A CROSS SECTION OF ACTION RESEARCH APPLICATIONS
Step 1: Issue Identification: Identify an Area to Study
Tier I in RtI requires teachers to provide high-quality, research-based instruction to all students. Throughout, teachers must monitor students’
Response to Intervention: A Framework for Action Research 183 progress to determine how they are responding to instruction. If a large number of students are not responding appropriately, this should be a sig- nal that instructional adjustments should be made. If a small group of stu- dents are not responding, the teacher then must consider what additional supports may be needed to help individual students succeed.
One recommendation for instruction in RtI Tier I is the use of ongoing formative assessment. Formative assessment is defined here as assessment that is used to make decisions about instruction (William 2007). While many assessments may fit this description, what distinguishes them is the length of time between collecting information, analyzing it, and then re- sponding to it (William 2007). The use of classroom discussion provides teachers the opportunity to use classroom talk to collect data on how individual students are responding to instruction, and then use that infor- mation to immediately adjust instruction to meet students’ needs before waiting for the instructional methods to fail.
During the process, teachers may take anecdotal and observational notes on students’ work on mathematical tasks, explanations of solution strate- gies, and responses to questions. These data can be organized in a chart so that students’ progress can be examined over several episodes. Over time, patterns may emerge that indicate instruction is not meeting individual or groups of students’ needs. For example, the teacher may notice that some students are having more difficulty than others solving mathematical prob- lems. They are not able to understand what problems are asking, select appropriate strategies for solving, monitor their progress, or determine the reasonableness of solutions. As a result, the teacher decides to investigate the issue in an effort to help the students develop their problem-solving skills.
Step 2: Data Collection
To further explore the problem, and determine if there is a real need for additional instructional support, the teacher will collect additional data on this group of students. In addition to the anecdotal and observational notes she is already collecting, she can collect the students’ written work and explanations on selected problems. In addition, she can interview the students and ask them to orally describe and explain their strategies and thinking.
Step 3: Action Planning
The teacher analyzes these data to understand how students think about and approach mathematical problems. The teacher looks for areas of strength in students’ problem-solving skills, as well as areas of weakness.
She then can review mathematics education research relevant to developing
problem-solving skills. From this review, she learns about the effectiveness of instructional methods that focus on two areas: (1) metacognitive skills, or the ability to monitor and adjust one’s own thinking, and (2) coopera- tive learning, which emphasizes the importance of participating in a com- munity of mathematical learners (Thomas 2006).
The literature suggests that teachers can help students develop their meta- cognitive skills by serving as an external guide through using targeted ques- tioning or providing students with a framework for their thinking. Studies have shown that such techniques have been effective, particularly when used within the context of learning specific mathematics content (Lesh &
Zawojewski 2007; Thomas 2006).
Step 4: Plan Activation
The teacher begins implementing the THINK framework (Thomas 2006) in her mathematics instruction. This framework is designed to help students monitor their thinking and guide their communication about their think- ing while working on mathematical tasks. The teacher will use the strategy with the entire class. However, the teacher will use targeted questions to provide scaffolding for the students that have been identified. These ques- tions may include: What is happening in this problem? Does it remind you of any other problem? What strategy do you think might work? How do you think it might help? How could you decide if your answer is correct?
In addition, the teacher, if necessary, will model her thinking about problems aloud. As she carries out her plan, the teacher is mindful of the students’ backgrounds, prior experiences and knowledge, and other issues specific to the educational context, and she adjusts her activities accord- ingly. Figure 8.1 outlines the plan using a design worksheet.
Step 5: Outcome Assessment
In this step, the teacher again collects data to determine the students’ re- sponse to the instructional plan activated in step 4. She examines anecdotal and observational notes as well as students’ written work and explanations on selected problems. In addition, she will re-interview the students and ask them to orally describe and explain their strategies and thinking. From these data, the teacher will determine how the actions taken in step 4, plan activation, are meeting the needs of her students. Based on what is learned, the teacher may continue with her instructional plan, while she continues to monitor students’ response and makes modifications for specific stu- dents, as needed. If, however, some students are not showing desired prog- ress, she may collect additional data and cycle through the process again.