Action Research Guidelines

Action Research 2008-2009 Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 3

Timeline ...... 6

Proposal ...... 7

Expectations ...... 8

Checklist ...... 9

Literature review guidelines...... 11

Rubrics for self assessments...... 12

Action Research feedback forms...... 13

Coaching feedback form...... 14 Introduction to Action Research: The Concept By Dr. Tracy DeMars

Traditional professional development for teachers tends to look like this: teachers arrive at a prearranged place, at a prearranged time, for a prearranged presentation by an “Expert” in whatever field is the focus of the day. Teachers take notes, maybe participate in small group activities, and on their way out the door, make sure that they’ve signed in on the pre-typed sheet that lists attendance. Three months later, the process is repeated. At the end of the year, everyone can claim to have amassed the state’s required number of professional development hours, summer starts, and all’s well until next year when the cycle begins again. Variations exist, of course, but generally, it’s a top-down process that temporarily engages the teachers and frequently ignores the students.

Action Research as professional development, however, moves with far more stealth into teachers’ actual classrooms, engaging and changing daily both teachers and students. Quality action research will achieve three goals: it will actively engage teachers as true life-long learners in their primary field, which is helping children learn; it will move children beyond specific challenges into specific successes; and it will move entire schools into larger, more fluid and accepting communities. It does, though, demand its own brand of attention.

The first demand that Action Research makes falls on the teachers: they must know the children in front of them. The struggles and the successes experienced every day by the community of learners that live within the walls of the teacher’s room are not abstract generalizations; they are focused learning struggles and behavior challenges that stem from specific causes. Action research asks teachers to determine these causes and address them for positive change on a student-by-student level. To do so demands each teacher’s personal engagement with each child.

Action research demands, second, that teachers know themselves both as teachers and as learners. The first part is not as hard as the second. To know oneself as a teacher is to know how and why one selects particular strategies; it’s to know the subject matter; it’s to know management. To be a learner, though, is no longer to know. It is to be open to change, open to failure, and ultimately, open to success and growth. To be a learner is to work, to experiment, to modify. It’s very easy for the adults to say that those who cannot fail will not grow. To actively place oneself in the position of possibly needing to change is something entirely different. Action research demands that we change.

The third demand Action Research makes falls on administrators: it demands that they let go of the control over teachers’ professional development. No longer will curriculum coordinators, superintendents, principals be the experts in what teachers need to help their students ~ the teachers are now the experts in what their children need. This is a tremendous risk for those in administrative positions; however the rewards are equally tremendous. By empowering teachers, administrators can become more appropriate and supportive guides for the children in their district. By empowering teachers, administrators can help create a dynamic community that engages and retains thoughtful members who are responsive on multiple levels to the needs of the entire community.

Action Research as professional development is a cultural shift away from the status quo. It starts small, in individual classrooms with individual children and their individual teachers. It lasts all year, potentially every day, and the specifics differ from teacher to teacher. It’s primary questions are, What are you trying? What are you discovering? What can I do to help? It is risk taking at a district level. The rewards, however, are great. Educational communities become much more responsive to the needs of their children. Colleagues embrace new ideas, support new work, and facilitate change. All involved become true life-long learners.

Introduction to Action Research: The Application

During the 2007 – 2008 school year, GEAR UP Learning Centers supported Action Research projects for Battle Creek Public Schools’ middle level teachers’ building level professional development. Teachers began the year by examining data from their own students’ work over the past year, merging the conclusions drawn from that data with recommendations by professional organizations, objectives outlined by the School Improvement Teams, and state and national goals. From this point, each department was able to develop a yearly goal, and from that, then, each teacher and support staff member was able to decide on a specific research direction to pursue during the second and third quarters of the year.

Below are a sample of questions teachers developed and used to guide their intervention strategies.

 Will weekly Academic Conferencing during Advisory class concerning assignments and grades help improve proficient scores (A,B, and C grades) of students and decrease the number of D and E grades?  Will the use of Gizmos increase the 7th grade special education students’ unit assessment scores by 10%?

 Will targeted, consistent use and development of writer’s notebooks within the writing class lead to an increase in students’ awareness of targeted audiences and reflective writing?

 Will adding time to the Bits and Pieces III pacing guide in the following ways increase students’ understanding of number sense? (1) Add 6 half-days to allow 2 full class periods for the following problems: 2.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3, 5.2. (2) Add 1 additional day of review before Unit Test which includes student self-reflection. (3) Add 2 additional days for reflection/review at the end of Investigations 1 and 3.

The diversity in research directions reflects the individuality in professional growth Action Research not only allows, but demands. Additional questions focused on identifying the self who teaches, specific strategies to help students feel a greater affiliation with their school, the potential benefits of the continuation of teaching strategies students had used in the elementary school, as well as many more.

All of the plans were set by Halloween, and all the interventions were in place by November 1st. At that point teachers began collecting the data they had determined they would collect, and what happened next was as unique to each teacher as was the plan itself. Some teachers found that their strategy did exactly what they thought it was going to, and by mid-year had incorporated it into their classroom’s culture. Some teachers discovered that they had begun with too large a task ~ too many students, too many hours, too many different resources ~ and scaled back to a more manageable level. Some teachers discovered that they needed to change their plan completely! All of those involved, though, discovered that they were much more involved with their own professional development then they ever had been before. They were working every week, investing more of themselves into their teaching, their students and each other, and the sense of community that this work has generated moves among the students, the classrooms, and the schools.

But the best part of what has happened this year is the underlying growth of the community itself and the fluidity with which everyone ~ teachers, support staff, principals, curriculum coordinators, assistant superintendents ~ is beginning to expand the boundaries within which they exist. Has the work been demanding? Definitely, for some it has more than tripled the traditional professional development hours. Has it ended? Not at all ~ in fact, it’s just begun. TIMELINE FOR ACTION RESEARCH 2008-09

(dates are tentative based upon school calendar)

1. August 26 & 28 3.75 hours per day (REQUIREMENTS OF THESE HOURS DUE ON SEPT. 15) . Completed proposal/ question . Question is checked off by Tracy, coach or administrator . One research source identified . Proposal must contain:

2. October 31- Due by end of day . Completion of baseline data and at least one data collection . Prepare charts for this data . Checklist signed off by Tracy, coach or administrator . Research additional resources

3. January 26 due by end of day . Additional data added to Power Point . Finalize research resources . Prepare for mid-term due on Feb. 13

4. Feb. 13 . Presentations by all groups/individuals . Self reflection sheets due . Feedback from peers

***Option – show the final products during staff meetings from April to May***

5. June 11th- Begin process all over again.

POSSIBILITIES: Have colleagues go to other buildings and share the best of the best with other schools….not as one big group ACTION RESEARCH SHOWCASE. OR share in departments. Professional Development: Action Research Proposal

Battle Creek Middle Schools/GEAR UP * (funded in part by a U.S. Department of Education grant) 2008 – 2009 Teacher(s): School:

School Improvement Plan/ All Action Research interventions and investigations must come from, Department Goal: and lead back to, this goal.

Initial Assumptions: What am I assuming about this project, my students, and/or myself as a teacher as I begin this project?

Action Research Question: What, specifically, am I hoping will be the end result of my Action Research project?

Set-up Tasks: What do I need to do, find, or create so I can begin my intervention or investigation?

Baseline Data: What data do I have that tells me where my students are today with respect to the skill or subject I’m targeting? (Baseline data must be collected prior to MEAP testing window).

Research Sources: What possible sources can I explore in order to begin gathering research on the subject of my intervention or investigation? (A minimum of 4 sources total must be used; at least one must be from a designated list.)

Evaluation Timeline: Data should be collected a minimum of once per quarter (Q1 and Q2). Ideally, data will be collected at P1 (Progress Report 1), Q1, P2, and Q2.

Evaluation Procedures: Who is my population? How am I planning to assess whether or not my intervention is working? (i.e., test scores, survey data, etc.)Do I need to conduct a pre-test? If so, what will I use as a pre-test?) Implementation Procedures: What are the specific steps I plan to follow in order to make sure my intervention is used consistently?

Expectations

Throughout:

Set monthly observations and check-ups with your action research coach.

Midterm:

PowerPoint presentation (approximately 15 min.) 1. What did you do and why?  AR Question  Department/School goal  Initial assumptions  Intervention Strategy 2. How did you do it?  Describe your procedure  Baseline data  Annotated bibliographies 3. What did you find out?  Show data collected in chart, graph, etc.  State a conclusion based upon the data  Questions you have so far.

Final:

PowerPoint presentation-continued from the midterm (approximately 15 min.) 4. What did you find out?  Show final data in chart, graph, etc.  State a conclusion based upon the data  New questions you have

Written Report A 1-2 page summary completed by individuals about AR projects. It should answer the three big questions: 1. What did you do and why? 2. How did you do it? 3. What did you find out? Action Research Checklist– Step by Step:

By September 15 (much of this can be completed the previous spring):

____ Identify School Improvement goal (departments)

____Analyze data that will help to formulate initial research based on SI goal

____ Develop Action Research Question (individual or group)

____ Begin Literature Review to support individual/group focus

____ Plan which strategies to use/ which students to collect data from

____ Determine what data will be collected twice per quarter and how it will be compiled for analysis

____ Schedule observation and check-up with action research coach

As the school year begins:

____Collect/record baseline data

____ Continue Literature Review to support individual/group focus

____ Put strategy into place and begin collecting/recording data (p1, m1, p2)

____ Share preliminary findings/questions/ problems at department meetings

____ Prepare charts/Power Point of data thus far

______

Signature of Tracy, coach, or Administrator by October 31 that above items have all been completed. Copy to principal. By January 26:

____ P2 and M3 data collected and added to Power Point

____ Finalize Literature Review and prepare annotations to add to presentation

____Prepare as an individual or group for the mid-term presentation

____Make adjustment to strategy if needed

By February 13

____ Presentations by all individuals/groups

____ Complete a self-reflection sheet

____ Receive feedback from peers at presentation

Spring:

____ Continue using strategy and collecting/compiling data

____ Continue sharing AR findings in department meetings

____ Analyze MEAP and other pertinent data (Data Day)

____ Revise SI goal for next year if the data indicates

____ Revise AR focus for next year if the data indicates

____ Analyze all data

____ Prepare final written report and Power Point

____Present final findings

____ Complete final self-reflection Literature Review

A literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description of findings. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic and to illustrate best practices in teaching concerning the area of research. Action Research Self-Assessment

Teacher Name:______

Midterm/Final

Category 4 – WOW! 3 – GOT IT! 2 – CLOSE! 1 – NOT QUITE Professional  meets deadlines Accountability to  provides data as Colleagues needed to dept.  addresses agreed upon dept. goal Self-Directed  You are doing what Learning you said you would do or appropriate explanation for deviation  Developed action plan  on-going collection and analysis of data with recognition when change must occur Relevance –  supports dept. SIP Comprehensive, through increased Continuous student achievement Improvement  Driven by dept. Process findings on data days  strategies informed by best practices research in implementing Action Research Respect for All  Involvement of Learners students in the action research process  Addresses the GAP as identified in SIP  Students are aware of action research process and their role in the process New Questions:

Presentation Feedback Sheet Name: ______

Presenters: ______

1. Ah Ha Moment:

2. Questions:

3. Suggestions/Ideas:

4. How can I support this project in my subject area:

Presentation Feedback Sheet Name: ______

Presenters: ______

1. Ah Ha Moment:

2. Questions:

3. Suggestions/Ideas: 4. How can I support this project in my subject area:

Action Research Coaching Feedback Form

Inputs and Assumptions:

1. AR coach/mentor is familiar with the AR focus/questions/strategies/data of the teacher. 2. AR coach/mentor has established a professional rapport with the teacher. 3. AR coach/mentor and teacher have had a conversation about what the “visit” will result in (what the coach/mentor will be looking for and offer feedback on as requested by the teacher in the pre-visit conference)

Teacher______

AR Coach/mentor______

Date______

1. This is what you wanted me to offer feedback on:

2. This is what I experienced/observed to that end:

3. Where do we go from here?