Action Research Project

     The goal of this research investigation is to look at how mobility affects the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills for 5^th grade math students.  The objective will be to examine the data of students who have been in class all year and see how they compare to students who move into or out of the school prior to the test administration in the March/April timeframes.  Results for the past four years will be the desired area of research.  Once the data is obtained, devised plans for supporting students that enter the classroom midterm and not counted against the campus pass/fail rate. 

Action Planning Template
Goal:  What is the effect of student mobility on school performance scores as measured on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKStm) in fifth grade math?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.  Meet with campus principal/site manager to discuss action plan.	Maureen Adams Principal/Site Mentor	Start: March 2012 End:  May 2013	Draft Action research Plan	Notes and suggestions taken from initial meeting.
2.  Obtain 2007 – 2011 TAKS math scores for 5th grade at West Ward Elementary School.	Randy Clements, Maureen Adams, Cliff Holder, Jeffery Heckathorn, Anna Flores, Timothy Tidwell,	Start: April 2012 End:  May 2013	Campus TAKS data for 2007 – 2011, Internet, computer with Microsoft Excel.	Study data and review.
3.  Meet with PEIMS staff to obtain data for mobility students.  Track those that remained within district.	Randy Clements, Jeffery Heckathorn, Anna Flores,	Start: April 2012 End:  May 2013	Date/Time group for appointment with PEIMS personnel, computer, internet access and	Note and suggestions taken from the meeting.
4.  Collate and analyze data.  Look for patterns for mobility students.	Randy Clements, Jeffery Heckathorn, Anna Flores	Start: May 2012 End:  May 2013	Computer with Microsoft Excel.	Study data and review.  Evaluate all data gathered and summarize results.
5.  Research and compare result from other campuses on TAKS results for 5th grade math to see if there is a correlation of data.	Randy Clements, Jeffery Heckathorn, Anna Flores	Start: July 2012 End:  May 2013	District TAKS data for 2007 – 2011, Internet, computer with Microsoft Excel.	Study data and review.
6.  Discuss student results with principal and 5th grade math teachers.	Randy Clements, Maureen Adams, Teresa Garvin, Chelle Blaize, Nancy Fisher, Allison Farrow	Start: September 2012 End:  May 2013	Computer, internet.	Summarize results to staff and begin development strategies to support students.
7.  Introduce strategies for supporting students entering classrooms outside the PEIMS dates for TAKS formalized testing.	Randy Clements, Maureen Adams, Teresa Garvin, Chelle Blaize, Nancy Fisher, Allison Farrow	Start: October  2012 End:  May 2013	Eduphoria, Cscope,  time to meet with faculty and 5th grade math staff and special staff.	Introduce strategies for supporting new students and supporting them prior to TAKS/STAAR testing for 2012-2013 school year.
8.  Implement changes and track progress for the following year’s STAAR testing.	Randy Clements, Maureen Adams	Start: December 2012 End:  May 2013	Collected data, computer, time.	Plan on-going professional development opportunities.

Data and Action Research

      I learned this week that no matter the action research project, they are very much data driven.  With the advent of more sophisticated data collection capabilities, i.e. surveys, spreadsheets, databases, etc., data is more readily available for conducting researches.   Many action research projects will involve heavily the use of these means of collection and collation to develop courses of action.   The data can come from many sources, not only from within your organization, but from others as well.  Correctly collated, this data becomes extremely important to someone's research.

Blogs in Action Research

Blogs are an effective tool to use as an interactive journal and reflective tool for action based inquiries.  Blogs become a reverse chronological online diary of a series of thoughts, data, results and findings, and ongoing concerns that can be addressed during an inquiry in an open forum.  Additionally, these findings can be shared with others to gain different points of view or findings in a collaborative sharing of information. The owner of the blog may gain other knowledge or ideas about their research, leading them to additional ideas they may not have considered.  

Action Research for Principals

Action research can be an integral part of a principal’s arsenal to create change on their campus.  In previous years, the methodology of change came from outside resources, paid by a district, to give examples of ideas and plans to create change.  This plan however, did not always work because not every district or school faced the same challenges or issues.  The outside resources, whether done at research centers or universities, offered a “cookie cutter” approach to learning.  They developed plans that worked in a generic school system and in a somewhat perfect world.  This technique did not always work.

Action research has now become the method of choice for implementing changes in a school. It allows the administrator to use their own style of research to find what works for their campus.  They have the opportunity to share the load of responsibility with the teachers who are in the classrooms with the students and observing their challenges.  The administrator can take the data and results and use a series of spiraling steps to make the best decisions for their campus and implement the desired changes.  By using action research the principal can select the best course of action from the gathered data and make the appropriate corrective actions to enhance their school.   Action research does not use the “cookie cutter” approach because the results are based on the unique dynamics of their campus and allows for the individual tailoring to fit each campus uniqueness. 

Using action research allows the principal or administrator to develop ideas and strategies that will better fit their leadership style and make the desired changes accordingly.  No longer does a principal have to take a method of change from an outside source where the researchers do not have a clue about the uniqueness of a specific campus.  Action research allows the principal to make the changes that best fit their campus.

EDLD 5306 Course Reflections

    Originally, I planned to take this course just to gain knowledge about the new Web 2.0 available technology.  Knowledge is very personal and I wanted this knowledge for myself.  Once I gained that knowledge, I would pass it on to my students in the classroom. I wanted to get knowledge of how to make my classroom more engaging through using technology instead of standing in front of students lecturing.  Since starting the class I have learned far more than what I initially thought.  I not only learned of new technologies but took those technologies to another level in how I teach my class.  The information I learned from this first class has helped me understand that there is more to it than just learning the technology, but it is how the technology can apply to the students’ learning.   The course work exceeded what I wanted to achieve from the course in every aspect.  I have every intention of extending what I learned from this course and placing into curriculum in the classroom.

    The skills I have learned from this course are very relevant in my work as a teacher and mentor.  I have already shared several of the new tools with other educators in my grade level and with the other teachers across the campus.  Most notable has been the use of blogs and wikis and how their applications can be used as a teaching tool in different subjects.  I now understand how blogs can be used as an interactive journal in many courses, such as science.  Instead of using a lab journal, a student could post his or her observations for an ongoing science investigation or experiment.  This would be an excellent way to provide information from the findings of the investigation.  Using a wiki is an excellent method of having an ongoing dialogue with students or coworkers concerning virtually any subject.  The group could respond with editing or additions to whatever documents have been posted.  Using either one of these, wikis or blogs, or a combination of both, could be an outstanding tool to use for extending the classroom from just the boundaries of the classroom walls.  These two tools could take classroom learning from inside a building to the world with a simple push of button.  

   The outcomes I have not been able to achieve are not from anything within the confines of this course.  The “system”, or more exactly, the school system, has prevented me from not achieving my desired goals.  The availability of the material to use is somewhat boggling.  The issue is not the availability but the inability to use the material in the classroom.  Within my classroom I have the Internet connectivity, but what is not available is a way to get around the filters, blocks and security protocols to use it.  Within my district, as with many others across the state, there are blocks, filters, and security measures that prevent the use of the web-based teaching tools.  These blocks, filters, and security protocols are in place because of the fear students will use the tools in ways they were not intended or for those from outside the school gaining access to the students information and using this information to harm our students.  I was excited and energetic about the new technology and had great ideas of how to use them in the classroom yet only to find that I could not use them due to these restrictions.  There are ways to get around the security protocols; however, it is not worth risking my job or the safety of the student to do so.  Surprisingly, the students are fully aware of how to get around the security protocols.  This only means that the students are very cognizant of the new technology and are far more technology savvy than we sometimes give them credit for. 

    The assignments were very easy to accomplish.  Each week the assignments were laid out with a clearly defined rubric as to the assignment expectations.  Within Epic Player, the week’s assignments were laid out first with “To Do List”.  By simply following the list, the readings, videos, and class weekly assignment were easy to follow and complete.   When directed to accomplish an assigned task in a new area instruction, the directions were furnished in a clear and concise manner.  They include a step-by-step guide on how to do the task as well as the desired outcome.  Along with the week’s “To Do List”,  the added benefit of a letter from the class instructor made the course assignments easy to understand follow.  The instructor succinctly explained the learning objectives and expectations for the assignment.  She also provided suggestions on how to make the assignment projects apply to the course objectives.   The weekly webcasts provided the additional face-to-face time with the instructor that allowed for questions about the course or coursework that would not be gained in readings.  I was able to complete all tasks from the course assignments easily and quickly, making the course more enjoyable even as a full time teacher.

    During this course I learned a tremendous amount about myself.  According to the individual assessment taken at the beginning of the course, I found that I am very much an auditory and tactile learning.  I have known this all my life but these assessments reinforced that finding.  This course is not an auditory learning environment, rather a visual with the huge amounts of reading that must be done.  However, I found that I could do this type of learning environment.  It took establishing a set schedule of times to read in a quiet area.  I even so much as redesigned my office to be better for learning.  I have managed to stay ahead of the readings making it easier to accomplish the assignments.  Being a prior military officer, I knew I had the leadership skills.  This comes from leading troops for over 20 years in garrison and combat operations.  It was not that much of a jump to switch from training troops for combat to teaching children how to prepare for the future.  From the technology aspect of the course, I thought that I was ahead of the game, more so than others on my campus.  I am ahead but in the overall technology issue, I am far behind where I should be.  I am usually the go-to-guy for the campus when it comes to technology and how to put it to use on campus.  Where I thought I knew a lot, I find that I haven’t even scratched the surface as to what is out there to teach our students.  There are so many resources available for our students and so many ways to bring technology into the classroom that it will take years to fully comprehend what is out there.  My attitude has changed since I started this course.  I have found that I enjoy learning and enjoy finding new and innovative ways to teach students and watch their faces as they learn a new concept.  

Web Conference 16 Feb 2012 2000 hrs

This week’s web conference was the end of course wrap up.  Dr. Borel talked about the Principal’s Competencies Chart and the Internship Plan Summary Report and Validation.  We discussed ideas of how to tailor the charts' competencies to fit our expectations and how to make them more specific as to the content.  We also discussed the timeline for the follow on classes and their start and completion dates.  Overall, a good wrap up of the course. 

Web Conference 2 February 2012 2000 hrs (8PM)

     Tonight’s web conference was extremely enlightening. The main focus of the web conference was the Principal Competencies and Skills and Internship Plan: Field-based Experience Activity templates. Dr. Borel explained the methodology of filling out the templates, where to find the information, and how to post them to TK20 and our wikis. We also spoke with the TK20 representative on how to post documents and requirements to TK20 for tracking our continuing education. Additionally, Dr. Borel spoke of the new changes pending and completed to the Internship plan and the new documents needed for monitoring our leadership, competencies and skills tracking. It was a very informative meeting.