What were your challenges & successes?
I am very proud of the results that I have seen from implementing Rocket Math. It helped twelve students not only learn their multiplication facts but it increased their confidence in math. At the beginning it took time to get the process down of how it was going to work but after a couple days students were very comfortable with it. I was also worried that they would dread doing this in class since it was paper and pencil. I was pleasantly surprised that they really did enjoy it and ended up not wanting to stop at the end. Another challenge was first choosing how many students to include in the study. I looked at my class data to determine which students needed this intervention the most. I obviously wanted to choose all the students but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle it since it was a new program to me. All students do FASTT Math everyday in the classroom but some of the students were still on subtraction and addition. At first I was worried that by doing subtraction and addition FASTT Math and multiplication Rocket Math. I was glad to see that the students were able to still keep the two separate.
What have you learned?
I have learned that not every program is going to work the same way for every student. Going into the process, I thought that each student would show immediate progress because they would be working on their facts everyday. Some weeks students would show a lot of growth, and the next week they wouldn't show as much. It took many weeks to see progression in some students. It seemed like the students like the program, but after a few weeks I wondered if they started to get sick of the program. This action research has taught me many things. I learned how important it is to monitor the students' progress. As I began monitoring the students' results in Rocket Math, I started to collect data in many other subjects as well. This has allowed me to easily see what students need reteaching or additional strategies. Through this action research I have learned how important it is to collect data to see students' growth throughout the entire school year.
What do I plan to do next year?
After becoming more comfortable with the program I feel like I could implement this program easily next year. Once the students get comfortable with how it works, it really only would take the first 5-10 minutes of math. This program could be something that became a part of our daily routine. When next year comes, I will analyze to see if my whole class would benefit from it or if a specific group of students would be better served. If that is the case, I may form a before or after school club for them to focus on their math fact fluency.
What has been the overall impact of CADRE/Capstone experience?
The overall impact of CADRE and Capstone experience has been huge. I feel like I am a better and more experienced teacher because of the assignments, classes, mentors, and other CADRE teachers. At first it was overwhelming doing research, implementing a new program, and collecting data in my first year teaching. I feel that because of CADRE, I made it through my first year of teaching successfully by gaining resources and creating contacts to help me along the way. I hope to continue to learn more strategies that I can add to my teaching toolbox by collaborating with other CADRE teachers. My students and I went on a new journey together and we were all positively impacted along the way.