Action Research Thoughts

Elementary Action Research Example Part 1

1. What is the title of the project?

Using Readers Theater to Show Off Good Reading 

2. What is the Question?

There are several guiding questions in the action research including:

• What does readers theater look like in my classroom?

• What is the impact of readers theater on my students’ levels of fluency?

• What is the impact of readers theater on my students’ levels of comprehension?

• What changes in students’ level of interest in reading and reading behaviors are noted following the use of readers theater?

4. What strategy is being used to address?

Simulation and Games

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?

The National Reading Panel in 2000 identified fluency as a major component to students’ success in reading efficiency and comprehension. Readers Theater can have a positive effect on fluency.


6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work?
Data will be collected through surveys, fluency assessments, and observation.

7. How was the data analyzed?
A survey was given at the beginning and end of the study to gauge students’ reading habits and interest in reading.  A fluency assessment was given four times over the study to assess improvement in word recognition, reading rate, expression, and comprehension.  Student performances of scripts were taped and assessed for improvement in fluency.

8. What were the results?
There were improved levels of fluency and comprehension, as well as word recognition and reading rate.  All students improved in some way, but gains were not equal for all students.  The surveys showed that attitudes toward reading also were more positive.


9. How do the results inform teacher practice?
Readers Theater in reading programs should and can be implemented to improve students’ performance and attitude toward reading. Readers Theater can is an engaging way to help struggling students with their fluency.





1. What is the problem?
Students have difficulty recognizing rhyme and word families in text.

2. What is the rationale for the project?
The school’s Strategic Plan identifies basic literacy skills as a goal. The principal and host teacher at the school agree that students struggle with recognizing rhyme and word families. According to research (Allen, 1996) rhyming games can help students improve their recognition of rhyme and word families in text.

3. What strategy will be used to address this problem?
Simulations and Games; rhyming games will be used with the students.

4. What is the question?
How can I use a variety of rhyming games to help my students recognize rhyme and word families in text?

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?
According to the research (Wylie and Durrell, 1970) children learn words more easily by the use of “rhyming phonograms” as opposed to decoding rules.  In the research report Integrated Strategies Approach:  Making Word Identification Instruction Work for Beginning Readers, rhyming games and activities were identified as aiding rhyme development and recognition.

6. How will data be collected?
A pre/post test will be given at the beginning and end of the study, as well as an attitude survey.  Throughout the study work samples will be collected and analyzed, and the teacher will observe the children playing the games with a checklist.

Double Journal Entry #11

What is formative assessment?Formative assessment is an assessment specifically for learning, not of what has already been learned. This type of assessment informs both the teacher and student so adjustments can be made in order to improve learning. 


What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?Formative assessment is focused on student learning.

Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.Providing feedback is a research-based strategy that is strongly connected to best practices in formative assessment.

Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.A rubric can be a formative assessment because it can assist students working towards their goal or assignment. The rubric can also be used as a summative assessment to help assign a grade to students.

Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.My cooperating teacher uses a timer for multiple assignments and testing for the first grade students. One thing that is related to their formative assessment is that students must be able to count to 200 within a certain set amount of time for state testing. She tests the students on a weekly basis counting their numbers and keeping a record of how long it took them to count.

What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?Specific student feedback needs to be given as soon as possible, so that the critic or feedback can be used to improve the students work before they receive a grade on it. 

Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.High quality formative assessment helps to identify students who do not understand the material so that the teacher can adjust or reteach if necessary. High quality formative assessment also provides an opportunity to give the student feedback and encouragement which build self esteem. This also allows them to understand the assignment and feel as though it had more importance, or that they have more of a connection to it.

What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?High quality formative assessment requires a lot more time and effort on the teacher's part (as does most things worth doing). But the result of this type of assessment and teaching is a better understanding from students and in turn better grades and testing. To teach, the teacher must gather all information possible so that they remained informed prior to, during and after instruction.

Resources:NA. (2005). Focus on effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/NCTE. (2010). Fostering high-quality. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0201-sep2010/CC0201PolicyBrief.pdf

Student Interest Inventory

These are the results from an interest survey taken by first graders and put into wordle to create a word cloud. 

Role #2 The Affiliator and Technophile

Click here to see Bee Community Blog 1 

Click here to see Bee Community Blog 2

Overall aesthetics 

The Bee Community Blog 1 has much better aesthetic appeal. However text on both blogs are centered and the layout on both is cluttered and confusing. I like the use of pictures and colors on the first blog, but it get really busy and crowded. I like the simplicity of the second blog but it is also very plain. A compromise between the design elements of both blogs would be beneficial to our blog.

Process

The process is the same for each webquest.The process is very clear, instructions are concise and understandable. I don't feel like the process is very rich in depth and does not build (scaffold) on prior knowledge or even know retained in this particular activity. In our blog, I would like to build knowledge a little better for students understanding.

Resources

The links were very useful towards the subject matter, however we are relating bees to characteristics of good citizens. Some of the links were broken and some won't relate with our new direction so we will have to include more links found on our.

Overall this webquest will be an introduction to a unit, that is not specifically about bees but about citizenship. These blogs overall  would be given a 2/3 if I were grading them.

CSOs for second grade:
S.S.O.2.1.2  examine examples of honesty, trustworthiness, compassion and empathy in daily life experiences.
S.S.O.2.1.3  model the personal responsibilities of good citizenship in the classroom (e.g., responsibility, self-control).

Double Journal Entry #8

What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?

Because inquiry approaches are so complex, they present several challenges to teachers attempting to use them in their classrooms. When teachers do not completely understand how to use this approach in the classroom, it becomes stressful and unsuccessful. The confusion of the teacher filters down to students that don't receive proper scaffolding and assessment.

Make connections between project-based learning and three research-based strategies. Give a brief explanation of the connections.Simulations and games- In project-based learning, students solve real-world problems. Simulations are useful to help provide examples of how to react and what to do in real-world situations. Any group or whole-class activity requires specific discipline set in place so that this strategy to works properly. 


Setting objectives- Project-based learning requires goal and objective setting. The teacher should plan objectives, and then students solve the problem and create a project to achieve the set goal or objective. 

Cooperative grouping- Something vital to project-based learning is small groups. Students learn to work in small cooperative groups which requires them to work together and be an active participant in the group. The connection between cooperative grouping and project-based learning is an important one, in shich you cannot effectively have one without the other.

Reference:

Research-based strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/ 

Double Journal Entry #7

1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?

Instructional knowledge from the teacher and text through lectures and discussion are showing signs of wear in the classroom.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Project-based learning enhances student learning more than traditional approaches because it develops higher order thinking skills, develops critical thinkers, and effective speakers and writers. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Bransford & Donovan, 2005) It provides personal connections from students' work to real-life situations. Students involved in Project-based learning, benefit from factual learning that are equivalent to students who engage in traditional learning instruction. (Thomas, 2000) Project-based learning gives students opportunities to use multimedia in the classroom. Students in this study performed better on content, design, and reaching the audience. (Penuel, Means, Simpkins, 2000) Communication, research, and presentations are the key aspects of this benefit.

3.  According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

A benefit its that students are given problems where there is not one exact answer which allows them to use creativity, critical thinking and understanding to find answer a problem. (Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003) Students are better prepared to generate and explain hypotheses. (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al, 1996) They can also support their hypothesis with well-reasoned arguments. (Stepien et al, 1993)

4.  According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Students are become experts on the content they are working with when using Learning by Design because they have research the artifact they create. (Hmelo, Holton, & Kolodner, 2000) Students better understand complex systems. (Perkins, 1986) Students have the chance to design artifacts that display their understanding and relate the artifact to a real-world concept. (Fortus and colleagues, 2004)

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

Project-based learning produces an actual project from the students. Problem-based has the students working in small groups to solve a given problem. Learning by Design directs students to create an artifact that will be presented based on understanding and application of the material covered. Though the three approaches are different, they work nicely together and all stem from a higher order of thinking.

6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches? 
The most important benefit to these inquiry-based learning approaches is the fact that they are hands-on. They allow students to participate and take an active role in their learning rather than just listening. My mother used to tell me "You never know until you try," and that makes perfect sense in the classroom. Learning by experience is so much more beneficial than listening to a lecture.

Reference:
Baron, , B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (1991). Teaching for meaningful learners. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

PowerPoint Quiz Reflection

Reinforcing Effort was an instructional strategy that was not exhibited in the PowerPoint activity. In order for the activity to fall into that category, the instructor would have had to be more supportive and encouraging. This instructional strategy requires a supportive atmosphere and the students' belief that they can succeed. In order to achieve this type of environment, the teacher should simply be more supportive. For example they may have given some support to the students by proving that they believed in them, and encouraging them along the way.