You can do teacher (action) research: It’s just great research-based teaching with “infrared goggles”,

a camera, & observation forms!

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

NAEYC 2010 Annual Conference & Expo November 3 – 6, 2010 Anaheim, CA

Lynn Hartle, Ph.D.

Professor of Education

The Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine lhartle@hotmail.com

Where Can I Access the Session Information?

All handouts, Power Point, Course syllabi, and some course Modules will be posted for download from the WIKI that I created.

Go to http://teacherresearch-naeyc-nov10-lhartle.wikispaces.com/

lhartle@hotmail.com If you need help or have more questions.

Purpose for the session

……to share teacher research strategies with teachers and teacher educators who want to start their own teacher research.

Teacher research is presented as not only as the capstone experience of the early childhood program at the University of Central Florida (my former position), but also the “golden light” to the future that shines

for EACH child’s optimal learning, because:

Teacher research is the personal, non-generalizable study of what works with the specific individual children/ child in a given classroom or grouping.

Teacher research is a personal journey, the inspiration, the tools for collecting data and steps for collecting data must also be crafted to the teacher’s study.

Goals for the session

Recent teacher researchers (students in the capstone ) will share their frustrations, joys, and triumphs about the steps to :

a) identify questions about curriculum, teaching, learning, family involvement, and/ or assessment that have been surfacing;

b) develop skills in the use of action research through readings

c) apply tools learned during their teacher education program

d) implement a systematic, intentional plan of inquiry

e) develop a coding system for uncovering patterns of behaviors

f) share findings through writing, discussion, & oral presentation

…every great teacher is a researcher, but can be a GREAT researcher.

An Issue/problem/question/exciting moment stimulates research that may be….

Personal research –time management, how to scan the room Observational research of children, your own or in your class -

who aren’t behaving as you believe they should beCrafting just the right questions to ask children – find out what

they know

What recent issue/problem/question/exciting moment stimulated you to conduct research?

Everyone is a researcher…

Action research is a….

…disciplined inquiry undertaken by educators and other practitioners in order that they may improve their own practices. It is a systematic, reflective and collaborative process used to examine practices and individuals for the purposes of planning change (Calhoun, 2002; Hopkins, 2002; Hubbard & Power, 1993; Jarvis, 1998).

…children in his first grade at Eagle Ridge Elementary had the widest range of math skills he had ever noticed during his three years of teaching.

The other two first grade teachers also commented on students' wide range of skills and knowledge. Some children were still working on making sets of numbers 1- 10, while others understood and could perform some simple multiplication problems. Still others were somewhere in between in this continuum of development and could perform simple addition problems by using manipulative materials.

That year, Mr. Redfeather had a University intern, Ms. Black, who had an assignment to conduct action research. He considered the intern's project an excellent opportunity to study some changes he had planned to make in his teaching to accommodate children's diverse needs. When Mr. Redfeather told the other two first grade teachers at Eagle Ridge about action research, they wanted to be a part of the project, too.

In November, Mr. Redfeather realized that …

The essential characteristics of action research include the following: Practitioners select questions about teaching strategies that are not working or strategies

they want to try out and that they choose to study. They Follow their PASSION!

Much of the data collection and analysis are done by the practitioners in their own classrooms, but study teams may also include interns, University partners, principals, and other practitioners.

Sometimes a teacher works alone to study his/her own practice, or teachers collaborate such as the project with the first grade teachers and university intern at Eagle Ridge.

The principal at Eagle Ridge was eager to see the results of the first grade team's collaborative efforts to accommodate a wide range of learners. Collaborative research can also extend to teachers and classrooms across the entire school or several schools. (Anderson, Herr, & Nihlen, 1994; Calhoun, 2002; Glanz, 1998; McLean, 1995).

Once upon a time…In a land far, far away there was a teacher. She was teaching seventh graders for

the first time

and found it very difficult

to plan. She was having

trouble making reading “fun”.

The teacher was sad…

The students were sad…

Action INQUIRY by: S.S.

Many other teachers in the land had

Come to this teacher and tried everything -

wishing upon a shooting star…

……Kissing a frog………

…..Even a Fairy God mother ……..

But …

No one could find a way

Until…..

Reading Buddies

A new idea came…..

like a knight in shining armor!

This idea had hope …but could it work?

Would the kids be learning or just having fun?

With all the pressure to pass the FCAT too many teachers are focusing on instruction that prepares students for the test. I am interested in trying strategies that will encourage students to become independent learners who are highly motivated to read and become role models to younger students.I anticipate an increase in seventh grade students’ character development, reading fluency, and interest in reading through implementation of a buddy reading program with first grade students.

Questions

Will first grade students motivate seventh grade students to read?

What if… Seventh grade students’ fluency is improved? Seventh grade students become intrinsically motivated to read? Seventh grade students’ behavior improves to become role models for

buddies?

MethodMethod

Data CollectionFor my research project, I am collecting data

through observations, journals, surveys and scores. A Focused Observation tool to observe the children. A Researcher Journal

Data Collection Tools 7th Grade Oral Reading Fluency Test (Pre and Post)

7th Grade Reading Interest Survey (Pre and Post)

Buddy (1st and 7th) Journals (weekly)

Teacher Focused Observation Tool in 5 minute intervals (weekly)

Buddy (1st and 7th) Interview Form (monthly)

First Grade Teacher Interview Form (Conclusion of study)

Oral Reading Fluency Pre/Post Test.

Students ORF Pre-Test ORF Post-Test DifferenceI. 207 wpm 243 wpm +36II. 223 wpm 268 wpm +45III. 238 wpm 272 wpm +34IV. 205wpm 218wpm +13

Same PassagesWords read in one minute

Average wpm pre-test: 221.25 words. Average wpm post-test 249.75 words. The average increased by 28.5 wpm

Qu#1

Qu#4

Findings: How will buddy reading effect 7th grade reading fluency?

Increased Oral reading fluency in 7th grade students

Will off-task behavior be eliminated or reduced? 1st and 7th grade student participation in buddy reading helped to reduce off task

behavior in both 1st and 7th grade students

Will Seventh-grade students become intrinsically motivated to read? Participation in the eight week tutoring sessions helped to increase seventh-grade

students’ motivation towards independent reading.

And they lived….

…..about curriculum, teaching, learning, family involvement, and/ or assessment that have been surfacing .

What is your passion?

What wakes you in the middle of night?

Identify [good] questions…

…..about curriculum, teaching, learning, family involvement, and/ or assessment that have been surfacing .Selective Mutism In Young Children And Intervention Strategies That

Will Promote Social Competence In The Classroom

How Do Selected Morning Meeting Sessions Contribute To Kindergarten Children’s Self-Control, Self-Confidence, And Interaction With Others During Play And Work At Center Time And Outdoor Play?

Impact Of Mini-Lesson Strategies On Independent Writing In A First Grade Writers’ Workshop

Affect Of Phonemic Awareness Intervention Activities On Struggling Readers Comprehension

Methods For Determining Targeted Professional Development

Identify [good] questions…

…..about curriculum, teaching, learning, family involvement, and/ or assessment that have been surfacing .

I observed and collected information from Preschool children and their classroom teachers during classroom activities and play situations with the intention of enhancing my personal understanding of the teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom which foster the relationship between children’s social competence and creativity.

Identify [good] questions…

….. in the use of action research through readings.

Writings about previous successful practices and research: Han, H.J., & Kemple, K.M. (2006, December). Components of social competence

and strategies of support: Considering what to teach and how. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34 (3), 241-245.

Kalmar, K. (2008, January). Let’s give children something to talk about: Oral language and preschool literacy. Young Children, 88-92.

AND Writings about conducting action research:

Reference book and Textbook used:

Nancy Fichtman, Dana , Diane Yendol-Hoppey (2008). The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research: Learning to Teach Through Practitioner Inquiry. Corwin Press, 2nd Edition. Pub.

Develop Skills…

…learned during their teacher education program

Observation Notes

Interviews

Student self-reflection, and MORE….

Apply tools…

….Plan of Inquiry

During first and fourth week of data collection, observed students during indoor and outdoor play using the Preschool Social Skills Checklist and the Preschool Creative Skills Checklist.

During second and third week of data collection, used CLASS Manual to conduct focused observations during direct (teaching specific content-area lessons) and indirect (facilitation during child-directed play) “Regard for Student Perspectives” and “Instructional Learning Formats” dimensions (see Appendices D and E).

Collected artifacts/samples of student work that demonstrated individual levels of social competency

Implement systematic and intentional..

For example Phase 2: Data Collection: October 12 – November 6, 2009

….for uncovering patterns of behaviors.

Quantitative: Tally/Counting/ Ordering-sequencing

These are the kinds of things you should “notice” then carefully observe and record:

•How many times this happened

•How many times a word or phrase was recorded in your notes

•How many days this happened

Qualitative DataQualitative data is information

gathered in a nonnumeric form.

Interview transcript* Field notes (notes taken in the field being studied]* Video Audio recordings Images [ Work samples of children] Documents (reports, meeting minutes, e- mails]

Develop a coding system…

Share findings…

…through writing, discussion, and oral presentation.

You will be able to see Angela’s full paper (in the Wiki)

And here is how she is using her learning in her day to day practices.