Sunday, June 12, 2011

Action Research Plan

With increased focus on maximizing student performance on standardized tests, benchmarks, on the district, state, and national levels, as well as the classroom, the question arises, “Are we doing the best in our classroom to enhance the maximization of student’s performance?”
There is much research that supports some tiny changes in classrooms can have a great impact on students. Creating a classroom that is a comfortable, welcoming room might have a very positive learning environment impact on students.  With some prior research, I wanted to se we what kind of impact this would have on my incoming sixth graders that will be seventh graders in the 2011-2012 school year.  I will be the only teacher conducting class with these changes.
Through my research I found an interesting brain research suggestion about attention span.  Attention span of a person is their age in minutes.  With that information, I pursued my action plan with some ‘tweaking’ of my daily lesson plans to incorporate some learning activities within those plans.
I will be looking at the grades from the prior years according to standards to find a baseline of knowledge for each student, and track their progress on each standard through the next school year-2011/2012. 
My expectation is the student progress will be phenomenal as well as minimal discipline issues due to the engaged student learning that will take place.



Action Planning Template
Goal:  To Maximize Student Academic Performance
Action Steps(s):
Person(s) Responsible:
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation

Make classroom more personalized like a room in a home.
Paint, other renovations to room—Area rug, furniture, shelves


Lighting-




Aromatherapy



Tawnia King

6/13-8/13

Paint, brushes, drop clothes









3 Lamps
Take out every other fluorescent lights

Diffusing oil and sticks


Lesson Plan Update







Tawnia King

6/10-8/31

Lesson Plans, Standards Activities Internet





























Sunday, June 5, 2011

Lessons learned in Week Two

Action Research is very beneficial in all aspects of education.  Not only does it give feedback to the author, it also allows participant buy-in to a new idea or concept as well as ownership to a potential solution to a problem very relevant to the campus.   I have heard every year for the last 15 years in education "Oh I wonder what program adminitration is going to push on us this year?"  I can totally see action research working to eliminate this type of start to the year!