Answer #3

EQ: What is the best teaching method to increase the academic gain of at-risk students in first grade?

Ans 3: Total Physical Response is a strategy (teaching method) that best helps increase the acadmeic gain of at-risk students in first grade.

Evidence: 

• In my third interview Ms.  Underwood explained that she commonly uses TPR because it helps with student engagement and allows them to interact with the content.  She said it works really well with ELL students, and a great amount of at- risk students are ELL students (Mrs.  Hansen [4th interview], Mrs.  Nacarra [Service Learnng]). 
• In my independent component, I not only get to work with students, but also observe the class.  I got to observe Ms.  Underwood use TPR with her students in order to teach addition.  It really helped the struggling students catch up with the other students.  What she did was have the students from two lines, sitting down.  She sat on  a chair and held a small white board where she wrote the addition problems.  When she turned the white board, the two students in the front must stand up if they know the answer, and the first one to stand and get the answer right went to the back of the line.  I noticed that the students were struggling did not know how to add (or use their fingers) or they were just doing it at a slower pace.  However, with the teacher's encouragement, high energy of the game, and the multiple opportunities it offered to win a game, the struggling students started to catch on and got a chance to get at the level of the rest of the students.
• "TPR teaching method can facilitate long term lessons retention and make it fun for children to learn and develop their academic abilities."

Sources:

• Underwood, Sherry.  Personal Interview interview.  17, Jan. 2012. &  Hansen, Melissa.  Personal Interview interview.  17, April. 2012.
• Independent Component, Ms.  Underwood.
• Kiarie, David. "First Grade Teaching Methods - Total Physical Response (TPR)." Suite101.com. 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://david-kiarie.suite101.com/first-grade-teaching-tricks-total-physical-response-tpr-method-a353305>.