Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

Haydon, T., Hawkins, R., Denune, J., Kimener, L., McCoy, D., & Basham, J. (2012). A comparison of ipads and worksheets on math skills of high school students with emotional disturbance. Behavioral Disorders, 37(4), 232-243. Retrieved January 25, 2014 from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Research This article focuses on the use of iPads in the classroom for students with an emotional disturbance when it comes to mathematics. The researchers entered a high school mathematics classroom at an alternative school. They were given the opportunity to study three of the students and compared their attentiveness as well as their correct answers per minute on days where instruction was worksheet based and on days where instruction was iPad based. The research revealed that students were not only more likely to get answers correct on days they used the iPad, but their attentiveness and interactivity in the classroom increased when compared to worksheet days. Personally, I enjoyed this article due to the fact that I teach a Math 2 repeater course for students who have failed for various reasons before. The class uses laptops and an internet program to help guide them through the course. I, too, have found that students interact better with the internet program than just strictly worksheet based material. I found it most interesting that the research showed an ADHD student respond significantly better during iPad sessions rather than worksheets. However, the article disappointed me when it showed that they were unable to study more than just the three students. While the results of their study were remarkable, I would have wished to have seen a wider variety of students participate. I feel that this would have made a much stronger case for iPad usage. I feel strongly toward the use of technology in the classroom

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

and I hope that one day, school systems will look at studies like this and see the benefit of spending money on electronics for all students.

Milgram, D. (2011). How to recruit women and girls to the science, technology, engineering, and math (stem) classroom. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 71(3), 4-11. Retrieved January 27, 2014 from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Research/Professional Practice Yes She Can is the battle cry of this article which focuses on data-driven recommendation for recruiting females into STEM classrooms. The author uses the example of Rosie the Riveter from World War II to start the discussion and to demonstrate a successful campaign to recruit women into an otherwise male-dominated workforce. Suggestions provided by the author include outreach campaigns, girls-only events, and promotional materials that depict women in the various STEM-related careers. There is a distinction between those strategies that can easily be accomplished versus those that will require more research. Ultimately, the author encourages us to normalize women as engineers, mechanics, game developers, and such so that women and girls will see themselves in the role and be more willing to pursue studies that involve STEM classes. It wasnt until 7th grade that I had my first male teacher and it was 8th grade that I had a good male teacher. Even though the teaching field has always been dominated by women, I decided to become a teacher. I will agree with this author that it took a strong male role model for me to make this decision. My World History teacher was that

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

example. I looked to him and decided that I wanted to do the same thing he did but with mathematics. Since I am a male, I could really connect with this article. However, as the father of a little girl I can understand the mentality. Of course I would like to see my daughter be whatever she wants to be, but at the same time I want her to know that she is not limited in what she chooses to study. I have female cousins and aunts who are in the technology fields of computer programming and aeronautics; and will make sure that my daughter speaks with them and learns from them. As the author pointed out, the input of womens opinion and ideas have a great impact on these fields and more of that is needed so that ideas, decisions, and products are created equally for both sexes. The author gave terrific suggestions for recruitment and followed each with an example of its success. She even included an example from her own experience in the classroom which helped connect her with topic. I do feel that she had tunnel-vision when it comes to the topic. Although there should be an increase in the promotion of women in STEM related fields, we cannot forget all the great accomplishments women give in the fields that they are already known for.

Kerr, S. (2011). Tips, tools, and techniques for teaching in the online high school classroom. TechTrends, 55(1) 28-30. Retrieved January 27, 2014 from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Research Taking information from previous studies, the author of this article provides tips, tools, and techniques that will aide in a successful online high school classroom. The author

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Article Critiques

Spring 2014

identified the information through interviews, observations and documents collected from the various studies as well as comparing each individual case with the other cases to determine differences and patterns. Findings were reviewed by teachers in order to support the list of best practices stated by the author. The article then laid out the responsibilities of the teacher, the student, and the school and district. Teachers are encouraged to provide quality instruction and timely communication. Schools and the district will need to facilitate this process. At the end of the article, the author provides a list of best practices. This list gives ten recommendations which the research showed to be the most beneficial to conducting a high school classroom online. The information in this article confirmed many of my perceptions of online classrooms at the high school level as well as giving me some great ideas. As a teacher who promotes the use of social media sites like Twitter, I agreed with the statement that these sites decrease isolation and encourage collaboration. I also agreed with the authors constant discussion about teacher communication with the students and providing an outlet for the students to have open discussions with one another. Having the students start the course with student introductions is a great idea and something I will try to implement in the future. I am conflicted with the comment that it is the responsibility of the teacher and the school to consider student technological access, both at home and within the school building and yet state that the student must be highly motivated in order to achieve. A motivated student who does not have access at home will utilize resources like public libraries, friends and family, or restaurants with free wireless in order to accomplish the work required by the course. If the school and the teacher must provide access to technology during school hours, then what is the point of having an online course? I do

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

agree that access should be considered, however if we continually succumb to the notion that students need access to technology during school hours, then inevitably students will expect this access exclusively during school hours. At this point we are providing them with an excuse not to accomplish the work on their own. This practice will greatly diminish the integrity of an online classroom environment.

Inserra, A., & Short, T. (2012). An analysis of high school math, science, social studies, english, and foreign language teachers implementation of one-to-one computing and their pedagogical practices. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 41(2), 145-169. Retrieved January 29, 2014 from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Theory-into-Practice The authors of this study were looking at how math, science, social studies, English, and foreign language courses that implemented one-to-one computing compared with one another. The survey collected information associated with Collaborative Learning, Constructivist Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Differentiated Instruction. Results showed that math continually scored lower than the other content areas in every category. Social studies scored well in collaborative learning and differentiated instruction and English scored well in constructivist learning and differentiated instruction. The authors do provide findings to support that beliefs related to teaching and learning within a specific discipline may differ when compared to another discipline. The conclusion is reached that teachers must understand the relationship between technology and its

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

usefulness in improving teaching and learning; however it is also stated that future research should be conducted in other regions or school districts. Being a math teacher, I was not surprised by their findings. Even though I am a proponent of integrating technology into the classroom, I am in the group of teacher stated in the article who believes that there are not enough resources available. Social studies, English, and Science lend themselves to more opportunities for instructional technology. Differentiated instruction is very difficult in a mathematics course when there is only one way to solve certain problems. Project-based learning sometimes lends itself to mathematics; however, the upper-level courses struggle with this concept. We do not have a one-to-one implementation at our school but we are working with a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model. The article did not consider schools without a one-toone environment but they did list it as a future recommendation. I do feel that more resources are becoming available but that the results would still remain. Math will always be slightly behind the other content areas as they continue to add additional resources and materials every day.

Sheehan, M. & Nillas, L.A. (2010). Technology integration in secondary mathematics classrooms: effect on students understanding. Journal of Technology Integration in the Classroom, 2(3) 67-83. Retrieved January 30, 2014 from the Illinois Wesleyan University website. Type of Article: Professional Practice/Theory-into-Practice

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

The two authors of this study are math teachers. Ms. Sheehan conducted the study within her own classroom. They looked at the use of graphing calculators, geometry software, and interactive white boards. They compared their findings to those from previous studies. Descriptions were given for each activity as well as examples of the problems and a transcript of the dialogue that occurred among the students. The authors demonstrated that students were able to grasp concepts better through the use of technology; however the technology had to be used effectively. Whereas the graphing calculator provided students with the ability to see patterns and outcomes easier and quicker than a graph or diagram, the interactive white boards were used the same as a regular white board with very little student involvement. Conclusions were reached that lessons needed to be more student-driven and that teachers need to receive adequate training on how to use technology to enhance student learning. I have never read an article that does such a great job connecting technology with upperlevel mathematics. With that being said, I find fault that this study was conducted with calculus students. Typically, students enrolled in calculus are highly motivated and are more willing and able to conduct research on their own. I would have liked for a comparative study with a lower-level algebra class. I mention this in response to a finding in the study where the teacher contradicted a previous researchers finding that students blindly trust what calculators tell them, without evaluating whether an answer makes sense. I have seniors in high school who will receive an error message on the calculator and decide to type the problem in differently so that they get an actually answer instead of figuring out why they received an error in the first place. As our schools technology teacher leader, I agree 100% that teachers need to receive proper training on the

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

technology they have in their classrooms. Once teachers understand how to accurately and effectively utilize the technology, then they can understand the opportunities that are available to them with interactivity and student engagement.

Gathing, A. L. (2011). Bridges with trigonometry equals engineering achievement. Technology And Engineering Teacher, 70(5), 30-34. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Professional Practice The author of this article provides an account of students in his Introduction to Engineering and Technology course building bridges using basic trigonometry. He provides an argument as to why integrating mathematical calculations enhances the value and relevance of the project. Constructing the bridge is a terrific activity in itself, but the author suggests that the implementation of mathematical calculations can lead to in-depth discussions and allows them understand what has gone wrong at the first sight of failure before there is a total destruction of the bridge. The bridge project is laid out as a template for the reader to follow and provides the step-by-step process the students will follow. This article grabbed my interest with the idea of ninth graders doing an activity which required trigonometry. It was interesting to see that the author took a pre-existing project for an engineering class and implemented to trigonometry to enhance the learning outcome. They can learn to build bridges without the mathematical analysis; however, they would just be building and crushing bridges without really understanding why their

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

bridge failed. I have taught trigonometry in the past and it has been a senior level course. Students in that course struggle with the basic ideas of trigonometry and never see the real-world implications. This article gives a terrific demonstration and provides a very detailed example of the project. Our county has recently started up a STEM academy and the demonstration in this article could definitely be utilized on that level. I also plan on looking at this further and seeing how I could adapt it to the current high school math standards through CCGPS. One fault I have with this article is that there are no statistics or even mention of how the students react to the implementation of trigonometry. It would have been helpful to know if the students did in fact make the connections between the bridge failing and the results from the calculations. I would have also liked to have learned what specific technology was used for the activity. Basic trigonometry can be done on any scientific or graphing calculator, but I almost wonder if they used a computer-based program that constructed the bridge in a virtual environment prior to them building the physical model.

Kronholz, J. (2011). Getting at-risk teens to graduation. Education Next, 11(4), 24-31. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Professional Practice The effectiveness of a Performance Learning Center in Virginia was compared to the basic credit recovery options found within most school district in this article. Testimonials from directors, instructors, and students were provided throughout the article to help support the authors intent that the PLCs more effective. Students who

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

attend the PLCs are given a personal plan to graduation that they follow by taking online courses at their own pace. Course are offered with an instructor who facilitates and answers questions; however all of the content is provided through NovaNET, an online curriculum that is marketed by Pearson Education Inc. Upon completion, students are given recommendations toward a trade program, job, or college. Unlike public schools, the PLCs only accept certain students who meet particular criteria. Students with discipline problems or most disabilities are among those not accepted into the program. The author recognizes that comparisons with traditional schools are muddy due to these discrepancies and the fact that scores are submitted back to the students home school; however, the author provides statistics from the PLCs which show their effectiveness. As someone who teaches a credit-recovery course, I found this article extremely fascinating. In fact, I plan to show this article to my administration with my own plan on how we can implement a similar idea into a traditional school environment. As I read this article, I did think about the students in my class who simply refuse to complete the work on their own and wondered how the PLCs handled that situation. I discovered that their admission requirements as well as the motivational daily meeting they attend probably wipe out any issues. I appreciated that the PLCs were attempting to help students who struggled due to working situations, teen parents, and students who just did not learn well in a lecture-based classroom instead of just trying to increase scores and graduation rates like most schools do with their credit-recovery classes.

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

Carolan, B. (2012). An examination of the relationship among high school size, social capital, and adolescents mathematics achievement. Journal Of Research On Adolescence, 22(3), 583-595. Retrieved January 31, 2014 from the Galileo database. Type of Article: Theory-into-Practice This article examined the previous theory that smaller school sizes have a positive effect on students grades, especially in mathematics. It went even further to say that in a smaller school, the camaraderie between students and their families also had a positive effect on grades. To test this theory, they examined and surveyed 10th grade students periodically throughout the rest of their high school career and studied the increases and decreases in their mathematical scores. Surprisingly, the theory was found to be mostly untrue or the data was so insignificantly varied that the answer was inconclusive. However, it did find that when parents had higher expectations for their student and were also more involved, the student tended toward scoring higher. This article was actually a relief to me. In the county where I teach, there are three high schools, and I teach at the largest of the three. When the article began I was worried about the outcome due to the fact that we just moved to a much larger building just this year. I was pleased and surprised to see that smaller schools were actually scoring lower than larger schools, even though the variance was small. I was also surprised that much of the data was inconclusive. I wonder if they had focused their research to a specific theory, either the school size or the parent involvement, they would have found more conclusive data. I felt as though the research and the hypotheses were scattered and unfocused, leaving the researchers with too much data and not enough information.

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

Janushek, E. A., Peterson, P. E., & Woessmann, L. (2011). Teaching math to the talented. Education Next, 11(1), 10. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from the Galileo Database. Type of Article: Professional Practice This article focuses on studies that show that American students are under performing in mathematics when compared to other countries. Even our highest performing students do not compare to the amount of high performing students in other countries. The article even breaks down the research to single out certain racial groups that are considered smarter as well as comparing the data of students who have at least one parent who has graduated from college. All of this data was still underwhelming when compared to countries like Sweden, Japan, and Germany. However, studies did show that the No Child Left Behind Act had a positive increase in students becoming advanced in mathematics from the years before the act had been put into place. It seemed that despite its emphasis on students who were struggling, students who were previously advanced were pushed forward. This article was sadly not a surprise to me. While I am proud of my country and its accomplishments, I see the decline in student work year after year. My problem with this article was it didnt seem to want change. It stressed the continued emphasis of just the one subject in hopes that this will solve all of our problems. While I am a math teacher, one of my great loves is theater. It is exciting to express myself in different ways and give my brain a chance to switch gears. Many countries stress the importance of being well

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

rounded. Dont just be great at science; participate in sports or music or theater. Teaching your brain to think in different ways helps subjects like math to become easier. I personally feel that the best way to solve Americas problems with underachieving in math is to emphasis well-roundedness and not just mathematics.

Kim, M. (2011). The relationship between thinking style differences and career choices for high-achieving students. Roeper Review. 33. 252-262. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from the Galileo Database. Type of Article: Research This articles intent was to shine light on the problem that students have when their thinking styles are different from popular teaching styles. The article focuses on different types of thinking styles that vary from external styles to legislative styles. Each style focuses not only on how a student reacts to material, but also how a student responds to other students being involved. These different thinking styles reflect job choices that students make. The researchers investigated a group of students that were attending high achieving programs. These students thinking styles were determined as well as their future job choices. The result of the article was as to be expected. People whose thinking styles lent towards a more extroverted personality, wanted jobs where they could work with other people. Students who were more introverted looked for careers in science, computers, and in math. I found this article interesting because it points out a very obvious reality, some people do not have a personality that would make them want to become a scientist that sits in a lab

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

alone all day. While other people find it terrifying to have to talk to someone while they work. Knowing a students personality and their thinking styles helps you teach them better and helps you point them towards a career that would be best for them. A student who loves interacting with everyone and enjoys being the center of attention might be better off finding a job that doesnt require them to sit in a cubicle by themselves. Teaching a student about their own personal teaching styles can help guide them through their lives.

Redmond, A., Thomas, J., High, K. Scott, M. Jordan, P., & Dockers, J. (2011). Enriching science and math through engineering. School Science And Mathematics, 111(8), 399-408. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from the Galileo Database. Type of Article: Professional Practice This article followed a middle school engineering program that was designed to help students view different career possibilities in the engineering field. They offered a program for every sixth grader called Get a Grip during the school day, as well as a girls only mentoring program after school. The program gave both male and female students an added confidence and interest in engineering, while also giving girls the confidence that they can perform just as well as boys in a science position. I like the idea of a program being offered to students to teach them the interesting jobs available if they were to pursue a career in the engineering field. I find it very important for students to be exposed to many different opportunities so that they are aware of all of their options. It gives them hope as well as a thirst for knowledge they were unaware they

Laramy Wells

Article Critiques

Spring 2014

were interested in before. However, I had a problem with the girls only mentoring. I do see the importance of teaching girls that they can also pursue a career in the engineering field. On the other hand, I do not see the benefit of deterring a male child from a career he is genuinely interested in being a part of. If I were to do this program in my high school that I teach at, I would like to offer both male and female mentoring programs. It is important for both sexes to work together and come up with the technology of our future.