Strategies
to Increase the Performance of Low Achieving (L.A.) Students in the Science
Class Room
Introduction
“Strategies for Teachers in their
Integrated Science Classroom”, is meant to be a resource for teachers
working in a heterogeneous classroom.
It is a list of strategies or suggestions that may make teaching and
learning more effective. The strategies
used will depend on teacher style, student need, and the situation at
hand. The document encourages teachers
to work with students in a more flexible and personalized manner. The intention of all the strategies is to
not make the teacher do more work but to offer suggestions on how to make the
work they do more efficient and more effective. The document is not meant to be used as an evaluation tool for assessing good teaching methods.
Outcomes
·
Teachers
will use a variety of methods/strategies to help all students succeed in
Integrated Science
·
Teachers
will utilize effective organizational systems that encourage students to become
responsible for their learning.
Unsolved Problems
·
Tardies
and absences are one of the biggest problems – L.A. students are absent and
tardy more often than regular ed. students.
·
Few
L.A. students do homework at home.
Relying on time in the resource/support class to complete all work is not realistic.
·
Long-term
projects are hardly ever completed on time, and are sometimes never completed
regardless of milestones, extra time, modifications, etc.
·
Extra-credit
opportunities are rarely taken.
·
L.A.
students often do not come to tutorial/office hours, even if given pass
·
The year is too long for many L.A. students to keep their
momentum – they
“burn out” after 3rd Quarter more so than regular ed. students.
·
Most
L.A. students need jumpstarting, smooth transitions, constant
reinforcement/guidance, and behavior modification year-round.
Helping
Students to be Organized and Informed
Ø
Seating
and Grouping
·
Establish seating charts where L.A. students are near
helpful or quiet students and where teachers can see and get to them easily
(many students’ IEP requires them to sit up front).
·
Arrange groups so that resource students feel safe to
participate in any way.
Ø
Making
Information Available
·
Use a large wall calendar to list daily lessons, homework
and important due dates (quizzes, tests, projects, etc.).
·
Create a “model binder” for student reference.
·
This binder would include the worksheets, labs, notes,
and reference materials that are used throughout the semester.
·
Start with a Table of Contents that the students fill-in
with each handout.
·
Number each handout so that they are in chronological
order and coincide with the Table of Contents.
·
Color code handouts (if feasible) to help students distinguish
them better.
·
Create an reference section/appendix that includes:
experimental design and lab
write-up formats, graphing info., useful conversions, metric info., periodic
table, how-to-write bibliographies and citations, etc.
·
Post copy of Table of Contents next to wall calendar.
·
Establish an area or “out –box” where students can pick
up worksheets that are missing.
·
Give NCR paper to two dependable students to make carbon
copies of their notes, answers to worksheets, daily homework assignments, etc. Have students put copies into model binder
and/or “out box”. NCR paper is available from resource teachers.
·
Hand out binder check forms/lists periodically to help
put binder in correct order.
·
Have parents check and sign binder check forms and return
to you for credit.
Ø
Absent
Students
·
Write their names on the worksheets, lab sheets and other
papers that are given out that day and put them into the “out-box”.
·
Make a point to start that day’s lesson with a quick
review of yesterday.
Delivery
of Content
Children learn best when
information is presented in various modalities.
They need structure, context,
and direction.
Ø
Engage
·
Draw on student experience and interests when introducing
new material.
·
Activate prior knowledge. “Build a bridge” from old ideas to new knowledge.
·
Make connections between lessons/topics/units more explicit.
Ø
The Big
Idea
·
Introduce goals/concepts/topics without the scientific vocabulary at first.
·
Organize the big ideas using graphic organizers and flow
charts.
·
Pre-teach key vocabulary words and necessary science
skills.
·
Guide learning - vocabulary, outline, comprehension,
application, product
Ø
Teach
·
Outline
day’s learning goals/outcome indicators on board/overhead.
·
Review the “day before” stuff before moving forward.
·
Use multiple ways of delivering instruction, i.e.,
visually, verbally, and kinesthetically.
·
Disseminate information in little “chunks”.
·
Use short, clear, concise, simplified sentences.
·
Deliver
new ideas at an appropriate pace.
·
Use anticipation guides and pre-reads for reading
assignments.
·
Allow students to read a section, passage, etc. first
with no pressure to answer questions.
Then give them the assignment with a scaled level of difficulty.
·
During videos, add commentary, anticipate important
parts, stop, rewind, repeat it.
·
Watch video first time without notes or worksheet – then
watch a second time with worksheet questions, etc.
·
Put video copies in library for students to check
out/watch for 1st time or 2nd time.
·
Check for understanding frequently. Have students turn to their neighbors and
explain the lesson’s message. Call on
various students to repeat what they heard.
·
Invite guest speakers into the classroom (parents who are
professionals, administrators, other teachers).
·
Present material using power point. Provide print out of slides with “notes
space”.
·
Provide alternative resources – supplemental texts,
articles, websites, etc.
·
Repeat and review concepts and connections to outcomes
(big picture stuff) several times during semester
Homework
·
Assign homework only when it is meaningful and necessary.
·
Write out homework assignment fully (w/ due date) on
board, read it out loud, have students repeat it , check for
understanding. Put on wall calendar
too.
·
Simultaneously, check that students are copying the assignment
in their notebook.
·
Leave daily goals/homework written up all period and even
all week, if feasible.
·
Set up a regularly maintained homework hotline on
voicemail and/or web page.
·
Check homework often, swiftly walk around, touch base
with L.A. students, stamp effort and/or request/require attendance at break,
tutorial, office hours.
·
Positively reinforce expectations met.
Assessment
·
Give out study guides and test reviews as early as
possible (preferably at beginning of unit).
·
Include sample assessment items/practice questions on
review sheet.
·
Incorporate games, active learning activities, Q & A
opportunity into review session.
·
Design test using a variety of questions and formats -
multiple-choice, fill-in with word bank, short answer, sentence formation - include visuals and graphic organizers
·
If coupled with appropriate instruction, allow students
to demonstrate mastery of the unit’s outcomes in alternative ways (verbal,
visual, tactile, or any combination, etc.)
·
Craft assignments so that the easier, factual questions
come first and that they make up at least 60% of the assignment’s grade. Put challenging questions last for A grade.
·
Shorten tests.
·
Offer an enrichment activity for fast test takers to
allow slow testers enough time to finish in class.
·
Allow L.A. students time and a half on their tests
·
Allow opportunity to retake tests or to correct test
mistakes. For example, you could
give corrected answers 1/2
their original value – add newly earned points to old score (example: orig. score 54 – if all missed questions
were correctly re-answered then potentially 23 points could be earned for a77)
·
Weigh categories of quarter/semester grade differently
for L.A. students.
·
Consider student growth and improvement over the entire
semester when assigning semester grade (40% + 80% = does student really deserve
a 60%?).
Labs/Projects/Science
Fair
·
Post lab report format/scientific process in room.
·
Provide examples of completed labs.
·
Provide overview of lab in outline form.
·
Simplify content (less text) – BOLD key phrases. Include
diagrams and pictures.
·
Check for understanding of purpose, background
information, focus questions and procedures before proceeding.
·
Demonstrate lab procedures – model how to handle the
equipment.
·
Instead of fully written lab reports, accept bullet
sentences (lists) under each section (background, procedure, etc) – the work
can later be expanded into a formal lab report
·
Establish benchmarks/peer review sessions for big
projects – post timeline on class calendar.
·
If a student isn’t meeting science fair benchmark dates,
provide an investigation for “easy” data collection or provide “cooked” data so
student can complete a report and construct a display board for at least a C
grade
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
above strategies have been developed for and used in regular Integrated Science
classrooms. With the necessary
adaptations, they can and should be used in other classrooms.
This
document was developed in cooperation between Lori Carless, Ted Godfrey,
Bettina Hughes, John Lew, Lisa Miller, Rosemary Eagan – science teachers;
Charley Ehmann , Sue Hall, Catherine McKnown – Resource Specialists; and Sandy
Piotter, Director of Instructional Services – TUHSD,. The document has subsequently been adopted and refined by the
Academic Support Group of Drake High School, TUHSD (Tamalpais Unified School
District), Marin County, California.
Developed
in cooperation between Lori Carless, Ted Godfrey, Bettina Hughes, John Lew,
Lisa Miller, Rosemary Eagan – science teaches; Charley Ehmann , Sue Hall,
Catherine McKnown – Resource Specialists; and Sandy Piotter, Director of
Instructional Services – TUHSD,. The
document has been adopted and refined
by the Academic Support Group of Drake High School, TUHSD (Tamalpais Unified
School District), Marin County, California. May 2001