Full Speed Ahead

1. Foundation: I will track usage of a technology resource in the classroom setting and determine the effectiveness by comparing standardized test scores in two areas:
A) How are individual student scores affected by using the CPS™ system from the previous year?
B) Are test scores in classrooms in which the system is utilized consistently higher than those in which it is not utilized?
2. Analyzing Data: I will compare Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores from 2009 and 2010; I will analyze TAKS scores from 2009 and 2010.
3. Developing Deeper Understanding: It will be necessary to define terms when referring to “consistent usage”. I will also need to consider variables such as student health and attendance when comparing individual scores from the previous year to current results.
4. Engaging in Self-Reflection: Are there other factors which may be affecting the results of the study? Should faculty attendance be considered? Are the tests similar or have there been changes in format? Has the scoring system changed from 2010 to 2011?
5. Exploring Patterns: What emergent patterns exist regarding who is or is not utilizing the technology? Are teachers with 1-5 years experience more or less likely to utilize the technology?
6. Determining Direction: Will the analysis focus on Reading, Math, Science, or a combination? What are the advantages/disadvantages of limiting the direction?
7. Taking Action: If there is noticeable improvement where the technology has been consistently utilized, is this data compelling enough to promote more school wide use? Would improvement lead to more monies being dedicated to procurement of more such devices and training?
8. Sustaining improvement: The technology has existed for more than five years. What factors are needed to promote sustained usage of the tools and will newly-hired staff members have access to training?

The Plan Takes Shape

Jan Schiff Elementary’s PTA is purchasing a class set of the classroom response system, or “CPS” from eInstuction for each grade level. Schools have purchased such technology-based tools in the past with mixed results. The tools, while portable, have been utilized enthusiastically at first, but gradually gather dust on a shelf in a storage closet. The product has undergone an upgrade and has been introduced to a new staff. It is hoped that consistent implementation of CPS use will result in improved student learning. This leads to the action research question:
What percentage of the faculty consistently utilizes the classroom performance system and do the students using it have higher standardized test scores?
The student response pads, or “clickers” are “small, handheld devices that allow students to respond to questions asked verbally, on paper or on screen” and enable teachers to instantly assess comprehension. eInstruction makes the claim that the product is the most widely used student response system in education, and can be found in over 100,000 classrooms from K-12 and higher education classes. Other than anecdotal summaries, there does not seem to be hard data regarding the impact of the product on standardized test scores.

Week Two Realizations

My principal has weighed in on my three possible topics, and she would like for me to pursue choice #2: How does the new eInstruction technology improve reading instruction? What is the percentage of teacher buy-in?
Stay tuned for these and other "wonderings". There is a not-actually-mandatory teacher meeting on Wednesday at 11:30, and I am "wondering" how many teachers will actually show up. So many teachers don't, won't, or can't check their school email, so it will be interesting. While I am there, I plan to nab one of my new NEO2 keyboards so I can start fiddling with it and learn all its intricacies.

Moving Along

I have had to identify three possible topics for research. This is what I have so far:


1) I would like to chart the effectiveness of our bullying policy in its 2nd year at my school. I'd track the number of incidents documented and determine if the number is decreasing from the previous year. I would utilize anecdotal information from teachers and students. This would determine the impact of the policy and give insight that could lead to improving the policy.

2) My school is about to purchase eInstruction's classroom performance system (CPS or "clickers"). I recently received a grant for the NEO2 wireless keyboards. I want to see how these two technologies can be used together and I would track how many other teachers utilize this technology and the impact on reading and writing scores.

3) I would like to know how absenteeism and tardies correlate to student progress. Are students with above average absence/tardy rates scoring at or below average?

Beginning the Journey

Action research can be facilitated through blogging. Celebrities who don't tweet often blog. (Perhaps they have more to say?) Educators should utilize the blogging format because their constituents, or students, are digital natives and more likely to pay attention to this format. What is action research and why is it relevant? A departure from traditional research methods, AR focuses on the actual practitioners, or teachers, and their concerns and issues. Outside researchers traditionally brought in reforms and methods that may or may not have been relevant to the classroom. AR leaves behind the traditional, linear methods and incorporates a more cyclical approach. Inquiry is the beginning. What "wonderings" (Dana 2009) will lead to positive changes in the school environment? What questions, sometimes nagging ones, can be studied through inquiry and reflection, that might bring about these positive changes? I have chosen the social issue of bullying for the focus of my action research. There are plenty of nagging questions associated with this issue. Issues such as teacher motivation, student apathy, and professional development are also areas where AR can be beneficial, but I selected bullying because it is an issue that has not wavered in my twenty-plus years in the classroom. Bullies have found new methods, such as social networking and texting, but the foundations of bullying have remained consistent. I have been forced to sit through inservices related to the topic which have served no one but the presenter. A video featuring cartoon ants and no dialogue has made the rounds and received accolades from school counselors and administrators, but it merely baffles the real stakeholders, the students. I believe that inquiry and continual dialogue are the only ways to truly reveal the roots of bullying, and blogging is an effective route to begin this journey. Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009). Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA; Corwin Press.