LU Action Research Plan

I have developed an action research plan designed to help improve science TAKS scores at my school. The plan is shown below. I would welcome your comments or suggestions.

Goals and objectives – The goal is to improve ESL student performance to 80% mastery in science as measured by the 8^th grade state TAKS Science test. The specific objectives are: to provide video clips for each unit of study to be viewed by the ESL students in each 8^th grade science class; to develop scientific vocabulary in the school population; to improve comprehension by activating prior knowledge; to incorporate student technology applications with student learning; to provide targeted intervention for struggling students.

Activities – Review areas of weakness as discovered by analysis of the previous two TAKS Science tests. Conference with the department chair and 8^th grade science teachers. Determine video delivery methods to be used by teachers. Locate appropriate video clips to introduce each unit of study. Load videos onto selected devices for student use. Preview videos with science teachers. Test first topic with science class and get student feedback. Modify formatting as necessary to maintain student interest. Provide classroom posters with scientific vocabulary targeted in videos and identified by teachers. Review ESL student performance on district benchmarks. Create a video library of classroom science lab experiments.

Resources and Research Tools needed – TAKS Science test copies with answer keys and objectives for each question from 2009 and 2010. Northbrook Middle School science scores for 2009 and 2010 with sub-population breakouts. Seventh grade science benchmark data from 2010. School database of ESL students and their English proficiency levels for previous two years. Literature on using video to improve subject mastery. Computers and iTouch devices with syncing computer to load video clips. Flash drives for students to check out videos to use at home and inclusion of the videos on the school science department web page. Copy of the 8^th grade science curriculum for 2010-2011.

Timeline

August 2010, review curriculum, identify clips needed, meet with 8^th grade science teachers and assistant principal in charge, analyze data from previous years, pilot one video and survey students and teachers for reactions and input.

September 2010, continue to provide videos for units to science teachers to be used with students using necessary modifications based on test run, develop scientific vocabulary posters for each unit, meet with science teachers and assistant principal to reflect on initial feedback.

October 2010, continue to provide videos for units, incorporate video library of science labs for students who need additional time for comprehension or were absent during labs, review student and ESL student performance on district benchmark test

November 2010, continue providing videos for each topic introduced in class, add vocabulary posters to science classrooms, meet with teachers and assistant principal for feedback and reflection.

December 2010, continue providing videos and meeting with teachers for reflection and modification

January 2011, review second district benchmarks to look for patterns of improvement or areas of need, create a weekly after school science tutorial opportunity for students still struggling, review previous clips and posters for accuracy and effectiveness, create a vocabulary “hit list” of test specific target terms and create or locate short videos for each term

February 2011, create and share a review video for student use incorporating student science learning to that point in the curriculum, create and share a video for other major science topics not yet covered in class, continue to meet with teachers and assistant principal to share successes and concerns.

March 2011, review results of final district science benchmark to locate areas of weakness, invite struggling students to video science tutorials, continue to provide topical videos for classes, continue to provide vocabulary posters for classrooms

April 2011, TAKS Science test, meet with teachers to evaluate their opinions and suggestions for the project, final survey for students and involved teachers regarding effectiveness of video clips and interventions on science learning

May 2011, TAKS Science test results arrive, evaluate school results and targeted ESL population results, meet with teachers, assistant principal and principal to make revisions and find specific areas to target in future years, share results with school faculty, provide samples to district technology specialists and science school improvement specialists for their evaluation and use in other campuses if successful.

Persons responsible – Gail Dunn, action researcher, Science Department Chair, 8^th grade Science teachers, Assistant Principal – Science, ESL Department chair

Process for monitoring achievement of goals and objectives – Students will be surveyed after first video clip presentation for feedback and understanding. Specific performance of ESL students will be monitored by science teachers on each of three district benchmark tests, scientific vocabulary improvement will be documented by classroom writing, overall student achievement and success. Incorporation of technology will be monitored by lesson plans incorporating the videos and vocabulary strategies. Intervention will be monitored by the sign in sheets from tutorials sessions. Production and availability of the video clips will be monitored by accessing the target videos on the school web page. Final performance on the TAKS test will be monitored by accessing the scores of the ESL 8^th grade students and charting their performance on the science test.

Assessment instruments for evaluating effectiveness of the action research study – The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills 8^th grade Science test, district benchmark tests, copies of scientific writing samples submitted for the TELPAS testing in March, pre and post student surveys of their learning, pre and post surveys of 8^th grade science teachers on effectiveness of the study.

Thing 5

OK, I admit it. I'm a Facebook junkie. I use it to keep in touch with my kids, family members, fellow teachers, etc. as well as play some games and use some of the groups for my graduate course. When the school district unblocked Facebook and MySpace, I thought they were nuts. Since I have started using some of the Facebook features to help me with my graduate class I can certainly see more educational benefits to it. The biggest benefit would be the group page. A teacher could create a group page for their class and post helpful hints and resources for assignments, answer questions, let the STUDENTS answer questions, and keep track of what the students are saying and where they are struggling.
I have not been a Twitter user to this point. I have resisted because I really did not see the point of people just making random comments about their own life. I do like the idea of back-channeling however. Students would be more comfortable using their phones to send questions rather than shout out in class. Of course, that opens a whole different set of problems as far as classroom management goes. I will probably go ahead and try a Twitter account and see how I like it this year as I have multiple other technology opportunities set up for my students. I would like to follow David Warwick and Vicki Davis, both of whose blogs I've been reading for a while now.

Thing 4

You Tube and Teacher Tube are both sites I was familiar with. I frequently use You Tube or Teacher Tube video clips to introduce a subject to my classes. They prefer watching the videos to hearing me talk and I do not need to reinvent the wheel to get some basic concepts across to them. I created a short video on how to use the Flip Video camera for a professional development course I was creating online. I posted it on Teacher Tube.

I would love to be uploading student videos and intend to do that this year. I have been cautious because of the privacy issues and parental permissions needed. I expect to see my Journalism students using video as a regular part of their class this year.
The part of this "Thing" I was most excited about was finding Zamzar. I frequently need to convert various file types and this service looks like it will make my life much simpler.

Thing 3

I have been signed up on Skype for over a year. I was first exposed to it when I was on a trip to Morocco. The people we stayed with used Skype regularly to call back to the States. I think it is a great tool that you need to use for a while before trying with a class of students. The features are good, but not as user-friendly as the features pages would have you believe. You also need to make sure your settings are correct to prevent hundreds of contact requests from inappropriate sites.
For a library or class, once you have learned the ins and outs of Skype, it would be fascinating for students to get to compare notes with other students about historical events that happened in their area, or even compare notes on books they are all reading. The possibilities are endless.

Thing 2

I created a Wordle from a listing of our 8th grade science curriculum topics. This should help our ESL students find and become familiar with the concepts and terms they will need to know to be successful in the class.
I also created the same list with WordSift. I love the fact that WordSift will allow you to see images and has a visual map for the word being searched. I did notice some issues however. The word reef brought up beautiful coral reef images, but unfortunately also brought up a model viewed from the back wearing a thong. Several of the other words brought up various bands, etc. I will need to investigate further to see if these images can be blocked prior to allowing students to use them. I also encountered a glitch. One of the words on my list was mass and no matter how many times I tried, it kept using mas instead of mass. If the bugs can be worked out, it could be a very useful tool for my ESL students, especially the links to web sites, images, and an idea map to help clarify the terms.
Next I tried Glogster and made a poster for my journalism class. Once I registered, this was an easy process that I'm sure the students would enjoy using. It could certainly replace making posters or PowerPoint presentations for students needing to show comprehension of class material.

Because I'm obsessive and have to see everything, I also went to VoiceThread. I can see lots of uses for this as a quick easy check of student thinking, especially for my Journalism students. I can post a picture and simply have them each leave a comment or suggestion for improvement. They could all benefit from hearing each other's comments. I will definitely try this one out this year.

I skipped Animoto because I've used it many times before and went to Voki. I had a little trouble getting the voice to actually speak, but I love the idea and may try to use it as an online coach for some online coursework I'm setting up for my students. I think they would have lots of fun playing with it.
I think Bookr has lots of possibilities. Some of the examples I saw were students using creative commons photos to make simple reading books. That would be fabulous for my ESL students. They could prove they understood, develop technology skills, and create something on their own reading level. Lots of great tools in this Thing!

Thing 1

In the video The Networked Student; The Movie the video gives a fairly accurate picture of a modern student. Today's students are wired, but many of our students need guidance in using the devices they are so familiar with in an educational setting. The student in the video uses all of the social tools such as Diigo and Delicious for bookmarking, RSS feeds, blogs, and MP3 players for podcasts. These are all common to many students in the tech savvy world in which they live. The teacher needs to be able to perform all the roles shown as a learning facilitator. Unfortunately, many teachers today are not current on these technologies and are not taking the time to learn them. The school librarian can fill that role as can any other teacher, but it will take effort on their part to learn what is available and how to guide the student to use his tools to further his education.

LU-Action Research Project

I discussed three possibilities for my action research project with my site supervisor and my principal. The three ideas we discussed were the incorporation of the T3 grant technology to get more technology in student hands, using video clips to improve comprehension for English Language Learners, and to work with the science teachers to incorporate introductory topic videos to help improve science comprehension and test scores. After meeting with my principal, we decided these three topics could be combined into one project. I will be looking into using video clips with the science teachers who received the T3 technology grant equipment in an effort to improve comprehension and vocabulary in science with resulting improvement on Science TAKS scores.

LU-Action Research

Action research is a process for identifying an issue that needs a solution at a particular school. An administrator or faculty member may wonder how to improve specific test scores, gain better consensus among faculty members, provide targeted staff development, or how to institute a change in a multitude of issues that may be faced. The process begins by wondering how to improve the situation. The next step would be to clarify exactly what the objective is to be for the project. Once the goals are clearly established, an action researcher would search through relevant literature for possible solutions. The key point is that in action research as opposed to traditional 3^rd party research is that the goal is to take the readings and develop a plan to improve the specific problem rather than just test one theory. As the action research continues the plan can and should be continually evaluated and revised to make any adjustments necessary to reach the final goal. Once the goal is reached, the researcher would share the results of the research project so others may benefit from the process as well. The entire process is much more reflective than a traditional research program.

Action research would be very beneficial to principals and other school administrators. It would allow them to target a specific problem within their school and look for solutions that would be most effective with their own student population. Another benefit would be the involvement of the other administrators and teachers. As groups take ownership of specific problems they are more likely to work hard to find the solutions. The process would result in better teaching practices as faculty members review research on what may be effective and become more reflective in their teaching by looking to see what individual practices work in their own classrooms. As projects come to a close with problems solved, those involved will share their process and results with their peers resulting in an overall improvement for the campus.

Action research could be beneficial to me as the ESL department chair. There are many students enrolled in the ESL program that are not making as much progress as they should. An action research project to help struggling students learn academic English faster could be of benefit for all of us. Successful results could also benefit other similar schools. An action research project could also be beneficial to find ways to improve the 8^th grade students’ science scores. The scores in that area on my campus have been low and need improvement. An action research project could help isolate the issues students are experiencing and guide the faculty members to finding ways to address those issues.

Blogs can be beneficial to principals as they embark on action research projects. By blogging, a principal can clarify their thoughts and reasons for a particular project. They can have a forum to discuss what is and is not working while the project is still underway. A blog also allows the principal an opportunity to reach a much larger audience that could include district staff, parents, students, and other principals as well as the faculty on their own campus. A blog would allow others to make constructive comments and offer suggestions for issues the principal faces. A blog can be a powerful tool to promote the school and its programs across the community. Blogs can help clarify, create a tangible record of progress on an issue and create a sense of empowerment and pride as projects are successfully concluded.