RUNNING HEAD: VALUE AND RESPECT

Value and Respect Dianne J. E. Kraus Wilkes University

VALUE AND RESPECT

Abstract The twenty-seven male and females in the mini-study were a diverse group of Honors Biology students from Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, Illinois. The teacher identified her low expectancy students prior to the video recording and was demonstrating value and respect for all students by challenging all students and communicating a positive affective tone. The learning goal for this lesson was that students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body. The video was taken at the beginning of the class as the teacher is reviewing the concepts of homeostasis and pH balance with the students prior to the laboratory experience.

VALUE AND RESPECT Value and Respect In this lesson the teacher is preparing the students for a laboratory experience where the students must design an experiment to test their hypothesis on the effect of antacids on stomach acidity and the role of homeostasis on acid-base balance. The learning goal for this lesson was that students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body. In the video the teacher is reviewing the main concepts of the pH scale. In the previous lesson the students tested household items with a pH meter and pH paper in order to construct a pH scale. They were able to infer that living things need to be kept within a narrow range and this builds on the information from our unit about enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that become denatured by extremes in pH and temperature. In this lab the students should find out about the buffering systems that maintain homeostasis of the temperature and pH levels in living systems. When the students think critically about the results they should understand that antacids create an imbalance in the stomachs acid-base balance resulting in a rebound effect which causes the stomachs cells to secrete more acid. This video was made to focus on the teachers effectiveness for demonstrating value and respect for all students which is part of communicating high expectations for all students. (Marzano, 2007) Prior to this lesson the teacher identified the low expectancy students in the classroom. These students are typically shy and quiet students that the teacher gives differential treatment to due to personal biases. These students are seated within each of six

groups in the classroom and are immersed in learning with the other students in the classroom. The teacher tends to avoid interaction with the shy students because she does not want to embarrass them in front of their peers or to put them on the spot so that they feel awkward.

VALUE AND RESPECT

In the video the teacher calls on all of the students in the classroom and intentionally calls on the low expectancy students. She makes eye contact with the students, smiles and comes into close proximity with the students so that they feel valued. The teacher addresses all students in a respectful manner and the students are respectful and positive with one another. If asked the students in this classroom would say that the teacher cares for all of her students. When discussing the homeostasis of pH and temperature the teacher engages in playful dialogue with the students and she provides low expectancy students with verbal indication of their value by saying You are awesome! and also by giving them positive affirmations that their answers are respected and valued. All students in the video are asked questions at the same rate and are asked complex questions. The teacher expected all students to participate including the student with hearing difficulties who normally sits quietly at the front table. Although he has trouble with speak the young man was able to elaborate on the concept of homeostasis keeping living systems in balance. The teacher also asked a low expectancy student to relate his experiences with acid reflex to the other students. High expectancy students were also called upon at the same rate and with the same level questions. When viewing this video it is not obvious to the observer as to whom the low expectancy students are in the room. The teacher is also very careful to stick with the low expectancy students by reframing information so that they feel respected before moving on to the next question. When a student feels uncomfortable with responding the teacher engages in playful dialogue to help the student feel more relaxed. The teacher should practice interrogative elaboration skills to have students elaborate on their answers. For example, when the student gave an answer about the

VALUE AND RESPECT best range for pH and living systems the teacher did not ask the student to elaborate on her answer. This student was previously identified as a high expectancy student. The teacher in this video is innovating in her responses to students and this is supported by responses on student surveys, exit slips and student interviews. The low expectancy students are exhibiting behaviors that include increased group participation, higher response rates, and are willing to take risks when working in the large group. These students are also

reaching out to the teacher outside of class for advice and help with their personal lives and for academic support for other classes. I have found that this is a powerful tool to increase student motivation and to change the culture of the classroom. Building a culture of respect and good purpose has always been a strong point in my classroom, so this has given me an opportunity to grow as a professional. I was surprised to find out that I have low expectancy students and now that I have identified my own behaviors I can work on changing how I treat different students in the classroom. When I change my behavior this also affects how the students interact with one another and they also showed greater respect and value for my low expectancy students. Considering that all teachers have different values and responses to students this would imply that students in different classes will demonstrate different performance levels based on the personal biases of their teachers. If all teachers were aware of how their own behavior sets the affective tone in the classroom, this would have an effect on student achievement and on teacher job satisfaction. As a teacher mentor this is a tool that should be used with all new and veteran teachers. In the future I will identify my low expectancy students at the beginning of each semester so that I ensure that value and respect is incorporated into my instruction.

VALUE AND RESPECT Appendix

Score 4.0 Score 3.5 Score 3.0

Students will investigate the relationship between homeostasis and the rebound effect of taking antacids to reduce stomach acidity In addition to score 3.0 performance partial success at score 4.0 content The students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body. No major errors or omissions regarding score 2.0 content and partial success at score 3.0 content. The students will make generalizations about acids,bases and homeostasis in living systems. Partial success at score 2.0 content, but major errors or omissions regarding score 3.0 content With help, partial success of score 2.0 content, but not at score 3.0 content Even with help, no success

Score 2.5 Score 2.0 Score 1.5 Score 1.0 Score 0.0

VALUE AND RESPECT References Marzano, R. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

RUNNING HEAD: ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS

Asking Questions and Probing Incorrect Answers Dianne J.E.Kraus Wilkes University

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS Abstract In this mini-study there were 27 students of diverse backgrounds who were enrolled in an Honors Biology class. The students were designing an experiment to test their hypothesis on how antacids affect acid-base balance. The students were arranged in groups of four to five. The teacher is asking questions and probing incorrect answers of all students at an equal rate and the same level of complexity to ensure that the students have designed a controlled experiment, with safety precautions and a procedure that will enable them to collect data for the following learning goal: The students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body.

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS Asking Questions and Probing Incorrect Answers In this video analysis the teacher is focusing on asking questions and probing incorrect answers. The students are an Honors Biology class with twenty-seven students of mixed diversity. The students have designed a lab to test which antacid is the most effective and to see if homeostasis will maintain the desired range of acidity for the stomach. The teacher was meeting with each group to determine if the experimental design was testable, that safety measures were adhered to and to ensure that the students planned a controlled study. The

learning goal for this lesson was that students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body. (see Appendix) During the lesson the teacher met her goal for the lesson by meeting with each group and asking questions of each student. The teacher was careful to ask questions at the same rate with the exception of the last group. She missed elaborating on an answer regarding the prediction of the final acid-base balance after adding the antacids. Although the student was a high expectancy student the teacher should have asked her to elaborate on the answer in order to probe deeper for understanding. Other than this exception all students were asked complex questions. The teacher gave the students an opportunity to collect their thoughts and then she returned to them. This was witnessed when a student struggled with the safety precautions and then with the control group set-up. After other students answered questions the teacher returned to the student who then provided the correct answer and was given positive affirmation by the teacher. All students were asked to explain their answers and the teacher differentiated questions to the level of mental processing that each student was working at within the group. One

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS student was at a level 1.0 on the scale for the learning goal but with help was able to answer the questions. When the students struggled to set up the control group the teacher reframed the questions and broke the concept down into smaller parts so that the students could analyze the relationship between the control group and the experimental groups. Once the students revisited the relationships and the purpose of manipulating the independent variable then they were able to identify their incorrect answer for the control group. The teacher also gave all low expectancy students an opportunity to answer questions at the same level of complexity. She asked one student to rethink their understanding of the control group and promised to return to have him explain the lab design in more detail. If asked the students would say that the teacher wont let you off the hook as this was evidenced by a low expectancy student who exclaimed, I always have to go first. The students were all able to answer the questions correctly and they all had a clear understanding of the lab because they were successful at completing the lab procedure which included observing safety procedures and collecting the necessary data to complete the experimental analysis. All of the students completed a controlled study to test their hypothesis. The effect of asking questions and probing incorrect answers required the students to think more deeply about the concepts and to have them make connections between the variables in the experimental design. Instead of passively conducting a textbook experiment the students needed to work collaboratively to design the experiment. The teacher had them correct any misconceptions and clarified understanding by asking probing questions so that

they could come to the answers on their own. This method ensures that all students understand

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS the concepts and the experimental design. There was also a good moment when a student asked her peer to clarify his answer and to explain it further.

The teacher is innovating in asking all of the students in the classroom questions and it is impossible to identify the low expectancy students based on the behaviors exhibited by the teacher as she probes incorrect answers in the same manner as she does with high expectancy students. The classroom set-up and the group interaction also ensures that all students are asked questions at the same rate and at a complexity that is at the appropriate level of mental processing based on tracking of student progress for the learning goal. Based on the videotape of the mini-study I am much more aware of the need to ask all students questions but I find that I might be overcompensating, and I do not want to give preferential differentiated treatment to the low expectancy students. I need to make sure that all students are valued and respected. I also need to practice interrogative elaboration so that I always have the students justify their explanations and to make predictions about their learning. Probing questions engages the students and not only do the students learn in-depth but the questions also provide instructional feedback as a formative assessment so that misconceptions and errors in thinking can be addressed on the spot. The next step would be to work on essential questions for each unit that act as a framework within our professional learning community so that every teacher is holding all of their students accountable to the same level of deep critical thinking. I plan to share the information and the survey for

identifying low expectancy students with my colleagues so that we can work together to practice developing higher order questions and to provide each other feedback through observation of each others classrooms.

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS Appendix

Score 4.0

Students will investigate the relationship between homeostasis and the rebound effect of taking antacids to reduce stomach acidity In addition to score 3.0 performance partial success at score 4.0 content The students will be able to generate and test a hypothesis that demonstrates an understanding of acid-base balance in the human body. No major errors or omissions regarding score 2.0 content and partial success at score 3.0 content. The students will make generalizations about acids,bases and homeostasis in living systems. Partial success at score 2.0 content, but major errors or omissions regarding score 3.0 content With help, partial success of score 2.0 content, but not at score 3.0 content Even with help, no success

Score 3.5

Score 3.0

Score 2.5

Score 2.0

Score 1.5

Score 1.0

Score 0.0

ASKING QUESTIONS AND PROBING INCORRECT ANSWERS References Marzano, R. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.