Saturday, November 27, 2010
Can you say Data?
As I find this week coming to a close I am left with a lingering phrase...DATA DRIVEN! I come away this week with the overall feeling that whatever research project I embark upon, I must find myself comfortable with dealing with data. We are drowning in data, but we must find a way to utilize that data immediately. The feedback loop must be shortened in order to have an immediate effect in the classroom. As a future leader, I must be comfortable with dissecting the data to benefit both the classroom teacher and the school as whole. I must be able to do so quickly. I am also responsible for encouraging teachers to take their own data and utilize it in their classroom on a daily basis. Formal and informal assessments of student progress are necessary in order to increase student achievement. Shall I go out and earn for myself the title of data-queen?
To Research or Not to Research?
I am considering three potential questions for my action research project.
1. Is the online learning environment I am using with my students working?
2. How can we increase student attendance?
3. Does the tardy policy in effect hinder or help student achievement?
Let me address the purpose and significance of each question as it relates to my campus.
1. Online learning is the wave of the future. We are all aware of that as we take part in the phenomenon everyday through this program. It is also the wave that we need to get our students on. We are educating them for jobs that have not even been created yet and most certainly they will all involve technology. Online trainings are necessary to streamline the workforce and the current and continuing expectation is that you come prepared and you work from home. Gone are the days of the 9 to 5 job. My students are students who are behind their peers in their high school career. Online learning can be accelerated and so provides a benefit in the potential to catch up to their peers in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, online learning also requires a level of independence and a strong work ethic. The rigor of online learning is increased due to the lack of one-on-one tutoring available. We must learn to teach ourselves. Isn’t that what we want our children to be? Life-long learners? My goal is to research whether the current pedagogy used when working in a virtual environment is effective. Are the software companies designing software that really works with the needs of the students? In what areas do the students still struggle? Does online learning really work with the needs of those students who are not on par with their peers?
The data for this project is available in terms of the number of courses completed and in what areas are they being completed. The age of the student as well as how far they are behind their cohort is also available. One big question that I am currently grappling with is the issue of quality over quantity. Is it better to give the students more options or less? Should they focus on one course at a time or is it better to work with multiples? These are all questions that I can provide hard data toward.
The benefactors of this study are the students as well as the district. There is often a large financial burden to start and maintain an online learning environment, all of which the campus or district must bear the weight of. Do the benefits to the students outweigh the cost to the district or school? Ultimately, why continue a project if the students are not being helped from it? Are they getting caught back up to their cohort? If such a research project as this proves to be a waste of resources, wouldn’t it be better to limit further expenditures on such a project before the school district or school is in the media for misappropriation of funds?
2. A second topic I am considering studying is the process for improving attendance of the students at a given school. What factors cause the high rate of absenteeism in our student population? I am most interested in those factors that lie in the control of the school; good teaching practices, communication between school and home, meeting the needs of all students learning styles. In other words, is what we are doing at the school helping to curb absenteeism or are we making it worse?
The obvious benefit is of course improved attendance which theoretically results in more learning. How often do we blame the students for not showing up to our class on the student rather than our own teaching or grading practices? This can be evidenced by comparing attendance rates with test scores and grades in a course.
3. Our tardy policy at our school is unclear and not shared by all on the campus. The culture among both student and adult alike is that there is nothing that will be done about a tardy. When students know that the bells mean nothing, then just like us they will take advantage of that time to socialize. The key is consistency. While I do not hold the notion that a student should be 100% responsible for being on time, it is more a question of are we modeling the behavior we wish to have and are we consistently applying a fair response to the tardy?
I can see a benefit of increase instructional time when there is a clear and consistence tardy policy in effect. I fear being met with much opposition on this topic as it is a hot button topic on my campus. I may also need to narrow all these topics down some and pinpoint some questions that can be formulated into measureable or SMART goals.
1. Is the online learning environment I am using with my students working?
2. How can we increase student attendance?
3. Does the tardy policy in effect hinder or help student achievement?
Let me address the purpose and significance of each question as it relates to my campus.
1. Online learning is the wave of the future. We are all aware of that as we take part in the phenomenon everyday through this program. It is also the wave that we need to get our students on. We are educating them for jobs that have not even been created yet and most certainly they will all involve technology. Online trainings are necessary to streamline the workforce and the current and continuing expectation is that you come prepared and you work from home. Gone are the days of the 9 to 5 job. My students are students who are behind their peers in their high school career. Online learning can be accelerated and so provides a benefit in the potential to catch up to their peers in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, online learning also requires a level of independence and a strong work ethic. The rigor of online learning is increased due to the lack of one-on-one tutoring available. We must learn to teach ourselves. Isn’t that what we want our children to be? Life-long learners? My goal is to research whether the current pedagogy used when working in a virtual environment is effective. Are the software companies designing software that really works with the needs of the students? In what areas do the students still struggle? Does online learning really work with the needs of those students who are not on par with their peers?
The data for this project is available in terms of the number of courses completed and in what areas are they being completed. The age of the student as well as how far they are behind their cohort is also available. One big question that I am currently grappling with is the issue of quality over quantity. Is it better to give the students more options or less? Should they focus on one course at a time or is it better to work with multiples? These are all questions that I can provide hard data toward.
The benefactors of this study are the students as well as the district. There is often a large financial burden to start and maintain an online learning environment, all of which the campus or district must bear the weight of. Do the benefits to the students outweigh the cost to the district or school? Ultimately, why continue a project if the students are not being helped from it? Are they getting caught back up to their cohort? If such a research project as this proves to be a waste of resources, wouldn’t it be better to limit further expenditures on such a project before the school district or school is in the media for misappropriation of funds?
2. A second topic I am considering studying is the process for improving attendance of the students at a given school. What factors cause the high rate of absenteeism in our student population? I am most interested in those factors that lie in the control of the school; good teaching practices, communication between school and home, meeting the needs of all students learning styles. In other words, is what we are doing at the school helping to curb absenteeism or are we making it worse?
The obvious benefit is of course improved attendance which theoretically results in more learning. How often do we blame the students for not showing up to our class on the student rather than our own teaching or grading practices? This can be evidenced by comparing attendance rates with test scores and grades in a course.
3. Our tardy policy at our school is unclear and not shared by all on the campus. The culture among both student and adult alike is that there is nothing that will be done about a tardy. When students know that the bells mean nothing, then just like us they will take advantage of that time to socialize. The key is consistency. While I do not hold the notion that a student should be 100% responsible for being on time, it is more a question of are we modeling the behavior we wish to have and are we consistently applying a fair response to the tardy?
I can see a benefit of increase instructional time when there is a clear and consistence tardy policy in effect. I fear being met with much opposition on this topic as it is a hot button topic on my campus. I may also need to narrow all these topics down some and pinpoint some questions that can be formulated into measureable or SMART goals.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Reflection is the key to unlocking the door to action research. We cannot research what we do not see as a problem or idea. It is my nature to ponder on things. I have a 45 minute drive each way to work and I often use that time to ponder what things I want to be able to do better or what policies are in place that could use a little tweaking to make them more efficient and serve my students better. People often ask me why I work so far from where I live and question how I could drive such a long way every day. My answer for them is that without it I would not be as effective as I am as an educational leader. It is this time everyday that allows me to formulate the questions that I can follow up with some form of action research. I tend to prefer the collaborative type of action research as I benefit from having a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.
The Dana text referenced how difficult it is for leaders to find the time to really reflect. I loved the ideas suggested in Leading with Passion and Knowledge where one principal in essence practiced what she preached by visiting a classroom during their writing workshop time and sat down at a desk and modeled for those students that she was willing to write as well (Dana, 2009, p 89). What a perfect example of a win-win situation! That principal not only modeled the behavior she expected from the students but built into her schedule a weekly time for reflection and journaling. I am positive that this practice made her a better leader.
How many of us have our best ideas while in the shower? If only they made a shower pen where we could get those thoughts down on paper, or in this case, the shower wall. For me my drive time serves this function and without it I could not function. I need time to reflect and I know that it will lead to asking good questions for me to develop into an action research project. Many days I am completing these mini action research type projects. They help me to problem solve immediately and not hope that some Superman is going to fly in and fix everything for me.
In collaboration with others I can identify the problems I am experiencing in real time and find solutions that actually benefit student success.
The Dana text referenced how difficult it is for leaders to find the time to really reflect. I loved the ideas suggested in Leading with Passion and Knowledge where one principal in essence practiced what she preached by visiting a classroom during their writing workshop time and sat down at a desk and modeled for those students that she was willing to write as well (Dana, 2009, p 89). What a perfect example of a win-win situation! That principal not only modeled the behavior she expected from the students but built into her schedule a weekly time for reflection and journaling. I am positive that this practice made her a better leader.
How many of us have our best ideas while in the shower? If only they made a shower pen where we could get those thoughts down on paper, or in this case, the shower wall. For me my drive time serves this function and without it I could not function. I need time to reflect and I know that it will lead to asking good questions for me to develop into an action research project. Many days I am completing these mini action research type projects. They help me to problem solve immediately and not hope that some Superman is going to fly in and fix everything for me.
In collaboration with others I can identify the problems I am experiencing in real time and find solutions that actually benefit student success.
My Beginning in Action Research
As I began the week I was introduced to the term action research. I pondered what that meant and delved into Chapter 1 of Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Research by Nancy Fichtman Dana. What I discovered was that I already was using many of the techniques of action research. Action Research or as Dana called it, Principal Inquiry, is the process of creating a wondering or pondering, formulating it into a question, gathering data that relates to it, following protocols to discuss it with others, and formulating a conclusion that then leads to another pondering, thus creating a cyclical study of my own practices (Dana, 2009). It is this cyclical nature that makes action research so appealing. The process of it allows me to observe my own practices and even question myself or an idea and then through action research come to a better understanding of the nature of the problem backed up with data. It is was some might consider a best practice and can be used by both the principal and the teacher alike.
While I didn't know what I was getting myself into at the time, last summer I attended a week-long training called Critical Friends Groups (CFG). At this training I learned protocols for text reviews, critiquing others, and problem solving any issue with the help of my CFGs. I have already used some of the protocols put out by the National School Reform Faculty with much success. Also at my campus we utilize Professional Learning Communities (PLC). These experiences with action research have paved the way for me to being to make use of it in the role of a principal. I look forward to embarking on this research methodology in the coming weeks and months ahead.
While I didn't know what I was getting myself into at the time, last summer I attended a week-long training called Critical Friends Groups (CFG). At this training I learned protocols for text reviews, critiquing others, and problem solving any issue with the help of my CFGs. I have already used some of the protocols put out by the National School Reform Faculty with much success. Also at my campus we utilize Professional Learning Communities (PLC). These experiences with action research have paved the way for me to being to make use of it in the role of a principal. I look forward to embarking on this research methodology in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Is blogging for everyone? The research says yes.
Blogging is a uniquely different experience for everyone who uses it. I have tried many times in the past to blog effectively with little success but this time it will be different. It will be different because I can use it to:
* Express my thoughts on educational topics
* Elicit feedback from others on those educational topics
* Explore new ideas that might otherwise stay in my head
* Build a network of peers who can provide insight into my ponderings
With these benefits in mind I think that this is going to be a worthwhile experience. So as I begin I say good luck to you all and here is to happy blogging.
* Express my thoughts on educational topics
* Elicit feedback from others on those educational topics
* Explore new ideas that might otherwise stay in my head
* Build a network of peers who can provide insight into my ponderings
With these benefits in mind I think that this is going to be a worthwhile experience. So as I begin I say good luck to you all and here is to happy blogging.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)