Researcher
Information
Name: Joey Dalia
School: Florida School for the
Deaf and the Blind (FSDB)
Address: 207 N San Marco Ave
City: Zip: St. Augustine, FL
32086
Phone: 904-827-2835
Student Identification
& Target Problem
|
Describe below the student or
group of students that you plan to work with. Include information on their
skill levels, behavior and any factors you feel will help determine what their
needs are. You should not give any names; this is to help you plan for the
research activity. Then brainstorm and list some specific problems they are
having with literacy (reading or writing).
Student Description
|
The participant I worked with is a 4
year old female student at the Early Learning Center at
FSDB.
She is severely deaf in one ear and profoundly deaf in the other. She comes
from a
hearing
family who mainly communicate with her using speech, speech reading, and
limited sign
language
supported speech. At school she has constant access to sign language
supported speech.
Expressively-
she communicates using partially intelligible speech and an increasing sign
language
vocabulary. She knows most letters of the alphabet and increases her spoken
and
|
List some specific literacy (reading/writing)
problems
|
When considering her alphabetic knowledge
she is mostly on par for students who are going to
kindergarten,
but she still makes common reversals and overgeneralizations with some
lowercase
letters.
Furthermore, she is building her phonics and letter-sound correspondence
skills rather
slowly.
Overall, because her communication is a key component in her literacy
development, her
vocabulary
(or lack there of) seemed to be the biggest concern.
|
Write target
instructional area here: - Expressive Vocabulary _
(For example this
could be: phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary or text comprehension)
Describe in this box your current
instructional activities in the target area: (example, if the area is
fluency, what are you currently doing in your classroom to improve fluency?
|
Every
day during our morning meeting, called
“Line Time,” the teachers review a vocabulary
word
from the story of the week and review each word daily until Friday. Displayed
on a pocket
chart in the front of the
room, the students can see a printed vocabulary word, an illustration or
photograph of the concept or
word, and an illustration of how to sign the word.
|
Download
and print out your target area section of the "Put Reading First: The
Research Building Blocks" from the website. Read it, then describe below
the main strategies it recommends to use to provide instruction in your target
area.
Describe
research based strategies from "Put Reading First: The Research Building
Blocks"
|
“Students learn vocabulary directly when
they are explicitly
taught
both individual words and word-learning strategies. Direct vocabulary
instruction aids reading comprehension.” p.35
“Teaching specific words before
reading helps both vocabulary learning and reading.
“Using
dictionaries and other reference aids.” p.37
“Read aloud to your students, no matter what
grade you teach. Students of all ages can learn
words
from hearing texts of various kinds read to them. Reading aloud works best
when you
discuss
the selection before, during, and after you read. Talk with students about
new.
vocabulary
and concepts and help them relate the words to their prior knowledge
and
experiences.” p.41
|
Write target
instructional area here: _ Vocabulary _
(this will match
the previous page)
Describe
anything you found in the "Put Reading First" research that gives
you ideas for new things to try with your students.
|
“Repeated exposure to vocabulary in many
contexts aids word learning.” p.36
“Using dictionaries and other reference
aids. Students must learn how to use dictionaries,
glossaries,
and thesauruses to help broaden and deepen their knowledge of words, even
though
these
resources can be difficult to use.” p.37
|
Think about
the technologies and strategies you found on the web site or were discussed
in class. List below any that you feel would help with your target
instructional area.
|
Digital Camera Projects --
DrsCavanaugh.org
Creating
eBooks with PowerPoint from BlackBoard Site from EME6046
|
Literacy Technology
Research Part 1
|
Write target
instructional area here:_ Vocabulary _
Action
Research Question: You
have thought about instructional needs and different technologies. Now you
need to develop your research question (basically, will this technology help
with this instructional need?) Examples: Will using Soliloquy three days a
week improve my students' fluency and confidence in reading? Can my students
increase their vocabulary using Internet based activities?
|
-Will
the use of the Photo Booth App increase my student’s expressive vocabulary?
-Will
continuous review of the student’s self-photographs solidify her
understanding of each new
|
How will you
determine if your research activity is answering your question? Describe what
data you will collect or what observations you will make.
|
In
order to determine if the Photo Booth App will increase my student’s
vocabulary, I will chart
her
vocabulary growth weekly. I will also observe the accuracy of her signing and
speaking the
words
and correct her as needed.
|
Reading Technology
Research Part 2
|
Write target
instructional area here:
:_ Vocabulary _
Action Plan: Now it's time to create a blueprint
or map for the next four weeks. Describe the specific activities you are
going to do to try out this technology/strategy with your students. Include
any additional resources you will be using as well as any support you will be
getting from other instructional staff. Don't forget to add any observations
you may request others to do, such as the Principal. Once you have completed
this plan, you are ready to start.
|
First,
I want to gather a baseline of the vocabulary she already knows by showing
her pictures
and objects and asking her
“What’s this?” Next, I plan to use
Photo Booth on my teacher
laptop
as well as our classroom iPad to take photographs of my student signing the
new
vocabulary
words. We will photograph and expose her to as many new vocabulary words as
possible
in each session. Of course, if she has hit a ceiling or becomes
tired/overwhelmed, we
will
postpone until the following day. Each day, we will review the photos taken
and she will say
and/
or sign each word. I will document her progress on a table.
|
Literacy Technology
Research Part 3
|
Write target
instructional area here
:_ Vocabulary _
Wrap-up: So how did the technology or strategy
work out? Was it effective or not? Write your research question below,
followed by a summary of your findings, including; how the students responded
to the technology, how easy or hard it was to integrate into your daily
routine, student outcome achievement, data collected, observations, etc.
Finally, what did you learn from this process? Would you do anything
differently?
|
So how did the technology or strategy
work out?
The Photo Booth App worked out
wonderfully. There were no technical difficulties throughout our trials. My
student was thoroughly involved (as much as a 4 year-old can be). The photos
were clear and it was easy to see what she was signing even though some
photos were blurry because of her hands moving while signing the words.
Was it effective or not?
I feel that this app was entirely
effective for vocabulary instruction. Since this project, I have also used
Photo Booth with other students to photograph them counting, or practicing
colors. Most students find it very intriguing to see their own face on the
computer screen and review their own photographs. For my action research
project, my student made significant gains using this technology.
|
|
Action
Research Question:
-Will
the use of the Photo Booth App increase my student’s expressive vocabulary?
-Will
continuous review of the student’s self-photographs solidify her
understanding of each new
|
Research
Summary: how the
students responded to the technology, how easy or hard it was to integrate
into your daily routine, student outcome achievement, data collected,
observations, etc. Finally, what did you learn from this process? Would you
do anything differently?
At first, my student responded
excitedly and even acted silly when looking at herself on the computer
screen. She would make funny faces almost every day at the beginning of our
sessions. If she became too silly I would remind her that it was time to work
and she would be willing to focus in order to use the computer or iPad.
During subsequent weeks of vocabulary instruction using Photo Booth, she
responded excellently.
The Early Learning Center at FSDB is a
Montessori preschool, so that means that most activities are student led. We
foster as much independence as possible without the use of traditional
preschool methods (that being a teacher led model). Most of the time students
have freedom of choice during work times and teachers act as guides. For this
project, I used the computer app and invited my student to work with me
during her work times. She was always willing to join me and follow my
guidance therefore; it was very easy to integrate into my daily classroom
routine.
My student made
significant gains with regard to achievement. She began this process knowing
14/50 words with automaticity. She could sign or say (with speech) the words
with accurate intelligibility and approximation. For example the word “bird”
was signed properly (the index finger and thumb open and close, tapping each
other repeatedly, while next to the signer’s mouth—indicating the beak of a
bird) but her speech was approximated with intelligibility because she said /BIR/
without the final consonant. This is typical for students with hearing
loss. We did, however work on articulation with some of her challenging
words.
By the second
week, she had identified 22/50 words correctly. The attached table shows her
progress and indicates that not all 50 words were introduced or taught during
the first week. Every word was shown, but I did not provide direct
instruction for every word that she did not know. After reviewing the words
during the third week she had achieved 30/50 words correct and by the final
week, she had mastered 41/50 words from the original list. The 9 remaining
words that she had not mastered were either teacher prompted or signed/said
incorrectly. Overall, she jumped from a 28% baseline to 82% mastery by the
end of this study.
Finally, I’ve
learned the overall impact of educational technology on achievement. Students
today are immersed in a world of computers and devices that have positive
effects on their lives. My student enjoyed the process and I feel that she
would prefer to use computers to flashcards and paper books. If I was to do
anything differently, I might have had a peer join her and do this as a team
activity. With peer mentors, students tend to perform better. Also, I think
that for students who use sign language, I would incorporate the use of video
recording rather than photographs alone. I was satisfied with my student’s
results and plan to continue this type of research and documentation with her
as well as other students in the future.
|
Appendix
Action Research
Wordlist Assessment
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week 1
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week 2
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week 3
|
week 4
|
cow
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
pig
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
bird
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
goat
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
sheep
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
tree
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
Horse
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
duck
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
rabbit
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
rooster
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
✓
|
cat
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
ladder
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
✓
|
chicken
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
food
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
bread
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
farm
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
dirty
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
share
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
peace
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
grandma
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
drink
|
n/a
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
swing
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
birthday
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
giraffe
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
jam
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
✓
|
n/a= not assessed I=Introduced P=Progressing ✓=Mastered
|
week 1
|
week 2
|
week 3
|
week 4
|
key
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
bug
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
leaf
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
puzzle
|
n/a
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
socks
|
n/a
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
umbrella
|
n/a
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
zebra
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
cereal
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
strawberry
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
run
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
✓
|
walk
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
apple
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
ball
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
frog
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
turtle
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
✓
|
elephant
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
hat
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
baby
|
n/a
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
tiger
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
paint
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
pencil
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
crayon
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
✓
|
monkey
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
✓
|
ring
|
n/a
|
I
|
P
|
P
|
drum
|
I
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
n/a= not assessed I=Introduced P=Progressing ✓=Mastered
Appendix
|
week 1
|
week 2
|
week 3
|
week 4
|
Words correct
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14/50
|
22/50
|
30/50
|
41/50
|
Percentage
|
28%
|
44%
|
60%
|
82%
|
