4th Grade Action Research Project Update

    I implemented my 4^th Grade Action Research project after Christmas break.  At first my students were happy to help and almost excited.  For the most part they were willing participants in working on the activities they were given.  The majority of my students enjoyed discussions, but there were students who didn’t want to participate even when being called on.  4^th Grade behaviors have slowly changed, from worse to better.  However, there are still some students who choose to make decisions for which they don’t like the consequences.  I’m not convinced this project has anything to do with it only because we have tried since day number one to instill character in our students.  There have been several changes, such as the loss of “behavior challenged” students who had great effects on the outcome of classroom behavior.   We regrouped our students based on behavioral need prior to Thanksgiving, and then we had to regroup again in February due to the loss of too many students. The loss of these students and the typical change in behavior are hopefully accompanied by this project to promote better behavior.  We have asked for conferences with parents of various students who have been struggling with their behavior and we have received no feedback, until recently.  We have a few parents who have made the commitment to help their children begin to succeed by changing their behaviors.  Typical bullying also seemed to slow down for a while.  Within the last month it has picked back up again, but it also began to involve parents getting into the mix.  The situation has been handled properly, and if it continues it will be passed on to a higher level authority off campus.  As the year has drug on, the more we have tested and the closer we get to the end of the year, some behaviors are starting to pick back up.  Students are getting restless for many reasons, but they are also beginning to show a lack of excitement over helping with my research.  As they do their homework, some students do not seem to care if they finish what is asked of them on a regular basis.  Hopefully once testing is over then my students will be able to climb back on board and finish off the year with getting a lot accomplished.

Character Education Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan   Goal: To conduct an investigation on implementing a Character Education Program to see if there is an improvement in behavior, grades and incidents of bullying.   Action Step(s): Person(s) Responsible: Timeline Start/End: Needed Resources: Evaluation: 1)Students will complete an open-ended character pre-survey. Jackie Martinson December 20th , 2012   September 2013 Paper/Pencil Survey Read each survey and analyze students’ understanding of each character trait. 2)Implement various character education lessons and assigning corresponding activities. Jackie Martinson Students January - May 2013   September 2013 – March 2014 Various Materials/Activities Group/Independent Discussion Student participation and completion of activities 3)Teacher nominated  Fourth Grade Character STAR Jackie Martinson   3 other 4th Grade teachers Each 6 Weeks January - May 2013   September – March 2014 Nomination Sheet   “Fourth Grade Character STAR” Wall (Picture and Star)   Fourth Grade Character STAR Certificate Chick-Fil-A Gift Cards Teachers will select a student to nominate for each of the character categories in which they represent.  Students will receive a Certificate, a gift card to Chick-Fil-A and their name and picture on the Character Wall 4)Analyze classroom conduct charts to track weekly behavior changes Jackie Martinson 3 other 4th Grade teachers January – May 2013 (weekly)   September 2013-March 2014 (weekly) Weekly conduct chart Tracking weekly student behavior looking for positive effects 5)Analyze student grades at the end of every 6 weeks grading period Jackie Martinson At the end of every 6 weeks beginning January 2013 – May 2013    September 2013 – March 2014 Student report cards Track student grades by report cards every 6 weeks to watch for increases or decreases in grades. 6) Daily observations of bullying incidents and weekly or monthly 4th grade bullying referrals to the school counselor. -Jackie     Martinson -Other 3 4th Grade teachers -School counselor January – May 2013   September 2013 – March 2014 Weekly Bullying Reporting Sheet Track the number of 4th grade bullying referrals to school counselor. Track weekly bullying reporting and how the situation was handled within each of the 4th grade classroom. 7) Analyze data to decide what did or did not work, and if there are any changes to make which would improve the program for the next year. Jackie Martinson   Other 4th Grade Teachers May 2013 4th Grade Teacher Survey Use teacher survey and observations to improve this program to use for the 2013-2014 school year

Week 2: Action Research

There are so many things a teacher has to do on a daily basis, and somedays I wonder how any of us make it through!  There are many situations we face daily that we many not quiet understand, but while participating in this program we will learn how to gain a deeper understanding of anything we face.  Action research allows us to focus on one question at a time, and then extend our wondering in whichever direction we choose.

This week while watching the provided videos I learned a great deal.  Mr. Briseno caught my attention when he said he said if a teacher comes to him with a problem he first asks what the problem is, and the what the source of the problem is.  He said not to focus on the data for the whole story as to what an individual student's performance is.  His reasoning is one that I agree with whole-heartily.  Like him, I believe what happens at home has a great affect on a student's perfomance.  I've had students who were staying up late doing homework because they were too busy taking care of younger siblings to do it when they got home.  I've also had students who were going through unthinkable events.  I also have had students whom had test anxiety so bad that they shut down as soon as I started passing out tests.  One school year I had 4 girls that would cry and freeze up everytime we tested, and it took me about half the school year to get them confident in themselves so that they didn't break down. Now their class grade was great, but their test scores were lacking.  Data is not the answer we need, performance and understanding is what we should focus on.  I tell my students all the time if they work their hardest during the school year to learn as much as what they can, then when it comes time to test, they will okay.  I know what my students do on a daily basis, and I know what I do to help my students succeed, that i don't depend on data to give me any insight into my students.  I do what I have to do with the data for my district, but I put it off to the side and focus on what matters, the 75 futures I'm in charge of this year.

I've learned a lot just by reading the action research examples for the nine passions of leadership.  The nine passions include: staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers, individual students, community/culture building, leadership skills, managment, school performance and social justice.  Each passion is important in the building of a great school leader, and the way one goes about implementing them is key to a successful school.

What is Action Research?

   When I first read the question "What is action research?", I wasn't exactly sure.  After reading I found action research is the hands on process professionals complete to gain a deeper understanding of what he or she is inquiring about. This process allows the researcher to identify a problem that needs to be changed, and then to actually go through the steps to makes those changes happen.  While in the process of researching, the researcher can see the outcome and make changes if something is not working as it should.  Once the process is complete the new insight gained leaves behind a stronger educator and hopefully improved school.
    Traditional educational research gives the researcher another "expert" opinion or finding to implement.  While the research given could be the most credible findings, the researcher did not go through the entire process to find what works.  Therefore the researcher did not gain a deep understanding of how the results were founded.  I relate the importance of doing the research yourself to the Chinese Proverb that states, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."  Knowledge in doing something for yourself is much more powerful than someone handing you their knowledge.
    Perhaps the most powerful part of the action research process is reflection.  In action research your reflection is an on-going process, from the creation of your question to the outcomes in the action.  As a teacher I have learned reflection is an important part of my daily routine.  I may reflect a hundred times before lunch everyday without knowing I am, just because of its importance to the education process.  During the research process, reflection allows the researcher to gain a clearer picture of the experience and provides the ability to make a connection with the results.  Reflection can also connect experiences and allows the researcher to continue researching new inquiries which arose during the original research. 
    Everyone has asked "Why?" about a topic, found the answer and had a new question that arose from the previous result.  Humans are curious by nature, and the action research process allows the researcher an outlet to "quench the thirst" for unending knowledge.  Perhaps this is the reason why professionals in the education field have taken to this process.  Educators are after all forever students.
     As a student of education and its ever changing foundation, I will use action research to help improve my theories and strategies.  The use of action research will also allow me to focus on what the most important improvements are and "tweak" smaller improvements along the way.  Once taught, my students can also begin to research their own inquiries and learn to become better problem solvers.  Action research, if used to its full potential, could be the clue in giving the field of education a new makeover. 



References

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

BLOGS: A NEW age in Education

As classrooms are becoming more dependent on technology, teachers and administrators need to find new ways to develop those 21st Century Skills.  Blogs are a perfect tool for teachers and administrators to network, read various perspectives on issues, research, reflect on daily events, communicate with one another and with their students. 

• Networking allows teachers/administrators to connect with professionals outside of their immediate areas, perhaps world wide.  Networking could lead to professional relationships/friendships across oceans that were once upon a time unavailable. 

• Reading blogs on various subjects gives teachers/administrators different perspectives to consider.  This could give a teacher new insight on a new law change or perhaps allow an administrator to see a teacher's point of view on various school related issues.

• Teachers/administrators can research different topics through blogs and use specific example from those who are on the "front lines" of education.

• Blogs allow teachers/administrators to reflect on experiences that have already happened.  These reflections can be shared with other professionals or revisited in the future so that the teacher or administrator can learn a new perspective from the situation.

• Communication within the teaching community allows for professionals to share with one another.  This could be as simple as "vent" about teaching, tell a funny student story or anything they might deem worthy of sharing.  Not only can teachers/administrators communicate with each other, but teacher can also communicate with their students if they choose to set up a blog with their students.  Including students within the blogging process allows for greater development of the 21st Century Learner Skills.

Teachers and administrators can gain so many experiences from participating in blogs or blogging.  If all teachers and administrators took to blogging, then the education community could build a broader sound base of information.  We are all together in building the same bright futures for our students, so we must stick together to be sure that we succeed in our mission!