conversational blog 3

Data collection is going well since we spoke last. I plan on spending the next couple of weeks putting sense to my findings from my data collection process. Once that is done, I can complete then next piece of my project. It's slow going, but I am close to finishing the data collection phase.

I have been swamped more in my personal life than I have at work, but my project I guess is going as well as it can at this point.

I was wondering how you would like our paper organized because I know I did it wrong in the past. That would be helpful.

Thanks Steve.

conversational blog 2

I have been having a hard time managing both research and the TIP. I have gathered some information, but it's slow going.

I am having difficulty focusing on the right questions to ask both the students and staff. I have administered student surveys but they didn't give me much to work with so I  didn't know if I had asked the right questions. The students don't give as detailed answers like adults do so I didn't know if I should repeat the survey and read it to them instead, as well as offer prompts and record the responses myself.

I am more concerned about how to go about gathering the data, as in how I should administer the data collection tools.

conversational blog 1

My research hasn't started yet, but I am hoping to get it off the ground soon. I plan on pulling data from last year and comparing at the end of this 6 week grading period. I am still having trouble coming up with questions to ask students and staff in their respective interviews. If there was anything I had questions on, it would be that. How do you gauge a students involvement and the perception of a teacher? I may have more questions before we meet so I will keep you updated.

good action research response

During my journey to my TIP involving action research, I've had a hard time wrapping my head around the purpose of action research. I get that it was supposed to be a tool that allows a teacher to change up their classroom for their students, but the dynamic nature of the research made very little sense to me. After perusing this article however, I think I finally get action research. One line that seems to sum up most of what we have learned throughout our studies these past two years regarding action research can be seen in this excerpt from the article: "It operates in partnership with practitioners and we need to discuss and shape our research question and design with the practitioners." This line has only made me more confident with my choice of action research for my TIP. Furthermore, there needs to be a desire to practice action research and there must also be relevance in what you’re researching. By working with practitioners directly, these goals can be easier to attain. The text supports this claim as well by simply stating  "Working in partnership with practitioners pretty much ensures the practical aims will be met". I very much appreciate this article. 

50ish questions

Write down questions about your students, context, school, self, your practice, etc. Anything about what you do on a daily basis. Enter in your blog. Due next class.

What other methods can I use to get to know my students?

Are there any good classroom games?

Are there easy ways to transfer a technology based lesson when technology itself is not working?

What can a teacher do to hold students accountable?

How can teacher foster students holding themselves accountable?

How often should technology be used in the classroom?

How can technology (e.g. chromebooks) affect a student’s academic performance?

What about technology affecting a student’s attentiveness/participation?

Can working for technology be counterproductive to a students participation?

How often will I miss meetings because of IEP meetings?

How will my absence affect my relationship with other staff?

What can I do to reach kids on my caseload I hardly ever see?

What can a teacher do to motivate their students to be on time to class?

If they are late due to the business of the halls, going from one end of the school to the other, should I mark a student tardy?

How do I set up my class details on Synergy?

How should I set up my filing cabinet?

Should it have a file of each of my students?

If I am outside the school in an external classroom, what can I do to let my students know where I am?

How much should I DR for other staff meetings?

Who should I ask to DR for my meetings?

What if I can’t get anyone other than a handful of people to come to an IEP meeting?

Should the meeting still be held despite the fact that people are coming in and out of the meeting?

What can I do to keep myself level headed during the day?

What are some efficient ways to get students attention during class?

How can I involve students who are reluctant to participate?

Where should I post my expectations for the classroom?

How much humor should you use with your students?

How much time should I give for doing work in class?

In regards to students blurting out, what can a teacher do to discourage this behavior?

What is a more efficient way to design your classroom as far as desk arrangements?

When creating a schedule on the board, what should the labels and sections be other than the day and date?

What is an efficient way of sharing assignments from other classes so that students in mine can work on them?

How do you determine a books reading level?

What can be used to help students retain information from a given text?

What kind of activities could I use in tandem with a whole-class read-aloud?

What are some good books for teens?

Should I focus on texts that are uncommon to their curriculum, or stick with the tried-and-true method?

Regarding synergy, what is the best way to gather the schedules of the students on your caseload?

Where should I look to find the students medical needs/supports/accommodations/modifications?

How can students and parents view the students profile and grades?

When trying to gather information for an IEP meeting, who are other staff I should speak to?

How can I best communicate with parents?

How often should I contact parents?

How do I deal with angry parents on the phone?

When is it kosher to give a kid a referral?

What are some other ways to enforce the classroom expectations?

What can I do to pace myself?

Where can I get more classroom supplies?

How much is my budget?

Where can I spend it? Office max? Book store for in-class reading? Goodwill for games?

BTAR chapter 8

Right of the get go in this chapter, I thought about the possible steps following a research study. I was uncertain of where I could go after this upcoming action research this Fall, but then I wondered how I could delve deeper into the subject at hand. How could I build on what I will learn? What could I do to triangulate an even more specific aspect of a students ability to learn? These were questions that I had. I followed the process of this chapter pretty well since it made sense for the most part. It helps to have the text recapped at the end so to make the text and process seem easier to tackle.

What will be the hardest for me to do is reflect on my research after all is said and done, only because at the time, I will be performing the process the best way I know how. As I write this, I know that when the time comes to reflect on my research, it will be helpful to have another set of eyes to take a look. This is where collaboration will help me directly and give me the opportunity to review my own faults and successes as a researcher with a new perspective.

 "To think and act critically is to live and practice action research on a daily basis" is one line in the text that I found interesting. I can appreciate the sentiment of proactivity especially concerning students. That being said, there are times when a teacher just needs to take a break from being a researcher and simply be a teacher. I know that when the time comes to take over my own classroom, it will be difficult for me to focus on research all the time. I understand that action research is a little thing that should be done in tandem with teaching, but there are limits to how many little things a person can take in their day. At that point it will be a balancing act unlike any I have ever done.

BTAR chapter 7

I often think of academic research as dry, overly complicated, and indigestible. With only a few exceptions, it is. As I read this chapter, I begin to understand why people try and add a voice to their research, to give it a personality, or to make it more attractive to the naked eye. They want people to be invested in what they are invested in. In the end, a zebra can't change it's stripes. Academic research is going to be what it is. The trick is, when you get to the end of the research bit and begin presenting your work, everything needs to be simpler in order to be had by your average person. This is the challenge with any research though. Making it easily accessible to the masses. As I read further in the chapter, I realized how great it would be to read an article with attributes like the ones that are presented; moments of joys and mistakes, personal struggles, etc. Many of the authors whose articles I have read could benefit from this text. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem they did. This chapter paints a pretty picture of what academic research would be given that we abandon what we think and how we present data.

Despite my disdain for academic work, I can appreciate the effort to be presentable and professional. It takes a certain person in a certain field of study to appreciate a piece on research. Sometimes, it's not about reaching everyone, but it's all about reaching the right people.  The text goes on describing developing a voice and style that you design yourself so to be taken seriously in the academic circles, and nothing is more important than how you look and feel when trying to portray your work. This does not mean that if you look good, you'll sound good. It's important to make your findings just as attractive. If you take a look at page 193 of the text, the authors present a table for your reading convenience so to show how a well organized research presentation can look. What I like most about it is that it simplifies. Not much can be done to change the facts and what they are, but by using an organizer such as the one on page 193, an author can simplify their work into a more digestible form.

BTAR chap. 6

This chapter begins simply by helping the reader define "interpretation". Reading the following passages, I thought more about my insecurities regarding action research. Through the process of learning about how to be a consistent and reliable researcher, I have learned more about how the data we collect can influence our own perspectives regarding our research. Near the beginning of the chapter the text cites the words of Tilden who said that "information, as such, is not interpretation." I get the feeling that a great deal of researchers have fallen prey to this aspect of research and attempted to make meaning from the information alone. I agree with the authors who discuss how interpreting data can be a daunting task to even the most seasoned of researchers. I have no doubt that I will have a hard time with this aspect of data interpretation. It almost seems wrong making a judgment about a population based on my observations. Who's to say that my data collection was flawed or skewed in any way? I think that is what will worry me the most when I perform my action research in the fall. Even later in the chapter the authors discuss the voice in your head that says that you don't know enough. What put my mind slightly at ease was reading about the steps of data collection. I figure if I successfully perform the steps, I should have enough information to make a basic inference.  

Chapter 5 BTAR

I know that during my action research, I am going to have a great deal of issues when finally looking at my data and working out what it is telling me. I think that might be why the questions posed regarding the analysis and reconstruction of my data on pages 118 and 119 are going to help me considerably when taking a look at my own data. It is important for a researcher to be able to communicate and understand their study's data so to make it more accessible to a common reader. The questions in the following pages up until 122 will also help me realize what my own limitation are the limitations of my data. Late in the chapter, the text discusses the importance of ongoing analysis and taking reflective pauses during research. This would help a researcher by forcing them the constantly rethink about their research process and the implications the data makes, rather than waiting until the very end when all the data has been collected and seems so distant and disconnected. This will have to be something that I focus on as well just so I don't lose sight of early data collections and what they imply. A lot can be lost in a matter of weeks when distracted by other happenings in research.

Gersten article reflection

It's important to consistently look at how we teach and how different methods are implemented in the classroom. This article was hard to digest and overly descriptive to suit anyone who isn't in the field of research, education, or involved in both. Despite it's value to your average bystander, it's the thought that counts. Things became much clearer in the section titled Measuring the Independent Variable when the author discusses the difference between observing the implementation or the lack thereof. I think it became clearer because Gersten used a contextual example. I appreciate how the article stresses the importance of using a lesson model consistently so to better obtain an idea of how effective that model actually is. I enjoyed one of the following sections titled Implementation Fidelity because, right at the beginning, Gersten maps out what should be observed while judging the effectiveness of a lesson model. Gersten talks about aspects such as level of training provided , length of lessons, etc. Though there is a checklist that helps define what should be looked for in any implementation, I appreciate the fact that the author admits that there are aspects that can be difficult to quantify during an observation. The article brings more points to light, but overall, it reminds me that it's important to observe my own teaching and planning. That way I can consistently better my teaching methods.

Journal 12-14 to 12-16

12-14
A students communication needs can be hard to handle sometimes, especially for the student. My student and I were working on using the little cue cards that we made on boardmaker. What I am doing to implement these is give her choices just to introduce the cards and what they mean. I know that now is not the best time to start, but what's the harm in introducing them? We'll try using them again every day.

12-15
The new student did well today making it easier to work in the same room with my student. That turned out well because she wasn't having anything to do with the other kids in the main classroom. We tried to get back there but it didn't work today.

12-16
Today was a good day. We started out doing the recycling and our morning routine. I would like to incorporate recycling into our daily routine since nobody else is doing it. There should be plenty for us to do. My student did great getting the bins from the classroom and doing it quietly. I am so proud of her. We managed all our work later in the day and she sat through an entire movie! So that was awesome. Hopefully we don't have to work too hard to get back into the swing of things when the break is over.

Journal 12-5 to 12-7

12-5
Today I want to talk about administration. I understand that the leaders of our schools have a great deal on their plates, and that they sometimes just don't have the time. I'm also accustomed to taking care of myself in the workplace, but sometimes, it would be nice if there was an ounce of time that the administration could spare to us IA's. If people in my school were to have problems, I imagine that I might have a hard time too finding time for them, but emails should do the trick and having meetings to fix problems should come first above working in the cafeteria for lunch.

12-6
Today my student had a full meltdown before she got on the bus. I firmly believe that it's not my job to get a student on the bus, it is the parents. But when my student threw herself on the ground, I couldn't just leave her there with her mom. So I waited patiently. We didn't get to school for at least an hour, so I guess I don't know, but if someone could answer this question, it would be great. How long is too long to wait for a student?

12-7
She got on the bus today. I feels like it has been an up and down kind of time these past few weeks. I would kill for some routine.

Journal 11-30 to 12-2

11-30
Monday and Tuesday my student didn't come to school. This was half expected though since we just got back from Thanksgiving week. When she got on the bus today, I figured that we would spend a lot of time going on walks, taking breaks, and doing a minimal amount of work. That's how today went. I have started ignoring my teacher. It probably sounds childish, but when she gives me advice about my student and presumes to tell me what to do, I never take her seriously. If she wants to decide how I work with my student, then she needs to spend more time working with her and learning about her.

12-1
Today was 100% better than yesterday. We got a ton of work done, and had plenty of time to spare. Today was a breath of fresh air and it's what I and she needed.

12-2
We started dedicating more time to our vocational skills today. Every week, she and I will be going around and taking care of the schools recycling. She is learning but by a couple of weeks from now, she'll have it down. It's really too bad that our teacher doesn't focus on that more often.

Journal 11-16 to 11-17

11-16
As before I am still working on keeping my student happy and in the classroom with the other students. We are working on staying quiet during work times and working with distractions. She is easily distracted and needs reinforcement all the time. Now I am happy that she and I have been using a token board.

11-17
We had a rough day. My student couldn't focus and spent a lot of time in the break room. There are times when she will experience a sudden and unexpected outburst. At this point I always help her situate herself and we go through the motions of taking deep breaths and setting up her mat to lay on and the weighted blanket. That thing has saved my life a ton of times. Not much work was done today. Hopefully tomorrow.

Journal 11-8 to 11-10

11-8
Alright. So the new student is in full swing, literally and figuratively. This kid is violent and loose with his language. So my student and I are spending as much time as possible away from that room. Hopefully I wont be asked to work with him and her at the same time.

11-9
To put a little crappy icing on the cake, the absent head teacher told me that I would be switching off with another one-on-one staff member with the new kid. Now I firmly believe in helping kids, I really do, but there is a limit that everyone needs to recognize and it's how far you can be stretched. When she informed me that this new partial placement was going to happen, I told her I couldn't do it. I will fight tooth and nail to keep my student away from this kid, because I can't manage the two of them at the same time while giving adequate care to my own student. Before, when I said that parents are going to be the ones who burn me out, I should have included incompetent teachers.

11-10
Today is taking a long time. I'm on lunch right now and I have been all over the place with my student. I'm also feeling emotionally exhausted. I just hate the feeling of not being supported. I hope I don't fall into the same trend as my teacher.

Journal 11-2 to 11-4

11-2
Our new student came in today, and my student didn't so I was put on duty to meet the kid and his mom. The kid was all over the place, even with the mom there. She had a list of things to cover which felt like demands more than anything else. Ill tell you, it's not the students that are going to burn me out, it's the obnoxious parents.

11-3
So first day with the new student without mom and he was everything that we expected and more. Lacks empathy, social rules, etc. He sent my student off on her own tantrum because of the behavior he exhibits. Now I know that moving into the other classroom was a good idea. My student and I spent half the day in the classroom and half in the individual work room. We got along without as much overload as before but I am assuming that it will be a day to day basis.

11-4
Good day with my student despite the fact that she wouldn't get on the bus this morning. We spent more time just sitting in the other classroom which is working out because I don't expect her to get much work done but I do expect her to listen to the teacher and follow the class. We got away without many behaviors today which felt good. Good day.

Journal 10-25 to 10-27

10-25
This week so far has been hard. We just got word that we would be getting a new student in the near future, and he doesn't sound like a piece of cake. I know that no student is 100% easy but when you work in a DLC, behaviors are the last thing that we worry about. With this new student, I'm afraid with our absent teacher and the lack of support from our administration, that we will be finding ourselves having a hard time treading water.

10-26
No further news of our new student. I really hope he doesn't upset the balance that I have made with my one-on-one student. Its been hard enough making a connection with her without the stress of another students behavior on the board. She has been doing well. She got on the bus all by herself with no motivation from anyone today which is a step in the right direction. If that new student is as bad a they say he is, then she and I will be moving into the classroom with the other students. Its time to get her mixed in with everyone and made part of the classroom.

10-27
Today, my student and I will be test running a day in the classroom. Ill let you know how that goes.

Alright. So today didn't go so well. I had to keep moving her in and out of the classroom because of sensory overload. It looks as though progress will be slow, but when is it ever fast with these kids?

They say I say part 4

The point made at the beginning of chapter eleven is valid in the idea that linking your thoughts and comments to what others have said. It can give you support in your argument or help tie in your own thoughts in a contextually relevant way. Despite how helpful that can be, I think this concept can be effective and detrimental when used during different mediums. When writing an essay, report, or study, it's important to link your methods and findings to the work that others have done before you, but when considering a conversation in a classroom setting, I can see people overusing others thoughts and playing them off as their own. It's great to give credit where credit is due, but that shouldn't steer people away from saying what they think, whether they agree with others or not. The only issue I have with this idea is that there has to be a measure of your own words rather than simply rephrasing what others have said. Without an emphasis on individuals personal input, there wouldn't be any conversation. For this reason, I appreciate the first few pages of part four and it's acknowledgment of the flaws in this idea.

Another segment in the chapters that I particularly enjoyed reading was bit about picturing the author of text in a social setting, not typing the pages of a book. The author talks about how this can force people to think more deeply about how the author of any text is responding to others and their ideas. As I thought about how I could implement this idea in the classroom, I thought how we in the cohort are asked from time to time to argue or debate in small groups. This is a great way to get students involved in learning especially when it is concerning beliefs that are not their own, as people are prone to ignore ideas that they don't agree with. On a final note on this topic, I thought this was a great way to ask your students "what is motivating this writer?".

Chapter 4 questions

1.Consider for a moment curriculum design: we align unit goals to specific instruction and align this with assessment. How is the same principle applied to an action research design?

In action research, the goal or question is determined by the context. Once the goal is in place, the method is aligned with the goal.

2. How is alignment between the critical question and the action research plan creating a “strong sense of connection”?

When the critical question and the action research plan are aligned, the alignment can set a solid base for the connection to the literature, data, context, and the interpretation of the data.

Chapter 4: Process Questions

1. How will you balance the demands of learning to teach and the act of conducting research? How is teaching and research the same, different?

In all honesty, I probably wont have much time to research. Instruction and presence in the classroom is the most important job that a teacher has, and I will work by a case to case basis with each student depending on their needs. There wont be any longitudinal studies but there will be development of goals and methods for students on a daily basis. So, to rephrase my previous statement, I will be performing action research every day. Teaching and research can be the same because I will be learning about my students every day.

2. Describe your action research design in one brief concise paragraph. Now read it to someone who is not as familiar with your project. Have them summarize what they hear. What questions do they have for you? Do they understand the goals of your action research? Is there anything you need to revise based upon their comments and/or questions?

Here is what I read:

Our research will revolve around the connection between a students academic success and their social base/needs. Our main question is "does a student perform better in school when they have a friend?"

My wife just had two questions which were "what about if that student has more than one friend and how does their performance compare to their peer who only has one friend?" I would allow for more time to obtain more data in the future.  

Chapter 3 questions and they say I say 3

1. Crystalization is the idea of having multiple sides to the information and triangulation is using the relevant data from that information. The combination of the two shows exploration of varety of biases and alternative causes while Identifying the commonalities between the points of data.
2. They help set parameters for your thesis as it is what your main focus is. Focus and purpose keep your thesis and main themes in the spot light while trustworthiness supports your ideas.
3. Make sure you have permission to use relevant data, or people have the the right to know if their information is being used.
4. Methods may be appropriate for one sample but inappropriate for another. This can be avoided by specifying your samples and adjusting your methods so to fit the samples better.
5. The context could influence the research design by forcing you to gather information a certain way. Doing a study on SPED students would be very different than doing one on general education students because you could use different methods such as surveys and other self evaluation methods with different populations.
6. It means that you are an active learner as well as an educator. It shows that you want to better your methods while working and implementing them at the same time.
7. The most challenging thing about data collection will be enough time in the day. I work as a one-on-one and my student needs help all the time. Carving out time in the day will be the hardest part, but I can ask other IA's to help out when I'm not there.   

The first point that jumped out at me during my reading of they say I say part 3 was at the very beginning. The example they gave about the student who was having a hard time with writing fluently made me think about how I write and the best way I would sum up this idea is write something you would read. I don't write that well, but I do use transition statements pretty well. I also noticed later in the chapters that the text says to repeat key phrases to make an emphasis on something. I never do that just because it seems like I am sounding to monotonous. I guess if I do it the right way, I may not come across as that. Finally I just wanted to note the idea of metacommentary. Honestly, it sounds like bad journalism, guiding people how to feel. I haven't very much practice at that only because I wasn't taught to do that in my papers as a student, though it is nice to see how it helps clarify a point you're trying to communicate or a judgement you wish to avoid. This section was very helpful and I can see where I can grow as a writer.