Web Conferences

Web Conferences...were they helpful? The response to that question is YES! They are a way to feel connected to a class and to network with other students. At times they can be confusing and hard to follow because everyone is typing at the same time, but I left every web conference with a little more insight into the assignment or task for the week. Attending the live web conferences are very beneficial because you can get an immediate response and feedback from your professors, however, the web conferences are taped so you can go back to them as a resource if needed. My recommendation would be to attend the web conferences anytime you can, but if not, review the recorded conferences.

Action Research Plan – Post conference and comments

Action Planning Template

Goal:  To evaluate the effects of parent involvement with nightly reading and their child's reading level

Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Research similar inquiries regarding the correlation between parent involvement and reading levels	Kristin Boyd	August 2012 – June 2013	Articles and professional literature	Reference to research to be included in final presentation of findings
Administer a parent questionnaire to get parent's views on nightly reading homework	Kristin Boyd	August 2012	questionnaire	Review completed questionnaires to look for trends or areas of weakness that can improve parent involvement
Implement reading log to be signed by parents nightly	Kristin Boyd	August 2012 – May 2013	reading log sheet to be placed in each student's binder	examine each reading log for parent signatures – this will be done each day and looked at in detail and compared with reading levels each 9 weeks
Administer Rigby testing to determine beginning of the year reading level	Kristin Boyd	September 2012	Rigby test kit	Analyze data collected from Rigby Test and review Rigby test information with nightly reading log data.
Parent conferences for all students in October	Kristin Boyd	October 2012	Reading logs, Rigby test results	Share reading levels with parents and review nightly reading log
Re-evaluate students Rigby levels	Kristin Boyd	January 2013	Rigby test kit	Analyze data collected from Rigby Test and review Rigby test information with nightly reading log data.
Below level conferences - we will discuss the importance of nightly reading and in below level conferences, we will reinforce the importance as well as sign a contract for nightly reading	Below level conferences : Kristin Boyd Coni Felinski or Foy Campbell and Diane Sweet or Marsha Anders	February 2013 and	Reading logs, Rigby test results	Share reading levels with parents and review nightly reading log
Administer 2nd parent questionnaire to see if parent's views have changed from the initial questionnaire	Kristin Boyd	February 2013	Questionnaire	Review the questionnaires and compare with initial results
Administer a student survey to get their feedback on parent involvement with nightly reading	Kristin Boyd	February 2013	Questionnaire	Review the results and compare to parent surveys
Re-evaluate students Rigby levels	Kristin Boyd	March 2013	Rigby test kit	Analyze data collected from Rigby Test and review Rigby test information with nightly reading log data.
Below level conferences - we will discuss the importance of nightly reading and in below level conferences, we will reinforce the importance as well as sign a contract for nightly reading	Below level conferences : Kristin Boyd Coni Felinski or Foy Campbell and Diane Sweet or Marsha Anders	March/April 2013	Reading logs, Rigby test results	Share reading levels with parents and review nightly reading log
Re-evaluate students Rigby levels	Kristin Boyd	May 2013	Rigby test kit	Analyze data collected from Rigby Test and review Rigby test information with nightly reading log data.
Examine the results and compile results to be presented to administration	Kristin Boyd	June 2013	Data collected throughout the year on reading levels and reading logs	Present findings to administration
Publish my findings to my action research blog	Kristin Boyd	June 2013	Report	Feedback from peers

 

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

 

Action Research Plan

Week 2 - Feeling Relieved!

This week comes with a feeling of relief.  I have spent many days (and nights for that matter) thinking about my action research topic, and I am finally feeling good with my decision.  I knew what I to research, but finding the words express it without writing a dissertation just for the question was hard.  I had to be over thinking it, that is the only explanation!  

On another note, I enjoyed listening to the advice from the video interviews.  They had similar advice which was action research is valuable and important to the teaching profession.  Learning is a never ending process that is imperative for student success.  Choosing topics that are relevant and interesting increases learning for all involved.  And more importantly, you don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” as I have heard so many times within the last two weeks.  Someone else out there has had or is having the same questions as you are.  In my eyes, this all makes action research easier to tackle!  

Blogging is a reward!

As an administrator, blogging can be a wonderful tool for you to use.  According to Dana (2009), it is an easy way for you to collaborate with colleagues, or connect with people that share similar ideas.  Data can be shared and commented on.  Those comments may lead to confirmation or an opportunity to debate issues with peers.  It is also an easy and inexpensive way for you to publish your ideas or findings and gain feedback on particular issues.  Blogging can be an excellent tool for you to journal your findings.  It allows you to reflect on your findings and see things you might not have seen before.  Think about the rewards that come with blogging, the possibilities are endless.

Dana, N.F.(2009).  Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action                    

    researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.

Spring into Action Research!

I have learned that action research is a vital part of education.  It is important to reflect and review current practices implemented in your school and make the necessary changes.  Unlike traditional research, action research is a cyclical process.  The administrator identifies a real life situation that is in need of improvement at their school.  Once the problem is identified, an individual or group gathers information and establishes a plan.  The plan is put into action and evaluations and reflections are recorded along the way.  The data that is collected helps steer the desired outcomes.  Once the desired outcomes are achieved, the situation is re-evaluated and new problems are defined.  The process starts over with the new area of improvement in mind (Dana, 2009).   Action research is not about reinventing what has already been done, but rather using the research out there to serve as a tool in helping you to achieve the behavior or practices desired. 

Action research will be useful in tackling an ongoing problem experienced by the first grade teachers at my school.  In first grade, students are given a weekly homework assignment to read twenty minutes nightly to a parent and a reading log is to be signed. Often times, parents do not see the importance of reading with their child, and the reading log is not returned to school.  Last year we had a higher retention rate than in previous years.  A first grader has a possibility of being retained when their reading level is below a Rigby 18.  I would like to know if there is a connection between students that read with an adult nightly and their reading levels compared to students that do not read with an adult nightly and their reading levels.  This information will be useful in designing supplemental instruction to those not receiving support from home. 

Dana, N.F.(2009).  Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action                     

          researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.