NO LIMIT! Project Description, Goals, and Objectives
What is EETT?
In the state of Washington, the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT or E2T2) program has been given the name NO LIMIT! (New Outcomes: Learning Improvement in Mathematics Integrating Technology). This grant program focuses on teacher training while incorporating technology into the curriculum to improve math skills. (Please see the NO LIMIT! website at www.edtech.wednet.edu/nolimit.) Option "B," of the NO LIMIT! Grant provides funding for special education classrooms.
NO LIMIT! for Learning Disabilities Project Description:
The 2001-2003 and 2003-2005 NO LIMIT! Grant, funded through the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology program, sought to improve the mathematics skills of Grade 4-12 students though the use of educational technology and mentoring and support for teachers provided by WA Educational Service District-based Mathematics Integration Specialists. Although most participants were regular education teachers, a small subset were special education teachers who applied for the learning disabilities component of the grant. This component served the participating special education teachers by providing technology and training targeted to the needs of learning disabled students and included tools to assist students with reading and writing. Additionally, teachers participating in the special education component used "anchored instruction" (AI; research-based mathematics projects using video-based contexts) and video production to promote mathematics learning. The targeted students were 5 identified learning disabled students in each classroom who received laptop computers loaded with assistive software for daily use. All special education students taught by the participating teachers, however, were impacted by most elements of the grant and thus will be considered participating students for the purposes of evaluation.
Goals and Objectives:
The overall goals of the NO LIMIT! special education component are to improve the mathematics and higher order thinking skills of participating students in order to increase their academic success and future employment opportunities and to improve the abilities of participating teachers to teach mathematics to special education students. To meet these long-term goals, the program has established the following short-term objectives.
- Students will demonstrate:
- Increased success in comprehending and solving word problems.
- Increase success in learning and applying computational skills and mathematics content.
- Increased motivation to solve mathematics problems and participate in mathematics activities.
- Improved attitude toward mathematics and the learning process.
- Increased proficiency in the use of technology.
- Increased self-esteem and self-confidence and improved behavior.
- Teachers will demonstrate:
- Increased use of technology to meet mathematics learning needs of special education students
- Increased use of project-based and context-based learning strategies.
- Increased proficiency in the use of technology.
- Ability and willingness to disseminate strategies learned to other teachers and administrators.
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Goals and Objectives:
| Inputs | Activities | Objectives | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| What we invest | What we do | What the short term results are | What the ultimate results are |
| Participating Students | |||
| Anchored Instruction & Video Production | Students conduct research-based mathematics projects using video-based contexts ("anchors").
Students develop anchors and implement them with regular education and special education peers |
Increased success in comprehending and solving word problems
Increased success and learning in applying computational skills and mathematics content Increased motivation to solve mathematics problems and participate in mathematics activities Improved attitude toward mathematics and the learning process Increased proficiency in the use of technology Increased self-esteem and self-confidence and improved behavior |
Improved mathematical computation, problem-solving, and reasoning skills
Improved higher order thinking skills Greater academic success Increased jobs skills and improved employability as adults |
| Assistive Technology | Technology is integrated into daily classroom activities
Students use software such as scan/read programs and word prediction for reading and writing in mathematics Laptop computers are provided to 5 identified LD students for daily use in all classes and at home |
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| Participating Teachers | |||
| Mentoring and Training | Teachers are trained in the Anchored Instruction approach to mathematics
Teachers are trained to use the identified technology with LD students Teachers receive mentoring and coaching from Math Integration Specialists Teachers receive mentoring, training, and technical assistance from SETC |
Increased use of technology to meet mathematics learning needs of special education students
Increased use of project-based and context-based learning strategies Increased proficiency in the use of technology |
Ability and willingness to disseminate strategies learned to other teachers and administrators
Improved ability to teach mathematics to special education students Increased ability and willingness to promote innovative teaching strategies for special education students |