PASC Field-Based Projects

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PASC Field-Based Projects

• Fielding Graduate University
• Carrie Tortorella
• Fall, 2006

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Vision

• Learn, create, embrace, involve, and support a
  culture where
• Families have more educational choices such as
  academic progress, growth, teachers, schools, and
  curriculum
• Students have an opportunity to master essential
  skills and knowledge which will prepare them to
  thrive in todays society
• Families, businesses, and schools team to provide
  a rich, stimulating, and socially interactive
  environment for its community

3
My Needs

• Adaptable in different educational environments
  from state-to-state
• Growth in leadership within a virtual school
• Growth in leadership within a traditional school

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Two Principal Internships

• California Virtual Academies (CAVA) - California
• Mentored under Cynthia Griffith Assistant
  Principal
• Home-based school, 3300 students grades K-8
• Class size 25-30
• Students taught at home by parent using online
  curriculum supervised and guided by teacher
• Virtual school
• Newsome Park Elementary (NPES) - Virginia
• Mentored under Dr. Jay Teston Principal
• Title I School of 700 students grades K-5
• Class size 18-22
• Project-based Expeditionary School (ELOB)
• Traditional school

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Two Comprehensive Projects

• CAVA Conduct research on an aspect of virtual
  education for students in K-8 (California)
• Lead, design curriculum, and evaluate a pilot to
  teach middle school students in an online
  synchronous learning environment
• NPES Provide, curriculum, expertise and
  training to the computer technology curriculum in
  a new state (Virginia)
• Backwards design (UbD) an integrated computer
  curriculum for a project-based K-5 school in
  Virginia
• Collaborate with entire staff to create
  curriculum to help meet the students learning
  objectives
• Train teaching assistant to teach students

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PASC CPSELs Key

1. Shared Vision 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
2. School Culture 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4
3. Management 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4
4. Community 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
5. Ethics 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4
6. Political, Social, Economic, Legal and Cultural
   Understanding 6.1, 6.2, 6.3

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Internship 1 CAVA Needs Assessment
CPSELs 1.1, 2.4, 5.2, 6.2, 6.3

• STAR Testing 2004-05
• Low AYP Math Scores concentration in grades 5-8
  in the sub-subject of Algebra
• Parent Survey 2003/04 2004/05
• Parents felt inadequate to teach subject or
  needed resources in Math instruction
• Student socialization/isolation revealed on
  school survey

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Internship 1 CAVA Collaborative Projects
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3,
3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3

• Create and implement structures to support
  students parents
• Kids Clubs interest groups
• Virtual Tutoring network organized teachers on
  a synchronous online platform to assist students
• Family Partners
• Parent Share Forums virtual and in-person
• Parent Curriculum Workshops
• Organized School Directory
• Moderate schools community board
• Create and implement structures to support
  teachers
• Coach mentor to new virtual teachers
• Match curriculum to state test standards with
  document
• Create Outings Assistant to help match outings
  with standards and curriculum
• Participate in Policy Committee
• National Charter School Conference Attendance and
  Presentation

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, 3.2, 5.2, 6.2

• From data, School Administration decided to use a
  synchronous computer mediated communications
  (S-CMC) platform to address middle school
  students needs in Math
• S-CMC is a java-based web conferencing platform
  (ie. Elluminate!Live) that features many
  real-time tools to host a meeting over the
  internet using your computer

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 1.2, 1.3, 2.2

• Research Questions
• Is S-CMC an appropriate mode of instructional
  delivery for students in the middle school
  grades?
• What pedagogical methods are beneficial using an
  S-CMC community, specifically to this age group?
• What free resources are readily available online
  to use when creating Pre-Algebra and Geography
  learning communities using S-CMC?
• What considerations and modifications must be
  made when preparing for S-CMC communities for
  this age group?
• IRB Application

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 2.2

• Virtual synchronous learning communities in the
  middle school using Elluminate!Live
• Teaching Tools
• Interactive Whiteboard
• Instant Messaging
• 2-way Audio
• Emoticons
• Online quizzes
• Surveys/Polls
• Breakout Rooms

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs

• Geography Bee Competition Study Group
• Total 8 lessons
• once a week competition in November-December
• 2 groups, 8 /18 students in each
• 50 min instruction, 10 min social or tutoring
• Math Small Group Instruction
• Total 8 lessons
• Once a week March-April
• 3 Pre-Algebra groups, 5-11 students in each
• 40 min instruction, 10 min social or tutoring

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 6.3, 5.2, 5.1

• Data Revealed Survey
• Older students with prior technological
  experience and motivation in the subject reported
  a more gratifying experience within the
  synchronous computer mediated communication
  classroom.
• More interaction and collaboration if students
  had prior exposure and if sessions had many
  interactive activities.
• Time to cover material and interactive games
  required 50 minutes minimum.
• Students felt more satisfaction when there was
  free time to socialize in the virtual
  environment.
• More satisfaction with groups large enough to
  have homogeneity and heterogeneity that is the
  same gender and age, and varying gender and age.
  This seemed to be sustained in groups with
  attendance of 10 or larger.

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Internship 1 CAVA Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 6.3, 5.2, 5.1

• Data Revealed continued
• Students preferring to operate in Sensimotor
  stage had difficulty adjusting to virtual
  environment. This tended to be younger students.
• Beneficial to start at beginning of year, start
  sequentially and build curriculum
• Lessons that matched what they were doing in
  actual Math class from week to week
• Maximized 1-1 tutoring at end of each lesson
• If interested in topic, high attendance and
  interaction
• If typing skills high, high interaction and
  engagement
• If parents were involved and interested, students
  were more interactive

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Internship 1 CAVA Outcomes
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 5.2, 5.4, 5.3, 6.1

• improve student academic achievement through the
  use of technology
• technologically literate students
• Math instruction support
• Student learning communities
• Pedagogical implications for future practices in
  virtual education and in S-CMC
• Publicly documented

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Internship 2 NPES Needs Assessment
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.2

• Analyzed states SOLs, districts UbD curriculum
  and schools Expeditionary Learning/Outward Bound
  (ELOB) mission to determine standards (for
  Virginia)
• Discussion with principal to determine schools
  needs for an integrated computer curriculum and
  computer training to instructional assistant
• Analyzed school SOL scores to determine
  grade-level weaknesses
• ie. Comprehension in Grade 3
• SOL-Standards of Learning

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Internship 2 NPES Small Projects
CPSELs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.3,
3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 6.1

• Shadow principal vice principal in their roles
• Staff trainings
• Student Discipline
• Student Counseling
• Teacher Observations Feedback
• Support administration in their roles
• Student Counseling (with Parent Involvement
  Specialist, Title I Coordinator, and Counselors)
• Teacher Observations Feedback

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Internship 2 NPES Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1,
4.1, 4.2, 5.4, 6.2, 6.3

• Created integrated curriculum map
• Used analyzed SOLs Newport News UbD curriculum
  
• Used map to build integrated technology lessons
• Shared map with specialist teachers (music, art,
  etc) to allow them to integrate their lessons
• Shared map with parents during Open House

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Internship 2 NPES Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1,
4.1, 4.2, 5.4, 6.2, 6.3

• Develop integrated technology lessons
• Expand on material covered in homeroom class
• Use to build culminating expeditionary projects
• Build grade level skills in area of Math
• Used survey and weekly emails with NPES teachers
  and staff to collaborate and refine curriculum
  map and tech curriculum

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Internship 2 NPES Comprehensive Project
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1,
4.1, 4.2, 5.4, 6.2, 6.3

• Train Teaching Assistant to Cover Technology
  Curriculum
• Teach and build on assistants computer skills
• Provide feedback on teaching
• Provide feedback on time management
• Help assistant to carry out curriculum upon my
  departure

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Internship 2 NPES Outcomes
CPSELs 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1,
4.1, 4.2, 5.4, 6.2, 6.3

• Improve student academic achievement through the
  use of technology
• Technologically literate students
• Streamline and unify curriculum
• Streamline and unify NPES staff
• Empower Technology Teaching Assistant who will
  persevere with project