Update on action research plan

I have started a mentor and mentee program at my elementary school for the 2013-2014 school year. It is a program set up for students in need of a mentor for various reasons. My program is off to a really great start. The program is designed where students and teachers are paired to help increase student attitude towards school and achievement. We are in the second week of the program and it is going great. The students selected are already taking to having the positive roll model in their school life. We had teachers from the previous year select the students that they felt would benefit the most from this program. Teachers were able to pick their on student to mentor. This worked out really great becuase most of them picked a student they already had a connection with. I have selected on of the students I had taught last year. This connection was already there so I was able to start mentoring without having to get to know the student. We are about to have our first big activity of the year. Students and their mentor will be able to meet and bond with a get to know you activity. This is a fun game where the mentee is able to get comfortable with their mentor if they do not already know them. I feel like this program is already making a difference in students lives and I cannot wait to see how the rest of the program pans out.

Reflection for EDLD 5301

Overall I feel like this has been a very great class that I have been able to learn a lot from. It has giving me the opportunity to sit back and look at being an administrator and what it means to be an administrator. I have been able to talk a lot with my site supervisor, principal, about different things I can do to better the school.

I have also talked a lot with my assistant principal and the counselor. My action research is going to be starting a mentor program to help students who are struggling with confidence and other issues that affect their academic life at school. The counselor was able to help me and give me a lot of ideas that I am going to incorporate into my action research. This class is great at showing that when everyone is able to work together and bounce ideas off of each other, a lot more change can occur.

This was my first class to attend an online lecture/web conference. I think this is a great way to feel part of a class when you are taking online classes. I felt like I was able to talk to the professor and bounce ideas off other students in the class. I think this is a great tool that we are able to use with the technology advances today. I plan on attending all the web conferences I can in the future because I really think they make you feel more a part of the class.

Another great thing I liked about this class was the blog. This was my first blog I have ever done so I was very nervous about getting started and keeping up with it. Blogs are a great way for you to get fast feedback. This class gave me the opportunity to hear from students that I would not have heard from if it were not because of the blog. I was surprised at how easy the blog was to set up and how easy it was to keep up with. I plan to keep up with my blog throughout the rest of my Lamar classes because I think it is a great tool to look back on and see how far you have come. The things I have posted will also help others in the future when they look in my blog, to see things that have worked and things that could be improved on.

Like with the blogs, the discussion boards are a great way to get feedback. Being that it is mandatory that you respond to two colleagues, you are able to get a lot of information and help that you may not have thought of on your own. It was very beneficial to post my response early because I was able to get more of other students responses back to me.

Overall I think this was a great class where I was able to look at a lot and get a lot of great ideas and feedback. I really appreciate all of the other students who helped me throughout and gave me different ideas. The main thing I will take away is that everyone can help while you are in administration. You can get a lot of information from other professional. By them sharing things that have worked for them in the past and using ideas that have worked will make you a better administrator.

Update on Action Research

I love having a blog because I feel like I can get a lot of feedback from people who are interested and following my topic. Many ideas are shared and people can provide information about their experiences if they have ever seen or done something like you are sharing. I had two people who wrote comments to me that I feel would be beneficial to my action research.

Meghan Van Vossen said: "I had another thought. Would it make sense for the recommending teacher to be the mentor? They would hav already built an educational relationship. A 3rd grade teacher could reccommend a student from this year and she will mentor them during their 4th grade year. Does that make sense?"

I think this is a great idea. I hadn’t yet thought of how I was going to pick who would mentor each student. Having someone who already has a relationship with that student could be very beneficial to building a good relationship and getting a lot accomplished early on. This person would already know so much about the student and be able to help them grow more than a stranger may.

She McCord also brought up a good point: “I love this idea. I have seen a model like this be successful at my former school - the students were chose based on data received from their previous year's TAKS/STAAR test. How are you going to pair the mentor and the student? And will the mentors be teachers at your school?”
I have thought about what if I do not have enough teachers volunteer. When she asked will all the mentors be teachers it made me think, they do not all have to be teachers. I could maybe get some PTO parent volunteers or other office staff to help if we have more kid applicants than teachers who volunteer. It will all depend on how many students teachers select for this program.

Thank you to everyone who is following and commenting on my blog! I really appreciate all the feedback :)

Final Action Research Plan

After lots of thought and many discussions with others on campus, I finally came up with my final Action Research Plan. I will set up a mentor program where staff members are assigned one student to be paired up with. We will have five big meetings throughout the year. (Back to school, Halloween, Winter, Valentines, and End of year celebration) At these meetings, mentors and students will do a craft or activity, enjoy a snack, and catch up. Mentors will also be expected to check in on their mentees once every week. This can be done through a note, stopping by at their lunch break, or making a quick stop by their classroom to see how their day is going. I will rely greatly on teacher recommendations for students who are in need of this program. I will ask teachers, the counselor, and other people on the leadership team to nominate students who they feel would benefit from the program. Students with low self esteem will benefit the most with a mentor. I will create a questionnaire in the beginning of the year for students to evaluate how they view themselves in school. They will also answer the same questions at the end of the year. I will use these results to see if their self esteem and views of themselves increase throughout the school year.

Action Planning Template Goal: Does providing a mentor to a student increase their self perception? Action Steps(s): Person(s) Responsible: Timeline: Start/End Needed Resources Evaluation     Meet with counselor to discuss idea of mentor program         Counselor, Angela Hansen     April 18, 2013     Idea of plan to discuss     Agreed to start a mentor program for struggling students     Discuss Action Research plan with principal and get approval         Principal, Charles Hall     April 18, 2013     Idea of plan to discuss     Approved the Action Research Plan and gave suggestions on how to improve Discuss with teachers this importance of this program. Have them nominate students they believe would benefit from this program.     Principal, teachers(mentors)     August 2013     Form for teachers to nominate students     Mentors should meet with their mentees at least once every week to catch up and say hi. This can be done through a note or stopping by the classroom.     Principal, teachers   September 2013-May 2014   Notes for teachers to send to kids, notebooks to start back and forth journals     Have mentors complete the self evaluation     Student           September 2013   Student self evaluation questionnaire made by Mrs. Campbell     Back to school party – have mentor and mentee meet each other for the first time. They can do a craft or an activity and enjoy a snack as they get to know each other     Principal, counselor, mentors, and mentees   September 2013   Activity and snack     Thanksgiving get together - have mentor and mentee get together for a Thanksgiving party. They can do a craft or an activity and enjoy a snack as they get to know each other   Principal, counselor, mentors, and mentees   November 2013   Activity and snack     Winter get together - have mentor and mentee get together for a Winter party. They can do a craft or an activity and enjoy a snack as they get to know each other   Principal, counselor, mentors, and mentees   December 2013 or January 2014   Activity and snack     Valentines get together - have mentor and mentee get together for a Valentine party. They can do a craft or an activity and enjoy a snack as they get to know each other   Principal, counselor, mentors, and mentees   February 2014   Activity and snack     Summer get together - have mentor and mentee get together for a Summer party. They can do a craft or an activity and enjoy a snack as they get to know each other   Principal, counselor, mentors, and mentees   May 2014   Activity and snack         End of year self evaluation   Student   May 2014   Student self evaluation questionnaire made by Mrs. Campbell     Evaluate if the program benefitted the students self perception     Myself   May 2014   Student evaluations, teacher opinions

Deciding on an Action Research Topic

This week I discussed a few topics with my mentor.

1.      “In what ways can I bring together teachers from all grade levels to collaborate, diversify, and share new ideas?”

It is so important that a school have a strong community of teachers and staff. Being at a school where everyone is not working together or on the same page can really make going to work hard on everyone. By finding ways to bring people from all over the school together to work for a common goal, administrators are in turn creating a stronger community. This infectious culture will be passed on through the kids and the parent involved and can make a positive change for everyone involved.

2.    “What can I do to keep outstanding students on track?”

So many times our attention as teachers is drawn to the students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. Some of the greatest students in our class are often looked over because we are spending our time dealing with a behavior problem. Creating a program aimed to support and praise exceptional students could really benefit students that are making great choices.

3. “Will a mentor program help struggling students become more successful in school?”

Many students have very rough home lives with no support for them academically. I believe that starting a mentor program will help these struggling students become more confident and become more successful in the classroom.

My mentor and I both thought that starting a mentor program to see if the relationships built would help students become more successful was the perfect thing for our campus. We have plenty of students with very low confidence and very little support at home. We believe that having someone here on campus support and push for them will make them more successful.

My Final Topic for action research

“Will a mentor program help struggling students become more successful in school?”

I will be starting a program in the school where teachers and other staff members are assigned a student who is struggling. I will see if this student becomes more successful with the push and positive reinforcement from their mentor.

Why educational leaders should use blogs

Blogs can be used as a way for people to express themselves and share their ideas with others. Leaders, such as administrators and teachers, can uses blogs as a way of communication. They are able to communicate with parents, teachers, and staff on issues that arise in any area. By keeping others informed, they are able to stick to a schedule and be held accountable for the goals they set. Bloggers are also able to reflect on past experiences by looking back at old posts. This is a way for them to learn from mistakes in the past, or remember changes that worked to benefit others that they had done before. Also, by regularly blogging they are able to get lots of followers. The feedback from other professionals in the blogging community is a great tool in using corrective criticism and making changes you may have not thought about. Getting prospective from other bloggers can open your eyes to new ideas and actions you may not have otherwise thought about.

A first look into Action Research

Administrative inquiry, action research, is constantly striving to find new ways to better your and in turn find ways to benefit the school, staff, and students. Inquiors are always looking for ways to improve by making a change. This can be done by reflecting on experiences and finding ways to change what they feel is not the best practice. Not only should you learn and reflect on your own actions, but also from professional development such as study groups, professional literature, and data collection. Continuing your studying is a great way to see others prospective and help yourself grow. You are able to take ideas and actions from others to help you grow in different areas.

Action research differs from traditional educational research because the person involved puts themselves into the research in administrative inquiry. They are an active part of the plan and continue to grown being involved in the process. Traditional research is helpful to educators, but does not target their exact needs.

One of the hardest thing is for an administrator to find time for action research. Scheduling time, like finding time to go for a run, is key in making sure you are actively trying to make the right change. Some examples of action research that administrators could do are, Joining a university course, participating in superintendent and district meetings and being actively involved in leadership teams. The benefit of conducting action research is you are constantly expanding your knowledge and finding ways to help create a positive change in yourself and the community you are working in. You are able to evaluate yourself and focus on the best ways to benefit your staff and students. Change will happen with action research because administrator have a better understand of how to set and achieve their goals and objectives.