in a meeting with Imani’s parents regarding
her performance.
In a meeting with Imani’s parents, I would mention how I see her progress going up,
and that week by week she is improving. I will also add that Imani is not where she
needs to be just yet though, there is still some more work to be done to perfect these
skills and make there be 0 errors on these computation probes.
 Interview with: Male 11th Grade Student
Q: What math classes have you taken in your time as a High School Student at North Shore?
During my three years here, I took Regents Geometry in 9th grade, Regents Algebra II in 10th
grade, and am currently in Regents Precalculus in 11th grade.
Q: What class would you say you found the most difficult?
I think that algebra II was the hardest class for me.
Q: What was the hardest thing about that class?
The hardest thing about this class for me was probably the hybrid learning that we had to do,
and the content was just overall hard for me to understand.
Q: What math class did you enjoy the most?
I am currently enjoying precalc the most.
Q: What made that class the most enjoyable?
Precalc is the most fun because the teacher has a good personality and he is fun to learn with. I
like being in his class and with him teaching us the content.
Q: How do you feel about your teachers that you had for each of these classes? Describe your
experience with each of these teachers.
For Geometry I had Ms.Consedine and Ms.Smith, for Algebra II I had Ms.Nersesian, and for
PreCalculus I had Mr.Fierro.
Freshman year, I initially started off in Honors Geometry, I was in honors for a few weeks, and
then I made the switch to Regents. I thought that the content was fine in Honors Geometry, but I did
not like the way it was being taught. I was able to do the homework on my own, with the help of my
textbook, I was able to read the stuff and teach myself things I was confused with, but in class, I had a
hard time learning there and keeping up with what was going on. It was hard for me to solve the
problems. I thought that the teacher was teaching so fast and she was not worried about how I, or
others were doing, she was just trying to go go go and get the material in. So after a few weeks, I
finally decided that I wanted to make the switch into regents geometry. Making the switch I had to go
into a new classroom with new teachers, and new students (not that I was a stranger to them, our
school is small so I knew a few people in the class). I think that it was a little bit of an adjustment, but I
was able to adjust well. With this new regents class with my new teachers, I felt that I did not need to
teach myself the work. I was able to sit in class and follow along with what was being taught, and I
was actually understanding everything. On the homework assignments, I had the content memorized
that I did not need to teach myself through the textbook .There were times that I did need to look at my
notes, but it was nothing compared to the honors class. With that class it felt like the teachers actually
cared about what they were teaching us, and they wanted to make sure that we were learning.
Ultimately in the end it is all about the regents exam, and passing to move along to the next year of
math, and I thought that my regents class teacher actually cared about us knowing what is going to be
on the regents. It was the first two quarters of regents geometry that were going well. Come the third
quarter, we got sent home in march because of COVID. It took a while for the school to figure out how
they wanted to go about continuing our learning during the pandemic. That was a tough transition, but
with my teacher, she was understanding about how we were having a difficult time, and so she, not
like took it easy on us, but she slowed up a bit and was more lenient with things. Also, they then
cancelled the regents exam, so we were just learning to learn, so it felt like I didn't need to be doing
anything, and I was feeling unmotivated, but my teacher did a good job at trying to get me invested,
because after all, we were all going through the same thing.
Sophomore year, we began doing hybrid learning. We were in person at some times, and then
we would meet on zoom at other times. This I did not like, I felt like I was just lost most of the time
with all of the different things happening, and switching it up between in person and virtual. On top of
that, I did not think that my teacher was the best with this. She kept on switching up what we were
doing and how we were doing it and it was hard for me to stay organized in the class. I felt like
everything was going back and forth and back and forth and I could not stay on track. I had a hard time
learning because my teacher was just overall confusing. It was not an enjoyable experience for me in
that class. Especially because when we would be in person, it just consisted of us sitting spread out
across the classroom, just taking notes and sitting there staring at the board. It was so unlike any other
math class that I have taken in all my years in school. It was almost like a snooze fest. I know that it
was during the pandemic so there was not much to do, but it was hard to pay attention and be
motivated to work. And on top of that, going back and forth with virtual and in person, it was overall
not a good time, and I was getting overwhelmed, especially with all of the different websites and
resources my teacher was using it was hard to follow. I like to consider myself lucky that there was no
regents exam because I already know I would not have done well on it, because I can’t even follow
along with what we learned in class.
Finally, this year it is back to normal-ish. For this year, there is no more hybrid learning, we are
in person every day, sitting in the classroom for a 45 minute period learning. Although the year is not
over yet, and we haven’t reached midterms yet either, I am feeling good in this class. This teacher is a
nice guy. He is fun. He is easy to talk to, in a professional way, and helping his students and
developing a relationship with them is important to him. In his class, I do not feel embarrassed to raise
my hand and ask a question, or to tell him that I am confused about something. Which, that is not the
same in my past math classes, or even my other classes that aren’t math. Math is not my strongest
subject, so knowing that I can be comfortable asking questions if I have is a nice feeling. It also does
not feel dreadful going to his class. 5 days a week, 45 minutes each day, but it is never a snooze fest,
nor does it feel like the class is forever long. We are doing different things, and although we cannot
move around as much still, we are doing problems together as a class, or we are even working together
with our peers (from our seats though since we still cannot move to a group). It does not feel like we
are sitting there staring at the board taking notes the whole time, it feels different, in a good way and I
like it. I also like how the teacher is approachable and I am able to figure out things that I don’t
understand.

Q: You had your Freshmen and Sophomore Years greatly changed and impacted by COVID-19,
what do you think that did to your work? How did that change how you learned and your
growth as a mathematics student?
Because of COVID-19 it really changed my work. Like I said before, I felt like I was doing so
well in geometry freshman year, and I was excited to continue out the year, and see how I would do on
the regents exam, but then covid came and ruined it. The transition to having to stay home for the rest
of the year was tough for me. I was not able to do the in person learning, and being online for class was
something that I had never done before. I know that everyone was in the same boat with that and it was
the first time for all of us, but it was difficult for me.
 Sophomore year was especially difficult for me. I had gotten somewhat used to the transition,
but now we were doing ½ in person ½ online, and that was just very difficult, to go back and forth and
have so many switch ups in the class. I think it definitely started changing my learning a lot, and I
couldn’t reach my full potential with this way of learning. Also once again like I said before, I was
confused, a lot. It was hard for me to balance in and out of in person learning.
I found math to be one of the hardest classes to do online, that and science. Science was
different because we couldn’t really do experiments, or labs like in chemistry class. For math, it was
hard because if I was doing work, I couldn’t show my teacher the work to check if it was right, or if I
had the right idea. It was really hard for me to get my work done and checked. I thought that I honestly
would just wait for the teacher to put the answer on the board, I wasn't doing as much work myself.

Q: How do you feel like group work? Not in a math classroom specifically, but in any
classroom?
I like group work. I think it's nice to take a break and switch things up. Am I personally the best
with group work? Sometimes, other times I can talk a lot and maybe get distracted. But I think it is a
good way for us to work on communicating with one another.

Q: Now how do you feel about it in math?

I like group work in math. I think it helps me work through problems being able to talk it out
with other people, I am able to see where they are at and compare it to where I am at. It is also
sometimes easier to get someone to look at your work if you are in a group. Typically if we were
working alone, it might take a while for the teacher to help you if they are helping other students, so
having group members to work with and talk to is helpful.

Q: Do any of your teachers use group work in their lessons?

I think that my precalc class would definitely use group work if we were 100% back to normal.
I haven’t had a fully normal year in High School, so it is hard for me to judge what my teachers would
do. I did not do that much group work freshman year, before covid, and there was never any group
work sophomore year.

Q: I am developing a Signature Pedagogy - which is a teaching strategy, and mine is about using
group work to facilitate problem solving in a math classroom. I am looking at how this can
benefit students in a math classroom.
 Do you think that your learning would be different if you used group work in your
lessons?
Like I said before, I would like group work in math lessons. It will help me a lot to better understand
everything and work through my problems with other people. I think my learning would be different
and I would be able to grow as a problem solver and a math student.

Interview with: Male 12th Grade Student

Q: What math classes have you taken in your time as a High School Student at North Shore?
In 9th grade, I took honors geometry, and then in 10th grade, I was in honors Algebra II, then I
took PreCalculus in 11th grade, and AP Calculus is the class that I am in now.
Q: What class would you say you found the most difficult?
I would say that my current AP Calculus Class is the most challenging class that I am in right
now.
Q: What was the hardest thing about that class?
This class was just a different adjustment from the other math courses that I have taken
throughout high school. It was like everything picked up so fast and the pace was faster, and the
content was harder. I knew that class was going to be harder, but I did not expect this large of a jump
from my other classes.
Q: What math class did you enjoy the most?
I think that the math class I will say I enjoyed the most was my 10th grade Algebra II class.
Q: What made that class the most enjoyable?
This class, to me, was the best math class because it was a good time. This class was a fun
place to be. It was something that I was looking forward to each day.
Q: How do you feel about your teachers that you had for each of these classes? Describe your
experience with each of these teachers.
Math is my favorite subject. It always has been, ever since I was a little kid. Math seemed like
it was always going to be my favorite subject in school, regardless of the class, and the teacher. As I
was slowly getting older, I realized that wasn’t the case. Math was and still is my favorite subject, but I
noticed that as I was getting older, the classes were becoming more difficult. My 9th grade honors
geometry was a great class. Something that I enjoyed from this was being in class with my friends,
while although that could be a distraction at some times, it was great to have someone I really knew in
the class. It was especially beneficial to be with one of my friends because our teacher was confused
with the out of class assignments. There were times that it was hard to understand what assignments
we had, and when we had them due. I was able to communicate with my friend on that and we were
able to know what to do and when to do it. As for the teacher, I think that besides the fact that she was
confusing her out of class assignments, she was good in other aspects, such as when she was teaching
us things. One thing I actually liked was when she would start teaching us something new, she would
let us know where in the textbook we could find that thing, in case we want to look at it later for
reference, or if we need it for something. That was very helpful especially if some of the content was
hard to understand, you knew just where to find it to look it over and try to get a better grasp on it.
Although I never felt the need to do that, it was great to know that it was there just in case. I think that
my geometry teacher was good at going at a good pace when teaching us the material, and she would
frequently check in to see if we were understanding the material.
My 10th grade algebra II teacher had to have been my favorite class. I would describe this class
as overall good vibes. This was not a class I was dreading going to each day, I was excited to go and
excited to learn. The classroom was fun, the energy was high, and it was an overall safe learning
environment. I did not feel scared if I did not understand anything. My teacher for this class is also my
grade's student government advisor. Since I am a member of the student government, and I am also her
student, I think I was able to bond with my teacher and develop a good relationship with her. This
teacher made the learning fun. Once it was time for class, we would all walk in and take our seats, and
she wouldn’t be there, but once the bell rang to begin class, she would make an entrance and walk in,
full of energy ready to start class. She was never confused, was always happy, and had our best
interests at heart, which made this class ten times more enjoyable than my other classes. Everyday I
was excited to go to 7th period algebra. Once the pandemic hit, I was devastated that I was not going to
be able to have that class anymore. But I think my teacher kept us all in it. She kept us all with our
heads up, even if it was through a zoom or a google meet. And no, the transition was not smooth, but
she did make it as easy as possible for us.
Precalc wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t my least favorite. In the end, it was just another class
for me. I feel indifferent about the teacher. I didn’t like nor dislike him. This class was just something
that was a part of my routine. My junior year was spent half in person, half remotely. My teacher was
good with keeping things organized when we were making the switch back and forth throughout the
week. There just was not anything that drew me to his class. I liked the material that we were learning,
and I was easily learning it, but I cannot say that I thought the class itself was a good time. I thought
that my teacher felt like he was there to do his job and that was it. I know that things could have been
different if we were not in a pandemic, and that it took a toll on everyone, and their mental health and
optimism, so this just leaves me wondering what the class would be like without the pandemic.
My AP Calc teacher is a pretty good guy. I think that he is a very good teacher, and I enjoy
being in his class, it is just the content that messes me up. I think the thought of the class being an AP
class keeps getting to my head. The speed of the class is very fast, and the content just keeps coming
and coming. I think what makes it so hard is the big jump from a regular honors class to an AP class. It
just seems that the full 45 minutes I am sitting staring at the board writing stuff down. The time goes
so slow in that class. We never get any packets or any printed out material in that class, we just walk in
with our spiral notebook, we grab a textbook and we sit down. All of the notes are taken on our own
and are supposed to be copied from what is written on the chalkboard. The class is not horrible, it is
just an adjustment that I am still getting used to.

Q: You had some years greatly changed and impacted by COVID-19, what do you think that
did to your work? How did that change how you learned and your growth as a mathematics
student?
Well, my Senior, Junior, and Sophomore years have all been affected by the pandemic. It
seems to me that my senior AP Calc class would work this way regardless of the pandemic, it seems
just like the sit and stare at the board type class. I was sad about my algebra class being moved to
remote learning, because that was one of the best parts of my day. And I also think I would have had a
better time in my precalc class if we were not going back and forth every day.
If I’m being honest, I think that the pandemic has taken a big toll on my learning. I am 100%
not as motivated as I used to be, and when things were fully remote, it was so much easier for me to
cheat and look things up, and so I was not really learning any of the material. It also just seemed
pointless to me when there were no regents exams. I never found myself actually studying for any of
my classes like I usually would, and I was not preparing for the end of the school year regents exam. I
think because I came off of 1.5 years of ‘joke’ learning, that can also have a big impact on the way I
feel about my AP calc class right now. It makes the class so much harder for me because this is a big
adjustment to how I have been learning for the past year and a half.

Q: How do you feel like group work? Not in a math classroom specifically, but in any
classroom?
I like doing group work. I think it is a good way to collaborate with my classmates and talk
with one another about what we need to do.
Q: Now how do you feel about it in math?
 In a math classroom I like doing group work. I think it is a good way to talk to each other to try
and work the problems out together.
Q: Do any of your teachers use group work in their lessons?
I remember using group work a lot in my younger age math classrooms. I see that I do not use
it as much now, as opposed to when I was younger. We sometimes used group work in my geometry
class, but it was not something that we did all the time. It was good using it in geometry, especially
with that teacher because I was able to get help from my peers when I was lost.
Q: I am developing a Signature Pedagogy - which is a teaching strategy, and mine is about using
group work to facilitate problem solving in a math classroom. I am looking at how this can
benefit students in a math classroom.
Do you think that your learning would be different if you used group work in your
lessons?
I understand that in school now, we are still working our way back from the pandemic, and so it
is hard to do stuff like this. But I think that if I were to be able to work with groups frequently in my
math classroom, it would improve my learning and my understanding. It sometimes feels so
professional when I need to ask a teacher a question, and it sometimes seems like the biggest deal in
the world. I would be much more comfortable talking things out with my classmates.

Teaching Channel - The Distributive Property

 https://learn.teachingchannel.com/teams/262768/learning-plan/1707484
Notes:
● he lets them know what they do and don't have to write down
● he is asking them if they would like to do another example
● his notes are organized, multi-colored, and easy to follow
● he talks slow, so everyone understands
● and he continues to say things like ‘just to be sure we are clear”
● he is showing them the difference between PEMDAS and the distributive property
● he walks around as they take notes
● using cornell notes, write the question down on the left of the notes, and the answer down on
the right side
● his white board is very organized
● he is constantly asking them question
● also when he goes in to do multiplication or something, he asks them what the product is
○ they respond
● he teaches them the basic concept , then they do a bunch of examples right after
● he is preparing them with notes for the CAHSEE, letting them know important things to study
● with an example, Munn showed them how people did it wrong
● he is using mini white boards and writing the problem on the main board, he then walks around
to check and then goes over it on the board, telling them about mistakes then showing the right
answer
● as they go on he gets more difficult with the problems
● he keeps the notes on the board for them
● student volunteers to hand things out
Questions:
1. Which tools of inquiry were used in this lesson?
I think that during Mr.Munn’s lesson, I saw that students needed to think critically,
create and pose questions, love learning, and communicate effectively.
2. Describe a meaningful task in this lesson. What made it meaningful?
A meaningful task in this lesson I think was Mr.Munn using the example from the
CAHSEE. He was able to show what students who got it wrong did, and how they are
really supposed to do it. Doing this is also helping prepare students for the test.
3. What major concept was addressed? How did the lesson incorporate real world issues?
 The concept that Mr.Munn was teaching was distribution. There was not really any
incorporation of real world issues in this lesson, but the students knew how to learn something
that was going to help them in future lessons and math classes.
4. Describe how learning promotes critical thinking, creativity, or collaborative problem solving.
This learning forces students to really look at the problem and try to think of what to do
next. They need to know where to start and how to work through distribution inorder to
get the correct answer. They also worked a little with collaborative problem solving
when they were working on their white boards. I saw some of them talking to one
another about the problem at hand.
5. How did this lesson promote or challenge your signature pedagogy idea?
I do not think that Mr.Munn’s instruction helped promote my signature pedagogy idea,
but I also do not think it challenged it. I think that you could say it possibly could have
been promoted when the students were talking to each other a little on the practice
problems that Mr.Munn was putting up on the board.

Teaching Channel - Simplifying Expressions

https://learn.teachingchannel.com/teams/262768/learning-plan/1707484
Notes:
● she lets them know their work is collected at the end of class for a classwork grade
● they used a think pair share for simplifying expression
 ● very helpful to students coming in late
● she was working though the problems on the board with the students
● she had students ask each other for help
● I noticed that the students frequently got different answers, but talked through it with one
another to try and figure it out
● independent exit ticket
Questions:
1. Which tools of inquiry were used in this lesson?
The students in this lesson need to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate
productively, create and pose questions, and love learning. These main concepts were
used when the students were collaborating and working together.
2. What structural aspect of the discipline was addressed in this lesson?
3. Describe a meaningful task in this lesson. What made it meaningful?
A meaningful task in this lesson was the think pair share. I think this was meaningful
because it gave the students the ability to talk together to see what they did either right
or wrong. They shared their answers and when they disagreed on an answer, they talked
about what their second step is and how they finished the problem.
4. What major concept was addressed? How did the lesson incorporate real world issues?
The major concept addressed in this video was simplifying expressions. The students
were working out problems on their sheet of paper and distributing numbers in order to
get the problem in simplest terms. This lesson did not work to incorporate real world
issues, they were just doing number crunches, with no word problems or real world
context.
5. Describe how learning promotes critical thinking, creativity, or collaborative problem solving.
The learning in this lesson promotes all three of those main ideas. The students needed
to think critically when working out the problem, and then they needed to work
collaboratively on problem solving when they were talking with one another about what
they did and how they did it. The students used their creativity when distributing and
simplifying their answers, and going along with the rules of PEMDAS.
6. How did this lesson promote or challenge your signature pedagogy idea?
This lesson did a very good job at promoting my signature pedagogy. During the entire
portion of the lesson that the video showed, the students were working together with
one another.
 Teaching Channel - Using the UPS Strategy to Solve Math Problems
https://learn.teachingchannel.com/teams/262768/learning-plan/1707484
Notes:
● she had a student go up in the beginning to work out a problem
○ she made the student explain what he was doing
● teacher walked through the problem with them after talking about PEMDAS
● UPS
○ Understand the question - put it in your own words
○ Plan out the steps - what you are going to do in order to solve the problem
 ○ Solve - formulas, statements, reasoning
○ CHECK you answered the problem correctly
● students are working in groups of 4
● each have a different role
○ U, P, S, Check
● she went up to each group and was asking them
● the students are presenting the problems as a group after
● they take their roles and then they collaborate on what they did
● she is talking to them about their mistakes and guiding them through their presentation
● they are using word problems that have a meaning to something
Questions:
1. Which tools of inquiry were used in this lesson?
This lesson used many different tools of inquiry. The students were required to
communicate effectively when working out their problem with their group, and when
explaining their problem up in front of the class. They also needed to think critically,
and collaborate productively as you usually do in a math class. Here the students also
needed to design experiments when they were planning how to solve the problem. They
were solving real-world problems with their word problems that were relating to outside
life concepts. Love learning was also used in this lesson as well.

2. Describe a meaningful task in this lesson. What made it meaningful?

The UPS Check strategy was a meaningful task in this lesson. This led the students to
really solve the problem. They needed to follow many different steps and components
to solve the problem. They needed to understand it, plan it out, solve it and then check
to make sure they did it correctly.
3. What major concept was addressed? How did the lesson incorporate real world issues?
This lesson did not discuss real world issues, but there were word problems that
involved real world concepts. The teacher would ask the students when they can see this
in their real lives outside of the classroom. They were giving examples of what the cone
could be equivalent to, that is not math related. (Like a gas tank)
4. Describe how learning promotes critical thinking, creativity, or collaborative problem solving.
This learning promoted each of those things. The students needed to work together with
one another to collaborate and solve their problems. There was also a need for creativity
 when going about the problems, because there were many different components
involved in the problem solving. There is always critical thinking involved in math, and
the students needed to think of how they wanted to go about solving the problem.
5. How did this lesson promote or challenge your signature pedagogy idea?
This lesson did a very good job at promoting my signature pedagogy idea. The teacher
had the class broken up into multiple groups, and each group was assigned with a
different problem and they each got a different role in the group. The students needed to
work together to solve the problem, and then present their solution in front of the class.

Teaching Channel - Trigonometry in Flight

https://learn.teachingchannel.com/teams/262768/learning-plan/1707484
Notes:
● starts with a review of things they will need and they already know
● describing how they will use newton's laws
● she is giving purpose to the graphs
● group work
● uses demonstrations on board
● using helicopters as examples
● students are going up to the board and are drawing what their group did
● students were using magnets to draw their graphs
● they were then using a model helicopter with 4 propels
● this is demonstrating sin cosine, and giving them an understanding on frequency
 ● using different scenarios and assigning them to groups
● they then took their helicopter outside to see a visual
Questions:
1. Which tools of inquiry were used in this lesson?
In this lesson, the students were required to critically think, communicate effectively,
collaborate productively, solve real-world problems, design experiments, create and
pose questions, and love learning.
2. Describe a meaningful task in this lesson. What made it meaningful?
I think a meaningful task in this lesson was the students going up to the board to work
out their problem for the class. The students were able to see what other groups did, and
how they did it. Also with going up to the board, they were able to talk out what they
did so that everyone could understand it, and they can even get a better understanding.
3. What major concept was addressed? How did the lesson incorporate real world issues?
Similar to the UPS Check video, the teacher in this lesson was using word problems and real
world examples so that the students knew where they can apply this in their lives. The students
were using sin and cosine graphs to talk about flying a helicopter and the 4 different propels
that it has. They were also talking about taking a picture of a football field from above. The
teacher then actually used a model helicopter to help these students better visualize the
concepts that they were learning.
4. Describe how learning promotes critical thinking, creativity, or collaborative problem solving.
This learning promoted all of them. Similar to the other videos, since the students were
working together, they needed to talk to one another and open their minds to see how others
may have solved the problem. They also need to talk to one another and problem solve.
5. How did this lesson promote or challenge your signature pedagogy idea?
This lesson did promote my signature pedagogy idea. Students here were working
together on their designated problems that they had, and then they were going up to the
board to present their ideas to the class, and get feedback form the teacher. She was
guiding them through whether or not they did it correctly.
 Teaching Channel - Concept First, Notation Last
https://learn.teachingchannel.com/teams/262768/learning-plan/1707484
Notes:
● gives a warm up
● walks around and collects homework
● using loose leaf and a projector
● telling them how they need to justify their answer and show work in order to get the question
correct
● working through a problem and asking the students the steps
● she is giving them different methods for solving a problem
● keeping the students active while they are learning (asking questions)
● showing the some of their mistakes before she hands the test back
● they are talking with their groups over a problem that was wrong and why it was wrong
● gave tests back, walked around
● if they do not understand their mistake they are encouraged to talk to her or to a neighbor
● drawing their own number line
● she is walking around a lot and checking their work, and asking questions
Questions:
1. Which tools of inquiry were used in this lesson?
The students were required to use all the basic tools of inquiry that are used in
most math lessons. Critical thinking, effective communication, productive
collaboration, create and pose questions, and love learning.
2. Describe a meaningful task in this lesson. What made it meaningful?
The students were looking at test questions that were solved wrong as a class.
They then got their test back and were told to look over their mistakes and ask
any questions they might have had about them. This was a meaningful part of
the lesson because they were able to see their mistakes and how they got them
wrong, and then how to fix them.
3. What major concept was addressed? How did the lesson incorporate real world issues?
The students were looking at a number line during the class. This was a way for
them to see what numbers are greater than something. They were able to use the
number line to visualize it and see what was going on and where they can find
the numbers that fit the correct question or such.
4. Describe how learning promotes critical thinking, creativity, or collaborative problem
solving.
The students were told to look over test questions that some of their peers came
up with and got incorrect on the board. The teacher was looking for active participants
to say why the question was wrong and how they could correctly solve it. They needed
to think critically about what they could do to get the answer correct. They then needed
to look over their own test and go over what they did wrong.
5. How did this lesson promote or challenge your signature pedagogy idea?
There was not much group work being done in this lesson, but there were times
the teacher encouraged the students to turn and talk to one another about things
that they could have been confused on.
 NYSCATE Webinars - Navigating Digital Resources
https://www.nyscate.org/page/educator-webinars
Notes:
● 5 elements of strong digital tools
○ learning environment
■ elements that will be used in person and online
○ class community
■ building relationships and connections
○ lesson design
○ engagement & interactivity
○ assessment & feedback
● a lot of things to consider when doing hybrid learning
● use posts & announcements
○ keep things exciting
○ hybrid learning can get rough and take a toll on students
● microsoft has many different ways to communicate with students
● flipgrid is a way to make the work more interactive when working with hybrid learning
● MICROSOFT TEAMS****
○ microsoft whiteboard
■ class board that seems realistic to being in person
○ onenote class notebook
 ■ good way to go paperless
○ rubric grading
○ student resources
■ can add a jist of what they need to do, the points it's worth, and then the ability
for them to submit it
● STORYBIRD***
○ lets students create stories
○ interactive
○ lets them choose images, make stories
● PADLET**
○ exit ticket and online assignment tool
○ able to create posts
○ add pictures, links, videos
○ can share it with others
● GOOGLE DRIVE***
○ use the “waffle button” to access all of your different apps

Reflection:
This online webinar was actually very informative to me. I have learned a lot about the
different types of online resources that I can use in my classrooms. This webinar showed me that I do
not need to be restricted to just using google drive / docs / slides. There are many ways to make my
work interactive for my students and to get them involved in the learning. This is very useful,
especially during these times, because everything is uncertain and there are so many things that can
happen, such as the pandemic that can send us into full remote learning. This webinar provided us with
many great resources to use to keep our students engaged while working online. There are many
different ways to have the students all working on something at once, or there are different ways to get
the students to record themselves responding to one another, as they would if they were in a classroom.
I enjoyed attending this webinar and finding out more about what I can do with technology.
 NYSCATE Webinars - STEAM Power
https://www.nyscate.org/page/educator-webinars
Notes:
● Art helps communicate ideas and STEM material and can add a level of clarity for visual
thinkers
● having writing and sketchnotes can help you make connections
● the creative process can often lead you to ideas or solutions to problems that you wouldn't have
considered at first
● incorporating design thinking
○ learn from people
○ find patterns
○ design principles
○ make tangible
○ iterate relentlessly
● Encouraging a student's curiosity promotes self-directed learning. We need to model this
behavior and show that we are all life-long learners who remain curious and passionate about
learning
● Brush Ninja
○ can easily be exported and shared
● connection, collaboration, authenticity, sustainability
Reflection:
During this Webinar, we went through how to go from STEM, to STEAM and why it is
important. We talked about the importance of incorporating art into the learning and how it can impact
students. I think that in a math classroom, this can be beneficial because it can help the students to be
creative. If they are creative, they will be taking better notes, that can help them better understand the
 concepts of learning. The students will also be able to develop new perspectives that help them with
problem solving and how they are answering questions. This is especially important to math because
there are sometimes different ways for students to solve problems and different ways for them to go
about things. Visual thinkers will benefit from this a lot, because they will have more freedom to
design their notes how they choose.
Socratic Seminar: Patience and Practice
https://learn.teachingchannel.com/video/socratic-seminars-patience-practice-full-lesson
Question/State Our CLAIM/S and EVIDENCE Anticipated COUNTERCLAIMS Notes on the most interesting
ment (answer, from Socratic Seminar: Patience and how we can refute them points made during the
agree/disagree) Practice discussion
1. Is it Although it may not be as easy as it is People may say that it is not possible I saw how in this video this
possible for an English or a Social Studies class, to use socratic seminars in math, this teacher used an alternative
to use I think that there are some types of is because they think math is mainly method for a socratic seminar.
Socratic math classes where you can possibly just about numbers and equations so She did not have them just sitting
Seminar use socratic seminars. Students can there is no way to talk about it, which in the circle talking, she broke it
in your have discussions on proofs and where is true, and proofs are not always up so that not everyone was
content they think they can take them as they used in every single math class. trying to get a word out at the
area? are completing it. same time. This helped the
conversation flow more and the
students were all able to have a
fluent discussion about the
poems.
2. How can A claim is the main way to start a proof Counterclaims can be used in proofs In the video, there were times
claims in a mathematics classroom. Although to prove something is false. where the students would agree
& there are some other names for it (ex. Counterclaims can be proved too; with what the student was saying,
counterc proposition) they still have the same this is used for disagreement with a but they would also disagree with
laims be idea and are the main focus of the claim or a proposition. We can also what other students were saying.
used in problem. use examples to help out with the They supported themselves with
your counterclaim. evidence saying how if we look
content at this poem, this line, we see…..
area?
3. Which I think that for a Math classroom, A way that this could be refuted is by Prior to starting the socratic
parts of students can use multiple things on this that student knowing he/she did the seminar, the teacher was talking
the poster. When we are using my problem the correct way, and he/she to the students about some of the
“appropr signature pedagogy and are corrects the mistake in the other things that we see on the
iate participating in group work, when a student's error. There are times where ‘appropriate language poster’.
languag student sees themself do something students get very persistent with their She was telling them how they
e different as one of their peers, they can work, but there may be a few errors can agree or disagree with one
poster” respectfully disagree with their claim in what they did. If a problem cannot another, and then how they can
be used and share the way that they went about be solved a different way and a make it specific.
for your solving the problem. As a teacher, I can student is wrong, then they need to
content build on the claims of my students. I have a respectful conversation about
area? can use this as a way to push their it.
mathematical thinking further.
Reflection: What was the most intriguing claim you heard today and why? -I think the most interesting claim was when
they were talking about the most important technique in poetry. A lot of the students had different opinions and they all
thought of something different as being the most important aspect. They were allowed to share what they thought and why
they thought it, and something that I liked about this was how there is no wrong answer.

Reflection: Why are claims, counterclaims, and appropriate language important for a Socratic Seminar? -Claims,
counterclaims, and appropriate language are important for a Socratic Seminar because that is what lets the conversation run
smoothly. This will keep the talk going and will not turn it into a hostile environment. Although you may disagree with
someone and what they are saying, you need to word your counterclaim using appropriate language so that you do not upset
the other and hurt anyone’s feelings.

Resources
Channel, T. (n.d.). Teaching channel. Teaching Channel. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://www.teachingchannel.com/.

Evidence-based practices (part 1): Identifying and selecting a practice or program. IRIS Center.
(n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_01/.

Evidence-based practices (part 2): Implementing a practice or program with Fidelity. IRIS
Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_02/.

Evidence-based practices (part 3): Evaluating learner outcomes and Fidelity. IRIS Center.
(n.d.).
Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_03/.

Intensive intervention (part 1): Using data-based individualization to intensify instruction. IRIS
Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi1/.

Intensive intervention (part 2): Collecting and analyzing data for data-based individualization.
IRIS Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi2/.

Nyscate. NYSCATE. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from

https://www.nyscate.org/page/educator-webinars.

Progress monitoring: Mathematics. IRIS Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/pmm/cresource/#content
.
Socratic Seminars: Patience & Practice (Uncut). Teaching Channel. (2021, August 5). Retrieved
November 23, 2021, from
https://learn.teachingchannel.com/video/socratic-seminars-patience-practice-full-lesson.