The Collaboratory Symposium

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Brian Schultz

• The Collaboratory Symposium
• April 30, 2004

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Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Introduction
3
Linking Graduate and Elementary Students
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• A Practical Inquiry Curriculum Using Technology
• A practical inquiry based project that joins
  graduate student mentors with a fifth grade
  classroom at Byrd Community Academy in Cabrini
  Green.
• The focus of this practical project is teaching
  writing skills to the fifth graders by using the
  Collaboratory ePortfolio environment to create
  and post student work.
• The adults monitor, mentor, and provide ongoing
  weekly feedback to their writing counterparts
  postings.
• This student-specific feedback is based on the
  needs and interests of all students involved.

4
Methodology
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Literature Review
Literature Review
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Literature Review
Methodology
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Literature Review

• What was done?
• Research and writing done on how to effectively
  provide feedback to students was examined.
• Student-directed approaches to learning as well
  as practical inquiry and meeting situational
  needs of students were examined to seek out ways
  to better engage students in curriculum.

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Literature Review
Methodology
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Literature Review

• Why was it done? Why is this a problem?
• Often times teachers, especially in elementary
  settings, are forced or expected to generalize
  curriculum to all their students.
• When curriculum is generalized to the masses, the
  individual needs of each student are not
  optimized.
• Teachers tend to focus on the needs of a class
  versus supporting and nurturing each student to
  their fullest potential.
• Students tend to remove themselves from lessons
  due to ineffective, blanketed methods of
  instruction..
• Graduate students curriculum focusing on
  secondary sources, rather then working directly
  with students and their work.

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Literature Review
Methodology
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Literature Review

• What needs to be done?
• Teachers need to find ways to reach all students
  at differing skill levels, while maintaining
  interest and motivation amongst their students.
• Students need to have individualized,
  student-specific feedback to help them meet their
  own needs.
• Graduate students studying how students learn
  need to focus their efforts on real situations of
  learners rather then focusing on textbook and
  secondary illustrations.

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Literature Review
Methodology
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Literature Review

• What methodology was used in the past?
• Previous methodologies that were used in the past
  included case studies on mentoring, feedback on
  writing and practical inquiry.
• What conceptual framework was leveraged?
• Joseph Schwabs practical inquiry served to
  establish the conceptual framework for meeting
  individual needs and adapting curriculum to the
  given situation.

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Analysis
Methodology
The Facts
Recommendations
Introduction
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
Methodology
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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Elementary Setting and Students
• Richard E. Byrd Community Academy,
• Cabrini Green, Near North Chicago
• 5th grade classroom-16 students
• 100 African American
• 100 eligible for free and reduced lunch
• Graduate Setting and Students
• Tennessee Tech University
• Cookeville, Tennessee
• Doctoral or masters students in Literacy and
  Language Curriculum program

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• The approach leveraged
• Students in 5th grade classroom learned to
  keyboard
• Students were exposed to different tools for
  writing including
• The Writing Hand
• Color and Feeling Generation
• Time Order Words
• The Narrative Writing House
• The Expository and Persuasive Writing House

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• The approach leveraged (continued)
• 3. 5th grade students write and post their
  writing to the ePortfolio
• 4. Mentor/pen pals give comments to elementary
  posted work to help them further develop their
  text and media
• 5.Students leverage feedback to create another
  iteration
• 6. Students and mentors correspond and develop
  relationship through writing commentary and
  closed-system email

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Why them? How gained access?
• 5th grade students in Brian Schultz' class
• Reading levels ranging from frustrated-first
  grade to sixth grade all in one classroom
• Approached by Northwestern Collaboratory Project
  to leverage a partnership between graduate
  students and elementary students
• The principal at Byrd Academy welcomed the
  opportunity to build a partnership with both
  Northwestern and Tennessee Tech University.
• Literacy professor at Tennessee Tech invited
  graduate student to volunteer their time to
  mentor Byrd students by providing feedback to
  them through web-based ePortfolio.

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Collaboratory www.collaboratory.nunet.net
• The Collaboratory Project is a Northwestern
  University initiative that provides project
  consulting, training, technical advice, and
  Web-based resources and services to K-12 teachers
  and their students who are interested in using
  Internet technologies to advance education.
• The Collaboratory is an easy-to-use, web-based
  collaborative environment that teachers use to
  develop project-based activities that are linked
  to Illinois Learning Standards.

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Collaboratory www.collaboratory.nunet.net
• ePortfolio
• Students develop work within the Collaboratory
  ePortfolio.
• Students publish writing to the ePortfolio.
• Encourage document-centered collaboration and
  multiple iterations based on feedback.
• Use of web-based document templates using
  ePortfolio communication tools.

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The Methodology
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• ISBE and CPS Curriculum for 5th Grade Writing
• Narrative, Expository, Persuasive writing
• Tested in 5th grade on ISAT

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The Collaboratory
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
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The ePortfolio
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
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ePortfolio Binders and Folders
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
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ISAT Student-Friendly Rubric Expository Writing
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction
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The Methodology - Recommendations
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Make sure you have committed graduate student
  mentors
• Otherwise students left without feedback.
• Elementary teachers must take up slack.
• Students feel left out and disengaged.

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The Methodology - Recommendations
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• When spending time in the Collaboratory
• Make sure to outline expectations of students
• Ensure that they have meaningful feedback to
  respond to
• Expect that some students will not always be
  eager to receive and engage in dialogue with
  their mentors-have other things for them to do (
  survey, polls, hypermedia)

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The Methodology - Recommendations
Methodology
Literature Review
Results Conclusions
Introduction

• Clearly outline expectations and commitment from
  mentors
• Leverage a contract
• Share expectation of elementary students with
  graduate students

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Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions
Results Conclusions
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Results and Conclusions
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions

• Students were excited about the project.
• Students take ownership and pride in their work.
• Students are interested in improving their work
  based on the feedback they receive.
• Students make corrections , additions and changes
  based on feedback.
• Students that do not receive consistent feedback
  are disengaged and feel alone or left out.
• Graduate students are able to work with a real
  students and experiment on giving different kinds
  of feedback and gauge results based on the
  students response and changes made.

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Collaboratory Feedback Checklist
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions
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Collaboratory Quick Reference Guide
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions
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The Persuasive and Expository Writing House
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions
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Narrative Writing House
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions
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Comments and Feedback Examples
Methodology
Literature Review
Introduction
Results Conclusions