5. Describe Their Implementation

I observed the biology teacher using the concept mastery routine to review biomolecules for SOL testing.  He shared the diagram with me prior to his using the routine.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CAZpfuoP5ob_yzYbEqB3YXyyrt_rDMb2/view?usp=sharing

He is a very dynamic teacher, so the students were actively engaged throughout the routine. It is obvious he uses other types of graphic organizers in his class, because the students were very comfortable filling in the concept diagram as they co-constructed it.  After he had cued the students, he had the students brainstorm what they could recall about carbohydrates (the targeted concept).  He prompted them to come up with characteristics as well as examples and non-examples.  Following this they categorized the characteristics, examples and non-examples.  They then developed a definition based on the always present characteristics.  To extend understanding, he used additional examples/non-examples in the middle of the diagram and had the students determine where they belonged based on the characteristics.  The only challenge encountered was the wait time for a few students to fill out their diagrams, but he was able to fill this time with engaging instruction about what the students were reviewing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PvFiYD8bRY_AvI701g5UxfLKRj4fiOHr/view?usp=sharing

See the provided link to view the checklist / feedback that we supplied to Ms. Hansen after the implementation.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3aIpuTxAGjxOXRvaEZRajZKa0k

Mrs. Kelly introduced her Concept Diagram to a small group of students that are part of an intensive reading support program at our high school. It is the Read 180 program. They enjoyed working through the routine and stated at the end that they wished it was used more often by teachers. They liked that they could work through ideas and create a great understanding of the concept. One student remembered that we had used something similar (the Frame) in my class. She had liked the Frame so she was sold on the Concept Diagram from the beginning. 
Once Kim got off to a start with the diagram she did great. She realized part way through that she missed a step and she went back and corrected it before I was able to debrief with her. She simply explained to her students that she was still learning, I think students appreciate being told when teachers are still learning. 
We discussed that she needed to give the expectations of students at the beginning to help them with the cue portion of the lesson. She realizes afterward that it would have helped them understand what to contribute and helped with her eliciting of information. 


Here is a link to the implementation checklist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Oe-B6PSzDnN01PUW15b0F0ZjJ1elBfWWVRbDctMFR6b2Rz/view?usp=sharing

Hidden Valley Middle School has an emphasis of job-embedded professional development opportunities for teachers. Therefore, this was a neat opportunity for Mr. Hall and me to learn about the great instruction Mrs. Ferrell is conducting with her students who need support and services to learn English as a second language. Mrs. Ferrell’s classroom has a much smaller student size in additional to a slower pace of instruction. When Mrs. Ferrell introduced the concept diagram, the students required some prompting when volunteering key words; however, Mrs. Ferrell provided her own examples and insights then her students began offering their own examples. The students also enjoyed coming up with their examples and non-examples of nonfictional text. I was concerned they might be limited with their background knowledge, but Mrs. Ferrell was great about facilitating this discussion with them. Overall, the students were hesitant at first, but they warmed up quickly and seemed to have a strong understanding of nonfictional text following the classroom instruction.

Brittany was very clear and concise in her directions. She modeled constantly for her students which made it easier for them to follow the lesson. She incorporated cooperative learning into her lesson plan where students were allowed to work together to identify key words. She actively involved the students in writing answers on the Active Board. She also provided them with encouragement when they hesitated in coming to the Active Board as well as praise them when they had correct answers. She provided immediate feedback throughout the lesson, and if students did not have the correct answers, she asked them questions to steer them in the right direction. Throughout the lesson, Brittany concisely and consistently followed the routine. She elicited answers and feedback from the students. She filled in each section of the diagram and constantly made sure the students filled out their diagrams as well. We did have to remind her to practice with new examples which she did effectively. All in all, it was a very good lesson.

Concept Mastery Routine Implementation Checklist:
https://drive.google.com/a/frco.k12.va.us/file/d/0B9yJ7ZAs05-uODZWbUJXVVVUazQzeHRMYzQ2aEViSkVyeTRz/view?usp=sharing



Concept Mastery Routine - Teacher & Student Copy:
https://drive.google.com/a/frco.k12.va.us/file/d/0B9yJ7ZAs05-uWXk0dzFDcmo1aURDa0tFS2ZmLUg1Q3JYcC1Z/view?usp=sharing

Mrs. Blevins used the Concept Mastery Diagram to teach her fifth grade inclusion classes about the five text structures of compare/contrast, description, chronological order, problem/solution, and cause/effect. During separate class periods, she would introduce one of the five structures using the Concept Mastery Diagram, guiding students through the co-construction process. I observed her on two different occasions during this period. some of the structures were difficult for the students to settle on the always, sometimes, and never present categories because they seemed to find overlap during their discussion; however this resulted in a deeper analysis of each structure and, from my perspective, a greater understanding of each one. They learned that there can be overlap between the differing concepts and openly discussed these cases.

Brittany used the CMR diagram to teach a lesson on prokaryotic cells while Angela and I observed during our planning period.  Brittany used information given by the students the majority of the time, giving guidance to steer them in the right direction when needed.  When classifying the characteristics into categories, Brittany color-coded the 3 different lists on the activboard.  Students were comfortable and enthusiastic about sharing their thoughts and ideas.  Brittany asked probing questions that required deeper-level thinking from the students.

After exploring examples with the students, Brittany moved on to tieing down a definition without practicing with new examples.  We quickly got her attention and reminded her about the step she had forgotten.  Brittany was quick to go back and correct her mistake.  She wrote some potential examples/nonexamples in the testing ground and had the students discuss each before moving on to tieing down a definition.

CMR Implementation Checklist Link
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwlrrk4Hc2y8VnZNYVBDT1FNMDA

Teacher and Student CMR Diagram Link
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwlrrk4Hc2y8QWh6YUVIbUtjSk0

See link below to checklists provided after teacher implementation.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3aIpuTxAGjxOXRvaEZRajZKa0k