Dr. Kruger`s Presentation
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Description
The Georgia Wolf Trap Project 2005-2008 & Georgia Wolf Trap for English Language Learners 2008-2012
A collaboration of Alliance Theatre, Fulton County Schools, and Georgia State University
Funded (2005-2012) by the U.S. Department of Education Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Program (AEMDD)
AEMDD Criteria
Discipline-specific arts instruction and
Enhancement of academic achievement
Low-income children
Context of the Intervention
Language development in early childhood predicts school performance.
The “achievement gap” begins before the child’s first day of school.
Low-income children begin Kindergarten with less than half the vocabulary of high-income students, challenging literacy development.
Premises of the Intervention
Social and communicative experiences that support the development of symbolic functioning are essential in early childhood.
Pretend play, the developmental foundation of drama, is the child’s “first language.”
Joint pretense and story sharing can unpack language. Drama engages children’s emotions and intellect, transcending culture and class.
1st Project – 2005-8
All Kindergarten classes in 6 schools
Random assignment of low-income schools to conditions; pre-intervention/post-intervention
Professional learning opportunities for Kindergarten teachers in summer and fall; artists and teachers collaboratively infuse drama into language lessons in January and February
Sample Characteristics
N= 545 students
36% special needs
71% qualified for free or reduced lunch
94% African American
Sample Starting Point 100
PPVT
90 80
Oral Vocabulary
70 60
Grammatic Understanding Sentence Imitation
50 40 30 20 10 0 Pretest Percentile Rank
Hypotheses
Intervention students will show more improvement than control students in
Language Development
Writing (near transfer)
Academic Achievement (far transfer)
Language Development: Syntax 55
Pre Post
45
35 Control
Intervention
Writing: Quantity 15
10 Pre Post 5
0 Control
Vocabulary
Intervention
4 3 Pre Post
2 1 0 Control
Intervention
Sentences
Writing: Quality 20
Theme Structure Resolution
10
0 Control
Intervention
Percentage of Students with Improvement over Time
Report Card Grades First Grade (Cohorts 1& 2) Special Needs
CRCT Scores First Grade (Cohorts 1& 2) Special Needs
Contributions
Drama = Developmental Appropriateness
Helping children find their voice—childcentered education supports symbolic development
Authentic, meaningful activity in a languagerich and emotionally engaging context
Usefulness of this approach for development and learning
Next? Georgia Wolf Trap for English Language Learners
Context
In 2008 Latino students were the largest minority in American schools - 11 Million or 22%
Facing an educational crisis: Less likely to be enrolled in pre-K programs Twice as likely to be retained Highest dropout rates—18.3 % in 2008 (compared to the total rate of 8%).
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics October 19, 2010
White House Initiative advocates enhanced preK preparation and K-12 educational reforms for Latino students
Fulton County was the third most populous Latino community in GA; over 20% living in poverty; many students with limited English proficiency
FC schools are English only
Pull out/push in services in K=45 minutes/day
Achievement gap in 2008
70% of Fulton County ELL K students finished the year with low English proficiency
33%were below academic expectations after 1st grade
only 39% passed all areas of GA high school graduation test
Language minority and low income status = double risk for academic failure
Background: Quantity of exposure to English in class does not predict acquisition; quality of engagement with English does (Snow et al., 1998).
Hypothesis: an emphasis on meaningful communication experiences will support acquisition.
Professional development for teachers as before —teaching artists as coaches, November-March
Drama activities—“improvised guided enactment”—can disambiguate language
Story sharing; analyzing and enacting; retelling and reflecting
Elements in common with ESOL strategies language embedded in meaningful contexts using the senses, props, facial expressions physicalization, repetition incorporating students’ ideas
Design
Paired Cluster/random assignment of schools to conditions (6 schools; all K classrooms)
Random selection of research participants (all ELL)
Schools range from 39-68% ELL
Participants
514 Kindergartners over three years 200912
All qualified as ELL, all speak Spanish at home
97% qualified for free or reduced lunch
All regular education students
Measures
District ESOL Screening Measures - English
WAPT-L/S - at registration Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs - January/February
WMLS-R - two languages - pre (Sept & Oct) and post (April & May)
Story Writing - English only - pre and post
G-KIDS - first grade readiness test - English only
Significance Testing: Treatment Received
All three years of professional learning (N=12 teachers)
Control group (N=31 teachers)
Total Oral English 468
466
464
462
460
Control Intervention
Story Writing - Fluency 20
Control Intervention
15 10 5 0
Words
Sentences
Story Writing - Quality 0.2
Control Intervention
0.15 0.1 0.05 0
Emotion
Dialogue
Academic Achievement GKIDS Control 70
Intervention 60
50
40
30
Language Arts
Academic Achievement GKIDS Control Intervention
70
60
50
40
30
Mathematics
What We Learned
Drama = links among emotion, meaning, words Brief intervention —> noteworthy effects in language and mathematics Enhanced language engagement (versus exposure or drill)
What is driving all this? Professional Learning
Professional Learning Key to Positive student outcomes
and true reform
PL Process
PL is most effective when teachers are taught as they would teach
Workshops employed Wolf Trap strategies
PL takes time
Summer study Opportunities throughout year to observe, coteach Three years duration
Evaluation Sources
Teachers’ evaluations
Teaching artists’ evaluations
Focus groups
Classroom observations
Teachers’ self-assessment surveys
Performance Measures
100% developed lessons integrating drama during the residencies
95% employed drama management techniques
95% used Best Practices in Drama during the residencies
90% indicated they would develop lessons using Best Practices in Drama after the residencies ended
What Did You Learn?
“I learned to put down my guard and try new things ‘dramatically’ with the students.”
“I learned how to effectively use my body and my voice to tell a story.”
“I learned how to build drama into my literacy instruction.”
“I learned how to incorporate Wolf Trap ideas in other areas of teaching.”
PL Conclusions
Teachers recognize the learning taking place in their students – socially, emotionally, linguistically, and cognitively.
Teachers applaud the PL model used, especially the Teaching Artist as coach in the classroom.
Over time, teachers increasingly used the strategies throughout their teaching.
It Makes a Difference Oral Language
Story Writing: Fluency 18
466 16
14 464
12
462
Control
Some Professional Learning
Three Years Professional Learning
10
Control
Some Professional Learning
Story Writing: Quality 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Control
Some Professional Learning
Three Years Professional Learning
Three Years Professional Learning
Acknowledgements
Fulton County Schools
Alliance Theatre Education Department
Jackie Gray, Carol Jones, Michele Mummert, Denise Jennings, Jes Booth
GSU: Audrey Ambrosino, Brooke Bays, Judy Orton, Lynda Kapsch, Heather Smith, Nicole Lorenzetti, Carol Ashong, Josephine Lindsley, Callie Reeves, Daniel Medina, Kareema Spells, Peter Samuelson, Elizabeth McGarragh, Macy Strickland, Lisa Quick, Joanna Sherwood, Beatrice Moreno, Araceli Santa Cruz, Inez McDaniel, Renzo Gobea, Brandi Harper, Kathryn Taylor, Meghann Griffin, Rachael Kaplan, Emily White, Billy Thompson
Thank you!
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