Reflection on Teacher Leadership Standard 3: Educational Research

Prior to this program, I had little time to look into research concerning my teaching practice. The practice of teaching occupied my mind constantly, but other than the occasional professional development, I rarely took time to consider the profession of teaching and how to improve it. Not that I had ignored research or had no desire to look into research; I just never set that as a priority in my career. While taking Action Research and Applying Research, however, I saw the potential for becoming a better teacher through educational research, both through practicing such research and reviewing it.

Through the Action Research class I devised a plan to improve how I use revision in my AP English Language & Composition class. I developed a workshop model that used peer review to improve student writing. I was able to measure both how students improved developed action plans to improve their writing and how they used those plans to improve their writing. The end results were promising, and I have used that model regularly since I conducted the study.

Through that research I identified multiple articles that apply to my practice. One, for example, considered the reliability and validity of peer review specifically in AP English classes. The study found that “carefully designed peer review tasks can provide students with helpful feedback” (Schunn et al., 2016, p. 22). Through that research I have expanded my own use of peer review in my classroom, and I intend to continue looking into and conducting research on peer review as a means of improving my students’ writing.

In the Applying Research class I saw the potential for identifying good research and critiquing said research. The class helped me identify the different components of research and examine the relationship between those components.

Again, the assignments in that class aligned with my own classroom practice; the secondary research article I analyzed dealt with the need to identify propaganda and promote media literacy, while the primary research cited in that article studied strategies for teaching how to identify fake news and propaganda. While I initially found the secondary article by Hobbs (2017) informative and valuable, I later analyzed that she had overgeneralized the results found in the primary research by Kahne & Bowyer (2017). The overgeneralization did not significantly affect Hobbs’ (2017) argument, but it did cause me to pause and reflect about the importance of examining the primary research.

Upon reflection, I wish I would have had the Applying Research class before Action Research. After taking Applying Research I find myself more familiar with the terms used in research paper. I better understand what independent and dependent variables are, I comprehend how research is assembled and carried out, and I know the statistical tools being used and their purpose. I had none of that knowledge when I conducted the literature review for my Action Research project, and that information may have affected my use of that literature to guide my own research. For example, a study by Yoder (1993) examined how peer review could be used to help journalism students in college. Had I known about external validity, I might have realized that the results Yoder (1993) found were unlikely to be able to be generalized to my particular population of high school English students. Besides, Yoder (1993) had a small sample size that may not have been representative of the larger population.

I plan to continue to consume and examine educational research throughout my career. One challenge I foresee is access to primary research; through the Seattle Pacific teacher leadership program I have access to the library’s databases, but when that access has ended, I will have to find other means to access primary research. I am not worried about secondary research; the internet is full of that, and I feel confident in my ability to sort the wheat from the chaff. For example, a recent article by Ford and Lee (2018) in the English Journal offered a case study on how to improve high school vocabulary instruction. The authors cited 11 sources, most of which were other secondary or curricular sources. The one piece of primary research came from a study of fifth graders, focused on learning in context, and was 34 years old (Jenkins et al., 1984). I found several ideas within the article, but without more solid research proving their efficacy, I’m reluctant to change my entire vocabulary program based on one piece of secondary research.

References

Ford, R. D., & Lee, M. E. (2018). Fostering a new approach to vocabulary, 30 years in the making. English Journal, 107(4), 39-44.

Hobbs, R. (2017). Teaching and learning in a post-truth world: It’s time for schools to upgrade and reinvest in media literacy lessons. Educational Leadership, 75(3), 26-31.

Jenkins, J. R., Stein, M. L., & Wysocki, K. (1984). Learning vocabulary through reading. American Educational Research Journal, 21(4), 767-787.

Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2017). Education for democracy in a partisan age: Confronting the challenges of motivated reasoning and misinformation. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1), 3-34.

Schunn, C., Godley, A., & DeMartino, S. (2016). The reliability and validity of peer review of writing in high school AP English classes. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(1), 13-23.

Yoder, S. L. (1993). Teaching writing revision: Attitudes and Copy Changes. Journalism Educator, 47(4), 41-47.

Graphic reconstruction of action research plan for revision instruction

Accomplished Teaching End of Course Reflection

Teacher Leadership Standard 4: Engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices

Over the course of this quarter I have learned much about the process of reflective practice as a teacher. I have seen how effective the process can be in collaborative sessions, and I have learned how to practice reflection individually and in progressively larger groups of people. What I missed was my own fault - I misread the date of our second face-to-face meeting in the University Place cohort, so I missed out on an opportunity to reflect with my colleagues about my videotaped lesson and about my students’ work. Through the process of developing and teaching the lesson, however, I learned much about my own practices and was able to apply techniques I learned through the reading of our text, Reflective Practice to Improve Schools: An Action Guide for Educators.

The initial reading assignments introduced me to a formalized reflection. The idea of reflection as a continuous practice appealed to me, partly because I have been reflecting in various forms throughout my career. The book’s authors created a Theory of Action for Reflective Practice, one that starts with a pause, continues with openness, and includes inquiry, thinking, learning, and action. The continuum ends with enhanced student learning (York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, and Montie, p. 9). I have practiced all of these at points, but the coalescing of these elements into one theory has allowed me to focus my reflection on that final goal, enhanced student learning. Only by taking time and being open to change can I begin asking questions, thinking about the answers, learning new material, and applying it to my practice.

This process helped as I approached the videotaped lesson [lesson plan]. My initial conversations with my colleague Alex at our first face-to-face class led me to think I had a promising grasp on my lesson. His questions, however, led me to stay focused on my objectives and not try to fit too much into my instruction. After the lesson, I remembered why watching yourself teach is awkward, but I had to keep an open mind about what I initially thought was a decent lesson. The biggest question I asked myself was whether my students had actually learned anything. Our discussion was centered on a few students; not everybody had an opportunity to contribute, and upon reflection, I was able to come up with some collaborative strategies, such as think-pair-share, that I have since applied to other classroom discussions. [Synthesizing Elements of Accomplished Teaching]

While I missed out on an opportunity to reflect with my colleagues, I would like to have more such chances to do so within the scope of this program. I found the interaction enlightening and valuable. More opportunities for reflection would further help me meet the course objective to practice the fundamentals of reflection.

References

York-Barr, J., Sommers, W. A., Ghere, G. S., and Montie, J. (2006). Reflective Practice to Improve Schools: An Action Guide for Educators. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Teaching with Technology - reflecting on my triggering question (Module 4)

You’ve found a great website, full of great material on a topic you love to teach your students. Here’s a great opportunity for you to send your students out onto the internet to do some research, because you know they’re going to love this website as much as you do. I mean, it’s got so much good stuff! You book the computer lab, whip out a lesson plan and a set of instructions, and set them to work. At some point, however, the problems show up. They get done too early and start to explore the other areas of the internet you’d rather they not. In the process of doing that fabulous PowerPoint presentation, they pull images off the web with stock photo embedded across the front. What you thought was great information is insufficient, so they go out and get their own research, which leaves much to be desired. That interactive commenting you expected them to do? They’re copying and pasting memes and calling each other every name in the book. What you thought would be a great lesson devolved into a typical internet experience, and now you never want them to use a computer again.

“Like a village, the K-12 professional community must develop common ground that advocates the use of technology in the classroom while preparing the student to make sound choices both for themselves and for others in the digital world” (Hollandsworth, Dowdy, and Donovan, 2011). Sound choices, indeed, and when my students reach me in the 10th and 11th grades and haven’t been instructed in how to make these choices, it makes my job that much tougher. As with everyone before me, I have a packed curriculum and little time to add units on digital citizenship. Still, what I want my students to do requires them to know and use these skills, and rather than wait on others to do the job, it falls upon me to prepare them for digital tasks. Hence my triggering question for Module 4: How can I develop and implement responsible and appropriate guidelines for my students' online class activities, including research, collaboration, and writing?

Hollandsworth, Dowdy, and Donovan state that the opportunities to be proactive in teaching digital practices include “effective digital citizenship curriculum, peer mentor programs, effective role models, educational faculty/staff awareness, enhanced awareness of the risks, and most importantly - a proactive versus reactive approach” (2011). Within my sphere of influence on that list is being an effective role model and faculty awareness, as well as a proactive approach. As an effective role model, for example, I’m doing more to cite my sources when I put together online presentations. No longer do I take a picture from a Google search and paste it into my PowerPoint; now I look at the usage rights of that picture and make sure I have permission to use it in my presentation. I cite my source, and I have established procedures (or will soon) for my students to do likewise. This course has raised my awareness of these issues, to the point that as I developed a blogging assignment for my students, I researched guidelines for having students make comments so they would be able to do so within set parameters, rather than randomly and according to whatever non-school-appropriate social guidelines they have developed for themselves.

My awareness, however, is not enough. Lindsay and Davis write, “Digital citizenship is … about transforming yourself into a professional who can effectively research technology trends, monitor the uses of technology in your school or district, avoid the fear factor that can easily paralyze you, and empower student-centered learning to create vibrant, exciting learning projects” (2010). In other words, I have to stay on top of things. As new technologies emerge, it’s up to me to understand them and understand how my students interact with them. The guidelines I develop this year may change as the technology my students use changes, and if I cannot adapt to those changes, then my students will fall behind ability to safely manage their new digital frontier.

Lindsay and Davis also point out that “testing the waters of digital citizenship can be turbulent” (2010). I’ve embarked on my student blogging experiment as just that - an experiment. I was upfront with the students about how I wasn’t sure how this would work, but we went ahead with it anyway. I’m learning as we go, adapting to the problems they’re encountering and presenting, and making changes to fill the students’ needs. I’ve already learned, for example, that my students write a lot and that I need to factor in the time necessary to provide feedback. My adaptation there is to have students form groups and provide the feedback within the group themselves. This way they’re responsible for the improvement of their fellow writers, but they also get valuable feedback for their own writing. We’ll see how they do with this part of the assignment, and whether it works or not, I’ll continue to adapt the lesson to make it work better.

The common thread in my research is the need to be proactive. Ribble and Miller write, “Educational leaders have a responsibility as protectors of students, and as such can become part of the problem, if they do not take proactive steps to begin finding solutions to cyberbullying and other technological issues” (2013). Whatever guidelines I develop, I cannot wait until they are needed. I have to develop them now, and I have to be willing to adapt them to the needs of my students. I shouldn’t wait until next year, but I should start implementing them immediately so that I’ll have a head start on what I use for next year. It won’t be easy, but my students will benefit tremendously and be that much more prepared when they leave high school for the real world.

References:

Hollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L., & Donovan, J. (2011). Digital citizenship in K-12: it takes a village. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 55:4, 37-47. doi: 10.1007/s11528-011-0510-z

Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2010). Navigate the digital rapids. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37:6, 12-15. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ886385

Ribble, M., & Miller, T. N. (2013). Educational leadership in an online world: connecting students to technology responsibly, safely, and ethically. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17:1, 137-145. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1011379