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Why AI in Education Isn’t the Threat You Think It Is

“We didn’t ban calculators. We taught math differently. We didn’t ban the internet. We taught research differently. So why are we trying to ban AI instead of doing the same?” We’ve been here before. I was a young teacher when the internet showed up in classrooms in the 90s. Educators panicked. Teachers worried it would make students lazy, that it would only be used for cheating, and that memorizing facts and dates would go out the window. They were right. Sort of. The internet did change things. But it didn’t destroy learning. It made us rethink what was worth teaching and how we wanted to spend instructional time. It pushed us away from memorizing trivia and toward analyzing, questioning, creating, and connecting. The same thing happened with calculators decades before. There was real fear that students would lose the ability to compute. But what actually happened was that students stopped getting stuck in multi-digit calculations and started spending more time doing real math. They m...

"Research on Small Group Effectiveness" OR "The Power of Few: Reflecting on the Impact of Small Group Instruction""

 

"Small group instruction: where learning is personal, engagement deepens, and understanding grows."


I am working on organizing my thoughts around Small Group Instruction. But I wanted to post this summary of three research-based finding of small groups. 




Research used in Small Group post above (Disclaimer: Summaries written with AI)

1. National Institute for Literacy (2008): This comprehensive report, "Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel," highlights the effectiveness of systematic, small group instruction for improving key early literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, and the development of early reading skills. The research suggests that small group settings allow for tailored instruction that meets the unique needs of each student, significantly boosting early literacy outcomes compared to whole-class instruction.

   Reference: National Institute for Literacy. (2008). Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.

2. Connor, Morrison, & Slominski (2006): In their study titled "Preschool instruction and children's emergent literacy growth," the authors found that small group instruction led to significant improvements in children's letter-name and letter-sound knowledge, two critical components of early literacy. The study underscores the importance of small, focused instructional groups for early literacy development, particularly in facilitating the acquisition of foundational reading skills.

   Reference: Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Slominski, L. (2006). Preschool instruction and children's emergent literacy growth. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(4), 665-689.

3. Piasta, Connor, Fishman, & Morrison (2009): This research, presented in the paper "Teachers' knowledge of literacy, classroom practices, and student reading growth," points to the positive impact of small group instruction on student reading growth. It found that when teachers used small group settings to deliver literacy instruction, tailored to the specific literacy needs of their students, there was a notable improvement in reading skills. This approach allows for more effective monitoring and feedback on students' progress, enhancing overall literacy development.

   Reference: Piasta, S. B., Connor, C. M., Fishman, B. J., & Morrison, F. J. (2009). Teachers' knowledge of literacy, classroom practices, and student reading growth. Scientific Studies of Reading, 13(3), 224-248.


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