7/18/07 – Attended OVAE presentation at ABE Summer Institute this pm. Looks to be useful. I met briefly with C and A (other teachers) re: setting up training for full day or half time aides (tutors) so that they would be more aware of strategies to help math students – especially GED level.

I teach at a special needs correctional facility. Being in a facility away from the friends and family support system is stress in itself. Many, if not most of my students, deal with treatment issues relating to substance abuse or abuse of others. They may have meds that interfere with thinking processes. These students are in class one or two hours a day depending on their treatment schedules. A few students will request more time which is granted, if possible.
Class make-up changes frequently due to treatment schedule changes and discipline issues.

The special needs unit, where I also hold class, houses those who do not function well in the general population due to psychotic, social, emotional, or safety reasons. These students may have heavy meds or none at all. Whatever the situation, school is a privilege that they regard highly. It may be stressful. Each person has to be treated individually in order to meet his needs. Usually one hour a day is the maximum tolerance for class.

7/19/07 – Talked more with A re: possible presentation to aides. Will have to decide if all aides are to be included or just ones that always work primarily w/GED level.

7/23/07 – Got copy of OVAE printout of manual. Discovered some missing pages. Will try to determine whether critical info. Do like that they document positive usage of games as learning tool. I’ve been doing something right!

7/24/07 – Met w/A again for a bit. Think it will just be the two of us doing the initial presentation with the aides. Considering doing about an hour training initially and then implementing. Will include strategies and frequently missed items. Will be for all aides. Some work more with GED level than others, but principles work for many levels and areas – including crossover into other subjects.

C is still out for the summer and B is using another presentation for her project. OVAE approach re: algebra will require some decision making. I’m hesitant to ‘leave out’ too much. I tend to error on the side of caution. Have seen too many times in 13 years when the item not taught (which was not that difficult for most) was the reason the person didn’t pass.

7/25/07 – EXECUTIVE DECISION: This is going to be an on-going practice rather than a one-time event. The number working in math varies from day-to-day and week-to-week due to the nature of our student make-up, but the application of the underlying principles continues. Some of the techniques apply to any of the subjects we teach.

7/26/07 – Met with A again briefly. Agreed to basic agenda of ‘why’, ‘strategies’, ‘mini-lessons’, and ‘examples’. Plan to prepare bb items and handouts/reference pages. A doing power point that coordinates with packet and info.

7/30/07 – Discussed strategies with One, my aide, re: how we could implement some of the items with our students.

Four qualified to test! Have used several OVAE ideas with him – elimination, picturing, applying previous/practical experience. Five is in much the same position. Will try to qualify Friday.

Six is ready to test if I can convince him. He’s really a ‘left field’ thinker (special needs unit) and uses his own methods. Will go along with him as long as his methods work consistently.

8/01/07 – Four has finally qualified to test. Reviewed elimination hints with him. Seemed to help. Used the calc word sheet with the 7:15 GED math students.

8/02/07 – Used the calc activities with the pm GED math group. They seemed to really enjoy them. Seven had done the word page with the am group so had him assist with the pm group. He really blossomed doing that. He was able to engage one of the reluctant ones.

8/03/07 – Paired Seven with the reluctant student in the pm doing an advanced review. They got along well. By the end of the class, ‘Mr. Reluctant’ (Twelve) turned to me and said, “I used to think I hated math. Now it’s getting to be fun.” WOW!

8/06/07 – Student (Eight) transferred from another instructor. They had given up getting anywhere on his math so I inherited him. CASAS shows he needs graphs, following multi-step directions, ads, and measurement. All are cross-over areas that will address math and other areas. He is less than motivated so it takes constant encouragement to gain any ground.

8/07/07 – Four and Five test (math) today. They’ll both be OK if they stay focused and utilize what they’ve been taught.

8/08/07 – Started Nine in the calculator packet. Has had his own business so had exposure to some math. Sees little need for calcs, though. Is definitely resistant to percent and exponents. Having to lead him through this experience. Change doesn’t bode well for him. He respects me, so will back off rather than throwing things or deliberately misusing equipment. Will take time, but he’ll get there.

8/09/07 – Five and Four can relax. They both passed the math portion!

8/14/07 – Six got cold feet. Tester will reschedule him in a less stimulating and more restricted area for his math test. The tester, his counselor, and I talked with him about the situation. He apologized to the tester. That was a big step for him, but was a good lesson in responsibility.

8/15/07 – Ten continues with his math. He’s from the special needs unit and usually very disheveled (even had to speak to him about hygiene). Prefers to work very independently, but will ask questions of me – but not the aide. Does seem to be making more progress than would be expected based on his behaviors.

Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen are also inherited students. Eleven and Twelve are on similar levels – advanced pre-GED with some exposure to algebra and geometry. Thirteen has severe math LD areas – especially with fractions. I received all of them with “If anyone can help them, it will be you.” They have all shown advancement by going back to the basics and finding the foundation holes (included division for all of them) and building from there. (OVAE 101)

8/16/07 – Had initially thought we’d do the OVAE presentation today, but schedules got rearranged. Par for the course! I’ve spent considerable time reviewing and selecting materials that are appropriate for our situation. A is preparing the power point to coincide with the materials I assembled.

Fourteen pops in on occasion and asks to put in extra time in my class. He is doing well, but needs some guidance, especially with story problems – elimination, distracters, finding facts, identifying the final question. Again, it’s a matter of him needing to stay focused and doing over-all reviews to keep all areas fresh.

8/20/07 – Have some interesting/contrasting styles developing. Fifteen is a mature student (~ 45), Sixteen is probably 4 or 5 years older, and Seventeen is about 15 years younger and lives on the special needs unit. Fifteen has found that the best way for him to learn is to ‘dig out’ the information and go over and over and over it time after time. He has little math background, but knowing his previous success, he will make it.

Sixteen is quirky. He always has a unique view point. Sometimes it takes a bit for him to understand a method and then a little longer to get it to ‘stick’, but he’ll also get it. He’s building/rebuilding after meth.

Seventeen stays to himself. He initially had a negative attitude – ‘my brother is the math brain…I don’t know nothin’. But, he is like a dry sponge. He’s soaking up the information and making wonderful progress.

8/21/08 – Eighteen is back in class and wants to work on fractions. He’s been here before. He is a long-time, but not truly serious, student. I question whether or not he will stay out of trouble for long. Thirteen continues to make slow, steady progress. Once we got past fractions his frustrations have eased.

8/22/07 - It’s graduation day! We’re recognizing those students who have completed their GED or high school requirements in the past 6 months. For the first time we’re inviting the students who have taken any test within the past six months to be guests at the ceremony. Hopefully this will encourage some to buckle down. For others, it may be the only ceremony they get to observe. Some will complete and leave before we have another chance to honor them. They will, however, receive pictures taken in a cap and gown and a congratulatory folder from the college upon their completion.

Eleven is starting a treatment group which will cut into his class time. Hopefully it won’t slow his progress too much. These groups do ‘mess with their minds’ as they are intended to force them to face some of the issues that got them where they are.

8/23/07 – Two starts with me today as an aide. We’re expecting Three to be leaving soon so brought Two on board for training while Three is still here. He’s quiet, very perceptive, and intelligent. Seems to be well respected by those who know him.

8/24/07 – Our supervisor approved canceling classes for one hour today so that we could hold the training with the aides. The power point showed highlights of the materials I had assembled as a ‘Skill Gap’ packet for the aides to have for reference. A couple of the instructors asked for copies as well. The aides were attentive and asked questions. They all expressed appreciation for the materials.
We have compiled extra packets so that future aides can receive one as well.

8/28/07 – Nineteen is actually currently on social studies but has no grasp of graph and map skills. Working with him on those areas which he also needs for science and the upcoming math as well.

8/30/07 – Nothing unusual to note other than multiple long counts which always aggravates the students. That situation results in some being in class an extra long time and others not getting to attend.

9/05/07 – Nine really struggling with percents. He may have had his own business, but he has no grasp of how percents work! ‘I didn’t bother with that stuff when I could just pay someone else to do it.’ This may take awhile as he gets quite angry when trying to deal with them. Twenty and Sixteen are also working on percents. They are in the same class, but do not make a good duo for team work.

9/12/07 – Not a good time for me. Fumes from the exterminator and refinishing of the gym floor have my asthma flared up! Thank goodness I have good aides who can do most of the talking (I lose my voice as well as having breathing difficulty at times.). Rearranging Eleven’s schedule so that he can be in class more.

9/14/07 – Twenty-one is a new student today. Tests show him to have a strong academic background and he’s asking for all the class time that he can have. Hopefully he will prove to be as productive as he would like me to believe.

9/19/07 – I have my annual training coming up next week – 40 hours of class. Good reminder of how the students sometimes feel.

9/20/07 – I asked the aides to complete a short response sheet re: the Skill Gap info. They all indicated that the presentation information was useful.

When asked which part/section was most helpful, the responses were: problem solving; Pythagorean Theorem; approaching a problem step-by-step; everything; geometry; the part on making sure the student knows what he’s reading; fractions/decimals. [The diverse answers reflect the varied backgrounds of our aides.]

These are examples the aides gave re: implementation of methods identified in the Skill Gap packet: using the estimation method to select an answer; making sure my students take their time in reading questions and making sure they understand what they read; shortcuts in decimals and percents; also used the methods for English by breaking apart the sentences and making the information more readily understood for both GED and literacy students [This was good to see since this aide has a tendency to talk ‘above’ the student’s level.]; has helped me to look for troublesome areas for all levels of students; I’m using these to develop a proposal for a class of refresher math I’d like to teach; thanks for the extra tools to use in teaching math [This comment was from a very competent math tutor.]; I use math vocabulary more. I posted key words and their usage in my class. [This tutor has started a ‘math boot camp’ in his class using these methods.]

9/28/07 – Did orientation for a new special needs student. He really has some challenges in reading and math. They hope to get an IEP for him soon. Will be able to come upstairs to class so won’t be in my groups for now.

10/01/07 – Back to regular schedule. Currently have or will have nearly half of my students working on math. That in itself can get confusing – everything from basic addition to high level GED. Maintaining 60 – 65 contact hours daily with five subjects at all levels can also be daunting. Thank goodness for good aides (One per hour except on the special needs unit where we do a lot of individual help.)

Six has passed his math test. He was still very apprehensive of the tester whom he doesn’t really know, but made it this time. Hope the next one will be easier for him.

10/04/07 – Twenty-two and Twenty-three have their last treatment group this afternoon. They’ll be back to full schedule now rather than missing an hour two or three days a week.

10/08/07 – Fifteen goes to a new phase of treatment which cuts him to one hour of class per day. He continues to review and make slow but steady progress. He’s one that I have learned when to push and when to just encourage.

10/12/07 – Twenty-four is another story. He has been loud, demanding (inconsiderate of others) and at times a bully since entering the class. I’ve been working on modeling positive behaviors and reinforcement with him. Today I sent him back to the unit and he’s getting a major report for his behaviors. He was affecting all the other students and their behaviors with his inconsiderate attitude. His counselors and I will talk with him.

10/15/07 – Counselor gave Twenty-four stern warning re: his behaviors. Will be allowed to continue in class if NO more instances of inappropriate situations occur.

Students have homework at times as staff is preparing for the ACA accreditation visit the end of the month and the CEA upcoming visit. Keeps us really busy! I try to be sure that homework is not busywork. And, Friday the computer techs will be here to install new systems into my room. This will be the first time that my room will be entirely new. I’ll lose a couple of older programs that were good and used frequently, but that happens with change. I have kept a couple of old stand-alones that have basic math programs that I will keep until they die!

10/22/07 – Gave Twenty-one, Twenty-five, Sixteen, Seventeen, Ten, Fifteen, Eleven, and Twelve a simulated test to give them a taste of ‘the real thing.’ Most need to work on speed. All found areas they need to review. None of which was a surprise to me. This is a needed learning exercise. It not only shows them areas where they need additional work, but helps relax the nerves every time they experience the pressure.

10/25/07 – Nineteen will begin doing better now. He is acknowledging that he doesn’t know how to multiply fluently or divide. Once we get those skills in hand he will make good progress. Attitude makes a big difference.

The class that Twenty-four is in is totally different. He has come with a pleasant attitude and is much more patient. Has made it so that others can relax and work and he’s doing much better as well.

10/31/07 – We’ve had our accreditation visit. It was nerve wracking as we didn’t know what to expect. All you can do is your best. I was highly complimented by the lead person when he visited my on-unit class. Another person observed the upstairs classes. Our facility passed the mandatory portion 100% and the other section with 99.3% and very high praise. This was definitely a Halloween treat for us!

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

One of the most useful sessions that I attended at the ABE Summer Institute this year proved to be the OVAE (Office of Vocational and Adult Education) Math Workshop held on Wednesday afternoon. Nancy Coursen shared information with us that she had learned at the OVAE Fall 2006 GED Math Training Institute.

A few years ago, prior to the finalizing of the current Math GED test format, I attended a session re: the development of the 'new' test. We asked questions and made suggestions pertaining to format and problem situations that we as math teachers could envision. One of the comments that I made was about color in graphs. I had had several color blind students. I was assured that no colors would be used that would be problematic. Unfortunately, one of my early testers using the 'new' test was color blind. We found this when using the practice tests which contained graphs with colored (magenta) lines. We had to help him figure a way to discern between areas of the graph. (Not all colors produce distinct shades of gray.) His type of color blindness is not the most common. That situation alerted me to a problem that does occur and of which we need to be more cognizant. I was happy to gain additional insight into other problem areas through this workshop. Some of the issues I had been aware of, others were more of a problem than I realized.

After discussing Ms. Coursen's presentation with other teachers from our facility, we agreed that reviewing the math needs that she highlighted with our classroom aides would be beneficial. It was agreed that I would compile materials to be presented to the aides in a mini-workshop. Another teacher would put together a power point to accompany my booklet. Both of us used several of the concepts in our classes prior to the presentation so that we could better explain the principles involved and shown.

Since I teach at a special needs facility, I probably have a higher number of persons with learning disabilities and behavioral issues than many others. These conditions can make learning more challenging. Many of my students have never previously addressed math higher than basic arithmetic. Having the OVAE suggestions to assist in being more successful with the math test was quite beneficial.

As I stated in the journal, the aides found the Skill Gap materials to be enlightening. They have utilized the hints to help their students, as have I and other instructors who received the materials. After the first of November I reviewed last year's math GED test results and compared the months of September and October with the same time period from this year. I found that there were ten more math tests taken and passed this year with the average score being 4.5 points higher than last year. This time period was following the Skill Gap presentation to the aides. The comparison was totally unscientific, but simply a comparison of facts that would indicate a useful, successful project. The use of this material is ongoing.