Teach Effectively!

Yep, I’m away from the home site. Friday and Saturday (CST, and the “C” stands for “China,” not “Central”) I was meeting with faculty and students at National Taiwan Normal University to discuss evidence-based education. It was a 12-hour workshop spread over two days. The topics were

1. Essential Dimensions of Studies of Effectiveness
2. Way of Integrating Reserach about Effective Methods
3. Some Methods are More Effective
4. Single-subject Research can Contribute to Effectiveness
5. General Principles of Effectiveness

I was awed by the competence, thoughtfulness, and engagement of the members of the audience. I spoke in English and they were right there with me. They raised many of the same issues one hears in the US (e.g., defenses of case studies against my argument that such research, though valuable, doesn’t permit strong inferences about what practices produce better outcomes than others), but the discussion was remarkably civil and reflective.

I’ll be traveling a bit soon. Tomorrow we’re away to Taipei, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. I’ll speak a couple of times while visiting. I’ll be checking on the blogs, to be sure, but the frequency of posting may lessen. There will be photos…probably on another location such as my Flickr and .Mac accounts.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping Erica Renee, over at SnazzyKat, has a happy and safe delivery of little Sammy.

From the sound of it, the Clayton County (GA, US) schools could use some practice with teaching effectively. According to a story by Heather Vogell, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, students with disabilities are faring poorly on state tests.

In the report, the state Department of Education’s 11 evaluators found:

• Many Clayton special education teachers lack training and certifications to teach grade-level math to students.

• Disabled students are removed from regular classes, dismissed early or suspended often — costing valuable class time when other strategies for managing behavior exist.

• Teachers and administrators are failing to provide some disabled students the accommodations they need to learn at the fastest pace.

• Expectations are lowered for students placed in special education. Regular education options are not always considered when they should be.

The state will give Clayton up to $60,000 and about two years to improve. The district could eventually lose federal funding if it does not.

Assistant Superintendent Luvenia Jackson said Clayton will use the report to boost reforms already under way.

In her story, Ms. Vogell leads with a parent’s concern about math instruction. Mayhaps the powers that be should spend a bit of that $60K on buying my favorite practical guide to teaching arithmetic and mathematics, Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction by Marcy Stein and colleagues. It’s research-based, eminently sensible, and shows the scope of arithmetic and mathematics from K through 8th, illustrating each concept and operation with scripted lessons.

Link to Ms. Vogell’s story.

Ms. KP [name removed], a graduate of Illinois State University’s (US) special education program in 2005, is a teacher in a central-Illinois elementary school. She maintains a blog and parts of some of the entries are about her teaching experiences.

It’s interesting to me to track Ms. P.’s experiences. I can understand when she complains about in-service training, but I got a hint of more general discouragement, too. She noted in one entry that securing her first teaching job was “well worth the time and effort” and that her class is good, but in other entries she complains about some of the children and about having new ones assigned to her. In another entry, she indicates that she’d rather be working with older students.

I guess being a bit discouraged is understandable. I remember my first year of teaching. Although I had worked as an aide for several years, it was daunting to be responsible for the kids. Furthermore, I put in lots of evening and early-AM hours getting ready for the school days. I hope Kacie’s experiences are good in the long run.

The Aspen Institute has a deal with the US government (read $$ contract) to assemble people’s comments about the US “No Child Left Behind” law and its implementation. Go there and tell ‘em what you think! Please. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the law or its implementation, write to ‘em. Give ‘em data that they have to analyze. For serious.

Link for NCLB comments.

Effectiveness is the topic of some posts on other blogs discussing educational practices. If you’re interested, take a peek at these:

2. Over on Let’s Get it Right—NCLBlog (the AFT site’s blog) there are notes by Michelle and John about what works in education.
3. Over on The Life that Chose Me, a parent of children with disabilities who is also a special educator and identifies himself as Dick Dalton, provides his commentary on gold standards for research.

I have a lot to say about these topics, but am pressed for time right now…in fact, preparing to deliver several talks on the topics while abroad. More later….

A newspaper article argues that interventions based on applied behavior analysis produce better outcomes for students with autism than eclectic methods. Although this is not a scientific treatment of the topic, it’s important that the discussion has made it into the popular press. The author of the story has done a reasonable job of (a) stringing together the rationale for and appeal of eclective treatment and (b) the fundamental evidence contra-indicating it.

An example of an eclectic program is when children spend a part of each day receiving different therapies, such as structured teaching using methods of applied behavior analysis, sensory integration and stimulation (brushing and swinging), floortime procedures, music sessions and free play with peers.

Applied behavior analysis has more research support than any other treatment or therapy for this population. It incorporates proven strategies such as shaping, prompting and positive reinforcement.

Link to the newspaper story.

The local education agency (LEA) in Frederick County Maryland (US) obtained a restraining order prohibiting 10-year old Bill Hutchinson from attending school because, according to the school, he has repeatedly behaved aggressively toward members of the staff, according to Fredrick Kunkle of the Washington Post (DC, US). The boy’s parents dispute the LEA’s description of Bill’s behavior, contend that the school handles the misbehavior inappropriately, and resist the LEA’s recommendation for a change of placement to a school serving students with disabilities.

He has bitten, growled, screamed and used abusive language. He has spit at staff members, rammed his head into their faces, tripped them, hit them with his fists and wrapped his hands around a staff member’s throat and threatened to strangle her. During one outburst Jan. 31, staff members had to escort him to the office, and he fought the entire way. After being placed in a room for a timeout that day, he stripped naked and stayed that way for about 30 minutes. On Oct. 17, the staff was forced to evacuate the rest of the class until he calmed down, the filings say.

Mr. Kunkle identified several matters accurately (e.g., there is reference to IDEA’s 10-day suspension provision), but there are a host of them possble in this story. Here’s a list of a few of them:

• At the top of my list: Has the LEA employed appropriate behavior management practices? Has the staff completed a well-designed functional behavioral assessment, developed a sensible behavior intervention plan, and implemented the plan faithfully?
• An argument advanced by the Bill’s mother (that “on a day when Bill allegedly caused a significant disturbance in the cafeteria, he brought home a ’smiley card’ for good behavior”) admits to other possible interpretations (e.g., someone ill-advisedly provided the smiley card because Bill behaved appropriately later in the day). Other arguments advanced by the parents appear largely to be based on interpreting other’s intentions negatively.
• The question about having students attend special schools is still a hot one and deserves investigation. What’s the program like at the school that the LEA proposes is a more appropriate faciilty for Bill? What’s its record for handling children with substantial behavior problems? Does the school provide effective academic instruction?

The LEA has a responsibility to teach Bill appropriate school behavior. With evidence-based instruction, it is possible to do so. The teaching may need to take place in a specialized setting, but it can be done. I hope that Mr. Kunkle follows up on this story, examining some of these questions.

The story is referenced on a couple of blogs. Over on the Sundries Shack, Jimmie commented about an aspect of the story—Bill’s mother reported that she received a good-behavior note on one of the days when the LEA says he acted out—by saying “I also wonder what procedural problems, in the case of the young student, allowed the school to send home good behavior reports when the child’s behavior was anything but good.” There is one comment on Sundries Shack expressing concern about whether Bill’s peers are able to receive a good education when he is misbehaving in class. Susan Ohanian has also covered the story, but without comment. Tripod Deer Stands has it, but also just seems to have scraped the Post site for the story; this blog may have grabbed the story because of a local slant to the blog.

Link to Mr. Kunkle’s article. Link to the coverage on Sundries Shack. Link to Susan Ohanian’s reprint of Mr. Kunkle’s article. Link to Tripod Deer Stands reprint.