We live in a technical, connected society. Education needs to adapt to the world in which we live.
Photo by Roger Starkey
This is part of a message from Collinsville Middle School Principal Kim Jackson when discussing the one-to-one learning pilot program at her school. The initiative put Chromebook laptops in the hands of 100 self-contained special education students at the middle school.
The students in the pilot program use applications selected by their CMS teachers to learn in a way that is more collaborative and less focused on lecture, Jackson said. The theory is to use technology to change instruction to make students better at problem solving, not just good at memorizing facts.
“You want students to learn how to think and to problem solve,” Jackson said. “When you have students breaking down things to learn, they learn at more levels than just memorization. That’s the goal.”
One-to-one learning, which uses laptops, has been part of education in the United States for over a decade. A large amount of research exists on the effectiveness of one-to-one learning, and the results have been mixed.
A 2011 story in Education Leadership cited research studies showing that the schools in which the initiative was most effective had a structure in place that allowed them to be a successful school before the initiative was introduced. The structure allowed the one-to-one programs to succeed in improving measured student achievement.
Jackson is aware of the research and the factors that have led to successful implementations of one-to-one learning initiatives. The CMS program is modeled on second-hand research and time spent evaluating the initiative in Bethalto.
Teachers are involved in determining which applications will be loaded onto the students’ laptops, ensuring a collaborative environment among the teachers. Unit 10 Director of Technology Mike Kunz evaluates the security and technical specifications of each application before giving the final approval for them to be loaded. Critically, 60-70 percent of instruction in core subjects is performed using Chromebooks, ensuring the technology and the initiative are more than just an afterthought.
Teachers are also encouraged to adjust their teaching style, to move from lecture based to more interactive, using the 5E instruction model. Engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate represent the five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning.
The program, only in place since October, has shown promising early results. Among the pilot group, teachers are reporting increased student participation, engagement and work completion. Jackson has noted a decrease in discipline referrals to the office. “They are really loving it,” Jackson said of the students.
To determine if the one-to-one pilot is a success, student performance will have to increase in measured ways. CMS will measure performance through their Discovery Education Assessment, done several times throughout the year. Because factors such as new teachers, new instruction methods and student just entering 7th grade can impact students grades throughout the year, grades may be considered, but will not be directly tied to the initiative:
“To pinpoint the one-to-one initiative as the reason these students improved would not be the most responsible statement to make,” Jackson said.
The School Board will make the ultimate decision if the program is rolled out on a wider basis in the district. School Board President Gary Peccola said the program has potential.
“Everything is technology, it’s what they’re (students) interested in, it’s how they want their information,” Peccola said. “If we can incorporate that into the education process, it could help them.”
The next step in the evaluation process is to allow the students in the pilot program to take the notebooks (as laptops designed primarily for web access are known) home. If the one-to-one pilot is approved for wider implementation, it will most likely start with the 7th grade CMS students in the fall of 2014, Jackson said. Teacher training would begin in spring 2014.
Cost is a factor that has caused some districts to abandon the program. The 100 pilot notebooks were purchased with money from a grant. Collinsville Unit 10 Superintendent Bob Green said the cost could be offset by adjusting the current personal computer purchasing program to include fewer PCs and more notebooks, which cost less.
If the pilot proves to be successful, and the obstacles for implementing a one-to-one initiative on a district wide basis can be overcome, Green is optimistic about the impact the program could have.
“It has the potential to revolutionize our schools,” Green said.
