Let the Action Research Begin!

Lamar Documents - HManess Google Site

I have created a new page on my Google site that we created in our last course.  The page will house important documents that I need to keep on file throughout my Masters program.  I have already filed my internship plan, signed and approved action research plan, student surveys, and a link to my blog: edtechtalk.

One specific topic of interest that caught my interest were the many uses for blogging in an educational community.  I have read many of my friends' blogs to keep up with their day-to-day activities, but had never thought about using it as an educational resource.  I have loved getting to post weekly reflections, and receive professional feedback from my classmates.  Using the blog for reflective purposes seems so much more relevant it today's ever-changing educational world.  I look forward to keeping up with my blog throughout this program, and then into my future.  

I would like to learn more about strategies like Force Field Analysis that focus on continued growth in the educational setting. Below is an example that I created using Force Field Analysis in my ARP.  I love that it includes the positive and negative forces that can either drive one to change, or resist one against change.

In order to build my knowledge in this area I will continue to find opportunities where these types of strategies would be beneficial to sustain growth and improvement.  I would love to be part of a large decision making committee at my campus level where I could integrate many of these practices in a real world setting. 

Upcoming Challenges and the Delphi Method

This week has been hard.  My sweet grandfather passed away this week.  It's so hard to stay focused and motivated when there are things going on in your life that are unavoidable and heartbreaking.  It was a true blessing to get comments from my sweet classmates on our class Facebook page.  It's funny how people you have never met in person can have the exact things to say that you need to hear at that specific moment in time.

ANYWAY...

I'm going to share some of the challenges that could come up in the future.  This time of the school year is SO BUSY!  

Time is going to be a challenge for me when it comes to implementing my action research project.  Thinking of how busy school is right now with STAAR testing right around the corner, I can already feel myself begin to stress.  In order to address this challenge, I plan on prioritizing my the daily assignments and ordering them from most important to least.  This will help me feel like I am accomplishing the specific things that I need to get completed.  

Daily demands will also be a struggle when it comes to implementing my action research plan.  On a daily basis, one has to teach all day, lead tier II and tier III intervention groups, reading and math tutorials after school, mentor beginning teachers, plan upcoming instruction, and somehow find the time to enter grades in the grade book.  Daily demands can make one feel like participating in an action research project will be extremely tiring.  However, it helps to remember why we do what we do in the first place.  Keeping the students' needs at the front of my daily demands will help me problem solve, and keep things in check.  

After examining the Delphi Method, I found this website that went more in depth about what it was, and provided a great visual!  

Alison Ruge's Delphi Method Explanation

Action Research Plan

Wow... what a week!  I feel like I need a BREAK from Spring Break!  From the Facebook feed, it seems like I'm not alone with these thoughts!  Below is my draft for my action research plan.  I will be meeting with my site supervisor next week when we return from spring break to get her feedback as well!  Hope everyone is having a great week, and remember Don't STRESS!

School Vision: Our Mission Statement: Uniting a community of self-directed, life-long learners within a challenging and nurturing environment dedicated to excellence
Action Research Question: Examine the effectiveness and motivation related to using traditional reading fluency and comprehension interventions (paper based) with technology enhanced fluency and comprehension interventions.
Goal:  To implement technology enhanced lessons into tier 3 interventions in reading fluency and comprehension, and to increase student motivation during these individualized instructional lessons.
Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Survey my PAR (Plano Accelerated Reading) students to identify things they like or dislike about the current traditional paper based comprehension and fluency interventions.	Hannah Maness	April, 2013	Student Survey	Use survey results to guide the action research process.
Review PAR students’ assessment data from the BOY and MOY (IRI level, and fluency rate).  Traditional paper based interventions were used during BOY and MOY.	Hannah Maness	April, 2013	Student assessment information, IRI results, and fluency cwpm results from the BOY and MOY.	Analyze assessment data, and determine different areas needing continued growth in order to be reading on level by the EOY third grade.
Identify current research on using technology-enhanced programs/applications specifically in the areas of reading fluency and comprehension.	Hannah Maness	May, 2013	Educational Technology Literature focusing on best applications and programs to use in the general education classroom, and during tier three interventions.	Reflections from information gathered from the literature, and incorporate in my tier three instruction plans.
Interpret data from the literature review and reflect on technology programs and applications that will best meet my students’ specific needs.	Hannah Maness	May, 2013	Technology Related Literature	Reflect on new information learned from literature review, and use it in my tier three instruction.
Incorporate technology enhanced instruction into my tier three reading intervention groups.	Hannah Maness	June, 2013	Reading and fluency applications and programs	Tier three observations, field notes, and student feedback.
Completion of EOY assessment data (IRI reading comprehension and fluency rates)	Hannah Maness	June, 2013	Student assessment information, IRI results, and fluency cwpm results from the EOY.	Compare the reading assessment information from the BOY/MOY  (paper-based) with the EOY (technically enhanced).
End of the year student survey to identify what they were motivated by throughout the technology enhanced interventions.  What did they like, and what did they not like.	Hannah Maness	August, 2013	Student Survey	Compare student survey data from the beginning of the plan to the end of the plan.
Present my research and data collected to another grade level teacher, and have them incorporate technology enhanced reading interventions into their tier three learning groups, and report the findings.	Hannah Maness and Cody McGregor	June, 2014	All relevant data from action research project.  Including literature review, student surveys, and observation notes	Compare and analyze the effectiveness of the technology enhanced programs and applications between grade levels.  Present information to site supervisor.
Format based on Tool 7.1 Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools (Harris, Edmondson, and Combs 2010)

Action Research Update!

Read On!

I'm getting more excited about starting the action research project (even though it's a few weeks off).  The action research study that I am interested in is to examine the effectiveness and motivation related to using traditional reading fluency and comprehension interventions (paper based) with technology enhanced fluency and comprehension interventions.  I am excited to begin this research topic because in my own tier two and tier three reading groups, motivation can be a clear factor when it comes to how successful the students are.  I have been conducting reading intervention reading groups for the last seven years, and know how effective quality reading intervention can be to the struggling reader.  We have great paper based resources to use for fluency and comprehension interventions  but, I'm not sure the motivation is there for the students to grow as much as they are capable of.  I'm wondering if adding technology enhanced interventions will encourage and motivate these students to work harder, and in the end show greater growth.
The people who will benefit the most from my research will be the struggling readers in my classroom.  The other teachers at my campus will also benefit from this action research project because I will then be able to take my data and report my findings.  The students will benefit because they will hopefully be actively engaged, and highly motivated during my tier two and tier three reading groups.  As most of you know, getting a struggling reader excited about reading is a constant hardship.  In the end, I'm looking forward to see a continued growth in my reading intervention groups.

This is one of my favorite fluency apps that I have on my iPad.  There is a free version that gives most of the basic functions.  Then the priced version will allow you to actually log in multiple students, and it will keep track of their individual progress.  If you're looking for a great elementary reading fluency app. then give it a try!

Source: itunes.apple.com via Susan on Pinterest