Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Session 3 - Question 1

The authors devoted Chapter 6 to share samples of DAP tool arranged by their primary learning style. After reading all the examples along with Tier 1, 2, and 3 for each learning style select one you want to implement in your classroom. Teach and/or describe how you would incorporate the DAP Tool in your classroom. (You may want to start with the simpler steps consisting of the four components and the "seven level" Performance Scale.) When posting your comments about your process share the page number(s) of the DAP Tool used.

50 comments:

  1. I use Experiment 1 Tier 1 Dap tool, page 63, in science. I introduce a subject and have a warm up with information and questions. Then I provide a problem based learning experience with one variable changing, and place students in groups. The written and oral results given by students of the experiment differentiate the students and grades accordingly.

    I also use Powerpoint Tier 2 page 118. For this the 2nd tier is appropriate because the students consume powerpoints in my files by previous 2nd graders, as well as each others' work. That helps them be more sophisticated users of the technology. I also insist that the research be completed first, so that they can have a successful experience. Their knowledge of the subject guides their artistic expression. This is used for social studies and nonfiction reading responses.

    The Graph Tier 1 on page 129 is used for math studies. Creating a graph goes a long way in reading other graphs. The same information given can result in a wide variety of presented graphs and thoughtful responses to questions.

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  2. I guess the obvious choice in a science class would be invention, model or technical report, but the one I would like to try is Cartoon (page 125). I think this might work in the current living system and ecology section of the curriculum. The purpose would be for students to create a cartoon or cartoon strip that illustrates the interactions within an ecosystem. Students would be allowed to select the type of ecosystem that they wanted to illustrate, terrestrial, marine or fresh water. The cartoon would need to illustrate the basic components; producers, consumers, and decomposers. It would need to illustrate the symbiotic relationships within the system, parasitism, commensalism and mutualism but it can’t overtly use the terms; they must be self evident in the pictures. And I think that the cartoon should illustrate one problem that might occur within the ecosystem. The cartoon could also present a possible solution. I guess this would add a kind of political cartoon segment to the activity.

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  3. I am going to comment on my own submission since we are currently tying the activity in class. What I thought would be a fairly structured and focused activity has several things that I need to correct next time we try something like this. First I would narrow the focus and not try to do too many thing in a single activity. Second I would place some time constraints on the students, they like to wait to the very last second to ask questions and then they will try to throw a project together, or the due date sees a lot of students absent. Lastly I assumed that students actually retained information from previous science classes and they would not need a review, this isn't necessarly true. Some students will take the initiative and look up information while some just plow ahead and end up making mistakes. The positive aspects are that students came up with several different presentation styles and several went far beyond the original aim for the project and had good original ideas.

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  4. The reading of this book has been timely, as my 4th grade students are currently creating PowerPoint presentations for research they conducted on the four regions of Texas (the content). Since none of my students have worked with the PowerPoint program, I selected the PowerPoint Tier 1-DAP Tool on page 117. After discussing the expectations, my student groups use this rubric to guide them in the creation of PowerPoint slides, balancing text with graphics. Initially, I gave specific lessons on PowerPoint features and assisted each group with trouble-shooting. Now, the students display more skill and confidence in experimenting with the various features of the software. My students are highly motivated, and I am amazed at the variety of presentation styles and the creativity demonstrated. I am impressed at the ease with which I implemented the DAP Tool, and I look forward to the responses my students provide for the 'Reflection' component of the rubric.

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  5. Oliverl commented that his students have come up with several different presentation styles for the project, and several students went beyond the original aim of the project. This is happening in my class, as I implement the DAP Tool. As my small groups work on PowerPoint projects, I have noted that my lowest readers are producing the most visually creative slides. Projects that require creativity often bring out unexpected talents.

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  6. I think the most appropriate DAP tool for my work as an interventionist would be the Graph Tier 1 tool on p. 129. I would initially have the students consume several graphs, analyzing their content and discussing the common attributes of each. We would also spend time making observations and discussing the quality and validity of those observations. We would also have to address what type of information is represented by the graph we were analyzing. We would then brainstorm a variety of topics that could be represented by that type of graph, thinking about integrating with their science curriculum and the skills they are currently learning to collect data for informational reports in Language Arts. Each student would choose the topic for their graph and complete it after reviewing the DAP criteria together.

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  7. Rebecca J's comment that she was surprised at the creativity shown in the power point presentations her students created was a nice reminder of what students are capable of when carefully guided through a new process. Reading this book has been an opportunity to reflect on my practice and improve processes that have been ineffective in the past. I am anxious to see what my student will produce using these new methods and tools!

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  8. Responding to oliverl's comment: love the cartoon idea about the ecosystems. I might even try that with the 2nd graders! thanks

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  9. I teach high school economics and can see many ways to use the DAP tool in my classroom. My students research economic indicators for a rich, middle, and poor country. They then use the statistics to create a power point presentation that they present to the class. I could use Power Point Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Dap Tools in my classes because I have a wide variety of students in my class. (LEP, Special Ed, 504, AP who didn’t want to take Macroeonomics). This would allow me to grade based on the different levels of capability. If I used this tool I would try and incorporate parts of the Graph DAP Tier 1 level because parts of the power point contain slides they created using the economic indicators. My economics students also participate in an Eco Fair where they make items to sell to other economic students. Part of the project is creating an advertisement. I feel that there are several DAP tools that I could use because the students are allowed to choose from several types of formats.

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  10. I really like Oliver’s creativity and his cross curricular tools when he was describing having the kids create a cartoon in his science class. Students often only are asked to create cartoons in art or social studies classes and this provides a way to challenge them to think outside of the box. If students were presented with different situations in their classes, they will have an advantage in the outside world because they have learned how to be flexible and think in higher order ways.

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  11. I like that sanchezh shows that the DAP tool is not only one that may be used by traditional classroom teachers. Allowing students to brainstorm and analyze graphs and apply the content creates a wonderful environment for higher order thinking. I also like that students are able to choose their own topics allowing them to be more interested in their learning.

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  12. @ Oliveri thank you so much for sharing your reflection on how the use of the DAP helped or needed to be tweeked to be more effective. I've noticed many times when teaching that what worked well for one of my peers created problems for me or visa versa. The DAP is a tool but we are still the most vital "tool" in the classroom because of our ability to reflect and adjust.

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  13. @ melanie I'm wondering if the cartoon idea could even be used for a math story problem. The cartoon idea, and I'm showing my age here, made me think of a video of Ma & Pa Kettle's math (youtube) too funny!

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  14. I am in a little different situation than most of you reading this book because I'm not the classroom teacher actually teaching the content areas. As a librarian I do support classroom teachers by helping to instruct students in using research skills and technology to create products. I do think that I now have a tool that I can suggest to classroom teachers as a tool for measuring student learning the next time I collaborate with my teachers. I love the fact that so many of the DAP include the use of 2.0 tools, something that our district is encouraging our classroom teachers to include in their instruction. In each DAP that uses 2.0 tools the presentation section will help me in the delivery of my lessons to make sure I give the students the skills they need to be successful.

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  15. Just a note to Melanie if you try the cartoons, I made the mistake of assuming that I could recognize what the students were trying to illustrate in their cartoons. Even 8th graders have trouble drawing, so I had them label the concepts that they were trying to illustrate and then point them out during an oral presentation.

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  16. I would incorporate Debate Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 into my 12th grade government classroom. The topic that I would use would be debating the Electoral College (keeping it or abolishing it). I teach academic and AP government. For my special education students or ELL learners in my academic government class, I would use the Debate Tier 1 tool. For my academic students, I would use the Tier 2 tool because it has more components and is more rigorous in comparison to the Tier 1 tool. For my AP students, I would only use the Debate Tier 3 DAP Tool because of the increased rigor. I like how all three tools still promote high standards.

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  17. @ oliverl

    I like the idea of using the cartoon idea in Science. As a government teacher, I am always using the cartoon in my classroom. I also like how you said the cartoon could also incorporate a possible solution which would be great for higher order thinking.

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  18. @Corrin

    I also really like that the DAP tool can be used on any level, such as special education or GT kids. Too many times we have to put all kids in one grading system box. This is not fair to the kids. This tool is great for meeting the needs of all the different learners.

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  19. I also like oliverl's idea of the cartoon strip. Great way to use language skills in science!

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  20. One of the DAP tools that I am interested in trying would be the diary entry(pages 147-149). We are beginning to study Explorers coming to Texas in Social Studies and I think it would be very interesting and creative for the students to create an entry from the perspective of the explorer. Each of the tiers would be utilized. As the DAP tool increases, the creativity of the writer can come through in how they present the information and include voice (writing skill) of the Explorer seeing undiscovered land/native americans for the first time; along with the facts from the textbook/class discussions.
    As a follow-up assignment or extension, the students could write a diary entry from the Native American perspective on how they perceived the Explorers when they landed. -Again utilizing all 3 tiers of the DAP tool for diary. (pages 147-149)

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  21. I would like to try the podcast. I have been wanting to do podcasts with my students for a while, but have been hesitant to try something so new. I would like to do podcasts as a response to novel studies. When we are reading novels for literature circles the students meet each week to discuss what has happened in their novels, as well as share their responses to the reading: what they have questions about, their predictions or connections, etc. I think it would be fun for them to make this into a weekly podcast with their thoughts, interviews of their peers, whatever their little creative brains dream up. I would start by playing some kid friendly podcasts for them, so that they could consume and critique what a podcast is. Then we would move into the production. I like using the DAP tool for this, because it will guide me to what I need to teach the students--I would never have thought of various file formats, where the links could be found, or having a written transcript available. (Page 114 for tier 1)

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  22. I like your idea about the diary entry from both perspectives Mrs. Hardie. Our campus is (as all are I'm sure) pushing for the students to use higher cognitive levels. This project would definitely be more than regurgitation of facts!

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  23. As a school improvement specialist, I conduct trainings for staff members. If I was going to use a DAP tool in that instance, I think I might have teachers make a flip chart for the activboard on the topic we’re covering that they would then use in their classrooms. I think this mostly correlates with a power point presentation (pp. 117-119) as listed in the book. I know that some teachers are very adept at making flip charts, and others do nothing besides write on them as a whiteboard. I would go through the rubric and explain each component, just as I would for our elementary students. Because they are familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy, I would share the Depth of Knowledge chart on page 21. I would expect my teachers to have activities or academic conversations at all four knowledge levels within their presentations. I think this would be a great way for teachers to show their knowledge of the content and be creative while at the same time they are making something to use in their classroom—a technological make and take!

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  24. Thanks oliverl for sharing your 'in progress' story of trying out a new vehicle for your students. It's always great to read about people's ideas, but if you don't read about what went wrong as well as what went right, you're not getting the whole picture. Plus, as arkreynolds noted, sometimes what works beautifully for some people just doesn't work for me!

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  25. At the end of each six weeks, we do a 6 weeks reflection which consists of 3 parts: what the students did well, what the students need to improve on, and the introduction of something new. This time the something new will be the DAP Tool & its performance scale. Yesterday was the deadline for completing a group presentation using Google Docs. I am going to use the PowerPoint Tool on page 117-118 (Tiers 1 & 2) to assess it. However, I am going to tweak it a bit to make sure that it is consistent with the standards I told them they would be graded on when they started the project.

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  26. We have really been focusing on improving our writing and going into greater depth and detail. I think some really powerful DAP tools to use are: Cartoon (p123; Pamphlet (p132); Diary (147) and Essay (150). In terms of teaching this, I would first establish/revisit what author's purpose means, what kind of an audience the writer is writing to, and what they are wanted to tell, explain or present. So many times when teaching writing it is hard to get them to see the relevance, but I think these tools really give the teacher a foundation to better guide our students.

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  27. In response to sanchezh's response: I agree about this book giving me an opportunity to, in a way, relearn, re-evaluate and get a better method for teaching concepts that may not have worked or been as effective as I would have liked.

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  28. In response to melanie's comments: I agree with you that having learners create graphs for math as you mentioned is a great way for them to learn and understand their power and many applications, etc. I also think they are fabulous to create in science from authentic data collected during investigations. It is so much more meaningful to use data and information that from real-world math and science for learners to fully comprehend this idea. When making their own graphs and even going further as to create corresponding questions for classmates from their own graphs, learners will be able to see the many limitless possibilities of graphing and the information they can communicate.

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  29. I really appreciate this section of the reading, as it gives fully completes DAP tools to go ahead and use for many different assessments, as we have all been discussing and learning more about... I found 2 specific tools particularly intriguing and look forward to trying them both out at our campus in the near future.
    The first is the Pamphlet Tier 2 - DAP Tool, found on page 133 of the text. I was interested in this tool to evaluate reading responses for science home readers in our 5th and 4th grade classrooms. Each week, students "check out" National Geographic mini-readers that speak to a specific topic - such as the states of matter or electricity. After completing the reading they are asked to create a piece (of their choice) to communicate the main ideas that they learned about. There has never been an official grade taken on these tasks, as we do not use homework for grades, but students put so much effort and time into these readers and related assignments that often I feel it would be great to give them a similar opportunity in class and to use this for a grade. They work so hard, enjoy the reading and tasks, learn so much, and therefore deserve to reap the benefits and have their efforts and gained knowledge reflected in their averages. I look forward to sharing this DAP tool with our teachers soon.
    The second DAP tool that I was drawn too was the Diary DAP Tool found on pages 147-149. Again, I would like to see this used to assess science learning. Each 9 weeks, kiddos receive a science journal grade that is composed of 3+ journal entry grades. Currently the district offers a point scale with a range from 0 to 5 points that rates entries based on a one-sentence description. (similar to a very, very abbreviated rubric) I would like to use the DAP too for Diaries to assess them instead to give the learner more valuable feedback and information on their journal responses.

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  30. While I think many of these DAP tools are fabulous and would be great in many of the other content areas, I have found it challenging to see how many of them could be incorporated into my math classroom, other than the obvious math-related graph tools on 129-131 and the pie-chart tools on 135-137. I think there are some fabulous ideas in the responses above, but one thing is holding true, and that is that most are talking about using DAP tools in LA, SS, or science. I find it to be more difficult to apply this as easily in math. However, I could definitely see using a Powerpoint DAP tool such as the one on 117 to allow my students to synthesize a new topic for us, such as prime and composite numbers or some of our fraction concepts. I do like arkreynolds idea of using a cartoon for problem solving in math and will have to explore that idea further!

    I will have to investigate this further with my Math SIS participating in this book study as well to see if we can incorporate this better in math.

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  32. I am excited to see the DAP tool getting teachers such as guillorys and Mrs. Hardie excited about trying a variety of products that involve reading and writing. Our district is lucky to have so many creative and motivated teachers. As I mentioned above, I plan on referencing this book in campus discussions about assessment, grading, and literacy across the curriculum.

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  33. Before I decide how I will use the DAP tool in my classroom, I plan to use what I have learned about the DAP tool to discuss and plan with my team and with my school's grading committee. At that point, we can determine if this is the approach that we want to use. I want to do something that is going to be done well and is supported and done consistently, at least on my team.
    As I commented previously, I think consistency is extremely important for my students. I have so many new things going on in my classroom this year and my school is currently developing some new approaches to grading. I have already tried the DAP tool once this year before I was ready, and therefore, I was unable to see the benefits. That was my fault for rushing into it. I hesitate to do this haphazardly again just to "try" it, and I hesitate to spend a great deal of time developing everything from this book into my next unit just to find out that my team and/or my school wants to go in a little bit different direction. My students have already completed several products and projects this year and my approach ties in with much of what this book promotes. In particular, I would like my students to improve in the reflection area.
    Just as it is important for the students to reflect, I think it is important for teachers to have the time for reflection. I simply have not had the time for reflection that it will take to commit to how I will use the DAP tool beyond saying that I want to study it more closely and start discussions on my campus that connect to what I have learned here.

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  34. WonderWeiss: I liked your ideas about the podcast. My Book Clubs recorded their discussions this semester, but the purpose was as a way for me to keep tabs on their progress with comprehension since I could not be with all the groups at once and as a way to hold them accountable for talking about what they read. At that point, the students were told I was the only one who would hear it. Now that they have had the chance to get warmed up, I think they would be ready to move to the next step of having their peers hear what they've had to say. Your enthusiasm is encouraging.

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  35. There are two I would like to try: Collage (pp. 126-128) and Diary (pp. 147-149), perhaps within the same unit. Some of my students would be more successful on a visual product, rather than a written one. I definitely will start with the four components and the performance scale (including the conversion grading table on page 47). These two product types will go well in a social studies unit related to history, geography, or life during the time of a famous person. The students already engage in self-reflection on their work and comprehension. The reflection piece shouldn't be too difficult, except for getting at writing it down, discussing it, and developing ideas for the future. I wish I could just go with a technology piece, but my class just isn't there yet. Maybe one or two of my second graders could explore a powerpoint. Hum, I feel myself stretching.

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  36. What KKavanagh said on November 9, 2010 7:19 PM is so great because it builds reading comprehension, as well as writing skills. The CCP model cannot be ignored.

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  37. Melanie was the topic of guillorys, who said on November 12, 2010 11:38 AM that graphs are learned well when embedded into math and science. The word authentic stands out for me because the power of graphing comes to light when they are based on real data, data collected by the students that serves a meaningful purpose. Teaching graphing in isolation prompts the response, "Oh, okay...now what?" But real data, placed into a graph, with questions that spark ideas to life or evoke more questions is what teaching and learning are about. A tiered approach takes on the challenge of teaching this.

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  38. Because I give my students a variety of activities, I went throught the book and chose various DAP tools for individuals and groups. As my students went through the tools I had to first calm them down as they looked at the various levels. Each student thought that they were required to reach the professional level. What the DAP tool has done is taken the mystery of grading away and has raised the expectation for what they are doing. I really thing it has create more quality in their work.

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  39. Rebecca J. said...
    Oliverl commented that his students have come up with several different presentation styles for the project, and several students went beyond the original aim of the project. This is happening in my class, as I implement the DAP Tool. As my small groups work on PowerPoint projects, I have noted that my lowest readers are producing the most visually creative slides. Projects that require creativity often bring out unexpected talents.

    Isn't this the truth. When we allow our kids to run, they go as far as their legs will carry them. It never stops amazing me just what they can do, even the lowest kids.

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  40. responding to guillorys and Kandel's fan: graphs are limitless, aren't they? I did 5th grade science camp, and was struck by how effective it is to have them create a title for their graphs. Very illuminating on whether they truly understood the topic.

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  41. Betsy--I appreciate that you put in that you were going to plan with your team before you implement. Collaboration is quite the buzzword right now, and your team members will probably have some ideas on implementation themselves. I have commented many times on the need for everyone to use the DAP tool in order for it to be effective, but I neglected to share with my team! Thanks for reminding me.

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  42. I would also like to try podcasts -
    as per: Wonderweiss
    I think it would be an enjoyable experience between the students once the technology has been tried and used. It is just the time to experiment and learn the podcasting routines/structures that can be worrisome in the school day.

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  43. I like arkreynolds response to melanie regarding the idea of using a cartoon for problem solving in math and will have to explore that idea further! I agree with oliverl's suggestion that perhaps you might want to have students label their cartoons so that you are certain what it is they are trying to illustrate.

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  44. RE: Betsy

    Great idea about sharing this books strategies with fellow teachers. I am bad about participating in useful professional development sessions and not sharing new strategies/ideas. Curious about how you are planning to share…the whole book or just the DAP tools or classroom experience with the DAP tool or ???.

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  45. I really appreciate oliverl's candidness about what he has learned throughout his process of trying the DAP tool out in his classroom. Since this is relatively new to most of us, of course there is going to be a learning curve for implementation and we are going to have to monitor and adjust to make it work for us. His reflections of what worked/didn't will certainly help him use the DAP tool more effectively with his next attempt.

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  47. RE: discussion about grading fairness in final face-to-face meeting

    Not sure if this helps or is even allowed, but to reduce the occurence of my students having questions about levels or standards not being fair, I cropped out all the infomation on the Tool that had to do with "tiers". Thus far, this has worked. I am hoping that by the time they notice that their are differences that they will have reached some level of mastery with the tool that being on different levels will be a none issue...fingers crossed.

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  48. In response to arkreynolds..
    I also am in a position outside of the classroom as an interventionist but I believe that we have the unique opportunity to share these tools with the students and staff that we interact with. By sharing the DAP tool and other effective strategies for differentian accross campus we can begin to build a common culture that will provide professsionals the venue to collaborate vertically as well as the ability to see student progress as they move up on our campuses and carry the skills and language acquired through these tools.

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  49. In response to susanm, I agree that it is a bit more challenging to apply all of the DAP tools to math, as opposed to other areas of content. I do, however think it is a great idea to use for newly introduced topics such as prime and composite numbers, as Susan mentioned. I also think with other district initiatives, such as CCP, that writing is a great thing to incorporate in all subject areas. Journaling could be done on certain math topics, too...

    I also agree that math could lend itself to some very nice PowerPoint Presentations, as well as graphing being utilized in many different ways. I look forward to trying new things to help expand our already-wonderful math experiences for the kiddos at our campus!

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  50. I find that as I learn to use all this new technology as part of the 11 Tools campus this past year, I find that the students really "get it" and they are able to create their own graphs and the opportunity to reflect in dairies or journals really helps them to internilize their learning. I find the the GT students really enjoy to explain and express themselves in and with different media.

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