Academic Youth Development: A new approach to improving Algebra I performance

1. Academic Youth Development: A new approach to improving Algebra I performance Uri Treisman Susan Hudson Hull Laurie M. Garland Charles A. Dana Center The University of Texas at Austin Imagine: Mathematics Assessment for Learning July 21, 2009 0

2. Academic Youth Development • Melds recent advances in social andpsychological theories with best practicesin Algebra instruction. 1

3. Academic Youth Development • Deepens students’ commitment tolearning and to productive persistence inthe face of academic challenge. 2

4. Many students have difficulty in school not because they are incapable of performing successfully, but because they are incapable of believing that they can perform successfully. BUT, efforts that attempt to enhance academic performance that do not also include efforts to increase content knowledge are doomed to failure. Noncognitive Factors

5. In the National Math Panel survey, 62% of teachers rated working with unmotivated students as the single most challenging aspect of teaching Algebra I successfully. (National Math Panel, 2008) Noncognitive Factors

6. Wisdom of Practice AVID (Mary Catherine Swanson) Step-Up to High School (Chicago Public Schools) The Algebra Project (Bob Moses) Puente Project (California Community Colleges) Emerging Scholars Program (Treisman) Building on Practice and Research

7. Building on Practice and Research • Malleability of intelligence: Intelligence issomething that can be influenced and shapedthrough actions and beliefs. • Attribution: Success is attributed to task-specific causes (e.g., effort), not to globalcauses (e.g., luck or native intelligence). • Effective effort: Getting better at somethingrequires the right kind of effort.

8. Building on Practice and Research

9. Sources of Students’ Self-Efficacy

10. Strands of Mathematical Proficiency Adding it Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics, p. 117

11. Model of the Program

12. The Academic Youth Development Initiative • Is: • A set of experiences designed to influence student beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about learning • An academic development program for “regular students” to help ensure they get started in high school on the right track • An intervention designed to create and support a classroom culture of respectful engagement • A transitional program to foster success in high school and beyond • Is not: • Remediation of grade 8 math • Credit recovery • Preteaching of Algebra I • A summer math class 11

13. Goals of the AYD Initiative • Three primary goals: • Improve student performance in Algebra I and all high school mathematics courses. • Build a classroom culture focused on respectful engagement in academics. • Increase the capacity for teaching to rigorous mathematics standards. 12

14. AYD shapes and supports a culture in which . . . • Engagement, participation, positive motivation, and risktaking are developed and embraced. • Students don’t have to choose between being smart and being cool. • Effort and persistence are recognized and valued. • Mutual accountability is fostered and expected. 13

15. Getting smarter: Growing your brain through hard work and effort Learning to learn and what learning feels like Learning with peers: The importance of good communication Making attributions: What do you have control over in learning? Applying “learning about learning” strategies in problem-solving situations AYD Online Curriculum Topics

16. It’s Not Just Math Grow Your Brain and Get Smarter 15

17. It’s Not Just Math Teamwork and Communication Skills 16

18. It’s Not Just Math Online Tools at Home and School 17

19. It’s Not Just Math Meeting Friends and Teachers 18

20. What Math? Mathematics of Proportionality 19

21. What Math? Using Tables, Graphs, and Equations 20

22. What Math? Measurement and Data Collection 21

23. What Math? Solving Real–World Problems 22

24. Students surveyed and/or interviewed reported: Higher self-confidence Higher motivation and persistence Increased use of metacognitive learning strategies A greater understanding of theories of intelligence Findings from the 2008 SummerBridge Component 23

25. “It’s fun and you’ll learn a lot. You don’t just do math here, but learn how to work as a community.” --Academic Youth Development student California What Students are Saying… 24

26. In interviews, teachers reported an emerging classroom culture of . . . students taking more responsibility better student-to-student communication higher levels of students engagement increased willingness of students to work with one another increased willingness of students to encourage and support one another Findings from the 2008 SummerBridge Component

27. “Seeing students motivated and working together and hard is energizing me for next year. Students do work well in groups and help each other out . . .” --Academic Youth Development teacher California What Teachers are Saying . . . 26

28. AYD becomes an integral part of acomprehensive approach to improving studentoutcomes in math Teachers and students bond Students and teachers experience positivechanges in beliefs and attitudes Students are able to articulate their own role inlearning Students are increasingly able to work and learn together AYD: What can schools expect? AYD is designed to complement your campus/district improvement efforts.

29. Uri Treisman uri@mail.utexas.edu Susan Hull shhull@mail.utexas.edu Laurie Garland lmgarland@mail.utexas.edu Contact Information www.utdanacenter.org/academicyouth