Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Beginning the Process
After completing the Action Research Proposal assignment, giving more serious reflection to my project and my plan, I am looking forward to trying action research in my classroom. I think that as an educator I have always taken time to reflect on my practice but I know this will be intentional and provide me with with information that can be utilized in my classroom. I have chosen to focus on providing feedback to my students on specific classroom behaviors and looking to see if this will help to improve the culture and community of my classroom. I am looking forward to seeing what information I can gather from my students and the observations that I make. I know that another great aspect of completing this project will be that as my school further implements PBIS, I will possibly have valuable information from my classroom that may help us grow as a school community as well.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Literature
There have been various pieces of literature that I have found related to my topics of interest for my project. I found that the questions provided by Hendricks (2013) for reflection were helpful while choosing the articles that I thought would be most helpful in my research. I have really appreciated the chance to read research articles related to topics that interest me. As mentioned in my previous post, my school has started to implement the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support program this year. This has given me the chance to gather more information about this program. I have not only gathered information for my project, but have gained valuable insights into this program and how it has been implemented in various places. I have enjoyed reading about this process from other perspectives. I would like to think that I would take the time to read this information regardless, but the reality, working towards this project has provided me with a chance to read and review literature that I would normally not have the time to seek out and read. I have really appreciated the ability to choose something that I feel in relevant to my classroom and school and have the opportunity to really dive in and learn more about it.
Hendricks, C. (2013). Improving schools through action research: A reflective practice approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Hendricks, C. (2013). Improving schools through action research: A reflective practice approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Monday, February 2, 2015
The Value of Action Research
Action research is a term I have often heard around school. Colleagues may have mentioned it in passing or various reading materials may have used the phrase. I will admit, however, that in the past I did not have a clear concept of what action research meant. I was able to use context clues, as I have taught my students, and draw conclusions about its definition or purpose. So far, this course has given me a much clearer picture of what action research is, the value that is has, and the purpose that can be found in using it.
I have always felt that teaching was a profession where it's necessary to reflect on our practices and evolve throughout our careers. What I am seeing now is that there is a process to guide teachers in this reflection and evolving process, especially when they are targeting a specific question or area of interest. Hendricks stated that when collecting data through action research it is important to know that this information is continuous, flexible, and constantly evolving. As I read, I compared this to how I feel about my job. It is continuous, flexibility is necessary, and everything is constantly evolving. From this I can see how action research naturally fits into education.
As far as my own project, I want to make sure it something that is both meaningful to myself but also my students and possible colleagues. Reflection is something that I naturally do in my process of trying to improve each lesson and plan for the next step in the classroom. I am looking forward to improving this reflection process by making it more meaningful through action research. I am still in the process of trying to narrow down an appropriate topic. My school has faced many changes and challenges this year and I feel that one of these areas would be meaningful for an action research project. I did my article review was related to the topic of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support. This area interests me because it is new to my school and many of my colleagues are unsure of the process and how it can be helpful within their classroom. I have many questions that could possibly get insight through an action research project. Another area I am interested in is the process of providing feedback to students, whether that be through just a number or letter, a rubric, written feedback, etc. I am curious which of these approaches would offer my students with the information necessary to be more successful. I will continue to read about these areas to narrow my focus.
Hendricks, C. (2013). Improving schools through action research: A reflective practice approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
I have always felt that teaching was a profession where it's necessary to reflect on our practices and evolve throughout our careers. What I am seeing now is that there is a process to guide teachers in this reflection and evolving process, especially when they are targeting a specific question or area of interest. Hendricks stated that when collecting data through action research it is important to know that this information is continuous, flexible, and constantly evolving. As I read, I compared this to how I feel about my job. It is continuous, flexibility is necessary, and everything is constantly evolving. From this I can see how action research naturally fits into education.
As far as my own project, I want to make sure it something that is both meaningful to myself but also my students and possible colleagues. Reflection is something that I naturally do in my process of trying to improve each lesson and plan for the next step in the classroom. I am looking forward to improving this reflection process by making it more meaningful through action research. I am still in the process of trying to narrow down an appropriate topic. My school has faced many changes and challenges this year and I feel that one of these areas would be meaningful for an action research project. I did my article review was related to the topic of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support. This area interests me because it is new to my school and many of my colleagues are unsure of the process and how it can be helpful within their classroom. I have many questions that could possibly get insight through an action research project. Another area I am interested in is the process of providing feedback to students, whether that be through just a number or letter, a rubric, written feedback, etc. I am curious which of these approaches would offer my students with the information necessary to be more successful. I will continue to read about these areas to narrow my focus.
Hendricks, C. (2013). Improving schools through action research: A reflective practice approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
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