Volume XII: 2022
Kimberly Hilton
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness in A Seventh Grade Classroom
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the implementation of mindfulness strategies inside a middle school classroom. The researcher’s focus was to see if implementing mindfulness strategies in a seventh-grade classroom would result in positive behaviors. It was hypothesized that mindfulness strategies would moderately improve classroom behavior at the middle school level and lead to more efficient use of instructional time and improve students’ self-efficacy. The research questions that guided this study were: How will mindfulness strategies effect classroom behavior at the middle school level? Will there be a measurable difference in the implementation of mindfulness strategies on boys’ and girls’ behavior? Participants included the seventh-grade student body, consisting of 25 girls and 28 boys ranging in ages from 11-12. Students were taught mindfulness strategies using the Calm Mindfulness Curriculum. The researcher implemented lessons in the first ten minutes of class. Student behaviors included: hard to settle down at the beginning of class, getting up during instruction, fidgeting, making noise during class, talking back to the teacher, head down during instruction, being off task during independent work, teasing each other in class, packing up before class ends, and needing redirection from the teacher. In week one, student behaviors were present every class period; however, student behaviors moderately fell by week six. The seventh-grade class learned to turn stressful situations into ones they could handle. Mindfulness strategies gave students a tool that could help them with their behaviors. Students learned how to be mindful of themselves and others.
About Kimberly
Kimberly Hilton is an RTI Reading teacher and Librarian at Central A&M. She has been married for 26 years and has two daughters. Kimberly is currently in her 7th year of teaching at the Middle School level. She received her GED in 1989, the year she was to graduate high school. She then went to vocational school to become a nurse. After Kimberly married in 1996, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom; however, she could not sit at home once her kids were in school and volunteered her time between school and the library. During this time, she found her true calling, and Kimberly decided to return to school in 2008, where she attended Richland Community College and received her Associate's Degree in Science. She then continued working on her educational path at Millikin University, and in 2011, received her Bachelor's Degree in Science and an endorsement in Social Science and Language. Kimberly worked as a substitute teacher in her home district until being hired into her current position in 2015. RTI allowed Kimberly to work with students in small groups, and the library allowed her to get to know the rest of the student body. She knew she wanted to help serve her RTI students better and decided to return to school in 2018 at Eastern Illinois University, where Kimberly received her Master’s Degree in Science and an endorsement as a reading teacher. Kimberly uses her unique life experiences to connect with students and feels she is right where she is meant to be!
Stephanie L. Scott
Investigating less Punitive Grading Practices in the 7th Grade Social Studies Classroom
Abstract
Homework grading practices vary between school districts, school buildings, and even teachers within the same building. These varying strategies may misinform students, parents, administrators, and even universities and workplaces. This action research examined two different homework grading practices to find which practice helped students achieve higher scores on weekly homework and quizzes. Forty 7th grade students participated in this study. The researcher gathered homework and weekly quiz data for a total of six weeks. The study was split into two phases with different homework grading practices in each phase. Each phase lasted for three weeks. Participants completed homework and weekly quizzes for three weeks with their district’s current grading practice including zeros for missing work. The following three weeks consisted of similar homework and weekly quizzes with a less punitive no-zero homework practice. The results of this study indicated that using a less punitive no-zero grading practice decreased homework scores and homework completion, but that decrease did not result in a decrease in weekly quiz scores. Mean homework scores during the zero grading practice were 17.9 decreasing to 17.2 during the no-zero grading practice. Mean weekly quiz scores during the zero grading practice were 16.6 increasing to 17.5 during the no-zero grading practice. Achievement on weekly quizzes remained consistent regardless of the grading practice used during the study. Homework scores and achievement on weekly quizzes were not directly correlated.
About Stephanie
Mrs. Stephanie Scott began teaching in her hometown of Casey, Illinois after graduating with her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2003. In 2006, she completed her Middle School Endorsement at Eastern Illinois University, and in 2022 she graduated from EIU with a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has taught children of all ages including 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Mrs. Scott currently teaches junior high social studies at Casey-Westfield Jr./Sr. High School.
Lynn M. Yonce
Incorporating Informational Text Within a First Grade Classroom
Abstract
Most first graders in the United States spend less than four minutes on reading informational text within their classroom and less than 10% of the material offered is considered informational text. Common Core State Standards recommend that primary grade students need to be reading at least 50% of this type of genre. Since implementation, a focus has increased on how to incorporate informational text in the primary classroom to improve comprehension. This study took place within a first-grade classroom with 13 participants. During a six-week time span, three different teaching methods were used to measure student growth of comprehension with each method. Students were exposed to this genre using a topic of animals. The researcher spent one week using each of these three methods: independent read, teacher read aloud, and close reading. During the week, the participants were given support as they learned new vocabulary words, broke down reading passages, and engaged in discussions about the animals. At the conclusion of the week, an assessment was given to measure comprehension. The findings show that in the Close Read Method, students performed better. In the Close Read Method, more total knowledge was gained because the test scores were higher than the other two methods. This method showed the total correct over the two-week time frame of 316 out of a possible 338 points. In the Independent Read Method, test scores showed a total correct of 301 out of a possible 338, and the Read Aloud Method showed a total correct of 305 out of a possible 338.
About Lynn
Lynn Yonce is a 20-year veteran teacher in a private school located in Central Illinois. She spent 18 of those years in the first-grade classroom teaching children to love reading. Lynn received her Bachelors in Elementary Education from Illinois State University and recently completed her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Eastern Illinois University. She is the mother of two adult children and wife to her soul mate of 25 years.
