The Effective Use of Successmaker

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The Effective Use of Successmaker
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Me
Ian Hedley Carter Community School SENCo Successma
ker Coordinator Maths teacher
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Why should you listen to me??

• Experience
• Been using Successmaker for 4 years.
• Over 150 students have used it at Carter, for
  between one term and 4 years.
• Research
• Pilot project in 1997
• Survey in 1998
• Dissertation in 2000-01

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Aims

• Published research what it does and does not
  say.
• How to make sure it doesnt work.
• How to make sure it does work! (Most of the
  time.)
• Key issues.
• Plus, if you want
• What an ILS is.

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Key components
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Current research findings
Jury out on the success builders (TES 10th July
1998) Integrated learning systems have a long
way to go before they can receive unqualified
endorsement (BECTa 1998, having spent 1.3
million)
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What is known

• Successmaker Maths produces results.
• Successmaker tends to be more effective than
  other systems.
• Successmaker motivates students.
• Effectiveness, especially with the reading
  programs, varies from school to school.

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What isnt known

• Which students will or will not benefit.
• What the most effective way of using Successmaker
  is.
• How well what students learn on Successmaker is
  transferred to normal lessons.
• Exactly why Successmaker works at all.

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Some issues

• Expense.
• Replaces teachers.
• Mechanistic teaching and learning.
• Isolates students.
• Skills not transferred.
• Reported progress is inflated.

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Successmaker at Carter Community School

• Pilot project.
• Year-on-year monitoring.
• Intervention.
• Qualitative study.
• OFSTED.
• Collaborative pairs.

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The context
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Pilot project (Spring 1997)

• Three computers, 24 students tested (14
  Successmaker, 10 control).
• Two NFER CATs tests, nine weeks apart.
• Students used Successmaker 5 times a week for 30
  minutes (reading, spelling, mathematics).

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Pilot project results
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Yearly monitoring
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Intervention

• Reports checked every two weeks.
• Strands adjusted on Successmaker stepped back
  or switched off.
• Successmaker worksheets.
• Individual or group work with teacher away from
  Successmaker.
• A break to do something different (paired reading
  or one-to-one teaching.)

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Qualitative study (Summer 1998)

• Test scores showed good gains but did teachers
  think these were being transferred to the
  classroom?
• What did students think?

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Impact on literacy (students)
Sort of like help you to read itthe more they
help youyou remember it then. (MR)   Cant
concentrate on it. Winds me up when Im on the
computer with it. Gives me a headache. And I
dont like reading at all anyway. (GH)   I can
read better, like longer. (SW)   Made me think
harder. (AB)   Its just that Im good at reading
but I find it a bit hard, the words. (SR)
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Impact on literacy (teachers)
Being that in art we deal with visual elements it
is fairly difficult I find to respond to some
questions - written work is limited.
(HB)   Because I only see these students for one
lesson per week it is almost impossible to judge
changes in ability etc. (T9)   The actual work
itself . . . It hasnt been massively noticeable
because I havent kept a single group through the
whole year, theyve been on a rotation basis. But
I mean with some people you can just tell byI
dunno, you just look at a piece of work and it
appears to be better that in used to be.
(MN)   Well, student seems to be very keen to
read, every time . . . People are not making fun
of a slow reader, which I think might be a
spin-off from this, maybe. (CS)
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Impact on curriculum subjects (students)
Well I feel like Ive missed a lot and I dont
learn as much - like not knowing what to do . . .
But its stopped me getting into trouble with
the teachers its calmed me down. (AB)   . . .
you come here and youre learning more. Its
teaching you more. (MR)   Missed some work out,
just do it at home. (GF) I dont like walking
back in the middle of lessons, I dont know what
to do. (BC)
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Impact on curriculum subjects (teachers)
Slight problem with some students missing the
same lesson each week. Because of their learning
problems most of the students are not able to
catch up the work at home. (T23)   Most of them
are keen to catch up - are very reasonable about
their work and are well-motivated. (T14)    I
find it difficult to build up their skills in art
as they have missed a fair amount but then as
they dont appear to mind, so be it! (HB)   The
classroom situation doesnt suit their learning
styles. If it doesnt work, try something
different. (HB)   Theyve missed part of the
course - a fair clump. Missed the continuity . .
. If it didnt take up so much time it would be
great. (HB)   Its certainly a bit frustrating
when youre doing something and youre just about
to start . . . and someone says, Ive got to go
now . . . It just upsets the flow of the lesson.
But still, its not too much of a major problem.
(CS)
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Self-esteem and behaviour
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Amount of time on Successmaker
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Main findings

• Although teachers generally liked Successmaker as
  a system for enhancing basic skills, in most
  cases this was due to a general feeling about its
  positive or potential benefits rather than direct
  evidence.

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• The most significant perceived impact of
  Successmaker was on the attitudes and confidence
  of the students using it.

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• Students using Successmaker for more than a term
  had become less enthusiastic about the system.

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OFSTED (Autumn 1998)

• It builds students confidence.
• It improves students basic skills.
• Its a good idea.
• Students shouldnt use it during curriculum time.

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Collaborative pairs

• Students work together on the system rather than
  individually, as an ILS is designed to be used.

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Why?
Plus I just like the idea of students helping
each other!
(Reason 1990)
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Reading ages
Statistically. Successmaker made no difference
to the individuals but did to the pairs.
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Self-esteem
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Words of wisdom
Its just theres, shes always arguing, theres
no point putting on Successmaker with someone
that you always argue with. She always digs me in
the ribs and it hurts, I dont like it . . . We
argue about everything. The games were took off
because Natalie was always doing them, and then
we argued about who was going to do what question
and she, she ended up doing the whole lot, and
now I get into trouble a lot cos I dont do it .
. . she just does them all and then she moans if
I want to do one, so I dont do it and then
Miss B_____ has a go at me all the time.
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well, the fact that like me and Sandra get on
really well and everything and we can actually
sit down and we can just sit down and we can work
together through it without arguing. She could
not think of anything bad about working with a
partner and although she said they did argue she
was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad
thing cos its not bad and it aint good . . .
Cos you dont know who gets it right and that, so
youre just arguing over nothing really. Like at
the end, youve just got to take a guess, and if
its right its right and if it aint it aint.
If she had to work on her own, I dont think I
d be able to get through it without getting one
right, most prob!
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youre not on your own, really. We can both help
each other Well she asks me for help more . . .
I think she struggles a bit on it. Cos like, say
like if theres a word, like quacking or
something like that, shell say oh how do you
spell that and Ill say you try and say it first
and Ill help you if its not it.
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Summary

• On average, students working in pairs do at least
  as well as students working on their own.
• The students who enjoyed working together did
  best even better than the students who enjoyed
  working on their own.

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How to make sure Successmaker doesnt work

• Use it for less than three times a week.
• Keep getting students to use it when they really
  dont want to.
• Just leave Successmaker to get on with things on
  its own.

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How to make sure it does work most of the time.

• Aim for four or five sessions a week. Less than
  three is unlikely to work.
• Short sessions no longer than 30 minutes
  because theyll switch off. (Less for some
  students.)
• Have someone who works with the students on the
  system and knows it inside out.
• Get teachers involved and using reports.
• Spoil your students!

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• Remember it doesnt work all the time be
  prepared to intervene.
• Remember it doesnt work for every student
  have alternative provision.
• Give students breaks one term on, one term
  off.
• Consider putting students who would like to
  work together on it in pairs.

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Things to think about before spending all that
money

• Training
• RMs training is really good, but make sure
  youre clear about who is going to need it.
• Commitment
• Theres no point spending all that money if
  youre not going to use it properly.
• Staffing
• Someone needs to have responsibility for it, and
  in the first year at least, some time to make it
  work.
• Logistics
• Where is it going to be and when are students
  going to use it?
• Running costs
• No need to keep upgrading (sorry RM) but the
  computers are heavily used and you get through a
  lot of paper and printing ink.

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Questions?