RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES UTILIZED IN MYSTUDYHALL

RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES UTILI= ZED IN MYSTUDYHALL.COM

6.12.07

MyStudyHall.com is an online tutorial for English / La= nguage Arts / Reading (ELAR) in the upper-elementary grades through adults. Because MyStudyHall.com is an onli= ne tutorial, users can access the site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. MyStudyHall.com utilizes the following research-based instructional strateg= ies:

Most research references are taken from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Portland, Oregon, 2005, http://www.netc.org/= focus/strategies/them.php.

THEMATIC INSTRUCTION=

MyStudyHall.com implements strategies which engage learners through them= atic units (e.g., snorkeling, kayaking, climbing, water sports, hiking, exotic animals, Cari= bbean islands, African deserts, mountains, beach activities, resorts, exotic food= s, historical events, etc.)

Our= site has an international flavor (e.g., real-life photos from various parts of t= he world) and appeals to a broad spectrum of students. Authentic, real-life topics help students to make connections between abstract ideas and learning; the resul= t is increased student achievement.

The= matic instruction helps students to create mental pictures and leads to their organizin= g learning and new ideas; the lessons are connected to real-l= ife informational text (Caine & Caine, 1991, 1994, 1997a, b; Beane, 1997; Kovalik, 1994; Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1997; Bransfor= d, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; diSessa, 2000; Linn & Hsi, 2000; Caine & Caine, 1997; Kovalik, 1994).

Thematic units help students to emphasize connections rather than fragmentation of ideas. MyStudyHall.com makes it possible for students to connect explicit patterns so that their brains can integrate new information (Hart, 1983). <= /p>

Because MyStudyHall.com is an online tutorial, students feel it is "free of threat," thus creating an environment in which students = work more effectively at their own pace.

Our site uses= both audio and visual special effects as well as color, graphics, animation, Flash Technology, charts, and photos to enhance the learning of our units. The frequent audio clips recorded = in conversational English help students to see, hear, and understand the mater= ial all at one time; this research-based strategy will increase cognitive learn= ing by utilizing several learning channels simultaneously. The special effects on the site serve to emphasize important concepts, thereby helping students to retain new knowledge (Gar= dner, 1993).

Because students can move at their own pace through the lessons, allowing them to make choices, the students take more responsibili= ty for their learning (Beane, 1997; Caine & Caine, 1994).

IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Students need to see similarities and differences to increase their cognitive processes and to help them make connections by classifying common characteristics. The grammar modules on our website constantly classify common elements and contrast them with other grammatical elements. This approach helps= the brain to process new ideas through recall and through "overlaying"= ; a known grammatical pattern onto an unknown pattern to locate similarities and differences (Gentner & Markman, 1994; Medin, Goldstone, & Markman, 1995). The three grammar modu= les constantly help students to review learned concepts and to compare and cont= rast them with new and more challenging concepts through integrating ideas (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999).

The Practice Quizzes and Level Quizzes all have explic= it answers which cause students to build bridges to new ideas (Stone, 1983; St= ahl & Fairbanks, 1986; Ross, 1988; Chen, Yanowitz & Daehler, 1996; Ghol= son, Smither, Buhrman, & Duncan, 1997; Newby, Ertmer, & Stepich, 1995; Solomon, 1995).

Students are frequently asked to compare and contrast = new ideas with learned concepts, thus increasing student achievement significantly. This is done t= hrough the use of tables, charts, drawings, interactive games, animation, Flash Technology, color coding, audio clips, and literary references from traditi= onal classics (Chen, 1996; Flick, 1992; Mason, 1994, 1995; Mason & Sorzio, 1996).

SUMMARIZING AND NOTE TAKING

MyStudyHall.com teaches students to take notes, paraphrase, and summarize which leads to student learning. Key points are underlined or color = coded to direct students to specific content.&nb= sp; Learning to take notes, paraphrase, and summarize leads students to = be able to find "nuggets of meaning" and to synthesize and analyze information, identifying important concepts and differentiating between key content and extraneous information (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Anderson, V., & Hidi, 1988/1989; Hidi & Anderson, 1987).

Reading comprehension is increased when students are engaged in the content and are able to incorporate key information. Our site provides summarizations which help students to retain information (Armbruster, Anderson, & Ostertag, 1987).

By seeing actual summarizations and paraphrases which are on our website, students learn to model their notes after them so that they learn to take better notes themselves (Marzano et al., 2001).

MyStudyHall.com also teaches students to write both phrase and sentence outlines by providi= ng models and specific steps which students need to follow (Marzano et al., 2001). Through outlining stud= ents learn to delete unnecessary words, sentences, redundant verbiage; students = also learn to substitute other terms which summarize and simplify concepts (Brow= n, Campione, & Day, 1981).

Our website also teaches students various formats and correct grammatical structures to use for various types of text such as pla= ys, dialogues, newspapers, reference sources, research papers, business letters, envelopes, rough drafts, book reports, editorials, party invitations, frien= dly letters, invitations, thank-you notes, journals (Texas Alternative Document for English / Language Arts / Reading, 1997).

REINFORCING EFFORT

Because research makes it clear that effort and achievement are linked, = our website personalizes instruction by using the student's name constantly throughout the units. Student= s are also given praise for their efforts in the recorded audio clips on the site. On the Practice Quizzes= and Level Quizzes, congratulatory comments pop up (e.g., "Congratulations,= you got 10 out of 10.")

The content of the example sentences encourages students to develop a st= rong work ethic and positive attitude and helps them to see the connection betwe= en hard work and achievement. Example paragraphs (original and those taken from traditional classic literature) emphasize the connection between effort and achievement (Seligman, 1990, 1994; Urdan, Migley, & Anderman, 1998; Cra= ske, 1985; & Van Overwalle & De Metsenaere, = 1990).

Successful academic performance is rewarded on the e-mailed Progress Rep= orts which chart each student's achievement on the Practice Quizzes and Level Quizzes throughout the website. Teachers are asked to give students credit in the grade book for completion of the units (Cameron & Pierce, 1994; Wiersma, 1992; Cameron & Pierce, 1994).

HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE

The NREL website states, "Homework and practice are related, connec= ted by the context when students are learning on their own and applying new knowledge." MyStudyHall.= com makes learning fun and exciting for students while at the same time giving = them access to the online tutorial 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Students can practice and work out= side of class to finish and master their units.= The Progress Reports serve as documentation of mastery.

The grammar lessons make it clear to students what the goal(s) of each lesson is; and the text, Practice Quizzes, and Level Quizzes are all tied to these focused goals. As state= d on the NREL site, "At the high school level, for every 30 additional minu= tes of homework completed daily, a student's GPA can increase up to half a point" (Keith, 1982). "Elementary students should be assigned homework to establish g= ood learning and study habits" (Cooper, 1989; Cooper, Lindsay, Nye, & Greathouse, 1998; Gorges & Elliot, 1999).

Because the three ELAR levels have a wide range of reading and difficulty levels and the three grammar modules increase in depth and complexity from = one module to the next, students can be assured that the homework will be appropriate to their instructional levels (Rademacher, Deshler, Schumacher, & Lenz, 1998; Rosenberg, 1989).

Students with learning disabilities can be successful on MyStudyHall.com because of the self-paced, hands-on, and visual/auditory/kinesthetic characteristics of the site. Therefore, LD students (and other at-risk students) can demonstrate successful completion of their homework (Salend & Schliff, 1989). Quick feedback is provided on the e-mailed Progress Reports which are mailed at the end of each unit (Walberg, 1999).

Because the lessons are presented in chunks but use special graphic/audi= tory effects, students will not mind doing their classwork and homework; this wi= ll produce positive study habits; and students will learn to cope with their mistakes because of the "user-friendly" feedback (Bempechat, 2004= ).

Our online tutorial with its self-paced format offers students great amo= unts of repetition, drill, and practice. NREL states, "It takes more than 24 more practice sessions before students reach 80 percent mastery. And this practice must occur over a span of days or weeks, and cannot be rushed"= ; (Anderson, 1995; Ne= well & Rosenbloom, 1981).

Our website focuses the lessons so that skills are explicit and direct.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Students learn more when they are = guided "to practice fewer skills or concepts but at a deeper level" (Hea= ly, 1990).

MyStudyHall.com takes complex processes and breaks them down into chunks= or small pieces. Next, students are given many opportunities to practice on the chunks of information after which students are quizzed frequently to help t= hem gain long-term mastery (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).

Because MyStudyHall.com is a 24/7 online tutorial in a "user-friendly" format, parents can offer their students appropri= ate involvement; but parents will not feel pressured to give undue help to their students, allowing the students to strive for homework completion (Balli, 1= 998; Balli, Demo, & Wedman, 1997, 1998; Perkins & Milgram, 1996).

NONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION

In "nonlinguistic representation" all the body's senses are in= volved in learning. Because of the s= pecial effects on MyStudyHall.com which appeal to students' auditory, visual, kinesthetic senses, their visual imagery, and their whole-body modes, learn= ing is increased; and students are better able to think about and recall what t= hey have learned (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). By using visual representations, students are better able to understand how topics connect to one another (N= CTM, 2000). Students can find patt= erns and organize their ideas for long-term recall (Bransford et al., 1999; Lehr= er & Chazen, 1998).

The guided practice found in many of the lessons and quizzes serves as scaffold= ing to build the student's confidence. Then the scaffolding is systematically pulled out so that students learn to think and work independently (Marzano = et al., 2001).

SETTING OBJECTIVES

MyStudyHall.com helps students learn to set their own = goals because the lessons are self-paced, and the site is available 24/7. Students can set short-term goals or long-term goals for themselves. The goals of ea= ch lesson are clearly stated so that students know what they are to learn. Communicating these goals helps st= udents to get an overview through generalizing the objectives. Students gain owner= ship of the goals because the site is self-paced but offers instant feedback on their e-mailed Progress Reports (Bandura & Schunk, 1981; Morgan, 1985). If they so choose, tea= chers can establish contracts with their students based upon well-established objectives (Kahle & Kelly, 1994; Miller & Kelley, 1994; Vollmer, 1995).

PROVIDING FEEDBACK

Each student is provided opportunities to input three = e-mail addresses to whom he wants his Progress Reports = to be sent. These cumulatively scor= ed Progress Reports can also be accessed on the dropdown box at the top of the website. Therefore, students = can find out how they did on the quizzes almost instantly. Timely feedback impr= oves student success.

The Progress Reports are easy to read and show the number of possible answers a= nd then the student's score on each Level Quiz, unit test, and final test. There are three level quizzes at t= he end of each lesson. ELAR units and grammar modules have varying numbers of lessons (from four to eight).

On the Practice Quizzes and Level Quizzes, students' scores are calculated bas= ed upon the answers which they input on their first try. If students miss any questions, th= ey can go through the quiz again and then hit "Show Answers" to see the correct choices.

A Final Test is posted at the end of each of the three grammar modules. This test is aligned with the key grammar elements which have been taught in each module and in previous modu= les. Teachers can utilize these Final Tests as pre-tests and as post-tests (Lysakowski & Walberg, 1981, 1982; Walberg, 1999; Tennenbaum & Goldring, 1989; Hattie, 1992;Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Banger-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991).

Because of the self-paced nature of MyStudyHall.com, students can either take their quizzes on the same day they have finished studying the text or take them the next day; frequent unit tests and final tests track long-term learning (Bangert-Downs, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991).

GENERATING AND TESTING HYPOTHESES

On MyStudyHall.com, students are constantly asked to p= redict or make prognostications about various new grammatical concepts or vocabula= ry words which are used in context. Well-phrased questions which lead students to think and analyze are asked on the audio clips and in the text of the lessons. NREL states, "Through active learning experiences, students deepen their understanding of key concepts." Students are constantly led to connect new grammatical elements with previously learned concepts; this guides students to generate hypotheses about grammatical similarities and differences. Students are also guided to connect new writing strategies and genres with those previously learned; students learn to connect their grammar conc= epts with their writing and speaking skills (Lavoie, 1999; Lavoie & Good, 19= 88; Lawson, 1988).

Because MyStudyHall.com offers an interactive format which appeals to ma= ny students, learning can be even more substantive than is experienced in traditional textbook-based instruction (Hake, 1998).

INTERACTIVE GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

"...the more students use multiple systems of representing knowledg= e, the better they are able to think about and recall what they have learned&q= uot; (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Helping students to visualize concepts improves their understanding and causes them to be curious and engaged. Interactive games and activities energize student learning and make them want to discover new concepts (Edelson, 1998).

MyStudyHall uses "serious games" (term used on NREL website) w= hich means our site helps students to reach "serious" goals rather than just entertaining them. Flash Technology and animations serve to motivate students, but the deep content on our site challenges students to learn new information and develop new skills. The authentic examples used on the webs= ite help students to connect learning with real-world activities (Gordin & = Pea, 1995; Neubecker, 2003; Hood, 1997).

Games are very motivating to students, cause them to become involved with learning at a higher level, and provide immediate feedback by revealing mistakes without being "threatening" to students (Hood, 1997). Students like games and afford stu= dents the opportunity to practice their skills (Dempsey et al., 1994).

The benefits of the interactive activities on our site are increased bec= ause they are connected to specific and targeted learning objectives (Randel et = al 1992).

CUES, QUESTIONS, AND ADVANCE ORGANIZERS

MyStudyHall.com constantly gives cues and questions both in the audio cl= ips and in the lessons to generate student learning. By using these cues and questions, students become focused on the important goals for each lesson t= hat connect with past learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).

Graphics, animations, Flash Technology, photos, and other special effects help students to visualize and categorize grammatical concepts and to learn ELAR content. Students learn = more when various modes of learning are utilized to present content (Ogle, 1986; Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze, 1994; Risner, Nicholson, & Webb, 1994). The NREL website states, "Presenting information graphically as well as symbolically in an advance organizer reinforces vocabulary learning= and supports reading skills" (Stone, 1983; Brookbank Grover, Kullberg, &am= p; Strawser, 1999; Moore & Readence 1984; Paivio, 1986).

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