IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING
My action research impacted the learning of my 23 mathematicians by providing specific, differentiated steps for them to reach the learning goal. Students were provided developmentally scaffolded instruction, through various strategies of learning, to learn the math concept of focus. My action research designed an equitable and accessible learning environment with purposeful questioning and depth and complexity for each of my students.
IMPACT ON CURRENT TEACHING
My current teaching was impacted by continuous reflection and flexibility through instruction and assessments. Instead of reflecting after a lesson, my action research kept my reflection live throughout my teaching of a lesson. This had me constantly change the direction of my lesson to meet the needs of my students. Now, I am able to find a need in my classroom and apply my own research-based strategies to increase student achievement. Using research-based strategies, I was able to differentiate my instruction to meet the individual needs of my students.
IMPACT ON PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
My professional growth was impacted by asking purposeful questions to enhance my students' learning. My action research has turned me into a lifelong learner, as I am constantly asking questions, seeking answers, and implementing my knowledge into my instruction. Professional growth has also taken place in communication with external stakeholders, my second-grade team, my principal, and other professionals within my building and district for resources and guidance.
If my action plan was during another math topic, such as measurement or telling time, would student achievement increase?
Through collaboration with my cohort, if we worked together to have found and shared different strategies/methods to implement, would my research have been more beneficial through the multitude of options and reflective sharing?
If I had taken away the different colors of paper that correlated to the scores of enrichment, extra practice, and intervention, would my students have achieved more by focusing on the instruction, rather than the color of paper they received?
Although I learned how to find a need in my classroom and research strategies to implement for achievement, is it best to always collect data?
Changed: In the future, I will not correlate enrichment with blue paper, practice with yellow, and intervention with green paper. Students correlated their success by the color of paper, rather than their work. I would also like to change the time of the year for implementing action research. The beginning of the year would allow a clear baseline to use throughout the data collection. It would possibly be implemented longer than six weeks to gain a stronger insight and allow for modifications of strategies and data collection.
Modified: In the future, I would like to incorporate stations around the room to encourage a more in-depth form of differentiated. Students will be able to find their station with the strategy that best suits their learning style. For the BAWD strategy, I would like to have areas set up around the room to allow students to Build, Act, Write, or Draw more often to meet the learning goal.
Refined: In the future, I would like to find a common need for implementation within each of the three sections of second grade within my school. Using research strategies to encourage achievement throughout our second-grade students could provide more data, increase scores, and allow for stronger opportunities for collaboration between my team. IT would be beneficial and productive for my second-grade team to be working towards the same goal.
FUTURE THOUGHTS + INTERACTIONS
My interactions with my cohort, professors, and my CADRE associate will continue to be enriched with seeking advice, questioning, sharing resources, and providing support. I will continue to ask questions and seek needs within my classroom, which will lead me to research. This research will then be shared with my cohort and teammates, questions through the implementation of research will be asked and support and guidance will be needed and appreciated. My thought process has changed from "wanting to try something different"
and going to Google for options, to noticing a need within my classroom and researching strategies to implement. The thought process will continue to collect data and continuous reflection and analyzing the data.
HOW WILL ACTION RESEARCH IMPACT FUTURE TEACHING?
It will provide a purpose. There will be a purpose behind the need of the data, a purpose for the specific methods and strategies implement, and purposeful data analysis throughout the action research. My future teaching will be purposeful to improve my students' learning and teaching strategies. Action research will also impact my future teaching by reflection. Reflection used to happen at the end of the day or the end of the week. Now, reflecting will continue to take place throughout each lesson to guide my instruction.