One of the things that I appreciated most about our course was the collection of videos from others who are currently using action research to benefit their professional practice. Watching these videos helped me to be able to some of the things that were common trends among all of the practitioners, as well as some things that were unique to each of them and their research methods.
Completing the discussion boards each week was also helpful to me in this course. It was good to be able to look at and comment on the ideas and work of my colleagues. On the same token, it was also good to be able to get their feedback on my ideas that I will be working with in my action research plan this coming year. Collaboration is an important aspect of good practice in general, and I found it to be especially helpful in this course. The same thing was true of posting on my blog. As I posted on my blog, I was able to articulate my ideas and then get additional feedback from others on what I had posted. I also got to do the same thing on the blogs of some other students in this course. In addition to looking at their ideas, I enjoyed seeing the way they set up their blogs for use in their practice in this course and beyond.
The videos done by the professors in this course gave us a good model for collaboration. The videos were done as a team and presented as such. Any action research that we strive to undertake will require the help and participation of others. We have to be willing and able to work well with others in order to be successful in completing our action research plans over the next school year. Even the videos that were done as simple summations were done in tandem by the professors. This model of collaboration is a good reminder for us as we go back to our districts and campuses and begin to implement our action research projects.
Both of the textbooks for this course provided some good practical ways to go about conducting action research. The texts went beyond simple theory and gave some concrete things that can and should be done when one is undertaking an action research project. The text also went beyond the project itself to look at ongoing assessment of the study in order to maintain any implemented changes. The Harris text also provided some very helpful free downloads that I will be able to use as I go through my action research plan. The Dana text provided some good exercises to be filled out with study plan specifics that act as templates to guide your study.
This course gave me a new idea of what the word “research” means. It took research beyond the web and reference books, and took it into my daily practice, making it more relevant and something that can truly change my practice as a teacher. I look forward to using the principles and steps that I have learned this coming year and beyond in order to improve myself as a teacher and improve the experience and success of my students.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2009). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 9 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education..
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Action Research--Week 2
This week I found it very helpful to listen to the educational leaders whose videos were in our video lectures. Their experience with action research and their tips to those of us who are making efforts to move into areas of leadership as well are things that can help us grow in our practice. The readings this week were helpful to inform the decisions being made about specific action research topics for us to study. I took this information with me to my meeting with my site supervisor. We looked at multiple possibilities for my action research project together. We discussed each in turn before making our decision on which idea I would move forward with. We looked at the ideas of how the use of technology (such as the use of interactive white boards) aids the motivation of students in the classroom, how the training of teachers on the development of personal web pages can effect the quality of those pages and how well they are maintained throughout the school year, and we looked at how effective our school's mentorship program can be because of special demographic of emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students. After looking at all of these, we decided that I would use the last of these for my action research project. There is a lot less existing research on this topic, so we are looking forward to the results of this study. This makes it challenging in one way, but I also believe it makes it a very helpful and rewarding topic to research and study as well.
Monday, July 12, 2010
EDLD5301 Week 1
Action research is something that I think is (at least for me) fairly intuitive. When you look at your instruction in light of your student's learning, you want to constantly be improving. When you notice a challenge for you, your students, or both, it is natural to want to look at ways to make things better. It makes sense to start by posing a question, so that you know where to begin. After doing this, it is helpful to me to follow the next step of action research, which is to look at research done by others on the topic you are trying to address in your classroom. After doing this the "true" action research begins. You look at your instructional methods in a particular area, whether it be content, behavior, classroom management, classroom arrangement, et al, and see the effects of those methods on the learning of students. After gathering this data through journaling or other methods of data collection, you the analyze the data you have gathered. What worked better? What should be discontinued? What do other teachers do in a similar situation? After analyzing the data, you then are ready to make decisions and plans based on what you learned. The goal end result of action research is a change in educational practice. This change is based on the analysis of data performed by the teacher after the data collection is complete. This can be done alone or in collaboration with others, even up to an entire campus looking at campus-wide improvement. The benefits of actions research are many. They include improved instruction, increased student learning, improved relationships among faculty members after staff collaboration, among other benefits that stem from action research.
Educational leaders can use blogs in order to do many different things. They can use their blog to communicate to different groups, including parents, students, the community, and their faculty and staff. They can use their blog to discuss challenges, sharing ideas for solutions as well as asking others to respond with new ideas for solutions. An educational leader can use their blog for motivating. This could be used to benefit students or to benefit teachers on their campuses.
Educational leaders can use blogs in order to do many different things. They can use their blog to communicate to different groups, including parents, students, the community, and their faculty and staff. They can use their blog to discuss challenges, sharing ideas for solutions as well as asking others to respond with new ideas for solutions. An educational leader can use their blog for motivating. This could be used to benefit students or to benefit teachers on their campuses.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Week 5 Reflections
There are many benefits to having educators learn to design and implement online learning. These benefits are helpful both to the educators themselves as well as all of their students, and by extension, our communities as a whole. Educators can give greater access to a greater number of students by delivering course work online. They are not limited simply to the students in a single classroom. When delivering content to students who are in their classroom, they can teach those students new technology and still deliver the same content as in more traditional course delivery methods. Students can learn what they need to learn in a way that is more like the situations that they will encounter after they complete their formal education and enter the workforce. The longer the technology exists for online education, the more precise, user-friendly, and accessible it becomes to more and more users. Teachers can supplement instruction in online instruction with video, discussion board collaboration, students blogs for reflecting on learning, and many others.
The course I designed will be helpful to me next year in my current teaching position. I teach at a self-contained special education campus for all emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students. As a result of this, I have students who are at similar levels behaviorally in one class, but they are at very different levels cognitively and academically. This course will be helpful to me to be able to make adjustments for students who need extra scaffolding as well as being able to provide additional enrichment for students who are ahead and need it. I made a pre-assessment in my course to check for prior knowledge so that within each class I can create pullout groups of students who are at similar ability levels. I was able to plan a progressive program for my students, where they will be able to build on not only their prior learning, but also build on what they learned previously in my online course, just as they would with a traditionally delivered course.
I do integrate online learning now, and will continue to do so in the future. The more that I learn about new ways to do this and new tools that can be used, I am expanding my own knowledge base, so that I can then share the learning that I have acquired with both my students and with the staff that I work with. My students complete some of their tasks and receive some instruction online now as it is. Going forward, I am looking at ways to make the online learning in my classroom more cohesive and connected overall. I have shared much of what I have learned with other teachers and administrators that I work with. I would like to be able to conduct more professional development sessions both utilizing what I have learned as well as teaching others how to do the same. While there are some who are hesitant to learn any new technology, there are many teachers that I work with who would embrace the ability to use new technology in their classrooms with their students as well as professionally for themselves.
Some subjects seem automatically to lean toward being suited for online delivery to students, while others seem more challenging. This is probably due at least in part to my relative lack of experience. A major thing that I would like to continue to learn about in the area of distance education is how to incorporate all subject matter areas seamlessly in the online arena. I would also like to learn more about being able to administer exams successfully without the worry of cheating that often accompanies online learning. One way I have thought about doing this is to focus more on product-based assessment of a student’s learning, rather than a traditional question-and-answer or essay assessment. I would be interested in learning new ways of doing this as well as seeing how other teachers and professional development trainers have accomplished this. I would also like to allow for more collaboration and reflection on the part of my students. In incorporating this, I would like to know how others are doing this beyond the usual suspects (wikis, blogs, etc.).
The new learning I acquire in answering my questions that remain about online education would help me to improve the way that I am able to deliver curriculum and content to my students. Not only would they be able to receive content in a new appealing way that is interesting to students. They would also be getting information in a way that more closely resembles the way in which they will be required to receive and process information after school in the “real world” such as job sites. Collaboration is an important aspect of online education. Sometimes we in education are afraid of allowing students to participate in online collaboration (read: social networking) and many sites at which student could collaborate are blocked. This would be a very central piece in what I would like to learn and see grow in my own teaching practice for the sake of my students.
Distance learning on the rise, Brian Towie, Metro Canada, November 25, 2008.
Merriam, s., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in Adulthood, New York: Wiley.
The course I designed will be helpful to me next year in my current teaching position. I teach at a self-contained special education campus for all emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students. As a result of this, I have students who are at similar levels behaviorally in one class, but they are at very different levels cognitively and academically. This course will be helpful to me to be able to make adjustments for students who need extra scaffolding as well as being able to provide additional enrichment for students who are ahead and need it. I made a pre-assessment in my course to check for prior knowledge so that within each class I can create pullout groups of students who are at similar ability levels. I was able to plan a progressive program for my students, where they will be able to build on not only their prior learning, but also build on what they learned previously in my online course, just as they would with a traditionally delivered course.
I do integrate online learning now, and will continue to do so in the future. The more that I learn about new ways to do this and new tools that can be used, I am expanding my own knowledge base, so that I can then share the learning that I have acquired with both my students and with the staff that I work with. My students complete some of their tasks and receive some instruction online now as it is. Going forward, I am looking at ways to make the online learning in my classroom more cohesive and connected overall. I have shared much of what I have learned with other teachers and administrators that I work with. I would like to be able to conduct more professional development sessions both utilizing what I have learned as well as teaching others how to do the same. While there are some who are hesitant to learn any new technology, there are many teachers that I work with who would embrace the ability to use new technology in their classrooms with their students as well as professionally for themselves.
Some subjects seem automatically to lean toward being suited for online delivery to students, while others seem more challenging. This is probably due at least in part to my relative lack of experience. A major thing that I would like to continue to learn about in the area of distance education is how to incorporate all subject matter areas seamlessly in the online arena. I would also like to learn more about being able to administer exams successfully without the worry of cheating that often accompanies online learning. One way I have thought about doing this is to focus more on product-based assessment of a student’s learning, rather than a traditional question-and-answer or essay assessment. I would be interested in learning new ways of doing this as well as seeing how other teachers and professional development trainers have accomplished this. I would also like to allow for more collaboration and reflection on the part of my students. In incorporating this, I would like to know how others are doing this beyond the usual suspects (wikis, blogs, etc.).
The new learning I acquire in answering my questions that remain about online education would help me to improve the way that I am able to deliver curriculum and content to my students. Not only would they be able to receive content in a new appealing way that is interesting to students. They would also be getting information in a way that more closely resembles the way in which they will be required to receive and process information after school in the “real world” such as job sites. Collaboration is an important aspect of online education. Sometimes we in education are afraid of allowing students to participate in online collaboration (read: social networking) and many sites at which student could collaborate are blocked. This would be a very central piece in what I would like to learn and see grow in my own teaching practice for the sake of my students.
References
Distance learning on the rise, Brian Towie, Metro Canada, November 25, 2008.
Merriam, s., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in Adulthood, New York: Wiley.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
UDL Lesson Reflection
Designing a UDL lesson was fun and a little daunting. Universal design for learning is an educational concept based on architectural universal design. In architecture, universal design creates buildings that are more accessible for all people. Education has taken this concept and come up with universal design for learning, which similarly gives better access to educational concepts and curriculum to all students. It not only will help struggling students to close their achievement gap, but it will also provide enrichment and growth opportunities for higher-achieving and gifted students.
The lesson created in this week's assignment is something I am wanting to go and do at my school, even though I do not tech that subject or that grade level anymore. I got really excited about it. Our group was doing a 6th grade social studies lesson. We decided to create a unit where students work in groups to present a mock-G8 summit. Students are divided into heterogeneous groups by teacher and are assigned a country from the G8 membership that their group will represent. Within the groups, students will divide up roles and responsibilities. They will be responsible for researching and being able to present on the government, geography, economy, etc., of their assigned country. They will also choose from three options a final product to turn in demonstrating their group's research and learning. Groups will be able to turn in a power point presentation, a photo story, or a digital poster. Students will be given rubrics to know how their learning will be assessed for both the final products and summit presentations.
This is a complex project and learning unit, but it does allow for lots of differentiation for students. They will be able to pick what type of product they would like to turn in. Students will be in hgeterogeneous groups, allowing for stronger members to help those who need it. Students will have access to print, electronic, and audio resources for their research. Groups will be able to divide up roles on their own, so that students can be matched to a role within the group that is most suited to their own strengths.
The lesson created in this week's assignment is something I am wanting to go and do at my school, even though I do not tech that subject or that grade level anymore. I got really excited about it. Our group was doing a 6th grade social studies lesson. We decided to create a unit where students work in groups to present a mock-G8 summit. Students are divided into heterogeneous groups by teacher and are assigned a country from the G8 membership that their group will represent. Within the groups, students will divide up roles and responsibilities. They will be responsible for researching and being able to present on the government, geography, economy, etc., of their assigned country. They will also choose from three options a final product to turn in demonstrating their group's research and learning. Groups will be able to turn in a power point presentation, a photo story, or a digital poster. Students will be given rubrics to know how their learning will be assessed for both the final products and summit presentations.
This is a complex project and learning unit, but it does allow for lots of differentiation for students. They will be able to pick what type of product they would like to turn in. Students will be in hgeterogeneous groups, allowing for stronger members to help those who need it. Students will have access to print, electronic, and audio resources for their research. Groups will be able to divide up roles on their own, so that students can be matched to a role within the group that is most suited to their own strengths.
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