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Action Research Plan

School: Holly Glen Elementary Cooperating Teacher: Anne-Marie Reber Grade: 5th

AR Team Members: Christie Cunningham and Laura Burns

Description of Class

Part 1-Data relevant to the classroom


This class has twenty one students: twelve girls and nine boys. The class contains no students that have IEPS or 504 plans. There are six children who are in the schools Talented and Gifted Program. Those students are pulled out of the classroom several times a week to receive extra enrichment instruction. The class is mostly Caucasion and contains three minority students, two African Americans and one Asian.

Part 2-Planning elements


Classroom routines- Group captains are in charge of gathering and replacing materials, attendance is taken during homeroom time during which students are unpacking and preparing for the day; disruptions are simply par for the course and are handled by quickly refocusing the group on the task at hand Instructional Routines- Many types of cooperative grouping are used. (Jigsaw, Think Pair Share, Carousel, etc. Whole class instruction is often used as is independent work, however, it seems changing modality often keeps lessons fresh. Describe the classroom practices- Routines are in place and modeled from the first day of school. These routines involve the ways in which papers are passed out and handed in. Routines such as using the bathroom and entering the leaving the classroom have already been established. The first three days of school are used to explain and practice routines. It is important to not only do the routines but discuss the purpose of such routines. (ie, Why do you have a policy of dont ask, just sign out policy for the bathrooms?) Students also are given jobs which rotate weekly. Students choose their roles, rather than have them assigned. Parent Communication-Mailboxes are used, memos and letters to be sent home are placed either in a basket or section of the mailbox station.

Students with the job of Communication Folders sort papers into mailboxes when they have free time. Communication Folders are sent home on Friday and returned Monday. Email is also frequently used to stay in contact with certain parents. Classroom rules- Normally, a contract is created and signed in the beginning of the year. This year we tried a different approach, the 3 Rs-Respect yourself, Respect others, and Respect the things around you. Most behavior problems are in contrast with one of these three points. Establishing classroom rules- Rules (expectations, consequences, and rewards) are all established during the first week of school by the teacher. New students take a very short time to adjust because there is so much modeling by the majority of the students following the rules and routines. Establishing/maintaining student norms/expectations/roles-Modeling, modeling, modeling. Done from day 1!

Part 3-Maintenance of a positive environment


Responding to student frustration-obviously no teacher purposely sets up students for frustration! Frustrated students are talked with one on one, usually in the hall, away from other students. Adjusting rules/routines- Class discussion is imperative. As a group, students and teacher discuss the obsolete or new rule and the reason(s) for the change. Understanding the reasons behind the change is an integral part of making it work! Monitoring the classroom- Circulation of the classroom is done often. This is a difficult question to answer in general terms due to the fact that every situation is unique and requires quick, seat of the pants type thinking!

Part 4-Restoring an unproductive environment to its former positive state


Responding to disruptive behavior- Consequences for minor infractions in our room would be to move ones name up the Traffic Signal Stick.

(Everyone starts at green in the morning, moving through yellow to red if necessary). Consequences range from loss of recess time to removal from classroom. If a major infraction takes place then a call home to the parents is usually completed and if necessary the student is sent to the principal Restoring a disrupted environment-Take a deep breath then move on! If the behavior was so disruptive that the class is visibly shaken a circle discussion would be appropriate but in many cases moving on and not letting a disruptive moment turn into chaos is a better choice.

Mrs. Rebers 5th grade classroom

Chalkboard

Door

Storage Windows
Teachers Desk Bookshelves Student Mailboxes

Closet and sink area

Description of Focus Group

The targeted students for our action research plan are all of them. We chose the entire class because the class on the whole is exceptionally well-behaved. We focused on the positive environment in this class and every student contributes to this. There was no one or two students who brought the class atmosphere down.

Description of and rationale for the area of focus


There was nothing particularly wrong that we saw with the class so we decided to focus on the positive aspects. The students participated when necessary and were well behaved. The relationship between the students and the teacher seemed almost perfect. They joked with each other at times and yet knew when it was time to be serious. The classroom activities seemed to flow very easily. The students each knew their roles and what was required of them without having to be constantly reminded. We wanted to study the atmosphere more and figure out how the teacher and the students developed such a great relationship and how the classroom organization is maintained.

Description of Data Collection Techniques


To gather data to support our focus question we will look at the responses our cooperating teacher has given us about the various methods she uses to control her classroom. After that we will observe Mrs. Rebers class during the class math time block, on two different days noting the organizational methods in her classroom as well as her interactions with the students. We will also take note of the number of students who raise their hands during a ten minute period of her instructional time. We will then consult professional literature sources to see what experts in the education fired have to say about our topic. The combination of our classroom observations, review of professional literature, as well as her classroom behavior model will give us a comprehensive look at exactly why Mrs. Rebers class is so well behaved and organized. When we observed during the two different days of math class we noticed many factors that may contribute to the great working environment present in Mrs. Rebers classroom. There are many organizational techniques used by Mrs. Reber. The front blackboard features two blocked out columns in which one subject was written per block and the homework for that night iss written in. Next to that column on the board is a section entitled

Todays Agenda in which the entire day was blocked out as to what the class would be learning and at what time. These are great tools to help keep the class aware of what they are going and what they have to do for homework. There is no confusion so the students are not anxious or unsure about anything. Also, Mrs. Reber had laminated strips of paper with sentences written on them such as unpack your belongings, turn in homework, and complete problem of the day. Before the students arrive Mrs. Reber would place the appropriate strips on the board with magnets so the students will know what they should do that morning when they arrive. This system also reduces confusion in the classroom and reduces the amount of time students spend off task in the morning. Mrs. Reber also has a bathroom policy in which students sign out in a notebook by the door and tae the bathroom pass; they do not have to ask for permission first. This reduces distractions during lessons, so that things run smoothly. One last organizational method that this teacher uses is student mailboxes. All papers that have to go home are placed in the students mailboxes. The contents of the boxes are taken home every Friday.

Another aspect of Mrs. Rebers classroom that we feel contributed to the overall success was the relationship amongst the students and the teacher. We noted on both observation days that Mrs. Reber appears to have a very positive relationship with her students. In fact, she appears to be their friend as well as their teacher. We noticed that the students are very comfortable approaching her with their problems and questions. They often just walk up and start a conversation. The students often joke around with the teacher, yet realize when it is appropriate to be silly and when it is time to learn. We could detect the face that the students are very comfortable with their teacher through several ways. First we noted that during a ten minute time interval on our first observation day, Mrs. Reber asked the class eleven questions. For each question, at least seven students raised their hands to answer. This shows that Mrs. Reber is constantly engaging the class in their learning and the students are eager to participate. Also, we observed a conversation between the students and their teacher where the students were talking about emails they had sent her about problems with the homework. We feel that email communication is a unique feature of this

class. It further develops the relationship between the teacher and students. We observed that the students were not afraid to admit their mistakes and needed extra help. On the second day of observations we noted that after Mrs. Reber had finished teaching a new concept, she asked how clear the students were on the topic on a scale of one to ten, with ten being absolutely sure. Some students said they were at an eight, but many admitted they needed further assistance. Mrs. Reber then took those students to the back of the room for extra help while the other students began their homework. This showed us that the students are comfortable enough with their classmates and their teacher to admit they are having trouble. After the various observations, we came to some conclusions as to why Mrs. Rebers class is so well behaved. First, her classroom is very organized; the students always know what they are supposed to be doing at all times. There is no mass confusion or a reason for students to misbehave. The organized classroom allows students to stay focused for longer periods of time. Second, Mrs. Reber seems to have formed a close bond with all of her students. She is very approachable and the students enjoy the interactions

with her. The frequent communication between Mrs. Reber seems to have formed a close bond with all of her students. She is very approachable and the students enjoy their interactions with her. The frequent communication between Mrs. Reber and her students seems to have fostered the relationship that they share. Also, Mrs. Reber presents herself to the class as one of the students. She acts as their friend, joking with them. We think that because the students view her as their friend they want to behave positively so that they please her and maintain a good relationship. In fact, Mrs. Reber never had to tell the class to pay attention or address any disruptive students.

Description of Action Plan/Anticipated Results


Since our action research topic focused on a positive aspect of our classroom we do not have a full action plan. There is nothing about the class that needs to be improved. However, we do have some suggestions that would further enhance the learning environment. First, we thought it would be a great idea if the teacher sent a weekly email newsletter to the parents to let them know what the students will be working on that week. This would further improve the relationship between the parents and the teacher. Another important we thought of would be to have reward days for the class. Since they are so well behaved a nice way of rewarding them would be to have a day where the students would be able to pick what they wanted to do or have a class celebration. Also, we thought it would be interesting if the teacher set up a teacher/student lunch where once a week a different student would get to have lunch with the teacher. This would be a special treat for the students and it would help to further develop the student/teacher relationships. One last idea that we had to develop the student/teacher relationship would be to have a different student each week be the teachers personal assistant. This student would get to move their desk next to the teachers

and act as a secretary for anything that the teacher needs to hand out or collect. Overall, we feel that Mrs. Rebers techniques are working and that her classroom will continue to run smoothly as long as she uses the same methods she currently utilizes.

Description of Professional Literature Review


The article by Linda Jacobson entitled E-mail Opens Lines of Communication for Teachers spoke of the importance of email for teachers. She gave specific positives of using email that included the speed of it compared to sending papers home with the children and staying in contact with parents who travel frequently. The articles listed the general uses of email that includes emails between teachers and parents and students and administrators. Email allows fast communication amongst several parties and maintains privacy and ease.

The article by Catherine Gewertz entitled Training Focuses on Teachers Expectations addressed a teachers behavior and expectations in the classroom. It focused on a study using the TESA program, or The Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement program. This program directs teachers to examine their actions in three areas: how they solicit and mange students responses to questions, how they give feedback, and how they demonstrate personal regard for students (p. 2). The article had several examples of the TESA program at work and the results of these

studies. It also focused on biases teachers may have towards students based on skill-level, gender, class, or race.

The article by Shawn Northfield and Ann Sherman entitled Acceptance and Community Building in Schools Through Increased Dialogue and Discussion focuses on the importance of class communication. It spoke of the importance of children feeling open to communicate with fellow students and the teacher. The article pointed out the need for class discussions and for the teacher to express their expectations to the students. Also discussed was the fact that the classroom community has a huge impact on a students social development.

References
Jacobson, L. (2005, April 6). Email Opens Lines of Communication for Teachers. Education Week, Vol.24, Issue 30. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from EBSCO. Gewertz, C. (2005, April 6) Training Focuses on Teachers Expectations. Education Week, Vol.24, Issue 30. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from EBSCO. Northfield S. and Sherman, A. (2003, September 13) Acceptance and Community Building in Schools Through Increased Dialogue and Discussion. Children and Society, Vol. 18. Retrieved April 25, 2005 from Academic Search Premier.

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