Week Five Post- Reflection

This class has given me a new and exciting way to learn and research to find solutions to particular problems that we face on a campus. I know that we have to keep working to improve our school and that it takes a lot of hard work and reflection. I think that action research is really about reflection. You must reflect upon your current situation, find the problems that you face as a campus, make continuous modifications to what you are working toward, and share your findings with others in a meaningful way that can really help other educators that face the same problem. There are many ways to solve a problem or concern, but action research is really engaging and a fun way to make a real difference for yourself and for those around you on your campus and those others who can follow your findings and implement them on their home campus. You can really have a huge impact and with hard work you will be successful in working toward our number one goal- student success.

Week Four Post- Action Research Plan Update

So far, based on the much appreciated positive feedback that I have received from my peers as well as from my administration team, I am keeping this draft as it is currently. I think that we will all have to make changes and modifications as we see fit during the process. I know that if there is a great need for more information that I will teach additional optional staff-development sessions to my staff to make sure that I can provide more sample lesson plans and sample student assignments and projects. I think that it is a good starting point and hope to have enought details to keep an ongoing campus Action Research Plan going throughout the 2010-2011 school year. Thank you so much for all of your feedback and if you have not left a comment and want to add one, please feel free to read the week three post and give any feedback when you have a chance. Thank you so much to everyone and I wish you all the best of luck in your Action Research!

Week Three Post- Draft of Action Research Plan

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/ End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Search the internet for articles as well as searching the library for professional journal articles having to do with cross-curriculum research and data to support findings.	1. Myself- I will need to look on the internet and conduct library research in the form of professional journals to find data and research that is backed up with data.	1. I will need to start research immediately and continue through August 11 (before teachers return to campus)to collect and analyze as much information and data as I can.	1. I will research this data using the internet and in the library using professional journals.	1. I will need to look at the information to ensure that I have enough quality research on this topic to begin.
2. I will create a short teacher survey to ask teachers what they already know about cross-curriculum instruction and if it is used in their classroom (along with the frequency if applicable).	2. Myself and staff- I will create the survey and then the staff will complete the preliminary information that I need for a starting point.	2. I will create the survey prior to August 11 and then proceed to have the staff take survey on August 12 and look at data on the same date.	2. I will create the survey using survey monkey and use laptops to allow all teachers the time and the resources to complete the survey.	2. I will be able to evaluate where the staff stands on using the cross-curriculum instruction in their classrooms.
3. I will evaluate the needs of the staff in implementing cross-curriculum instruction in the classroom and teach an optional staff-development class to fit their needs.	3. Myself and staff- I will teach an optional class in September on Wed. to fit their needs for implementation of cross-curriculum instruction.	3. I will start on Aug.12 by looking at the surveys and create a class in Sept. to fit their needs to help them implement cross-curriculum instruction in their class.	3. I will take the survey monkey data and find ways to show them how they can easily use this in their classrooms and teach them the benefits to students.	3. I will have staff take a survey at the end of the session to see how likely they will be to use this information in their classroom and find out what other information they might need to get them started.
4. I will need to follow up with staff members and pick a few teams to follow for my research study group that are willing to work with me to collect data (lesson plans and student work samples).	4. Myself and a few teams- I will follow their use of cross-curriculum instruction in the classroom and get follow up data and sample work from the classroom.	4. I will follow the teams for one semester (September- December) and receive data each couple of weeks for my action research project.	4. I will need to find time to meet with teams and create short, easy survey forms for them to complete online and collect any sample activities and lessons that they can provide to me.	4. I will be able to see how much they have been able to implement using cross-curriculum instruction and what benefits to students were observed.
5. I will begin to compile all of my research into a written document to share with the staff members on my campus as well as create a presentation that will accompany the data.	5. Myself- I will need to use my research and my learning from the teams what I have learned about action research that can benefit my campus..	5. I will work on this research from January until March to allow time for thorough investigation and time to write a quality document explaining the research.	5. I will need to take all data and compile it into a research document that will explain my questions and claims about cross-curriculum instruction implementation.	5. I will be able to evaluate my initial questions about cross-curriculum instruction and see if my claims are supported through my research.
6. I will teach a class to my staff to help show them my findings about cross-curriculum instruction and how it impacts student performance in the classroom.	6. Myself and participating staff- I will speak about my findings to interested staff members to help them understand cross-curriculum instructional benefits.	6. I will teach a class on Wed. staff development in April to show staff/ admin. about the benefits of cross-curriculum instruction in the classroom.	6. I will need to bring a short list of important parts of my research and try to give sample lessons to show them how it can be easily utilized in a classroom.	6. I will be able to see the reactions to my research and also share lesson plans with co-workers; I also would like to have participants complete a short survey.
7. I would like to tape a video for our KTEC morning news to share findings with our students about cross-curriculum instruction in the classroom and the benefits to them.	7. Myself and the KTEC sponsor (teacher on campus)- We will make a recording to show to students on the KTEC morning campus news broadcast that every student watches daily.	7. I would like to show this tape in late April to the students so that they can see why we are incorporating the subjects together to help them learn and see "the big picture."	7. I will need to contact the KTEC sponsor and write a student-friendly version of action research and explain how this will benefit their overall learning and comprehension to help them now and in the future as they continue to learn and grow as individuals.	7. I will ask teachers how the students responded to the information and I will be able to collect data about the interview from my own students in class.
8. I would like to also write a blurb that will go out to parents through our campus e-news to talk about the benefits of cross-curriculum instruction in the classroom.	8. I would type up the blurb, have it approved by admin., and have it included in the e-news that goes out weekly to the campus parents.	8. I would begin to write this in April and hope to have it sent out the last week in April in our e-news letter to R.M.S. parents .	8. I will just need to write my section (to be approved) and talk to my principal about having it published for R.M.S. e-news recipients.	8. I will put my e-mail address at the end of the blurb so that parent can contact me about the implementation of cross-curriculum instruction on our campus.

I have used the Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template for the above chart. It is from "Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps From Analysis to Action" by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs.

Please let me know if you have any feedback about my draft or comments to share with me- I would really appreciate it!

Action Research Support

I am really excited about doing action research. I met with my principal earlier this week and when I got there two of my AP's were in there waiting to hear about what I was doing for action research as well! They are all so supportive and were really excited about this class. I hope that everyone gets this kind of support from their campus and this class has really helped me learn a new way to help me grow professionally. I know that my mother was correct when she told me that the only thing that can never be taken away from you is your education. I am glad we are all learning together and from each other!

Purpose and Significance of my action research project

Purpose: The purpose of my research project is to see how cross-curricular instruction can improve the overall comprehension of the students on my campus. I feel that cross-curricular learning is a way to improve skills that are often taught in many subject areas. I have noticed in my Spanish class that students tend to have difficulties transferring information from one class to the next. I hope that cross-curricular instruction can be used by teachers on my campus by demonstrating to them how it helps students to make connections between subject areas and be able to easily apply their knowledge in new areas of learning. We all want to help students make connections and find meaning in what they are learning.

Significance: This type of instruction will benefit teachers and students. The teachers will find that the students are able to transfer information from one class to the next more easily. The students will gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the material and it will help them see the big picture. It should improve test scores and should be a process that is engaging for teachers and students. I hope that more teachers on my campus will want to participate in cross-curricular instruction after seeing the results of my action research project.

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Educational leaders are always in need of more new, innovative ideas. Having a blog would be an excellent way for leaders to be able to communicate with each other about how to solve problems and talk about what has worked or not worked for them in the past. Blogging with an interactive group of professionals that can collaborate on ideas when time is an issue is a great way to have a two-way communication going with colleagues. It is important to speak with other administrators, and blogs would allow for 24-7 communication lines to be open. Sharing ideas and collaborating will help everyone gain new insights and also let them know that there is someone else that is there to help. Even posting successes and positive quotes would help everyone stay positive and upbeat, even on a rough day. Gaining support from others is an important aspect of being a successful administrator and that line of communication with others could really help new, inexperienced administrators chat with those that have more experience, both of which can be great contributors of new ideas. Communication is the key to future success!

Why choose action research?

I feel that action research is a great way to learn about a topic that is of interest to an individual. Using action research means that you are actively learning and participating in order for you to learn meaningful information. It is finding a problem, reflecting on that issue, and then finding a way to solve the problem at hand. Any school efforts take a lot of time and effort, but nothing that is fantastic to implement is easy to accomplish. I feel that myself, being a proponent of life-long learning, find action research to be engaging and worthwhile. Being an educator, I know that I must strive to improve the school and can really use action research as a tool for overall school improvement. Positive changes mean that we really have to look at data and make the necessary changes to make the school a place where meaningful change can occur and where we constantly evaluate the methods we use for school improvement. It is a continuous process and is not a simple problem to be solved, but rather finding a way to continue to foster improvement.

I know that cross-curricular learning is a way to improve skills that are often taught in all subject areas. It helps students see the connections between subject areas and helps them to apply their knowledge in new areas of learning and helps students make connections and find true meaning in what they are learning. I hope to discover, through action research, many ways to implement cross-curricular learning on my campus and hope that I can teach others the benefits of cross-curricular learning as well. I hope to foster an interactive learning environment where we can all learn together and from one another. Please feel free to post comments as you see fit and I hope that we have a wonderful journey together!