Will educational software and games motivate and improve 6th grade students’ English skills? : Will educational software and games motivate and improve 6th grade students’ English skills? By
Marisa Schaefer
Overview : Overview Sixth grade students in a Staten Island Intermediate school are not acquiring the proper writing and ELA grades.
Unmotivated when it comes to reading.
Great amount of spelling and grammar errors are being found in students’ work.
Slide 3 : School Environment Hispanic
36% Black
28% White
29% Asian
7% Currently 1004 students enrolled in the school
6th grade class consists of 26 students
Located in a middle-class neighborhood
58% of total students are eligible for free lunch
Title 1 school
Slide 4 : Case Study Group 26 students total
15 girls
11 boys
1 ELL student
5 students with an IEP (each have a paraprofessional in major class subjects)
Research Question : Research Question How can the use of Clean Up Your Grammar, Fish ‘Em Up, Edit Dan’s Copy, and Grammar Gorilla’s increase students’ English skills?
Will a class blog motivate students’ when it comes to reading and writing?
Will the use of a Smart board motivate students to learn new reading and writing strategies?
Slide 6 : Summary of Literature Review Zhang and Deng (2004) found that the student’s who were placed in the multimedia classroom, did not feel more superior in their studies because of the use of technology, than those who were placed in the traditional setting. This piece has encouraged me to survey my students and find out what they think about a multimedia setting.
Daniels (2004) found that not only did the use of the computers motivate and engage the students in the learning process, but they all had increased test scores when it came to reading and writing. A concern that I currently have, is many of my students low test scores, so I am anxious to use educational games, as well as conduct writing assignments on the computer.
The use of a Smart board in the classroom appears to be a good motivational factor. Smith, Hardman & Higgins (2006) found that the classes they observed using an IWB seemed to “fly” by, because of the amount of student interaction and engagement in the lesson.
Research : Research “Blogging brings a new dimension to the classroom. You cannot blog and not change the structure of your classroom.” – “Blogs aren’t the Enemy” (2007).
“Educational games are still being viewed as unserious.” - Pivec (2007).
Data Matrix : Data Matrix
Slide 9 : Note: Results are taken from pre-survey completed by the twenty-six students before introducing them to the interactive online games. Pre-Study Survey
Slide 10 : Grades Students one through twenty-six Comparison of grades between the identical
Pre-Assignment and Post-Assignment Note: The table shows the grade the students received on the assignment in the month of January, and the grade the students received on the same assignment given in April.
Slide 11 : Action Plan Hold a professional development after school hours or on the weekends to introduce this method of learning to my fellow co-workers.
Hold a training class for ESL/ ELL students and their families so that I could model to them how to use the computer and access the Internet.
Compare the 2008 ELA State test scores to the 2009 ELA State test scores once they come out at the end of June.
Slide 12 : Results Peer interaction, technology integration, interactive websites, blog discussions, and the Smart board had a positive impact on language arts skills.
21/26 students increased when I compared the assignments that I gave them in January to the exact same assignments that I gave them in April.
14/26 students accessed the blog at home.
Students grades increased anywhere from eight to thirty-three points from the time they completed the assignments in January, and the when they completed the same assignments it in April.
References : References Blogs aren’t the enemy (2007). Technology and Learning, 27(9), 32-33. Retrieved November 1, 2008 from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.
Pivec, M. (2007). Editorial: Play and Learn: potentials of game-based learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(3), 387-393.