Brain Research

University of Utah Center for Advanced Medical Technologies (CAMT) The CAMT's learning research group was called the Learning Abilities & Resource Program, 729 Arapeen Drive , Salt Lake City , Utah 84108 (801) 585-1355. Two learning disabilities and their effective treatment have been identified in their brain scanning research. Their findings are now being implemented by the Not-for-profit school U Can Learn located at 6600 South 1231 East, Salt Lake City , UT phone (801) 576-1488. Web site http://ucanlearn.net/ We are all indebted to Dr. William Orrison, MD and Dr. Jeffery Lewine for their research and efforts in this project. U Can Learn has served youth at the Bunderson Elementary School in Brigham City , Utah.

Environmental Factors that Impact Behavior and Learning (Biodetoxification)

This focus suggests that an educator or probation officer identify any environmental factors that may influence a youth's behavior such as toxic chemicals, poor or contaminated ventilation, paint fumes, glue fumes, etc. For some people, (based on the detoxification capacity of their body), the buildup of environmental contaminants in their body significantly impacts their health, behavior and learning ability. Innovations in Education is appreciative of the work of Dr. Gerald Ross, MD for his work in this area.

CranioSacral Therapy

CranioSacral Therapysuggests that head trauma can alter the configuration of the many bones that make up the skull and that this alteration can impact future behavior by altering the normal rhythm of cranial functions. This behavior includes poor anger control and inability to concentrate. The therapy, which corrects this problem, is very gentle and non invasive and usually short term, (a few weeks). Some positive reports have resulted from its use with a juvenile probation population and in public elementary schools. More research needs to be done on this intervention. Note that this therapy has been used in schools in Utah 's Alpine School District. For more information check out this web site. http://www.upledger.com/home.htm.

Bio-Feedback

This intervention option has been around in one form or another since the 1960's. It involves hooking a youth up to a computer with an electrode behind the left ear and teaching the youth how to control his alpha state (the frequency between 9 and 12 Mhz). The process of responding to the computer feedback when this state is achieved seems to help youth with learning and behavior problems. More research is needed in this area. This therapy seems to have some positive results with ADD/ADHD youth. See the work of Siegfried Othmer, PhD, at http://www.brianothmer.org/index.htm.

Learning Technics

This innovation identifies the youth with learning problems via watching their motor skills while they march around the classroom. Without prior knowledge of the youth with learning problems, specialists can accurately pick them out of the classroom group. With further testing they select a large portion of the children identified (all in the bottom 20% academically) and deliver an 8 to 9 month series of non-academic oriented exercises for 30 minutes each school day. These exercises are designed to strengthen the communication links between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The result is these youth eventually (usually the next school year) no longer need special education intervention with many of them becoming top students. School districts in Arizona and Wyoming have used this program with success as has the Ephriam Elementary School in the South Sanpete School District . Innovations in Education is currently funding research in this area in the Box Elder and Alpine School Districts. See http://www.learningtechnics.com/ for more information on this subject.

School Renaissance Inst.: This program provides a grade school with a computerized program of reading that encourages students to read the prescribed books and then take the computerized comprehension tests provided as part of the program. Thirty minutes each school day is set aside for reading for all students. Significant (over 50%) increases in SAT scores have resulted. This program was tried in the Washington Elementary School in the Davis County School District and resulted in the increase of Washington's reading SAT scores from 53 in 1997 to 83 1999.

Parent Teen Intervention: This middle school program identifies youth who are struggling during the critical Jr. High/Middle school years and provides an effective intervention program that returns a significant number of these youth to a successful performance level. It was developed by Utah 's counselor of the year who serves at Centerville Jr. High School . Contact Lowell Murdock, counselor at West Point Jr. High School for more information on this program. (801) 402-8100.

Competency-Based Education/Learning Support System (CBE/LSS)

A Breakthrough in Educational Improvement

Definitions

A better and more comprehensive meaning of this term describes a learning approach that incorporates a structure of competencies to guide students and measure progress as a student moves through a subject. This meaning has evolved to include classroom processes and tools that enable students of all abilities to progress as fast as they are able. This proposal is built upon the latter use of the term as are many of the requirements found in the request for proposal and Senate Bill 154 to which this proposal is responding. The primary difference is the degree to which the emphasis is placed on helping students learn what must be learned.

A new learning support system (LSS) designed to boost learning is described in detail in this proposal. It has been integrated with CBE as described herein. The operational definitions of the term competency and CBE are as follows:

A competency is defined as demonstrable acquisition of a specified knowledge, skill or ability.

CBE is a learning approach wherein all students are allowed, supported and encouraged to progress continuously and seamlessly through a hierarchy of subject-related competencies as fast as they are able to demonstrate mastery of each component competency.

This definition means that students stay with their age group but are allowed to move on in their learning as soon as they have mastered the material upon which the new learning rests. Self-help learning materials are provided so students are less dependent upon the teacher. This frees the teacher to help individual students as needed. Support tools lighten the work of teachers and help the teacher facilitate the learning of students. Mastery and speed of learning become the measurements of progress.

Beneficial Impacts in the Classroom

Competency-based classroom operation in conjunction with the learning support system seeks to utilize the things that have most impact upon the quality and speed of learning as well as removing anything that might slow down learning. The resulting acceleration means, for example, that fifth grade students can learn eighth grade material if they have demonstrated readiness for it. A curriculum map showing the most efficient way to learn a subject guides students and prevents them from getting confused or ahead of themselves. Each competency is assessed and validated as part of the learning process. The progress of each student is closely tracked with feedback going to the student and parent as well as to the teacher.

Other approaches that have tried to require mastery-based progress have run into problems. Most difficulties arise when trying to make the concept work in conventional classrooms. The teacher doesn't have the time to work with individual students who need help and they don't know what to do with the students who have already learned the required material but are not allowed to continue learning. Remedial assistance for slow students is costly, and diverting advanced students to supplemental activity can block their progress.

CBE solves these problems while reaping other benefits such as more time on task, catering to different learning styles, and offering a simpler model of classroom operation. As learners take on more responsibility for learning, they become better prepared for life including success in the workplace. Another advantage of CBE is classroom flexibility. Not only does it adjust to student diversity, it provides the teacher with the time and the flexibility to use multiple instructional approaches and a variety of improvement tools.

What Research Tells Us

The findings from research on learning are suggesting many ways to improve learning. One of the largest analyses of educational improvement research was performed by John Hattie and reported at the University of Auklund in 1999. He accumulated 180,000 studies incorporating some 200,000 effects (variation of variables being studied) including 337 meta-analyses studies representing 50 million students and covering almost all research on innovation. The accumulation of the meta-analysis data is shown below.

Hattie feels that improvement effects above .40 standard deviation units are those that ought to be focused on. Those are the effects shown below. The low-impact part of his chart is not shown here but is shown in Section 2.1.5. The low-impact effects include many things educators often promote but have little impact on student success. The power of some of the effect variables are put in perspective by considering that an effect size of .50 would move the average student from the 50 th percentile to above the 70 th percentile. An effect size of 1.0 would move him to the 85 th percentile.

Hattie's chart and the research behind it provide rather conclusive evidence as to where emphases ought to be placed in the classroom. The difficulty is in bringing them into full play and doing it in combination. For example, many of the most powerful effects are connected with the use of feedback. When linked together, the effects are higher. The following effect sizes show the power of some of the variables used in conjunction with feedback . They show the desirability of including feedback as part of any classroom improvement effort.

The challenge for improvement is how to incorporate the most powerful effects on learning into classroom operation and student learning. The effects all relate to information and/or classroom operation. The information part will require technology that can track student mastery, capture the necessary data, analyze the data, deliver reinforcement, provide directional feedback to guide student learning, direct instructional activities, and support student acceleration. The classroom operation that can best utilize that kind of technology is CBE. In order to be effective, both parts must work in tandem. The two have been integrated this proposal.

A New Competency-Based Learning Support System

A competency-based education learning support system (CBE/LSS) has been designed as part of this proposal. It utilizes information and communication technology to bring into play the highest effects on learning as shown on Hattie's chart. It also incorporates features shown to accelerate child growth and development. The ability to "operationalize" the research on learning is a major leap forward for education. The unique design of the associated software customizes much of its use for individual students. The combined CBE/LSS system provides teachers the freedom and the opportunity to help all students learn faster and attain higher levels of achievement.

The CBE/LSS goes beyond any existing approach to educational improvement. It is comprehensive in scope while being powerfully simple in operation. It addresses the requirements of the RFP and SB 154 including educational improvement within the resources available. It meets stakeholder interests beginning with the teacher and the parent and addresses student diversity and the other requirements of NCLB.

The learning support system will allow Utah's educational system to move beyond having to pick and choose from among best practices or the adoption of specific programs. It provides the means to enhance all components of education that can contribute to higher levels of success. That includes removing the factors that prevent success and mitigating the variables that hinder success.

Among other things, CBE/LSS accomplishes the following:

•  Simplify and streamline classroom operation

•  Bring into play the high effect variables from research on learning

•  Eliminate clerical and reporting duties (provide a paperless classroom)

•  Provide seamless learning and seamless transfers

•  Perform classroom management and learning management

•  Capture parental involvement

•  Identify the need for and evaluate the effect of intervention programs

•  Personalize learning

•  Perform complex analysis of student progress data

•  Direct continuous improvement in students, teachers, and school operation

One-on-one tutoring under the CBE/LSS

Nothing works better than one-on-one learning. While nothing in public schools can replace one-on-one learning between teacher and child, the learning support system operating in conjunction with competency-based education comes as close as possible in a classroom setting. It leaves teachers in control of their classrooms, while relieving them from tasks that are not related to helping students learn one-on-one or in small groups.

Savings from using the competency-based learning system

The acceleration of learning brings operational improvement in the same way that higher levels of productivity produce savings in any organization. Accomplishing more in less time saves money. It doesn't matter whether the acceleration comes from removing hindrances, providing new tools, or increasing intrinsic motivation and personal commitment. A student body learning 10-20 percent faster with higher levels of mastery over multiple years requires fewer facilities and less man-hours to conduct its business.