Blended Learning for Low Achieving Algebra 1 Students: An Action Research Plan

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    I have been teaching Algebra 1 for five years now and I am quite familiar with how the course runs. The course is typically made up of a very diverse group of students in many different aspects, most notably behaviorally, academically, socioeconomically, and culturally. The achieving gap conversation typically is focused on this group, so we are constantly looking for new ways to enhance these students learning. Far too often do we hear about the quiet and statistically lower-achieving student who just gets by until they get to high school. They are quiet, lack confidence, and have just gone unnoticed, until they can’t anymore. Now, they’re stuck and don’t know where to go, but most importantly of all, they lack the self-advocacy skills to get help. These are the students we need to help.

Our current direct instruction learning model is one-size-fits-all and does not cater to these students, which is not acceptable. We need to find a way to make sure all students are in the best position to successful. The research I reviewed showed that there is a need for my study. To find out if the blended learning model, which now has more resources than ever, can benefit these students. The blended learning model allows for educators to take advantage of the course managements systems they have in place to house the course materials, while most importantly allowing students to take ownership of their learning and work through the curriculum at their own speed. 

 

Fundamental Research Question

    In what ways does the use of the blended learning model influence lower achieving students in my Algebra 1 classroom?

 

    This question is important because it can provide light to these students who are often overlooked early in their educational careers and suffer as they approach their final years of high school and early adulthood. Although 9th grade Algebra 1 students placed in this course are historically lower achieving, I am more so looking to see how the model impacts the learning of students with less than a 3.0 GPA, the group that most would consider are harder to “crack.” The current course design for our Algebra 1 course, the one that has been used for years, is dated and frankly, ineffective for many. With that said, this course concludes with the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam, a standardized assessment administered by the state which is a graduate requirement. Based off the data collected, particularly following the impact COVID-19 had on the education system, there is a need for change to differentiate the learning appropriately.

 

Summary of the Literature Review

    Research supports the transition to a student-driven learning model, particularly for a foundational course where all students are starting with different backgrounds. While the world of education has developed over the years, particularly with the resources that are now available, goals have remained the same. Students want to learn the material and be successful. As educators, it is our job to set them up for this, and this does not mean sticking to our dated ideas. The researched I reviewed showed that students taking ownership of their learning can lead to mature and abstract thinkers who are not intimidated by a challenge, can think critically, and can problem solve. Of the various blended learning strategies studied, the main component was flexibility. Highlighting differentiating for individuals, small groups, collaborative groups, and teacher-led groups. This will appear different from class-to-class but provides options for each learner.

Study Information

    My study will be based around implementing a blended learning, student-driven model to my Algebra 1 classroom. This is a class that is traditionally taught in a direct instruction learning model. I will be focusing on academic achievement of statistically lower achieving students, more specifically, entering the course with below a 3.0 GPA. As mentioned prior, this course is typically IEP/504 heavy with MANY students requiring significant accommodations. For this reason, differentiation is one of the main components of every lesson plan, even in a direct instruction formatted course. In such a rigid course such as Algebra 1, particularly in my district, I do not have much wiggle room to sway around from the content I cover, particularly pacing with all assessments being standardized, however, breaking units into asynchronous/synchronous modules is realistic if done appropriately. Schoology will house all materials, as it always has, but the learning modeling will vary as we progress through the year to measure the effective it has.

 

Research Design 

    The data I collect within my research will be quantitative. I have taught this course for numerous years and have access to a significant amount of data from past students, all of which were taught in a teacher-driven direct instruction learning model. This will allow me to group compare students with those like them (considering many variables) to attempt to isolate the impact that the blended learning model has. At other time, it may be more effective to compare students to themselves between the two learning models, however, it will be important to ensure that the level of difficulty of the content is like that does not skew results. While qualitative data has value in any study, the statistical data provides much more concrete evidence of the strengths and potential shortcomings this new model may possess.

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Data Collection and Analysis

    I plan to collect data throughout the 2022-2023 school year. While I originally planned to do this within this current school year, we had some unforeseen circumstances arise within my district that prevented me to do so. With that being said, I will wait until the second marking period as much of the first marking period in this course is review, which would certainly skew the findings. This will also allow me to have some data on the students learning in a direct instruction learning model, particularly so I can look at the study almost in a matched-pair format where students are compared to themselves. My timeline will go as follows:

• August 2022 to November 2022 – Teach Unit 1 and Unit 2 in a teacher-driven, direct instruction learning model. Ensure students are comfortable navigating Schoology (LMS) in preparation for implementation of blended learning model.

• November 2022 to January 2022 (MP2) – Teach Unit 3 and Unit 4 in a student-driven, blended learning model.

• December 2022 (Holiday Break) – Compare Unit 3 Summative Assessment scores to those of Unit 2 Summative Assessment. Compare mean and standard deviation. Scale if needed based on difficulty of assessment from previous years.

• January 2022 (End of MP2) – Compare Unit 4 Summative Assessment scores to those of Unit 3 Summative Assessment (blended) and Unit 2 Summative Assessment (direct instruction). Compare mean and standard deviation. Scale if needed based on difficulty of assessment from previous years.

• January 2022 to March 2022 (MP3) – Split class into two groups for Unit 5, blended learning group and direct instruction group (made possible with co-teacher). Swap for Unit 6.

• March 20222 (End of MP3) – Scale averages as needed so means align (based on difficulty of summative assessments) and compare results of students to both themselves and peers.

    All data collected will be via LinkIt, which collects data for our district issued summative assessments. This allows us to trace students back all the way through their educational journey and can provide the opportunity to consider his similar statistically speaking, isolating learning models. Unfortunately, I cannot share any district-issued assessments or data from LinkIt.

 

Sharing and Communicating Results

    My ePortfolio has been a major component of my ADL journey and blended learning innovation plan and will continue to house all things related to this. For that reason, I will be publicly sharing all my data, anonymously of course. While most of my results will be generated via a spreadsheet as that is how our data collection program, LinkIt, exports its data, I will organize it as I see fit and provide explanations to viewers. I will also reflect on the results via my blog on my ePortfolio. This will allow me to continue to collaborate and communicate with the group members I have worked so closely with throughout this journey.

    I will also share my results from my research with my Algebra 1 team at work. We work very closely with all lessons we plan, so chances are they are going to begin to roll out some of the lessons with me utilizing the blended learning model. With myself leading, my Algebra 1 team will meet with our staff developer to put together a professional learning session that will be shared with my department as well as administration.

    My department has a very close-knit relationship, we all support one another and consistently collaborate between courses. For that reason, getting more members on board and showing evidence of the impact this new learning model has can begin to move the pendulum. Additionally, Algebra 1 is the first math course many students take in high school, which means students will be leaving this course with the necessary skills to drive their own learning.

 

Final Reflection 

    I am taking this course while taking my capstone course, so I was unable to collect any data, especially since my timeline does not begin until next school year. While I attempted to collect some data within this school year, I was unable to commit a whole unit to blended learning as I discussed in my intended timeline above for next year. However, I have been able to implement some smaller components of the student-driven model where students have had lessons differentiated based on their needs and worked through the content at their pace. Having this opportunity has taught me some minor housekeeping things that hopefully will make the transition more seamless.

    I am looking forward to diving into the data on my own time to see how the learning model influences assessment scores. While summative assessments at the end of the unit will be the true measuring stick, I will also take a closer look into small quizzes (formative assessments) that gauge understanding throughout the learning process. I am hopefully comparing students to themselves as well as others should indicate a jump in achievement based on a stronger and deeper understanding of the algebraic foundations.