Action research is an inquiry in to one’s own practice then using the data collected to create a positive change. In the educational setting action research can help schools create a vision to improve school methods and student learning. I have learned that through active research an individual can create an improved perception of themselves, their educational staff, and students. Action research can be conducted individually, a group working collaboratively, or through a network of educational professionals. No matter the inquiry setting they all share a common goal, to develop professional judgment and create better practices.
After self-reflecting I have decided to conduct an action research project on the effective use of The Writing Academy on fourth grade writing scores for the 2011-2012 academic year. Our campus recently received an academically unacceptable rating for the 2010 TAKS for low scores in writing, mainly due to two student subgroups. After using a variety of writing curriculums, our campus and district administrators researched and decided to use The Writing Academy for intervention. I plan to use a systematic approach to collect data, survey teachers, and analyze student performance to discover if state standardized testing results will improve. It is my goal during this inquiry to create a better vision for the campus, while also improving my growth as a future administrator.
Here is a link program we are using as an intervention to improve our writing scores.
The Writing Academy Website
Our campus is the opposite. Our writing scores are upper 90's across the board. Math and Science on the other hand continue to give us grief. I don't like to point fingers, but I think the issue goes to foundations. Sounds like to me your younger grades are focusing on math and reading because it is tested every year. When the students reach your campus there is a deficiency because the focus has been on other subjects. Look at third grade and how long each day is spent on writing and I bet you will find your answer. At my wife's campus (she is a third grade teacher)they spend between 45 minutes and a hour every day.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree writing sometimes is put on the "backburner". However, we are beginning to make changes to incorporate more writing in the instructional day. In my opinion, we must find ways to make writing interesting and fun and hopefully the Writing Academy will provide us with alternative teaching methods.
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