BACKGROUND

Wichita High School East (WHSE) is located in Wichita, Kansas with a student population of over 2,000 in grades 9-12. Its student body is diverse, representing a wide variety of ethnic, academic and economic backgrounds. The school is committed to providing a safe, productive and academically rich environment where dedicated educators guide students toward mastery of the essential skills needed for graduation. Two WHSE teachers committed to their students’ education include Rebecca Keane, the Mathematics Department Co-Chair as well as a secondary mathematics teacher of Algebra, College Algebra Prep and Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry; and Michael Kelly, a Pre-Algebra teacher.

THE CHALLENGE

The mathematics department at WHSE was looking for a student response system to make the classrooms more interactive and simultaneously introduce a methodology that would track student proficiency. Rebecca wanted to create a more interactive classroom where she could “slay the paper dragon” and strengthen the focus in the classroom by engaging students. Michael was interested in a student response system where students would have the benefit of immediate feedback during lectures. He was also passionate about wanting to create an atmosphere of focus and address the “lack of attention from students.” With these considerations in mind, the entire department began to explore new opportunities to track students’ progress.

THE SOLUTION

Rebecca first learned about TurningPoint student response system software from her Classroom Performance System (CPS) sales associate. WHSE had already invested in CPS response pads, and Rebecca was pleased that TurningPoint works with many of the leading hardware platforms available, including CPS. Rebecca found TurningPoint an ideal software solution for her classroom needs and easily incorporated with the school’s response pads.

TurningPoint seamlessly integrates into Microsoft® Office products, eliminating the learning curve for Rebecca because she already used PowerPoint®, Excel and Word. Immediately, she was able to create interactive PowerPoint presentations with TurningPoint for her classroom lectures. Michael was impressed with “the ability to use graphics and enjoyed the Microsoft Equation Editor.” The Microsoft Equation Editor is a powerful Microsoft tool that allows teachers to build accurate equations by selecting mathematical symbols from a toolbar.

WSHE math classes implemented TurningPoint student response software and right away teachers were able to receive quick assessments from classes of about 20-30 students. Rebecca said, “For the first three months I only used TurningPoint for drills and practice after my traditional introduction. Once I learned some tricks, my methodology completely changed. Now, I try to run my class like a basketball practice, where I do not expect mastery daily, but I strive for mastery by the time I assess the class.”

Rebecca created a color-code system for her PowerPoint slides to assist students in associating curriculum by unit and section, so her classes are better able to track study and discussion areas. Using TurningPoint, Rebecca develops her lectures using various colored backgrounds for each unit’s section.. She stated, “The students remember what color background was from each section of the unit, which assists my students’ learning. That has probably been the biggest shift in the learning process for my classes. I used to use different method, but now I can progress through the material, basically one section per day. After we spend about two weeks doing hands-on activities, which facilitate and support learning the entire unit as a whole, students understand the whole picture instead of memorizing and forgetting.”

Rebecca has found a variety of ways to utilize TurningPoint; her use changes as she progresses in teaching each lesson. “Usually the students are familiar with the first few sections, so I will teach while I run a 10-slide interactive show. I project the show directly on my whiteboard and write on top of the slide to assist the students. During instructional days I use a progression from introduction slides, which are more basic, to the extension slides, which push the students into a higher level of dialogue about each topic.”

Rebecca’s approaches help build a bank of knowledge for her students of information they understand and also serves as a tracking mechanism for her. She is able to track progress and mastery throughout a lesson or unit, and then remediate where necessary.

“I do not expect mastery on the first day; I use the information gathered during each lecture as a springboard for the following day. Any slides that are not mastered, which I define as a score of less than 80%, I present again until the class masters the topic. If I need to review the same topic for several days, I change the questions to keep the students from memorizing the answers. By the end of the unit or game, I have a bank of questions to assist the students with the topics where the students have indicated they need assistance.” With this type of classroom review, Rebecca found that the slides in her reviews show more than 80% mastery of the subject matter, indicating success from her new methodologies.

One of the reasons for the math department’s interest in TurningPoint was to heighten classroom interaction and students’ participation during lectures. When asked what impact TurningPoint had on her students, Rebecca enthusiastically responded, “Engaged, Engaged and Engaged! The students are excited about learning, and as a result of that behavior, problems in my classes are non-existent.” Using a student response system, her students can identify what they know and what they do not understand.

Rebecca commented, “Instead of my students saying ‘I just don’t get it,’ they are able to ask incisive questions about their individual weaknesses.” In his classroom, Michael stated that, “students could see immediately if they were correct or incorrect. If incorrect, I could reinforce the proper way to solve the problem.”

The student response system has had a tremendous impact on the students and the way the teachers present their lectures. “TurningPoint has given power to my students. They have the ability to truly control the step and pace of the class. I cater to their understanding, so we now step in a progression designed for each specific class. My lectures before TurningPoint were designed around topics in which, I personally experienced difficulty or where I knew my past students had struggled,” Rebecca said. Now the teachers have the ability to conduct their lectures with the understanding of each student’s strengths and weaknesses which indcates where the teacher can provide additional student support.

CONCLUSION

TurningPoint response systems at Wichita High School East have improved student performance in numerous areas. The WHSE mathematics teachers are pleased that their traditional lectures have transformed into interactive classrooms where they can effectively assess student learning. Michael stated, “Now that I am using TurningPoint, I will never go back to teaching without it! TurningPoint can adapt to any teaching style, and the possibilities are absolutely endless!”

Student feedback also indicates that they enjoy using the system and retain more knowledge with its use than without. Rebecca commented, “I could not go back to teaching without TurningPoint, it has completely changed the focus of my classroom. I am now free to mingle with my class as students run the PowerPoint presentations. My students are able to work on the board and demonstrate their mastery of subjects as we progress through each unit. I often hand the remote to students and let them pace the lecture as I walk around the room. Students are now so busy interacting with mathematics that they forget to act out any negative behaviors.”

Turning Technologies was able to help create an environment with focused, engaged classrooms, measurable results, enthusiastic learners and teachers. For more information about introducing Turning Point Technologies in your classroom, contact us at 866-746-3015.