Draft Action Research Progress Report

Week 3 Assignment Part 3

 

 



Visual Teaching Tools in the Classroom: Do Visual Aides Effect a Student’s Learning

 

Needs Assessments

            As a growing dual language campus it has been difficult to find teachers that understand how to teach to ESL students and how to teach students learning two languages at one time. The need for change and to understand the change is present and what that change can include is the way the information is presented to the students through the use of visual aides. Conducting this action research is to bring about change to increase our engagement of learning so that students can gain a better understanding of their language and a second language. The purpose of this research is to study the effects visual images or aides have on a student’s learning; and if it is different amongst gender or in subject area.

Objectives and Vision of the action research project. (ELCC 1.1)

            Our vision is one of the most precious senses that were given to us. We use our vision for many different reasons. With our vision we see our newborn children be born, our love ones happiness, or our loved ones pain and sadness. We use vision to help us cross the street, to help us try new things, to help us drive. We also use our vision to learn new meanings in life and especially during our education. Many of our ESL, bilingual and monolingual students use visuals as an aide for learning the meaning of new vocabulary or content, according to Mathes, et al., (2007) many of the practices in assisting struggling learners or second language learners, are using visuals consistently and routinely.

            The use of visual aides in the classroom can be given through an array of subjects. It can provide reinforcement in learning mathematically vocabulary, as Harmon, et al., (2009) studied that when representing new ideas or concepts, the use of visual images as reinforcements, creates better memorization of the new meaning. When rich in visual images the understanding is taken in more concrete.

Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy

            Visual aides or images have been used in classrooms for many, many years. The uses of visual gestures, visual aides or artifacts have been used in many aspects of teaching. They may date back to the barbaric ages, for I am sure if a father was trying to teach their child what a harpoon was, they most likely had it in their hand to show their child first hand. The effects of this tool or the aspect of a visual aide are dramatic. The use of visual aides assists in providing word meaning. In Harmon, et al., (2009) study their participants found that the pictures besides the words on the word wall provided a better understanding of the word being presented. When a student is learning a new language or concept many times they may make their own illustrations, Harmon, et al., (2009) mentions that student’s find more meaning behind the illustration they made for the focused word than that of the teacher’s illustration. The students also found it more useful, to have some sort of color recognition let’s say for nouns or verbs, perhaps even symbols next to a word assisted them in identifying certain word structures.

Gestures also play an important role for when sometimes a visual image or concrete object is not at hand and one must use their own facial gestures to teach new vocabulary or concept. Many teaching techniques include gestures as an effective teaching tool. Effective ELL practices brings in an array of teaching techniques for example; repetitive language, gestures, routines Mathes, et al., (2007). Using gestures brings in social interaction and more involvement in the learning. Hardison & Sueyoshi, (2005) discuss that introducing gestures when learning a new language assists in the native like behavior and the ELL’s use more gestures when communicating with others through the new learned language. Hardison & Sueyoshi, (2005) also examined that comprehension scores on assessments during their study rose when the use of gestures and visuals were involved. Visuals provide better understanding and a tool to refer to when taking an assessment. If students have a picture in their mind alongside a word, they are better to memorize than a word without a picture.  In some of the subjects gestures are more useful than other tools of teaching. During language arts and storytelling, the students retain more comprehension of the story being told than if had just a serious face Mathes, et al., (2007). The use of visuals or gestures when teaching any subject does assist in comprehension.

Another subject area that finds visuals useful is math and science. Coates, (2008) explains how the assistance of visual tools in the classroom assists students to have a better and deeper understanding of a certain mathematical concept or vocabulary word associated with the concept. The uses of the visual aides or artifacts provide students the opportunity to use these tools to build their comprehension and retain the information better. It is important to utilize visual learning in the different subject areas to assist with the association of prior experiences or prior knowledge. Good teaching skills are essential to education and when applying useful visual strategies to a lesson, there is a better outcome of the understanding of it Coates, (2008).

Articulate the Vision (ELCC 1.2)

            When discussing with my principal the needs of teachers on our campus to help them teach the information to the students, the first thing that popped in my mind was the use of visuals in the classroom and the lack of them. I wanted to learn how does the use of visuals affect a students’s learning, how does gender play a role in the use or need of visual aides, and in what subjects are visuals use full. Since our students are tested in both English and Spanish and are expected to reach mastery at the end of each grade level I thought this would be a great tool to implement on our campus. 

Manage the organization (ELCC 3.1)

            When examining the effects of the use of visual aides in the classroom with second graders I had to identify my subject area of I wanted to focus on. I decided to examine it on the learning of new vocabulary as it is the difficult for ESL students in English and for English speakers in Spanish.  I will be studying the effects of visual aides in the classroom environment. This study will be done in a nine week grading period. First I will present the grade level classroom with vocabulary words and lessons (according to their grade level) without any visuals. During the first four weeks I will assess students to see if they were able to comprehend the meaning of each vocabulary word. Using an assessment where the student has to join the picture with the correct vocabulary word. I will then re-administer the lesson, activities and data collection the following four weeks but this time with the presentation of visuals. I will administer the same exam during both four week periods. I will also use observations and group discussions to have a better understanding of the student’s perspective on the lesson. I will have a checklist where I can notate during observations and/or group discussions the students answers and frustration levels on how they felt of the lesson. On this checklist I will have the students by number (no names for confidentiality reasons); I will have their gender, their frustration level, their assessment answers of both exams. I will also administer a questionnaire in the interviews with the teacher. The questions will consist of how they use visuals aides in their classroom, her perception with the results and her point of view towards visual aides in all the lessons and certain subjects. This research project was at no cost to our campus or district. The vocabulary was appropriate for the grade level and followed the scope and sequence set by our district.

Manage Operations (ELCC 3.2)

            When creating a time line to follow, it was best to follow the assessment dates according to our curriculum pacing calendar. This was a way to keep the students on track without creating any gaps in their learning. My campus leader saw this research as a great way to learn how our teaching tools really effect a child's learning and retention of information. The vision of this action research was seen as a positive not just for teachers to learn from, but for students to benefit from. My campus leader and district approved my action research including all materials, assessments, surveys, questionnaires, and check list.  

Respond to Community Interest and Needs (ELCC 4.2)

            When concluded, all Pre-K–5 teachers can benefit from this study. The data presented will be broken into subgroups, as this will help to identify students with special and exceptional needs and students with diverse backgrounds. This will also help teachers to identify students that teachers will need to modification for. The activities used can be seen as beneficial for students or not and if additional activities can be added. Using visuals aides can increase motivation of learning and retention of information and how easy it will be for teachers to incorporate it into their lessons. This will increase teacher motivation and moral. With is being said, I know more teachers will start including visuals into their lessons to foster the learning and retention of students.   

           

 

 

References:

Coates, G. (2008, September). A Visual Approach to Teaching and Learning Mathematics. Connect Magazine, 22(1), 4-7. Retrieved April 13, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Harmon, J., Wood, K., Hedrick, W., Vintinner, J., & Willeford, T. (2009, February). Interactive Word Walls: More Than Just Reading the Writing on the Walls. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(5), 398-408. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Mathes, P., Pollard-Durodola, S., Cárdenas-Hagan, E., Linan-Thompson, S., & Vaughn, S. (2007, July). Teaching Struggling Readers Who Are Native Spanish Speakers: What Do We Know?. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 38(3), 260-271. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Sueyoshi, A., & Hardison, D. (2005, December). The Role of Gestures and Facial Cues in Second Language Listening Comprehension. Language Learning, 55(4), 661-699. Retrieved April 21, 2009, doi:10.1111/j.0023-8333.2005.00320.x