Research

Mini AR Reflection
May 23, 2014
I feel accomplished with my first attempt at an action research project. I felt like I was going in blind yet was able to kind of figure out things as I went. As I prepare for my new project and implementation next year it has become apparent how important the researching ahead of time truly is. I was so excited to start observing and analyzing things in my classroom that the research was put on the back-burner and then I was scrambling to write and organize the review of literature. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to attempt, flounder a bit, and end up coming out okay in the end. I feel so much more prepared going into our next phase of the program. It is excited to start piece things together and make a plan for next year. It should be exciting!
If you'd like to read more, visit my 2014 Action Research Project.


Final Update
April 30, 2014
Wow, where have the past two months gone? I have been implementing my behavior monitoring plan with my class of 24 second graders for about two months. Looking at my data, I can see that it is not as concrete as tried to get it. This mini action research project has made me realize that I need to choose something for specific that I can assess progress in different ways. While I can say that I feel that this project has benefited my classroom environment, it is harder for me to prove it. I do have numbers and comparisons but not anything specific to show gains or losses. Time for the old "honesty" to roll itself out... After attending the Spring Conference it was hard for me to put the time and effort into wrapping up this current project when I had so many ideas to try and thoughts coming to mind about my project theme for next year. I've been trying a little -this- and a little -that- as  I try to narrow things down for the coming school year. Full speed ahead!'

AR Update
April 10, 2014
After returning from Spring Break I was pleasantly surprised with how easily most of my class got right back into our routine. We spent some time on Monday morning reviewing what things will continue to look like in our classroom for the remainder of the year. I collected their March journals and am still wading through to compare them with my observation notes. We also started new April journals as I think having more data will help me see the big picture of whether or not my project was a success. I hope to have more concrete data to draw some conclusions from in the next two weeks or so. This kind of feels like the never-ending project but I think that's okay for now... I have to let it run its course until I feel like I have a good grasp on things.

I am also really looking forward to our conference this weekend. I have had several moments of uncertainty and doubt during this project. It will be great to see colleagues in action sharing what they have done and the processes that worked or didn't work for them. I hope it will give me a confidence boost now that I won't be going in totally cold.

First Month...Complete!
March 28, 2014
I have had my Action Research plan in place for the past three weeks. Thankfully we have gotten into our routine (both myself with the iPad and kids with their behavior journals). The overall feeling of kids is that they are excited and want to behave well in class; what else can a teacher really ask for? I am still working with a few students to progress to a more positive place in our classroom. We currently don't have any extra plans in place but will look into some possibilities after Spring Break.

Data Analysis
As I analyze my data I am realizing that in order for the most accurate results I will need to continue collecting data for a couple more weeks. I just don't think three weeks of data makes my results very strong or convincing. 
That being said, here's what we do know...
     * From the first to the last week, 16 of my 24 students showed positive growth in their behavior
     * I have met with those students without growth and gave them one specific goal to work on based on their results

Now What?
My original Action Plan Timeline has kind of gone out the window. Initially I had planned to move to the next step (individual student plans based on results) but I just don't feel ready yet. I feel like we have finally gotten into the groove of things and want to see how things change as we get out of the "honeymoon" phase.
So here's where we're going...
     * Continue data collection/analysis for two more weeks
     * Sit down with data and student journals and look for patterns
     * Get insight from students in a whole class setting about the pros and cons of this particular behavior system. Also, ask for suggestions on changes we could make.
   
Update on Progress
March 21, 2014
My Action Research has been going pretty well. I did decide to tweak things a little and just focus on the behavior aspect. I realized that it was a little overwhelming for my students to journal about their behavior AND keep a checklist of assignments and tasks. Through our journals they are asked to still make notes about getting assignments done on time, forgetting folders/papers at home, etc.

Using the compass to guide me...

E=Excited

What excites me about your action research so far?

     I met with my students individually for this second time this afternoon. I was excited to see their interest in the improvements they are making. The majority are very honest about how they are acting during the day. It was fun to see them get so happy when they saw their "score" improve from last week. We had a very busy and out of routine day on Tuesday so I didn't use the iPad. I'm not sure if it was the lack of iPad, lack of routine, or both that made Tuesday seem so much more chaotic. Hmmm...

W=Worrisome

What do I find worrisome about my action research so far?

     I am worried about the handful of students that consistently write 'good' for every note each day even after talking with them last week about being honest. Are they really that clueless? Don't want to get in trouble? Don't care?

N=Need to know

What else do I need to know or find out about concerning my action research at this time?

     I need to find out more about how to transitioning from the iPad to students monitoring themselves. Have other teachers had luck? Do some teachers use this app daily as their school year behavior system? At this point I'm not super comfortable with an iPad in tow all the time but maybe there is more succinct way of doing it that I am unaware of.

S=Suggestion for Moving Forward

What is my current stance or opinion on my action research process? How might I move forward from here?

     I think the research process has gone well up to this point. Now I am getting to the point of what comes next. Obviously I will need to transition to something more permanent for some of my students that continue to struggle. Should I stick with this system for those students? For everyone?

This taste of Action Research gets me excited to go to the conference in April and hear about so many interesting things going on in classrooms. That will be us next year! :)

Action Research Plan
February 28, 2014

1. Need or rationale: This group of students has really struggled with behavior and responsibilities within our classroom. Students will now take more ownership of both issues and create a plan to make improvements.

Final AR question: How can I help my students to self-monitor within our classroom in the areas of behavior and task completion?

Behavior Monitoring
February 7, 2014
I decided to focus on students self-monitoring for behavior for my Action Research project. I tried out a monitoring chart a couple of weeks ago and was pleased with what I found. This week I tried out pretty non-invasive forms of monitoring. Throughout the week I had students become aware of their own behavior by taking a few moments each day to have "self checks". I simply asked students a short series of questions for them to assess their behavior and make changes if needed. A few students really too this to heart while a few others were not affected in the least bit. Next week I hope to try out a few more "official" tactics next week and start documenting what I notice.