Problems With The Plan

I see a few foreseeable problems with my action research plan on Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.

For me time is always a factor. With all of the extra duties that are placed on teachers it is hard to keep up with.

I think one way that I can combat this problem is to get my teachers on board. Currently they are very excited about this project. If I am able to keep the motivation and momentum going then I can empower them to take ownership with the project and take some of the load off of me.

Another area is having data to support my plan.

Initially I thought this would be a problem, but after reading the text I don’t think it will. I now realize that dat can come from a variety of sources not just test scores. I do think it will problematic to differentiate the test scores that I do use and to determine if the improvement is a result of more rigorous teaching. I also feel that the comparison scores that I will use may be tricky as well. I feel that sometimes scores are different because the tests are administered differently. I am going to select schools with like demographics and have a contact person at each campus. I will ensure that the testing environment is as close to ours as possible.

Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan

What To Pick? What To Pick?

What To Pick? What To Pick?


I have narrowed the field down to three possible topics for my action research project. I am passionate about all three. What to choose??


My top three choices are:


1. How can teachers make lessons more rigorous?


Our school is an exemplary school, but we as teachers are not engaging students in lessons that reach the high levels of Bloom’s. Our teachers also need help asking thought provoking questions and if they are skilled in this, do they accept low-level responses from the students? Our next staff development will be focused on critical thinking and adding rigor to lessons. This is of course a timely response to the new STAAR test.


2. Do the grades given to students really reflect their academic abilities?


In our school we have very involved parents. On many occasions our administration has been caught defending teachers on the case of grades. However sometimes parents bring up very valid questions regarding grading guidelines. My principal shared that some teachers take off points if a name is missing on a paper. She then argues that yes this is annoying, but lowering a student’s score because of this does not reflect the student’s academic ability. With all of the data collection, documentation, and tracking that we all do now true academic reflective grades are crucial.


3. How can we as educators effectively communicate with parents?


How can we as educators connect with parents of a 21st century student? What are preferred methods of parents? Do the majority of parents feel we do a good job communicating? How can we better inform our students and make them eager to share information with their parents?

Stay Tuned!!

 

Educational Leaders and Blogs

Educational Leaders and Blogs

Blogs are a great way to connect and develop Professional Learning Communities with other teachers and administrators from all over the world.  Professionals can collaborate with other professionals about problems and offer each other guidance and next steps.  I also have been quite successful with getting new and fresh ideas for lessons.  Most educators love to share and praise others for their efforts and this just widens our audience which is amazing.

Action Research

Action Research

     I have learned a lot this week about action research.  First and foremost, great schools lay the foundation by having a vision that is shared by all.  After this vision is known and shared then the next logical step is inquiry or action research.  The first step is determining a problem.  The teachers become active learners and are an integral part of the process.  We should be shifting from the one size fits all workshop to tailor meeting our staff development to the unique problems of our own schools and determining the course of action through research, data, collaboration, and reflective practices. Action research is a systematic process that engages and empowers members to facilitate change a solve solutions to problems.  I currently have many ideas of different action research projects.  One problem that our school is encountering is the lack of rigor and higher level Bloom's lessons.  Another problem that we are experiencing is different opinions on homework and very inconsistent practices among grade levels.  The last is a biggie.  Many of our teachers have difficulty finding the time to document data in our RTI tracking system.  How can we make this more teacher friendly and still be effective?  All of these problems in my opinion would make great action research projects.  Now to pick just one!