Web Conference Reflection

As I reflect on the web conference that I was able to view, it falls in line with the format of all other web conferences. My main concern with the conferences is there relevance to the course. They have all been optional with the exception of one course that I have had, but for this course, they were not even posted. The one link that was posted through email was not visible or available for view, so my reflection comes from four weeks of not being able to access the web conferences. Reflecting on the conferences is pointless if they are not accessible, but I can only assume that my fellow classmates who attended were able to chat with each other and ask questions of the web conference host. I do hope that they were able to get their questions answered, but because of the lack of accessibility, my group members and I were forced to assume that our assignments were done correctly and forced to find answers on our own. I am sure as an educational leader or principal that I will have to do figure things out on my own in some situations, so this was a truly enlightening learning experience.

CSA and ARP Status Report

During this course I learned how to use Google Docs which was a new area of learning for me. I found these assignments very informative and interesting to do with my group members because I could see the editing, and use this tool in a classroom setting. I do like to learn new things and Google Docs taught me how to access my distant friends and to collaborate on activities and documents. As far as my Campus-Supervised Internship Activities are concerned, I have completed a great deal of my activities. I am almost finished with my activities, but there are some activities that I will have to adjust due to me starting at a new campus in a new district. There are different policies with my new district, so finding a balance and completing my activities in the next four months will be a task. My Action Research Project will have to be adjusted also with my change in employment. I will keep with the topic of professional development, but my delivery of the Action Research Plan has changed. My new school and administrative team are very open to the idea and welcome my topic. For the next four months, I will need to focus on my audience being a smaller group of educators.

Action Research Project Summary....So Far

My action research plan deals with effective professional development for teachers. Teachers should be engaged in professional development that allows for them to not only advance their students’ academics, but their’s as well. I have been attending different professional developments in and out of district. These training have been very engaging, and I have learned a great deal. Teachers sharing their ideas about learning and how their students will react to information has been enlightening. I had not realized that district teachers had the very issues as I do with my students at my DAEP. Even their brightest students have been struggling with information and how to express what they have been taught. These trainings have not just focused on the process, but they have been creative and allowed for participation to indulge in the possible thought process of what should be taking place in a classroom. Teachers have been able to pinpoint what their students are not connecting, and in some cases what the teachers are not extending to the students. I have yet to create the surveys for teachers who have also been attending in-services to further their educational skills. A positive note that comes from this action research project is that my principal agrees with my stance, and has charged me with the task of actually following through with the project on our campus. He is for our growth and believes that I chose a great topic because most of our time at the beginning of the school year is wasted with trainings that are not engaging or teacher friendly.

Good Watch: Schools Kill Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson

What I've Learned in EDLD 5301 Research

EDLD 5301 Research class has been an eye opener for me. Not only has it been instrumental for in helping with my internship plan, but this class has also helped me understand many issues I have had on the job. I have read up on some of the research topics that my fellow classmates are researching, and I now know that I am not alone in how I feel about some areas in education and what is happening in schools. I was not so sure about how the blogs would truly be beneficial to this program, but they have been a great help also. There is so much transparency within the blogs. Sharing of information according to research topics is not only a way to achieve objective feedback from fellow educators, but also from others who are not in education. I have followed the blogs of my classmates who currently work in DAEPs. My action research plan may actually have an impact my campus and that gives me great hope for the upcoming school year. As I participate more and more in the research needed to complete my action research plan focusing on engagement in professional development, my inquiry qualities are being further developed. The final assignment focusing on the quality indicators will help me stay within the parameters of my inquiry question. I believe this course is perfectly positioned in the program. I have stated before in discussion boards that five weeks is definitely not enough time to become an expert on anything, which includes action research. Before, I used to believe that research into what happens on a school campus was the individual result of the principal’s findings. Now that I know how to pose an action research inquiry, and then follow through on the research, I am completely open to tackling some issues that I have questioned for the years I have been in education.

CARE Model: Professional Development

Tool 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool

Identify Concerns that must change (look to the future)

(Assign points to concerns from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Resistance to change by staff.

2. Support of staff; especially concerning academic support for teachers

3. Diversity in professional development

Identify Affirmations that must be sustained (look to the present) 

(Assign points to affirmations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Opportunities to attend professional developments

2. Current behavioral supplements that are in place to assist with classroom management

3. Staff that is in place.            

SMART Recommendations that must be implemented:

(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)

(Assign points to recommendations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important recommendations to implement.)

1. Implementation of professional development support for teachers by beginning of school year

2. Teachers participate in professional development during the current school year (2012-2013)

3. Feedback from teachers concerning PDs – pros and cons, review, lessons learned

EVALUATE – Specifically and Often

(Identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations.)

1. Teacher implementation of strategies learned from professional development

2. Student assessments

3. Student engagement

Each section is listed in order of importance according to the numbering with 1 being the most important for my action research plan.

Supporting and Sustaining Improvement

After reading chapter 8, I have decided to apply the 3 strategies for Sustaining Improvement to my action research plan. The following is a description of what these strategies look like as it pertains to my Action Research Plan – Professional Development.

                     

Force Field Analysis – Assessment of the driving and resisting forces that affect change. The current situation with my organization is that resources are utilized to support teacher professional development that will assist in academic growth and student engagement and success. My proposed plan is that for the upcoming school year, my principal incorporates a couple of professional developments that will support the teachers academically, which in turn further minimize some behavioral issues, as well as assist teachers in helping their students be successful academically.

Driving Forces           

1)      Teachers who embrace change

2)      Teachers who are willing to participate in professional development on their own.

3)      Principal’s support

Resisting Forces

1)      Organization that thinks it knows best

2)      Teachers who are content with where they are

In order to implement this change, I will primarily need the full support of my principal, which I have been given, to research professional developments that will be beneficial for teachers. Due to the nature of the organization I work for, having full support of the organization is not completely necessary as each school, at times, works as individual entities.

Delphi Method – A panel of experts or people who answer questions about a problem, then respond to the same questions after seeing how others in the panel responded to the same group of questions. As stated in the Harris text, this strategy would be extremely time consuming, not just in the one area , but the entire strategy when it comes to my campus. There are only 12 teachers total, and with the population of students that we have, no one has time to respond electronically. I would have to modify this strategy to a survey or make it similar to the evaluations that we respond to at the end of the year for my organization. Even at the end of the year, it becomes an issue getting employees to respond to evaluation.

Nominal Group Technique – A non-judgmental way to build consensus that leads to school improvement. Although I never knew there was a name for this strategy, we often use this strategy on my campus when we discuss the Campus Improvement Plan. The only problem that I’ve noticed with this plan is that once we discuss the needs of the school during one meeting at the beginning of the school year, we never revisit any of our concerns. I do plan to incorporate this strategy along with following through on my action research plan. I will not do this with the entire group of teachers on my campus, but those teachers who are open and ready for change will be the group that I feel I would receive the greatest response from.