Are You Proud of Me?

Reflections on Creating a Personal Digital Story -

As I created my personal digital story, I discovered that the direction of my story was not as I intended it to go. That's what following God's lead does. What began as a memorial to my daddy, ended up as the photo story posted above. I am glad to share this story because I am striving to live my life telling others of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

On a more professional note, I learned a great deal about myself and what it feels like to publish something very personal. As I shared with Stacey, the classmate with whom I worked in partnership, this assignment has made me feel vulnerable to open up and give an honest picture of myself. I am typically not a person who shares easily. I would say this has been a valuable experience in publishing to the web.

Additional Plans and Addressing Challenges

As our campus looks for ways to improve while sustaining instruction that has brought about student success, I plan to incorporate Force Field Analysis, which states that if change is to occur, the forces in favor of change must be greater than the forces opposed to change. (Harris, et al., 2010)

I plan to use this strategy as my research action plan is introduced to the team of Pre-K teachers. I think it will be very important to describe the current situation and ask teachers to rank the percentage of time spent in small group instruction weekly; or the average number of times per week that our students with the most needs receive differentiated instruction. From there we will predict what will happen if there is no change, determine why there is a need for more differentiated instruction and if there are equally important reasons not to provide instruction to small groups of students. Following this, we will determine if change is possible and suggestions for how to fit this into our school day. We will also address reasons why implementing small group instruction is difficult and factors that create resistance to this model of instruction, and we will attempt to address the factors and reduce the resistance.

Comments to my discussion post about differentiated instruction in pre-kindergarten confirmed the research plan. One also noted the issue of time. Differentiated instruction does require more planning time. To assist teachers, I will help with grouping students and identifying their needs based on assessments. I will also offer materials and side by side teaching. Additionally, we will use our Pre-K wiki to post ideas for activities that have been helpful to students. Since students with the most needs require small group instruction every day, I will also be available to work with groups of students in each classroom every week. We will develop a schedule so that teachers know which day I will be in their rooms, and they can work me into their lesson plans. This should help teachers to not only meet the needs of their lowest students, but also have some additional time for other students, as well.

Week 3 Inquiry

As noted in the plan posted just prior to this, I have focused my inquiry on individual students with the question: "What role does small group instruction, or even individual instruction, play in meeting the needs of students with little or no prior experience to pre-kindergarten?"
Though I am anxious to begin this research, the beginning of year data for pre-k is not collected until October. In the meantime, I will inform the pre-k teachers and principal on my campus of my plan. Countdown to the first day of school: 22 days

Action Research Plan

Goal: To determine what role small group, or even individual instruction, plays in meeting the needs of students with little or no prior experience to pre-kindergarten

Setting the Foundation: Pre-kindergarten teachers are gradually moving to more small-group instruction, but as with all classrooms, teachers are in different phases. Research indicates that students’ needs are better met through differentiated instruction, and in order to demonstrate this, my research question focuses on revealing this through a study of our own students, with the goal of increasing small group instruction in all classrooms as the benefits of differentiated instruction are realized.

Analyzing data: Data will be collected from Beginning of Year (BOY) and Middle of Year (MOY) diagnostic assessments. This data will be used, along with a recording form that teachers use to document small group instruction, to chart weekly and 6-weeks progress.

Developing Deeper Understanding: In addition to the data, classroom visits and suggestions from the PK Coordinator will help to monitor and guide small group instruction.

Engaging in Self-Reflection: Following the MOY assessments, the PK Coordinator will compile data to take to teachers to review during an interview. This time will help the teacher to determine the next steps in small group instruction. This will also be a time for me (the PK Coordinator) to assess the direction of staff development and determine where improvements can be made.

Exploring Patterns: Upon the completion of MOY data disaggregation, the PK Coordinator will look for patterns across and within classrooms to address.

Determining Direction: At this point another action research direction can be determined (if others have not already surfaced) based on the results. If gaps are evident among certain subgroups, for instance, the PK Coordinator and Teachers may look for different approaches to meeting the needs of those students. The data will be used to assess progress and reveal needs to be met.

Taking Action: Following a summative report, a new plan of action can be outlined and initiated.

Sustaining Improvement: Through this model of improvement and reflection, the progress of students, and ultimately the school, will be evident. As teachers and leaders continually research data and work collaboratively to address the needs, all will continue to benefit.

Inquiry Develops in Week 2

As I seek to make inquiry a lifestyle, I am learning, first of all, to look for areas that would benefit from research. I believe this is a critical step in becoming an action researcher. The awareness is the initial phase in a process of looking at what is happening and determining whether it is effective or needs improvement. As I look at areas of action research, I am becoming more aware of myself, my job, my campus, and how we are, or are not, helping students to be successful learners.

Of the nine areas of passion cited as research possibilities (Dana, 2009), I am currently considering all but one. From Staff Development, Curriculum Development, Individual Students, School Culture/Community, Leadership, Management, School Performance, and Social Justice, I have narrowed the focus down to Individual Students, School Culture/Community, and Management. Though I discovered I have a passion about each of the areas cited, I believe that some of the biggest needs on my campus are found in these three areas. I will share more about the questions I am considering later.

You Too Can Blog

I would like to encourage educational leaders to use blogs as a means of journaling for self-reflection, sharing ideas with others, and modeling. According to Nancy Fichtman Dana, journals or weblogs help you to capture your own thinking over time, which “can lead to critical insights into your administrative practice, insights that may only occur when you revisit a thought or when you string a number of thoughts together that have come to you intermittently over a longer period of time.”

It makes me a little uneasy to share my thoughts with the World Wide Web, but if I can do so, you can, too. You may have ideas that others are just waiting to read!

Dana further states that utilizing blogs is also one way of modeling the love of writing for students. It does not take a great deal of time, but the benefits for students will be well-worth it.

Dana, Nancy Fichtman, (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. California: Corwin, A Sage Company. (88)

Beginning the Inquiry Process

Action research as a means of self-reflection and improvement is a new concept for me. As I learn about the various phases, from inquiry to reflection - including data collection and analysis, followed by continuous improvements - I am very interested in making it part of my own professional development.

As the coordinator for our Pre-K Early Start Grant, I look forward to utilizing action research and encouraging our teachers to do the same. We begin the second year of our grant in 2010, and the data collected from Beginning of Year (BOY) kindergarten assessments will help us to evaluate our effectiveness in 2009 and begin the inquiry based on that data. Further collection and analysis of data from those students’ pre-kindergarten year will help us to determine more specifically which areas to address for the current pre-kindergarten students.

Following BOY kindergarten assessments, pre-k teachers will also assess 2010 pre-k students and use data to plan small group instruction. During the fall semester teachers will continually use observations, student portfolios, and checklists to monitor progress and address needs. Small groups will be flexible in order to accommodate the learners. Middle of Year assessments will indicate progress and needs, at which time teachers will make further adjustments to their small groups and instruction. As we determine specific needs of students, teachers and I will search for improved methods to meet those needs.

The assessment/data steps have been in place during our first grant year; and in most classes, improvement in instruction has followed. The new step for most of us will be the reflection phase, where we intentionally look at results of the improved instruction to determine if additional improvements are necessary.

Finally, I will be utilizing action research to look at my own leadership. In the past year, I found myself trying to keep up with the demands of teaching students, facilitating meetings, meeting the needs of a new off-campus teacher, keeping track of records and materials, as well as being the sounding board for all of our team. In 2010, I plan to build on the experience of our first year by taking time to journal, evaluate, problem-solve and reflect on the efficiency of my work.