Tuesday, March 15, 2011

This Blogging Thing...What About a PLC???

As I've been asked to begin blogging for academic purposes it has occurred to me how useful the idea of blogging could be to develop PLCs. I'm sure that I'm not the first person to think of this but I can't believe that this isn't something that we already do at our school.

We could easily set up some sort of "closed" blogging community that could only be accessible to Guyer staff members and explore a number of topics informally to gather initial feedback in a non-threatening way. It would also probably organically produce committees to address a number of issues as different staff members expressed concerns, ideas and passion for different subject matter. 

Essentially, we are talking about creating a suggestion box on steroids. Think of all the time we spend on facebook developing a sense of connection and belonging. This same concept could increase morale and togetherness if directed appropriately. As long as the administrators controlling the blog made sure to steer things in proactive, positive directions the idea of a closed blogging community could easily develop into a Professional Learning Community. 

Just a thought...

Student Perception of Classroom Ethics at Guyer High School: Action Research Plan


Student Perception of Classroom Ethics at Guyer High School: Action Research Plan
Action Research Questions:
What do students at Guyer High School consider classroom ethics to be?
What is the difference in the perception of classroom ethics amongst lower-classmen and upper-classmen at Guyer High School?
What is the difference between the perception of classroom ethics amongst the highest academic achievers and the lowest academic achievers at Guyer High School?
In what ways does a lack of understanding classroom ethics affect a student’s academic performance at Guyer High School?
What can I, as a teacher and administrative intern, do to increase student understanding of classroom ethics at Guyer High School?
Goal: Determine the perception of classroom ethics amongst students and Guyer High School and develop a plan to increase that understanding.
Objectives:
Determine the current perception of what constitutes academic dishonesty amongst the following groups:
  • Lower-classman at Guyer High School
  • Upper-classman at Guyer High School
  • Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School
  • Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School

Determine the current perception of what constitutes plagiarism amongst the following groups:
  • Lower-classman at Guyer High School
  • Upper-classman at Guyer High School
  • Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School
  • Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School

Determine the frequency of academically dishonest incidents amongst the following groups:
  • Lower-classman at Guyer High School
  • Upper-classman at Guyer High School
  • Lowest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School
  • Highest performing quartile of students at Guyer High School

Quantify any correlation between the understanding of academic dishonesty and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School.

Quantify any correlation between the understanding of plagiarism and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School.

Develop a course of action to increase student understanding of both academic dishonesty and academic achievement amongst students at Guyer High School.

Implement the determined course of action and evaluate the plan’s effectiveness.





Action Steps(s):
Person(s) Responsible:
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
1.Setting the Foundation:
I have had previous experiences in my classroom that have grown increasingly more frequent in recent years in which students do not seem to understand what constitutes plagiarism. The trend seemed to be occurring in co-workers classrooms as well. The topic also presented itself when meeting with my site supervisor and we discussed the idea of covering the topic in a new Freshmen Course Survey Course that is currently being developed in our district.
Misty Chesnut
Gene Terronez,
Site Supervisor
February 2011
Field Notes from interactions with colleagues, curriculum development notes from Freshmen Survey Course.
Informal evaluation with colleagues and site supervisor.
2. Gathering Basic Information:
Facilitate a casual discussion amongst a cross-section of students at Guyer High School to establish a general understanding of what their perceptions of academic dishonesty and plagiarism are. This will act as guidance in developing the surveys that will be used later on in the project.







Misty Chesnut, Facilitator
Alyscia Clark,
Facilitator
Brian Valenzuela,
Facilitator
Ashley Helms,
Facilitator
Amanda Goss,
Facilitator
Greg Coleman,
Facilitator
May 1, 2011 –
June 1, 2011
Discussion facilitators that have a reputation for having a good rapport with students in order to encourage candidness. A diverse sampling of students willing to speak candidly.
Informal peer evaluation and collaboration session where all facilitators share the findings from their group discussions. Input will be taken from facilitators to help guide the survey development process.
3. Research:
Read a number of current articles focusing on classroom ethics with particular focus on the decreased understanding of what constitutes plagiarism.






Misty Chesnut
March 21, 2011- May 15, 2012
A variety of literature including formal educational research, articles from professional teaching organizations, blogs, etc.
I will share my findings and write responsive editorial style blogs to begin the process of critically evaluating the research that I am reading. I will solicit input from colleagues and superiors regarding their opinions of that research.
4. Developing a Data Collection Tool:
Develop a survey that solicits student perception regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism as well as the frequency of academic dishonesty and/or plagiarism.







Misty Chesnut
*With advisement from site supervisor, other administrative team members and the previously used facilitators.
May 15, 2011- Aug. 30, 2011
Meeting minutes from the initial facilitators peer evaluation and collaboration meeting and survey enhancement texts such as “Designing Surveys” by Czaja and Blair.
I will have a group of peers and supervisors view and critique the survey after it is completed and make any necessary revisions.
5. Gathering Data:
Administer survey to students in targeted groups: lower-classman in both the top and bottom performing quartile and upper-classman in both the top and bottom performing quartile. Surveys will be administered during ZONE (a home-room type class that Guyer High School students attend once every three weeks in order to receive progress reports, report cards and state/federal mandated PSA’s on such topics as bullying, bus safety and evacuation, child abuse, etc.) so that it will be part of the already occurring activities at Guyer High School. I will work with my Associate Principal and Principal to determine the best time to administer these surveys.








Misty Chesnut,
Freshmen Survey Course Instructors (*instructors TBD), Greg Coleman and Kim Carver (Teachers for Junior and Senior level AP English) as well as Alyscia Clark and Ashley Helms (Inclusion teachers for English 3 and 4), Stephanie Carbonaro, Registrar, Gene Terronez, Associate Principal and Barbara Fischer, Principal.
Aug. 30, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2011
Surveys set up online or physical paper surveys for all students in selected groups, class rank for all students enrolled in the Freshman Survey Course as well as Coleman, Carver, Clark and Helms English classes. Access to Zone class time and computer access for students.
*Every effort will be made to gather this survey information electronically for ease of processing.
I will do a self-assessment regarding the effectiveness of administering surveys in this way. I will also set up an electronic survey through Schoolwires to solicit the feedback of all instructors that administered surveys. I will gather qualitative information from those instructors regarding how the student responded to the surveys (seriously, honestly, etc.) to help determine if the results are valid.
6. Analyzing Data:
Quantifiable scores from the surveys will be used along with information regarding students grade level and class rank to determine if there are any correlations between a students understanding of academic dishonesty and plagiarism and their class rank. Of course, any correlation will not indicate cause but may lead to future wonderings in this area.
Misty Chesnut,
Scott Dean, AP Statistics Teacher
Sept. 15, 2011 – October 15, 2011
Survey responses from selected groups, previously gathered information regarding class rank and grade level of surveyed individuals and an
understanding of statistical analysis.
Scott Dean, AP Statistics Teacher will assist and critique me during the process of statistical analysis to ensure that my data analysis is mathematically sound.
7. Developing a Plan of Action/ Developing Deeper Understanding/Self-Reflection**:
There is no doubt that at least some of the student population will not have an accurate grasp on what constitutes academic dishonesty and plagiarism. A plan must be developed to relay that information to our students. The depth and breadth of that plan will need to be determined by the results of the survey. There may be certain populations that are in greater need of explanation regarding classroom ethics than others. My plan must reflect the need assessed according to the qualitative (information gathered from administering teachers) and quantitative (statistical analysis of survey results) data.
I will meet with a focus group of administrators as well as other stake-holders (as determined from survey results) in order to develop the most appropriate plan of action to relay the understanding of classroom ethics. This could be anything from a PSA-style presentation to developing curriculum to include in the Freshman Survey Course and/or English classes that will further the current curriculum standards and teach to the topic of classroom ethics.
Misty Chesnut,
Gene Terronez,
Site Supervisor,
Barbara Fischer, Principal,
Freshmen Survey Course Instructors
*Additional teachers as determined by data analysis.
Oct. 15, 2011- Nov.15, 2011
Previously gathered qualitative and quantitative data, class schedule and school calendar.
I will take this opportunity to share our findings with other Guyer High School teachers at our October staff meeting. **Prior to presenting I will review my own blogs and any field data and/or notes taken in order to reflect critically on my research projects progress thus far.
8. Implementing a Plan of Action/ Taking Action for School Improvement:
This is very difficult to detail at this time because it depends entirely on the results of the collected data. This portion of my plan will have to be updated after steps 5 and 6 are completed.
Misty Chesnut
Gene Terronez,
Site Supervisor,
Barbara Fischer, Principal,
Freshmen Survey Course Instructors
*Additional teachers as determined by data analysis.
Nov. 15, 2011 – March 15, 2012
Previously established Plan of Action, school calendar, *other items as determined by Step 6.
Evaluating the plan of action will be done through both informal input given by stakeholders involved in this process (*determined by Step 5 and 6) as well as anonymous surveys given via Schoolwires upon completion of the Plan of Action Implementation.
9. Evaluating the Plan of Actions Effectiveness/ Exploring Pragmatic Patterns:
The same developed survey will be given to the same sample group of students and the resulting scores will be compared with that of the first survey completion in order to determine if students gained a better understanding of what constitutes academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Misty Chesnut,
Freshmen Survey Course Instructors (*instructors TBD), Greg Coleman and Kim Carver (Teachers for Junior and Senior level AP English) as well as Alyscia Clark and Ashley Helms (Inclusion teachers for English 3 and 4), Scott Dean, AP Physics Teacher.
April 15, 2012- May 15, 2012
Previously developed survey, access to Zone class time and computers for students, understanding of statistical analysis.
Comparison of second completed survey results with those of the first completed survey results in order to find any meaningful increase in understanding.
10. Disseminating Information/ Determining Direction**:
I will post my findings on my BlogSpot as well as via the Denton ISD newsletter if approved by our Superintendent. I would also like to publish my findings more formally if my findings and work are determined to be of high quality.
Misty Chesnut,
Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor,
Barbara Fischer,
Principal,
Dr. Ray Braswell,
Superintendent
May 15, 2012- June 1, 2012
Blog, Denton ISD Newsletter, *Education-based Professional Journal if available
**Input via blog from peers, superiors and other stake-holders, professional criticism from Professional Journal editors.
11. Evaluating Action Research/ Plan Sustaining Improvement:
I will review my previous blogs and other evaluations from throughout the course of my action research plan and then reflect on the planning, execution and dissemination of my action research project.
I will then develop new action research inquiry questions based on my findings.
Misty Chesnut
Gene Terronez, Site Supervisor,
Barbara Fischer,
Principal
June 1, 2012
All elements of my action research plan including field notes, informal data, blogs and responses, surveys, survey results from both the first and second administrations, evaluation surveys and results, any newsletters and/or other published results.
This particular step is explicitly an evaluation so no further evaluation is necessary.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Disinterested High School Students

As I worked on this weeks assignment I came across some information regarding CATE classes and the interest they have drawn at a secondary level. It seems that career and technology classes naturally lend themselves to real-world applications and capture the attention of students in a way that other classes are failing to do. At the secondary level, traditional subject areas are not holding the attention of the average high school student. Why? And what can we do about it?

Well, I don't hear many complaints about students really struggling with interest in school at the elementary or even middle school levels...what changes when students go to high school? I suppose there is the factor of raging hormones and a drastic increase in demands on students schedules but I think there is something more than that.

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and your class decided to do a unit say on frogs? You would read about frogs in language arts, study the anatomy of frogs in science, learn about what types of frogs live in different places all over the world and how different cultures view frogs for social studies. You may even have frogs, ribbits, hops or some other frog references worked into your math lesson. EVERYTHING centered on frogs, it was all connected and came together to form a comprehensive picture that stimulated meaningful learning.

That idea is lost at the high school level. We talk a lot about cross-curricular collaboration to increase cohesion amongst subject areas but the truth is that very little of that occurrs in a timely manner. It is no wonder either, any given junior may have entirely different science, math and social studies courses, not to mention elective classes. How can so many teachers focusing on so many different subject areas possibly work in a cross-curricular way when all of their students have different courses. This doesn't even factor in the different planning times and lack of expertise in other areas really needed to attempt true cross-curricular learning.

I wonder if something can be done to alleviate this problem? I starting giving a lot of though towards teams teaching. Not really in an inclusion sense but in a sense of collaborating between subject areas. What if instead of having the vast array of different scheduling options to choose from, a student had several "tracks" to choose from when it came to core classes. For example, you could choose one of the following:
Track 1: Biology/Algebra 2/ English 2/ World History
Track 2: Physics/ Geometry/ English 2/ World History
So, every student who chose track one would have all of the same teachers. They might have them at different times depending on their electives, etc. but the teachers would still be able to work together to streamline instruction and make meaningful connections between subjects.

Of course there would need to be Pre-AP and AP options but the same principle would be at play. It would mean less options for students but I wonder if the payoff wouldn't be well worth it!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

What is Action Research and How Can It Be Used Practically?

Action research is a valuable tool for modern educators in which a teacher or administrator takes time for critical reflection of their own practice as an educator and the strengths and weaknesses of their school. This can be counter-intuitive for many educators. All too often, we are encouraged only to focus on good public relations, singing the praises of our teachers and students, making the community aware of the achievements and awards that our school has earned. It is right for us to celebrate such accomplishments but we do ourselves a disservice if we do not take the time for honest reflection and develop constructive criticisms for our learning institutions. We should constantly be striving to improve the educational experience for our students. Action research allows us to do that through a series of systematic inquiries.

Administrators and/or teachers determine the area that will be worked on for a specific period of time (usually an academic year) instead of relying on outsiders in the world of academia to determine the latest trends and educational approaches. Action research is more personal because an administrator or teacher reflects upon the workings of a school and pinpoints an area that needs improvement and develops a plan of action. This can be done in a number of ways but most effectively, it will be done through collaboration with stakeholders including students, parents, teachers and other community members. By working together to form a new shared vision, these stakeholders will invest in changes to improve their school. What a meaningful investment to make towards our children's education. This is much more practical than simply swallowing whatever pre-packaged approach an academic professional has prepared.

Although there is a great deal of time and work that goes into action research, the ability to focus on a school's individual needs and consider practically that school's specific resources (albeit money, staff strength, locale, etc.)  brings the potential for outstanding personalized results. It is my intention over the course of my 18 month administrative internship to be honest and constructive in my observations and assessments of Guyer High School in order to begin implementing changes that will have a meaningful positive impact on it's staff and students.

Guyer High School has a great many outstanding qualities but certainly has room for improvement in a variety of areas. My first task will be to participate in focused reflection to determine several areas that my need improvement. I will then work with my site supervisor and other campus administrators to determine how I may best benefit our school through leading a professional learning community in an action research project.