MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Problem Statement: Students in my class are disinterested in social studies. They lack a personal connection with the curriculum, which results in students’ lack of concern. Students tend to lose focus or become off task several times during the lessons or when completing curriculum tasks which causes disruptions or distractions for other students. This results in learning that has been lost. The low performance is the effect of direct instruction/ lecture/discussion used for the subject. All students are assessed with the curriculum’s one-test-fits-all rote memory assessment piece. Students are not able to express their learning due to not knowing how they best learn, and that they are not given opportunities to express their learning.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Advocated Solutions: Establish a non-threatening and stimulating learning environment through music, lighting, and aromas. Assess students multiple intelligence levels to provide guidance in deciding instructional strategies. Gauge the assumptions that students have about what is expected of their knowledge of the curriculum. Provide brain-based Kagan activities for cooperative groups and whole class in order to get students up out of their desks and relating to the curriculum. Provide various individual assessment projects based on students’ multiple intelligences to enable students to find their own connection to the curriculum. Assess students and analyze with students their improvements and celebrate successes.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Implementation Plan: Professional Goal: The goal is to improve low student academic performance in social studies to seventy percent or better through consistent application of brain-based strategies and self-awareness of how they best learn. Learner Goal: The low academic performing student in social studies will be able to increase academic performance to seventy percent or better through consistent participation in brain-based activities and gaining self-awareness of how he/she best learns through related projects.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 1: Multiple Intelligence Survey The artifact is a preference assessment to identify students’ areas of strongest intelligence. The survey consists of forty statements focusing on students’ preference of specific activities. Each student was able to choose “yes” or “no” for each statement. Each “yes” response was scored to the indicated intelligence. A total of four “yes” responses in any of the intelligence categories indicate a learning strength.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 1 - Report of Outcomes Attainment The Multiple Intelligence Survey was given to 24 fifth graders on November 2, 2009. The results enlightened me as to how my students’ best learn. I was able to use these results to decide which Kagan strategies to use during the lessons and which activities would appeal to students’ interest for their project. The table below shows that my students enjoy music and kinesthetic activities the most followed by logical and interpersonal. Table 1 – Multiple Intelligences Survey Results Number of Students Linguistic Logical Visual Kinesthetic Musical Intrapersonal Interpersonal Naturalist Multiple Intelligences Categories

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 1 - Report of Outcomes Attainment Cont. Even though the number of students in the survey results equals 56 and the number of students who took the survey is 24, there were 17 students who had more than one multiple intelligence as a strength. Only listing one strength for each student would skew the meaning of the results, by my choosing which strength was strongest. Research indicates that most people have more than one multiple intelligence strength. From these results I chose the Kagan strategies of “Inside-Outside Circles”, “Carousel Feedback”, “Mix Pair Share”, “Mix-N-Match”, “Showdown”, and “Find Someone Who” because they are all kinesthetic, interpersonal, logical, and can involve music as a motivator. Involving new musical and kinesthetic strategies for students and having productive interpersonal and logical activities increased attitudes for the positive. Additionally I divided lessons into smaller segments which helped my students with attention problems.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Reflection of Artifact 1 After analyzing the results of this artifact I found that I learned more about my students than I ever thought I could. It clearly showed me how I needed to structure my lessons and where I needed to continue to focus and clarify students’ understanding in order to improve academic performance. In order to improve performance, I had to find how students first thought about how they like to do activities, hence the survey. NBPTS Core Propositions Met Proposition 4: Teachers Think Systematically about Their Practice and Learn from Experience I am always thinking about my teaching. From the time I get up in the morning until I go home at night, and most of the time until I go to bed, I am thinking about how I am going to teach that day and if I need to do any modifications to the standard lesson to help students understand better or I’m reflecting about how I taught and if I could have done it better. I have files, files, and more files about the subjects I teach and am always writing in them if I did something new that did or didn’t work, or finding something later to try next year. Heaven forbid by files should catch fire.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 2: Assignment Selection and Directions Form with Grading Rubric The artifact is an organizational form to help students decide which colony they want to research, the two elective topics to select based on their multiple intelligences strengths, and the grading rubric stating project expectations. The form also provides students with directions as to what they need to research about their colony, how to organize the information, and where to find the information. The artifact is in two parts. The first part deals with selecting and organizing the assignment for students to help them rationalize how they are going to be successful using their multiple intelligences. Since all students are meeting the same criteria, we filled out the form together, discussing aspects of each category. Part two deals with the performance expectations in rubric form. Students could clearly see how they were going to be assessed and what the final product should look like.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 2: Assignment Selection and Directions Form with Grading Rubric

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 2 – Outcomes and Reflection The positive effectiveness of the artifact is shown in the results. Students resoundingly responded positive to the assignment. Students had clear direction to successfully accomplish the project. The project achieved the intention it was designed for which was to increase student interest and improve academic performance. The line graph below displays students’ grades.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 2 – Outcomes and Reflection cont. Students were able to make a personal connection with the curriculum and internalize it to long term memory. Student 13 fell below seventy percent at the end of the action research due to behavior issues and negative external influences outside the classroom which affected learning. I still consider this student a success when comparing the overall grade at the beginning of the action research to the project grade. The project grade also involved participation in the classroom during the lessons using multiple intelligences activities. Unfortunately the project did require time outside of class which had a negative affect on this student. This part of the process represents students can learn when they are using their strengths and have structure and guidance in completing any activity. Having students visualize and write notes is inadequate. Students need to learn how to achieve their success rather than just telling them to work harder or listen better. Helping identify how they best learn, what they need to do and how to do it is just a critical as giving them positive encouragement. Artifact 2 allows students the freedom to learn with their strengths. NBPTS Core Propositions Met Proposition 2: Teacher Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Students Through this artifact I have been able to enhance my teaching. The activities that I chose for individual and group work have improved my subject knowledge and how to present to students.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 3 - Colonial Project Student Review Form The artifact is introduced at the end of the timeframe to allow students to reflect about their learning and the project. Students stated what they learned in each topic and what they liked and disliked about the project. Students then rated themselves on their overall performance.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Artifact 3 – Reflection The artifact provides me with a final review of what students thought of the process. From their written reflections on the artifact, I can ascertain if they have taken any accountability for their learning or have remained apathetic. The artifact also provides an additional opportunity to dialogue with each student on a final time on how they worked towards improving performance. I chose this artifact because students can easily see how they performed. The questions or statements are directed toward the student and not the teacher. NBPTS Core Propositions Met Proposition 3: Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning Everyday I look at all the work my students have done during the day whether I grade it or not. Keeping a close eye on their learning upfront will avoid problems down the road especially at assessment time.

MAT 728: Engaging Learners with Brain Compatible Teaching Final Reflection I know I have refined my teaching skills as well as halted my fear of using new strategies. Previously when I observed I tried to observe everything instead of narrowing my field or area of focus. I remember reading that it was a good rule of thumb to do less but to do it better and that has impacted me. By focusing on the least successful subject of my class made it more manageable for me and my students. One key concept as to the role of brain compatible teaching and learning is to be able to empower students about their own learning. The surveying, specific observing, assessment, ongoing dialogue, and implementing strategies, analysis and reflection plans I had with my students not only helped me to know them better, but they were able to know themselves better. It has created a more positive environment in my classroom. I believe my students feel more confident.