Week 4 Assignment, Part 3
Draft Action Research Project Report
Draft Action Research Project Report
I have not received a lot of support from
my site supervisor with my action research project
Can a collaborative culture, characterized by pre-k
and kindergarten teachers communicating, understanding, and sharing
expectations for all students be developed in my school? How does this
collaborative culture affect students’ learning in kindergarten?
Operium Jackson
Crosby Kindergarten
Crosby, Texas
This study was
conducted to determine if a collaborative culture across grade levels could be
developed through professional learning communities, and how does this
collaborative culture affect students’ learning. The study was conducted at
Crosby Kindergarten Center and consisted of 5 pre-kindergarten and 15
kindergarten teachers. The results of the study cannot be provided at this
time.
Keywords: professional learning
community, collaboration, school effectiveness
Introduction
This action research project involved 5 Pre-Kindergarten and 15 Kindergarten
Teachers at Crosby Kindergarten Center in Crosby, Texas. Over the
last two school years, the number of students referred for Tier 2 assistance
has increased by 30%. The pre-kindergarten teachers were surprised because the
students referred are students who were considered on level in
pre-kindergarten. During staff meetings, the issue of a collaborative
culture across grade levels between the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten
teachers was determined as the root cause of the increase of Tier 2 assistance
referrals (see figure 1.1).
The purpose of conducting this action research project is to determine
if a collaborative culture, characterized by pre-k and kindergarten teachers
communicating, understanding, and sharing expectations for all students be
developed in my school, and its effect on students’ learning in kindergarten. I
met with the teachers and administrators on my campus during a staff meeting. I
provided them with background information, data of the number of students
referred for Tier 2 assistance, and the results of the survey from the
teachers. After sharing this information, I expressed the need and purpose for a collaborative culture through
professional learning communities across grade levels in order to help students
engage in the learning process successfully.
I believe that any school with multiple grade levels
will benefit from this action research project. The teachers will benefit from
this action research project because they will learn the importance of building
a collaborative culture through professional learning communities to share and
learn different strategies and expectations, while the students will benefit
because teacher teachers will have more strategies to implement in order to
meet each individual students’ needs. This study will add to the knowledge base
of building a collaborative culture across grade levels through professional
learning communities, and its effect on students’ learning.
A professional learning community is a group of
professionals who aim to improve practices by sharing common goals and gaining
new knowledge through interaction from one another (Sigurðardóttir, 2010).
Literature Review
“The characteristics of
schools as professional learning communities are considered a crucial concept
in studies on school improvement as a way of building up schools’ capacity for
development and increased effectiveness (Sigurðardóttir, p. 395, 2010).” According to Routman (2012), “ongoing professional
learning communities (PLCs) are the bedrock of the work that creates a whole
school of effective teachers (p.58). Routman (2012) explains that teachers are
able to understand what effective teaching looks like across grade levels when
they are able to ask questions and examine students’ work with the goal of
improving their own teaching practices.
Recent research has determined that a relationship
exists between professional learning communities and school effectiveness (Sigurðardóttir,
2010; Routman, 2012). Sigurðardóttir (2010) conducted a three year study to
determine “if there is a relationship between a school’s level of effectiveness
and its level as a professional learning community” (p. 395).
The study was conducted within three
schools in Iceland. It was designed as a mixed
methods study, conducted in two phases: a correlational study of survey
data on schools as professional learning communities and an experimental study,
where effort was made to improve the level of the professional learning
community and evaluate its effects on pupils’ outcomes (p. 395)..
The findings from the study indicated that
professional learning communities allowed schools
to “support better student achievement through individual and collaborative
learning” (Sigurðardóttir, 2010, p. 406).
Kennedy, Deuel, Nelson and Slavit (2011), conducted
a five year study of five middle and high schools where teacher groups moved
for voluntary to compulsory school wide professional learning communities. For
three years cross-grade and cross-content area teachers discussed different
approaches to meet students’ needs, and conducted collaborative action research
(Kennedy et. al, 2011).Their study revealed that that when the “adults in a
school continually engage in dialogue and inquiry to support student learning,
a re-culturing takes place. A result of this re-culturing is that teachers take
risks and tolerate a level of vulnerability in order to learn and enact
productive change” (Kennedy et. al., 2011, p.23).
Action
Research Design
Subjects
The target
population is the administrators and teachers at Crosby Kindergarten
Center. The reason I want to share my results with this audience is to help
them understand the importance of building a collaborative culture across grade
levels, and how that collaborative culture will help meet the needs of all
students.
Procedures
How are you implementing the vision (ELCC
1.3)?
The
intervention for developing a collaborative culture consisted of creating a professional
learning community across grade levels. Most of the project was my
responsibility. The teachers were asked to fill out an informal survey. The
principal approved a Professional Learning Community for the pre-kindergarten
and kindergarten teachers to collaborate, share strategies, and expectations. Table
1 provides information on how the action research project was implemented.
Table 1
|
Action Steps(s):
|
Person(s) Responsible:
|
Timeline: Start/End
|
Needed Resources
|
Evaluation
|
|
Develop a survey
for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers regarding communication issues across
grade levels
|
Operium
Jackson/Site Supervisor
|
4/1/2012-4/15/2012
|
Computer
Printer
Copy machine
|
Site supervisor
review and recommendations. Make changes if needed
|
|
Send out surveys
to Pre-k And Kindergarten Teachers regarding communication between grade
levels
|
Operium Jackson
|
4/15/2012-5/1 2012
|
Teacher mailboxes
|
Site supervisor
|
|
Analyze data from
surveys
|
Operium
Jackson/Site Supervisor
|
5/1/2012-5/10/2012
|
Teacher Surveys
|
Site supervisor
review and recommendations. Make changes if needed
|
|
Share results
from survey at staff meeting
|
Operium Jackson
|
5/15/2012
|
Data results of
surveys
|
Site
supervisor/Teachers
|
|
Research
information about building collaborative cultures across grade levels
|
Operium Jackson
|
5/15/2012-7/15/2012
|
Internet, books,
articles
|
|
|
Present findings
to site supervisor
|
Operium Jackson
|
8/1/2012
|
Literature Review
|
Site supervisor
review and recommendations. Make changes if needed
|
|
Organize and
facilitate the creation of a
Professional Learning Committee across grade levels
|
Operium
Jackson/Site Supervisor
|
8/15/2012-9/30/2012
|
School email
Library
|
Completion of PLC
across grade levels
|
|
Share results
from PLC Meetings
|
Operium Jackson/
Codi Freeman, Vice Principal
|
10/5/2012-5/5
2013
|
Conference room
|
Observations and
interviews from teacher
|
.
Steward the Vision (ELCC 1.4)
The Professional Learning Community across
grade levels agendas were created as a result of input from the teachers Motivation for the action research
project will be conducting the PLC meetings once a month one hour before school
ends. Over five days there will be 5 kindergarten teachers and 1 pre-k teacher
assigned to attend the PLC daily. The instructional assistants will be responsible
for the 6 teachers’ classes, and loading the students on the bus. By doing
this, teachers will not lose planning time, or have to stay after school.
During
the meetings, teachers were allowed to identify and share any strategies that
they used or would like to learn about in order to help me the needs of the
students. At the beginning of the meetings, teachers were allowed to address
any concerns or questions that they have about a particular student. At the end
of the meeting, teachers were encouraged to post any comments or questions to
be addressed at the next professional learning community meeting.
Data
Collection
Multiple methods were used for data collection: surveys and
observations. 20 teachers were issued a pre survey with open ended questions at
a staff meeting (see Table 2.). Teachers were asked to rate if a collaborative
culture exists across grade levels, and provide additional comments to support
their ratings.
Pre-survey
Name_____________________
In the table,
indicate if you feel a collaborative culture exists across grade levels:
1=low and
5=high. Add comments to support your rating.
Table 2
|
Concerns
|
Rating
|
Additional Comments
|
|
Teachers
meet on a regular basis
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
|
Teachers
communicate expectations
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
|
Teachers
share strategies and concerns across grade levels
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
|
Teachers
collaborate to meet the needs of all students
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
Additional Concerns:
After
conducting eight PLC meetings, teachers will be administered an end of the year
survey (see Table 3).
End-of-Year
Survey
Name________________________________
In the table, indicate how much you valued the different components of
your Professional
Learning Community:
1 = low and 5 = high. N /A would
indicate that the component was not a part of your
specific PLC. Please add comments that
support your rating, also.
Table 3.
|
Component
of PLC
|
Rating
|
Comments
|
|
Meeting on a regular basis
|
1 2
3 4 5
N/A
|
|
|
Communicating expectations
|
1 2
3 4 5
N/A
|
|
|
Sharing strategies
|
1 2
3 4 5
N/A
|
|
|
Meeting the needs of all students
|
1 2
3 4 5
N/A
|
|
|
Learning and applying new knowledge
|
1 2
3 4 5
N/A
|
|
Additional Questions
What part(s) of the PLC were most beneficial to you?
What changes could be made to improve the PLC?
How has the implementation of the PLC improved student learning?
Findings
In a short informal survey, many
pre-kindergarten teachers expressed that they did not know what the
expectations were from the kindergarten teachers in order for students to
transition to kindergarten successfully, and the kindergarten teachers
expressed that the pre-k teachers did not inform them of concerns they may have
with certain students, and strategies they used to help these students engage
in the learning process.
Provide an effective instructional
program (ELCC 2.2).
There will be a satisfaction and/or feedback survey for all stakeholders
who were participants of the action research project. After receiving the
survey, I will compare the results of the pre and post survey and present them
in my findings. I will also use notes and observations from the PLC meetings as
well.
Influencing the larger context
(ELCC 6.3)
I will share the results of my action research project through an oral
Power Point presentation during the staff meeting. I will provide background
information on why I choose the research question, and the concerns that many
teachers had which gave me insights into this particular wondering. Next, I
will share the design of my action research by describing what I did by
displaying the collected data and analysis. I will present what I have learned
using claims, and support my claims with evidence from the collection of data.
Lastly, I will conclude my findings by reflecting on my action research project,
and generating ideas for the future. The plan for disseminating the results and
recommendations is to present the information using claims with supporting
evidence from the data.
Conclusions
and Recommendations
Promote positive
school culture (ELCC 2.1)
Professional learning communities promote a
positive culture of school improvement to meet the needs of all students by allowing
teachers to “take the wheel and drive their own learning” (Kennedy et.al, 2011,
p.24). Allowing teachers to control their own learning groups will allow their
knowledge and expertise to grow and deepen (Kennedy et. al, 2011).
Promote community
involvement in the vision (ELCC 1.5)
Posting the PowerPoint presentation with my findings on the district’s
website will allow the school community to understand the importance of
implementing professional learning communities across grade levels, and
encourage other campuses to implement professional learning communities across
grade levels to better meet the needs of the students.
Design a comprehensive
professional growth plan (ELCC 2.4).
Following
this successful implementation year, the focus will be to continue to implement
professional learning communities. Linder, Post, and Calabrese (2012) study
offers implications when considering implementing professional learning
communities:
First, classroom teachers should not hesitate to
join together to investigate topics of common interest. These topics may relate
to pedagogy, assessment, school culture, or family and community issues. PLCs
enable teachers to customize and personalize their professional development,
and they can develop a sense of ownership through self-directed learning. Once
PLCs have been successfully established, the teachers can continue to move forward
with their work. Second, educational administrators should consider PLCs as a
viable method of professional development for their building and district
personnel. Administrators should encourage and support PLCs as a form of
professional development that allows teachers to direct the focus of their
learning, and they should validate and celebrate the accomplishments of these
groups. Teachers participating in PLCs appreciate administrators who support
them with time and space for meeting, materials for studying chosen topics and
implementing selected classroom techniques, people with expertise, or stipends
for participation. As a result, administrators develop teachers who are
collaborative, self-directed, inquiry-minded, and empowered by their work (p.
21).
References
Kennedy, A., Deuel, A., Nelson, T., & Slavit, D. (2011). Requiring
Collaboration or Distributing Leadership?. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(8), 20-24.
Linder, R. A., Post, G., & Calabrese,
K. (2012). Professional Learning Communities: Practices for Successful
Implementation. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(3), 13-22.
Routman, R. (2012). Mapping a pathway to
schoolwide highly effective teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(5), 56-61.
Sigurðardóttir,
A. (2010). Professional Learning Community in Relation to School Effectiveness.
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 54(5), 395-412.
doi:10.1080/00313831.2010.508904
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