RUNNING HEAD: IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Impact on Student Learning

Nicole Jacquot
EDE 4944. 009
University of South Florida

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Criterion 1: Introduction- Connecting Theory and Practice

Introduction to Context
The standard of my lesson is MAFS.3.OA.4.8, which states solve two-step word
problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter
standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental
computation and estimation strategies including rounding. From this standard I created the
learning objectives of:

Students will be able to determine what information is needed in a two-step word

problem
Students will be able to explain the first step necessary in a two-step problem
Students will be able to describe the steps necessary in completing a two-step

problem
Students will be able to explain the second step necessary in a two-step word
problem

This is important for student learning because it introduces student to algebraic thinking.
Not only this, but it introduces students to working with more information in a word problem.
This requires students to use their problem solving skills by sorting out information within the
problem and reasoning how to solve it.
Rationale
In order to teach this standard, teaching strategies such as whole group instruction, Total
Physical Response (TPR) and collaborative groups were used. I started off the beginning of the

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lesson with whole group instruction. Whole group instruction is proven to be effective when
students are engaged. This can be done by involving students to participate in discussions,
acknowledging student communication, and relating the activity to other child activities
(DiCarlo, Pierce, Baumgartner, Harris, & Ota, 2012). TPR reduces the stress that students feel
from learning, caters towards multiple learning styles, and are fun by keeping students and
engaged (Er, 2013). According to the Mathematics Teacher Education and Development Journal,
The mathematics curriculum should help all students to refine their thinking through
communication, communicate their thinking to both teachers and fellow students, assess the
thinking of others, and use mathematical language to articulate their ideas. By students
interacting with peers of higher levels of understanding, they are able to move beyond their own
level of understanding (Fuentes, 2013).
Criterion 2: Assessment Focus on data collection and analysis
Standard
MAFS.3.OA.4.8: Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent
these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the
reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including
rounding.
Objectives

Students will be able to determine what information is needed in a two-step word

problem
Students will be able to solve any of the four operations (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division) with 70 percent accuracy.

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

Students will be able to explain the first step necessary in a two-step problem
Students will be able to describe the steps necessary in completing a two-step

problem
Students will be able to explain the second step necessary in a two-step word
problem

Assessment Tool

Figure 1
Above is a picture of the assessment tool that I used for both my formative and
summative assessment. The formative assessment was given to the students before I taught the
lesson to inquire upon any knowledge students already had on two-step problems. The

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summative assessment was the same so I could look at exactly how their thinking changed from
before the lesson was taught to after.
Data and Results

Pre Assessment Data

12
10
8
Number of Students (#)

Pre Assessment

6
4
2
0

100

50

Percentage Correct (%)

Figure 2

Reflection

The assessment tool is appropriate to determine student learning needs because it mirrors
the kind of questions they would see in the lesson. The assessment is also valid because it aligns
with the learning objectives for the lesson. By looking at students steps listed, I could see what

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information they thought was important, how accurately they solved equations, and what steps
they thought should come first and second. As for the standard, it states Solve two-step word
problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter
standing for the unknown quantity. The question used in the assessment is a two-step problem
that uses two the four operations. I did not give explicit instructions that required students to use
a letter to stand for an unknown quantity because I didnt want to give too much guidance on
how to solve the problem. I wanted to see what students were able to do with the information
given without too many restrictions. However, I did state in the directions that they could use
equations to show their work.
From the data gathered, I was able to see that students were able to effectively solve
equations involving the four operations. Although some students may not have chosen the
appropriate operation to solve the problem, they did correctly solve the equations with the
operations they decided on. Although this does not meet the standard, it does meet the learning
objective of SWBAT solve any of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division) with 70 percent accuracy. From the data I was also able to see where students
struggled. The difficulties that almost all students faced in solving the problem was deciding on
what operation to use and in what order to use them. While observing them work, I noticed much
of the class looked confused after first reading the problem. I could see that they were not sure
where to start when confronted with multiple pieces of information.
The needs of the students in this case are almost the same across the class. Referring to
Figure 2, over half the class was not able to identify the first step in solving the problem. The 4
students that got the entire question correct did not use letters to represent unknown quantities.
So because almost all students struggled with deciding on what operation to use, I will use the

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first lesson as an opportunity to teach students how to dissect two-step problems. This will arm
students with strategies on where to start with the problem.
At the current state of the assessment, it does not effectively meet the needs of English
Language Learners. In order to better meet the needs of these students, language could be altered
to meet their current level of proficiency. Pictures could also replace the nouns in the sentences.
So instead of the teachers name being used, a picture of her face could replace the name. Instead
of writing out plants, one could use a picture of a plant. The entire question could even be
translated to the students first language because it would not change the outcome of the learning
objectives.
Criterion 3: Connected Lessons- Data Driven Instruction
Day 1 Lesson Plan

Figure 3
After collecting the formative assessment, I looked at each students work and analyzed
the steps they took to solve and operations they used. I used their answers to formulate questions
they should be asking themselves when solving two-step problems. These questions included

IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING

What are we trying to find, how we can find out this information: what are the first steps
necessary, what are the second steps necessary. Although it is not mentioned in my lesson plan,
I did emphasize that when they come up with their final answer, they should also be questioning
the logic of their answer. For example, looking at Figure 1, the student wrote 10 as her final
answer. However if she questioned how logical her answer was, she would have been able to
deduce that this could not be the right answer because it would make the final cost 48 dollars, not
20 as stated in the question. Analyzing student work had also led me to make the decision of the
first lesson focusing on how to dissect two-step problems, because most students did not know
what operation to start with or what their next steps would be.
With this being said, my instructional decisions met my students needs because over half
of them did not know where to start after reading the problem. Very few of them were able to
pick the appropriate operation to use in their first step and some didnt even use more than one
operation. By creating step by step questions that students could ask themselves, this gave a
students a framework to help them sort out information and guide them through the problem
solving process. Not only this, but the day 1 lesson was a given a strict focus on how to approach
two-step problems, not just how to solve them. This armed students with necessary prerequisite
knowledge in order to be able to effectively tackle and solve two-step problems.

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Day 2 Lesson Plan

Figure 4
After observing my students during day 1 of instruction and looking over their answers to
homework assignments assigned by my collaborating teacher, I noticed a few things that altered
my instruction. First, was that during day 1 instruction, I saw a lot of the same students raising
their hands when asked questions. Even when using more than 5 seconds of wait time, I did not
see any new hands being raised. Second, while looking over their homework I saw that some
were still using the wrong operations. The combination of these two things had me thinking that
they still were having difficulties in sorting out the information in the problems. This made me
think of other ways that the information could be presented.
Initially, I had a NearPod planned for students to work on at their own pace in order to
actually start working to correctly solve the problem. However, because after the first day of

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instruction I had noticed they still did not have a solid foundation, I decided to not use it at all.
Instead I thought about TPR and how this helps ELLs with comprehension. I thought this could
work for my students by helping them comprehend what the problem is asking them if they acted
it out in groups, while explaining what was happening. This helps meets my students needs
because by acting out the word problems, they are making the word problems real. It is also
beneficial that they are working in groups because this gives each student access to knowledge
they may not have had before.
Using a Variety of Assessments for ELLs
Despite having a student whose first language is not English, he is proficient enough to
the point where he does not require accommodations. If I had a student whose proficiency was at
a level that needed accommodations, I would use the assessment that I described above in that
-pictures could replace the nouns in the sentences. So instead of the teachers name being used, a
picture of her face could replace the name. Instead of writing out plants, one could use a
picture of a plant. The entire question could even be translated to the students first language
because it would not change the outcome of the learning objectives. In terms of accommodating
day 1 instruction, drawings could be used as a strategy to figure out what operations to use or
what order to use them. Videos could also be used, where the word problem was read aloud
while the actions were being recorded. Day 2 instruction is already accommodated to students
who speak English as their second language through the strategy of TPR.
Criterion 4: Reflection on Student Learning and Teaching Practice
Comparing Formative and Summative Data

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11
12
10
8

Number of Students (#)

6
Pre Assessment

Post Assessment

2
0
100 50

Percentage Correct (%)

Figure 5
Learning Statements
In reference to Figure 5, I learned that not every student will grasp the concept upon
the first or even second attempt at teaching it. Looking at the graph, I can see that more than half
the class was able to come to a full or partial understanding after two days of instruction. This is
an improvement compared to before any instruction, where more than half the class had no
understanding of the concept. However, I can still see that there are a few students who still have
not grasped the concept of two-step problems.
Another thing that I learned throughout the process of using assessment to drive
instruction is that I need to reflect on if my teaching is equitable. While creating the assessments
for my students, I did not have all my students in mind. I have a student who reads a couple
grades below level, and I did not consider her when creating my assessments. Words like
potting soil and alone are considered difficult for her. It is possible that these words would

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not have an effect on her ability to comprehend the problems, but to ensure she has the same
opportunity to understand what the problem is asking her, I should have read the problem aloud
to her. Once I realized this, I had allowed her to try the question again with reading it aloud.
Reflection
I think the most powerful adjustment I made during the planning process is that I never
used the NearPod I created. I thought that my students would be ready to work on solving to get
the correct answer on day 2 of instruction. However, it was clear after day 1 that they were not
ready for this. So I had to plan again for sorting out the information within the problem, but in a
different way.
I noticed that when it came to the "What is our first step?" question, I put a large focus on
scanning the problems and looking for words that hinted at what operations they should perform.
However, this is not the only way to solve a problem. They could also use pictures or picture
what was happening in their head. If I were to teach the lesson again, I would model how they
could solve it in different ways along with a think-aloud for each strategy. This would give them
options (instead of one way) and they could solve it whichever way works best for
them. Another method I could use to improve student learning would be how I delivered the
lesson. As I reflect I notice that I jumped right into teaching the topic as a group. If I were to
teach the lesson again, I would perform an explicit think aloud. I would think aloud exactly what
I want my students to be thinking about and model how to answer the questions I used in the
PowerPoint I created.
Reflecting upon the lesson and the process of assessment driving instruction has led me
to new wonderings. Looking at Figure 5, I wonder how I can further accommodate the

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remaining students who do not have a strong understanding. Will pulling them into a small group
be enough to improve their understanding? Or I wonder if they have a different teaching method
that would work better for them. Another wondering that comes to mind is whether or not my
students will retain the information I taught them? Will the information stay with them within the
next week? Or what about the next month?

Resources
DiCarlo, C. F., Pierce, S. p., Baumgartner, J., Harris, M. E., & Ota, C. (2012). Whole-Group
Instruction Practices and Children's Attention: A Preliminary Report. Journal Of
Research In Childhood Education, 26(2), 154-168. doi:10.1080/02568543.2012.657744
Er, S. (2013). Using Total Physical Response Method in Early Childhood Foreign Language
Teaching Environments. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 93(3rd World
Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership), 1766-1768.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.113

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Quebec Fuentes, S. (2013). Fostering Communication between Students Working
Collaboratively: Results from a Practitioner Action Research Study. Mathematics
Teacher Education And Development, 15(1), 48-71.

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