1 / 39

SOCIAL STUDIES ACTION RESEARCH

SOCIAL STUDIES ACTION RESEARCH. 2007-2008. SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT GOAL: TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDINGS AND INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES STRAND OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES. 6 TH GRADE. INDIVIDUAL GOAL:

geraldine
Download Presentation

SOCIAL STUDIES ACTION RESEARCH

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. SOCIAL STUDIES ACTION RESEARCH 2007-2008

  2. SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT GOAL: TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDINGS AND INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES STRAND OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES

  3. 6TH GRADE • INDIVIDUAL GOAL: DOES USING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IMPROVE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING IN ECONOMIC?

  4. RESEARCH • I have found sources by Jim Charkins “Social Studies Review” (2003), Janaan Haskell of Idaho State University (2002), and Hawthorne, Wheeler, and Rogers in “The Reading Teacher” (2007), which support my procedure. • These authors report that using literature to teach economics is a natural extension of the text and creates long-term retention because of high student interest.

  5. DATA COLLECTION ∙ Interest Surveys completed quarterly Pre-tests done quarterly Post-tests done quarterly

  6. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS • Many students are able to make connections between literature and economics vocabulary. • Many find this enjoyable, which increases learning. • Interest surveys show that students now see economics as more difficult, yet their scores are improving. I see this as a “reality check.”

  7. Variables Affecting Research • Student teacher • Absences of teacher and students • Scheduling conflicts • New students added to class

  8. DATA

  9. DATA

  10. TEST SCORES

  11. Final Findings The interest survey showed that interest has not increased. however, student learning has! I believe that since MY interest has increased, so has my student’s learning.

  12. What’s Next? I will continue to collect data through the end of the year. I will reevaluate the sequence of vocabulary taught. I will utilize different graphic organizers in order to help students make connections.

  13. 7TH GRADE • INDIVIDUAL GOAL: WILL BI-WEEKLY USE OF SIMULATIONS AND HANDS ON LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ECONOMICS INCREASE STUDENT INTEREST?

  14. RESEARCH • My sources include Katherine Chapman’s work on Simulations and Games for Social Studies and James Sottile and Dallas Brozik’s work the use of simulations in teaching and learning • The research supports the use of simulations in teaching Economics and providing students exposure to “real life” economic situations

  15. Examples of Exposure and connection The student now is the King taxing the colonies- he has the “real life” situation of having to tax his fellow colonist

  16. THE TAX COLLECTOR- TAXING THE COLONIST BOTH THE STUDENT TAX COLLECTOR AND THE COLONIST FEEL WHAT HISTORICALLY WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE COLONIES

  17. DATA COLLECTION • Pre and Post test • Quarterly Interest Survey • Learning styles test

  18. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS • SIMULATIONS HAVE MADE STUDENTS MORE AWARE OF ECONOMIC CONNECTIONS TO HISTORY • FINDING GOOD SIMULATIONS CAN BE DIFFICULT • SIMULATIONS USE MULTIPLE LEARNING STYLES • SIMULATIONS FOSTER DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

  19. LEARNING STYLES

  20. PRE AND POST TEST DATA

  21. PERCEPTION SURVEY QUESTION 1 I CAN MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ECONOMICS AND MY LIFE.

  22. PERCEPTION SURVEY QUESTION #2 I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT HOW MONEY WORKS IN OUR SOCIETY.

  23. PERCEPTION SURVEY QUESTION #3 I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT HOW ECONOMICS AFFECTS MY FUTURE.

  24. PERCEPTION SURVEY QUESTION #4 I ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT ECONOMICS IN THE NEWS.

  25. PERCEPTION SURVEY QUESTION #5 I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW TO EARN AND SAVE MONEY

  26. VARIABLES AFFECTING RESEARCH • MORE STUDENTS AT THE START OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT • THE USE OF SIMULATIONS THAT DON’T FIT THE PERIOD OF STUDY • BI-WEEKLY SIMULATIONS DID NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN

  27. FINDING • STUDENTS ENJOYED SIMULATIONS WHEN THERE WAS A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SIMULATION AND WHAT WAS BEING LEARNED IN CLASS • STUDENTS BECAME TIRED OF SIMULATIONS AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME- LACK OF CONNECTIONS • INCREASE IMPACT OF SIMULATIONS BY LIMITING THE SIMULATION AND LINKING IT TO CLASSROOM LEARNING

  28. WHAT IS NEXT? • LIMIT THE NUMBER OF SIMULATIONS NEXT YEAR • WORK WITH STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE MAKING CONNECTIONS • CONTINUE TO RESEARCH AND LOCATE ECONOMIC SIMULATIONS/GAMES THAT WILL PROMOTE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF KEY MEAP TERMS

  29. 8TH GRADE • INDIVIDUAL GOAL: - WILL THE CREATION OF A FOCUSED CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM WITHIN THE CLASSROOM INCREASE STUDENT ABILITY TO ADDRESS REAL LIFE ECONOMIC SITUATIONS USING ECONOMIC VOCABULARY?

  30. RESEARCH • According to Day and Ballard, economic simulations or classroom economies have improved student understanding of credit, debt, investments and savings. • There seems to be mixed research on the overall effectiveness of classroom economies because of the vast differences in implementation from simulation to simulation.

  31. DATA COLLECTION • Pre-test of economic vocabulary (40 words) given to all students prior to the start of the simulation • Every six weeks, students re-take the economic vocabulary test. • 3 questions pertaining to student interest were added to the test after the simulation had started.

  32. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS • The simulation is more work than I thought! • In the classes that viewed the simulation as “interesting” or “fun”, gains in understanding were evident. • In 1st hour, gains were minimal. This may be due to the fact they viewed the simulation in a negative way.

  33. FINDINGS – Comprehension

  34. Findings – Interest (2=Same)

  35. Final Findings • In Sixth Hour (Simulation), student comprehension increased throughout the year, although gains became minimal near the end of the simulation (and in may did slightly dip). • In Second Hour (Simulation stopped in January), student comprehension still increased after the simulation stopped, but at a very small pace.

  36. Final Findings • In Sixth Hour, students felt they knew more about economics at the end of the simulation, but their interested in economics was slightly down. • In Second Hour, students feelings on comprehension was basically the same, but their interest in economics fell when the simulation ended.

  37. Findings – Questions I now have • Why did second hour continue to improve (although slightly) after the simulation stopped? • Why did some of the students “bore” of the simulation near the end of the year (this comes not from the data but from talking to some of the individuals that put their interest as lower in May.

  38. Thoughts for next time • The simulation (student jobs, bank accounts) did not run smoothly at first- this may have handicapped the results from the beginning. Next time, having clear procedures laid out in the beginning may help student achievement. • The emphasis put on key words such as investment, savings, budget, and economic choice seemed to ooze into my teaching, even when the simulation had stopped. • Question to look at next time – What types of vocabulary instruction (word wall?) could help improve student comprehension of the key economic principles we studied this year.

  39. SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT GOAL FOR 2008-2009 • 70% of students will demonstrate proficiency in their ability to connect economic terms • Each grade level will decide how to accomplish this goal

More Related