1. Action Research
Anita Harris
Jennifer Hawkins
Virginia Kinnaird

2. Kagan Cooperative Learning
 Will
implementing Kagan
cooperative learning structures
improve student engagement
and Algebra I scores?
Kagan Structures for Math

3. Why this topic?
 Algebra I is an area of need/low
performance.
 Only 57.9 % of Algebra I students
scored proficient on the Algebra I End
of Course test in 2011-2012.
 Traditional methods have not
improved student learning
significantly.

4. Why this topic? cont.
 Algebra I teachers attended Kagan
professional development in Florida
this past July.
 This action research will hopefully
affirm their efforts in restructuring how
Algebra I is taught and show an
improvement in scores for students.

5. School/Classroom Standards
I. Patterns of Engagement
II. Student Achievement
VII. Affirmation of Performance
IX. Affiliation

6. Course Passing Rates
2011-2012
Algebra I
 Teacher One - 87%
• Four classes of regular Algebra I
 Teacher Two - 75%
• Two classes of regular Algebra I
and one class of inclusion Algebra I

7. Course Passing Rates
2012-2013 (Fall)
Algebra I
 Teacher One - 100%
• One class of regular Algebra I
 Teacher Two - 76%
• Two classes of regular Algebra I

8. Comparison of Course Pass Rates
Algebra I - 2011-12 Algebra I - 2012-13
100%
87%
75% 76%
Teacher 1 Teacher 2

9. The Kagan Claim
 Kagan Publishing and Professional
Development is all about engagement!
 Teachers, schools, and districts use Kagan
Structures to increase academic
achievement, improve ethnic
relations, enhance self-esteem, create a
more harmonious classroom
climate, reduce discipline problems, and
develop students' social skills and
character virtues.

10. What NHS students thought
We surveyed students who took Algebra I
first semester from teachers who were using
Kagan cooperative learning structures to find
out:
 which structure they liked the most
 which structure they liked the least
 which structures helped in other classes
 do they learn better cooperatively or
individually or both

11. Which cooperative learning
structure did you like most?
 Fan and Pick  Rally Robin
 Find Someone  Sage and Scribe
Who Has  Simultaneous
 Pairs Check Round Table
 Quiz Quiz Trade  Stir the Class
 Rally Coach  Traveling Heads

12. Structures Liked the Most
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Sage & Scribe Traveling Heads Fan & Pick Rally Coach Quiz Quiz Trade
Pairs Check Rally Find
Simultaneous Stir the Class
Robin Someone
Roundtable
Who Has

13. Traveling Heads
Students liked Traveling Heads the best
because:
 You do the problem on your own but still
work with a group
 You get to walk around
 It allows you to interact with other people
and see their structures and ways of
learning
 It makes me understand more
 If I have something wrong people can tell
me why

14. Stir the Class
Stir the Class was a close second.
Students like Stir the Class because:
 It’s fun to move around
 You get to see new ways to work the
problem
 You get to see if everyone else has the
same answer you do

15. Which cooperative learning
structure did you like the least?
 Fan and Pick  Rally Robin
 Find Someone  Sage and Scribe
Who Has  Simultaneous
 Pairs Check Round Table
 Quiz Quiz Trade  Stir the Class
 Rally Coach  Traveling Heads

16. Structures Liked the Least
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Sage & Scribe Traveling Fan & Pick Rally Coach Quiz Quiz
Heads Trade
Stir the Class Pairs Check Rally Robin Find Someone Who
Simultaneous
Has
Roundtable

17. Sage and Scribe
Students like Sage and Scribe the least
because:
 It gets confusing with someone telling you
what to do and you have to rely on your
partner
 Some people don’t know what they’re
talking about
 I don’t get to work the problem out first, I
have to do what my partner says
 I don’t get to move and talk it out with
others

18. Simultaneous Round Table
Simultaneous Round Table was the
second least favorite because:
 You’re only doing one step of the problem
 It’s confusing
 My group tries to help but I still don’t get it
 It’s annoying

19. Would cooperative learning structures
help you learn better in other classes?
No
26%
Yes
74%

20. Why Cooperative Learning would help
in other classes:
 Makes it easier to learn
 If I don’t understand, someone can help me
and if they don’t understand, I can help them
 You get to build social skills while you learn
 It wouldn’t be as boring
 You get to see other people’s point of view
 Hands on and helpful when someone
explains
 It challenges us and makes learning fun

21. Do you feel you learn math better
cooperatively or individually?
Both
24%
Cooperatively
39%
Individually
37%

22. Why I learn math better cooperatively
 People can help if you don’t
understand
 I like working with others
 It’s not boring
 Students understand you the most
 We get better grades because we
learn from each other’s mistakes
 Someone can explain it to you

23. Why I learn math better individually
 I can focus more
 It is how I’ve learned for years
 I would rather take notes and refer to them
 I understand more
 Some people explain it to me wrong
 I get to do all the work which makes me
understand it
 It’s quiet

24. Why I learn math both cooperatively
and individually
 I like to work together but I need to try it on
my own to make sure I’ve got it
 I like to work with others, but I can work
faster alone
 You can learn it for yourself but then have
help from your classmates

25. Teacher Point of View
 Two Algebra I teachers were sent to
Florida for professional development
in using Kagan cooperative learning
structures for teaching Algebra I.
 Both teachers implemented these
structures during first semester. Both
were surveyed at the end of the
semester.

26. From your Kagan training, which
cooperative learning structure have you
used the most in your classroom?
 Teacher One
Sage & Scribe and Traveling Heads
 Teacher Two
Simultaneous Round Table

27. Which cooperative learning structure do
you feel engages your students the most?
 Teacher One
• Sage & Scribe and Traveling Heads
 Teacher Two
• Simultaneous Round Table

28. Has the implementation of Kagan
cooperative learning structures in your
classroom been effective?
 Teacher One
 Yes - My students are engaged and I have very little
discipline problems. Also, my failure rate has
decreased and test scores appear to be good.
 Teacher Two
 Yes - I have a lot less behavior issues and the
students seem to enjoy class more. Overall success
rates of my students’ understanding of the concepts
has increased.

29. Has the implementation of cooperative
learning structures changed your
approach to teaching math? In what way?
 Teacher One
 Yes
- My class is more student centered
where I am the facilitator.
 Teacher Two
 Yes - My math interactions with the students
is substantially increased

30. General Conclusion
 Kagan cooperative learning structures
have been effective in raising
engagement and achievement in
Algebra I.
 Both teachers and students expressed
increased understanding of concepts
and increased engagement.

31. Next Steps
 Share survey results with teachers
 Work with teachers on implementing
new or more of the liked structures and
less of the least liked
 Assist teachers in incorporating BYOD
for surveys using PollEverywhere to get
feedback immediately to assess the
level of engagement with the structures

32. Resources
 Cooperative Learning: Frequent
Questions
 Kagan Structures and High School
Algebra
 Kagan Structures Research and
Rationale Articles
Link to presentation online

33. Q & A Time
 Questions?
 What could we clarify for you?
 Compliments?
 What will you take away from this?
 Suggestions?
 What could we do to improve our results?
Thank you!