Pre-assessment Stage Essay Example for Free

Pre-assessment Stage Essay The participants of the study are 40 second grade Hispanic students who are currently studying English as a second-language in one of their courses. These students lived at the Mexico-US border and are currently attending a small urban school district in the metropolitan Chicago area. Two teachers were selected from a list of teachers who were known to apply each method (Pask’s and Landa’s) in teaching mathematics. Procedure Two classes of 20 students each were compared in a month’s period of time. The classes had 90 minutes of mathematics per day. The class applied Pask’s Conversation Theory while the other applied Landa’s Algo-Heuristic Theory. The study included a pre-assessment and a final assessment stage. Before classes start, the students were first asked to fill out a form regarding their personal information. After which, each of the students were given an examination to assess their proficiency in English and knowledge in Mathematics. General Procedure For the first thirty minutes of the first day, the teachers discussed addition and subtraction of digits more than two. For the next thirty minutes, the teachers then showed some examples. Then for the last thirty minutes, each student was asked to answer addition and subtraction equations on the board. For the next day, the first fifteen minutes were devoted in reviewing the topics discussed yesterday. Then after, for the next hour, the teachers discussed word problems in which addition and subtraction of digits more than three is applied. The last thirty minutes were devoted for board work. The third day was also allotted for reviewing word problems in the first thirty minutes. The Pask teacher paired up each student and then assigned a word problem to each pair. The students then answered the problems and discuss the solutions to their partners. After which, a spokesperson for each pair went to the board and explain their solutions to the class. The class then discussed if the solution is valid and if not discuss why it is not. The Landa teacher also assigned a word problem to each student. However, in this class, the students were not paired up. Each answered the word problem according to the algorithm given by the teacher. The teacher then checked if each of the students’ answer is correct. If not, he returned the paper to the student and asked him or her to review his solution and correct it. Both classes were given a written exam on the fourth day applying what they have learned for this lesson (addition and subtraction). The next day, both classes were given another chapter examination of ten various word problems. The examinations did not instruct as to which particular type of solution will be used. That is, the students are free to choose which strategy to use. This same procedure was used in discussing multiplication and division. After their examination on multiplication and division, the teachers devoted the whole session in discussing word problems in which all of the operations are applied. The first 45 minutes of the last day was devoted to discussing word problems in which all of the mathematical operations are involved. For the last 45 minutes, both classes were given a word problem to solve. Each teacher used the same procedure as they did in their previous lessons. Final Assessment Stage After the discussions and examinations on multiplication and division, both classes were then given a final examination to assess what they have learned and understood in their class. The examination will consist of twenty word problems involving the mathematical operations discussed in their classes. These problems consisted of each type of problem discussed in Chapter 2. Again, the examinations did not instruct as to which particular type of solution will be used so that the students are free to choose which one they will utilize. The students were also free to ask their teachers for clarifications. After answering their examinations, the teachers were asked to fill out questionnaires regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the educational theories they practiced. The students were also interviewed asking them what they have learned from their lessons aside from learning mathematical operations. The questionnaires contained open questions dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of their approach to allow respondents to say what is exactly on their minds.