Over the past year and a half I've been experimenting with blended learning and, while powerful and certainly impactful, I've always felt that there has to be a way to better personalize my students' learning experience within my blended model. Cue MAP Skills. In full transparency, this is the first week I've implemented MAP Skills so I'm definitely in the "Messy Middle" but I think there's still quite a few gems to be found in the process--check it out below and, by all means, I'd really love feedback, suggestions, or any advice if you have more experience with PL and/or MAP Skills!
Last year, I had the fortunate experience of piloting the MAP Test with my third graders and was sort of "flying by the seat of my pants" when it came to utilizing the data. I came up with what seemed like a million ways to use it to support my SGI but was overwhelmed with the volume of data. Fast forward to this year--when my school had our formal MAP Training the presenter explained that, in order to use the data most effectively, we should look at the topic we're studying as a class (ex. Place Value through 99) and review data from the Learning Continuum to drive our SGI and, possibly, our starting point in that unit. Using the data in this way has been helpful during whole group instruction but, as ample research continually suggests, teaching to the middle of any data set (even to the middle of my class' MAP data) still only supports the needs of a small population. Another challenge I experienced using the data in this way during the fall was that data attained in September was not always representative of my students' knowledge in November, especially, when my student's use Dreambox (an adaptive math software) and are exposed to a variety of math topics everyday that are sometimes aligned with our current unit but can span any topic where they demonstrate a need. As a result, I've started using the MAP Skills component in 2 ways:
1. Whole Group On-Target Content
Again, my students took the MAP Test in January. Currently, we have been working on Place Value through 99. My students have been practicing comparing numbers through 20 on Dreambox, through work stations and during their flex grouping time and, as a result, many of them have demonstrated major growth in this area. Therefore, before I began my dive into this topic, I assigned each of them a "Mastery Check" through MAP Skills as a pre-test. This was AH-MAZING. 10 questions, with audio, that were adaptive and started at a "1st grade level" on the skill of "comparing numbers using the <,>, and = signs through 120." Check out the data I received below: Any student with a green "M" means they've "mastered" it, students with an orange "NW" mean they "need work." As with any multiple choice test, there are students who are "good guessers" and those who struggle with test-taking so, after comparing the given data to any other data you may have on the topic (anecdotal, SGI, previous MAP administrations, etc.) if, for any reason, you don't feel as if the students' results are reflective of their current ability, a simple tap on their colored "M" or "NW" lets you change their color/status! From here, I was able to go to the "Skills Locator" in MAP Skills and assign another quick (5-10 mins) adaptive assessment with an audio option that pinpointed the specific skills each student needed to work on within the strand. After reviewing this data, I was able to craft differentiated small groups for my current content lesson that had clear goals and helped me to ensure that every student was genuinely working on "just-right" content. Definitely my favorite math lesson yet because I truly felt as if every student was successful--#classroomwins *teacher tear*. Now, once I feel as if anyone who was listed as "NW" receives the instruction they need to be successful, I can administer the "Mastery Check" again and get immediate feedback!
2. PL Station in BL Station Rotation
In the past (as in, last week) my blended learning (bl) station rotation included a "personalized" station where students used Dreambox. While this is an adaptive resource & I can assign topics to students, MAP offers very specific goals that did not always mesh well with Dreambox's assignment options. Additionally, if you remember from above, I have always known how powerful the personalized data in MAP is but never felt like I had the time and/or resources to develop a personalized learning plan for each individual student (forever goals). Well, the time has come thanks to MAP Skills. Using the "Student Profile" report in MAP I went through each of my students' data and identified their lowest or suggested focus area (that we have covered thus far). Then, I individually assigned each student a "Skills Locator" in MAP Skills based on the focus area they needed to work on. Once they finished, I was able to assign them specific, targeted and curated resources from MAP that both give them instruction and practice opportunities on the skills that the "Skill Locator" identified they need to grow in within their suggested focus area (see example below):
Students' "Needs Work" skills in Focus Area & Assigned Resources
After completing a "Skills Locator" Assessment--Assigning Resources
Student Goal-Setting:
One of my struggles this year has been, "How do I meaningfully convey MAP data to first graders?" and "How do I support each student in their personal learning journey after we review their data & set goals?" MAP Skills has made this possible for me because I'm able to say, "Here's how you did, here's where we want to be in May, here's how I think you can get there." Below you can check out a picture of my super non-fancy MAP Data Tracker that I worked on with one of my students during her recent goal conference. Following that there's another picture of a, once again, super non-fancy Google Form I co-completed with her at her goal conference to identify what her goal is during her PL math station in the coming days. Additionally, we also reviewed the resources and talked about why I assigned each to her, how to use each resource and how they're going to help her meet her goal. Because MAP Skills uses similar resources for each strand, I also feel like I'm able to more deeply personalize for my students and encourage them to be reflective learners. After they've completed their "Mission," on the "Journey Planning Sheet" below, I ask them to think critically about which resource really supported their learning so I can make sure I give them similar resources in the future.
Glows: I can't tell you guys how excited to work on their "Missions" at the "Journey Station" my students are everyday and, in one week, how excited they are to have goal conferences and show me their progress. Today, one of my FIRST GRADERS ASKED ME FOR A "MASTERY CHECK" so she could prove she's ready for another "Mission." You can find the MAP Skills platform above your "Reports Cue" in your MAP Teacher Dashboard--happy personalizing! (And, again, would love love love you to drop some feedback after reading--pretty please)
A Sphero has landed in our class this week too. I feel very much out of my comfort zone, but isn't that what I am trying to have my students do when I ask them to take a risk? I introduced the Sphero to my class and immediately excitement filled the classroom. Two students have one at home and many have used one at Bendwood, so they already knew exactly how to use it. One student even showed me how to use it. She was so sweet saying, "Ok Ms. Choy. Now it's your turn. Press this button and see what it does. Good job!" The student and teacher role was reversed. I told her she could be my expert. Immediately students asked if they could earn coding time during lunch. I said absolutely!
