Context Of Classroom And Research Questions Essay

The school in which I conducted my action research cycle is a large public school consisting of 560 students located in Western Sydney. I was placed in a composite year 3/4 class of 27 students with high achieving abilities. At this school, the Stage two cohort are assessed and placed into three groups based on their abilities. The class I was assigned was the highest with mixed abilities. My mentor teacher was well trained in current teaching pedagogy, in particular Newman’s strategies for critical thinking and incorporating these into routines. There were high expectations placed on the students both academically and behaviourally, including allowing students to take risks in their learning, demonstrate their problem solving skills and reasoning,

I plan to use the input and assistance of my principal, administration, and other colleagues to assist me with necessary portions of my action research project. I will develop a written plan of action further in the project, monitor the project reflective, and prepare a research summary research report of the results of my action research project addressing the effectiveness of the implementation of the PBIS program at Otter Creek Middle School. My plans are for my research to be implemented further along with my principal internship after I have completed the course as well.

Based on my prior knowledge and this week’s resource, I see a little clear why action research can help me address the needs of my students better. This week I have learned the difference between action research/teacher inquiry and education traditional research. Also, I have learned the relationship between action research and teacher professional growth and decision making. Last, I have been able to see what teacher inquiry/action research look like, how they are similar and different.

A majority of the students in Middle Tennessee Public Schools come from a low- income family household. The school in which I work, Clearview Middle School is not only low- income, but is also a “priority” school. Priority schools are in the bottom five percent in being in the category of lowest- performing in the school district. The population of students at Clearview Middle School are majority African- American, but the cultures among the school are rich and diverse. Many students at Clearview Middle School have high potential of achieving great academic success, but fall short due consistent classroom disruptions throughout the day.

The United States may be looked upon as a land of freedom and opportunity, yet today we live in an era where education is still a persistent struggle for minorities in a white privileged society. We live in a country where the educational system puts greater emphasis on training students to tackle standardized tests than on development of self and character. The American educational system is in crisis and has been in this situation for decades now. The solution to this problem goes beyond better teacher performance and school infrastructure.

I performed this action research project at River Community College in West Michigan. The community college provided educational opportunities to the

Reviewing of literature is a valuable contribution to the action research process (Mills, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to search for literature using both the Web and the Ashford Library, using only keywords that best signify the area of focus for action research project.

I performed my field experience at Chiefland Elementary. Chiefland is a very small town with the population of six thousand. There are over eight hundred students enrolled at Chiefland Elementary. There are fifty-two instructional staff members and two administers. In those fifty-two staff members, there is one African American teacher and one male teacher; the rest are women. This is a white dominate school. In the school there is 73% Caucasian students, 17% African American students, and 4% Hispanic students. There is only 3% of students that are ESOL and 5% are Gifted and Talented. This semester we learned that in small areas and with low income schools, there are more Hispanics and African American people. In this case, Chiefland Elementary

According to the state report card, Salem Elementary School’s socioeconomic status of students is strongly high in poverty. Correspondingly, all of the students enrolled in Salem also have some type of economic disadvantage. As discussed in our EDTE 2020 class, high poverty areas tend to have teachers “with less experience”, who do not have “proper certification”, or who have a “high turnover rate”. This is the complete opposite at Salem, as it’s stated on the report card that all teachers have a bachelor and a master’s degree, with over 72% of teachers being

Lastly, I believe that students would benefit from conducting an action research project in a group versus completing a project alone. During our program we learned about allowing for different formats during assessment or classroom activities. Therefore, I believe that some students may have preferred working with a group on such a significant project. The fact that students would be allowed to work with people from different backgrounds and with different personality types to complete a project would equate with real world experience. The opportunity to work with people is why the practicum is such a valuable experience.

1. Compare and contrast directional selection and disruptive selection and provide an example of each.

A book review done by Desantis (2012) states that, “…describing the particular challenges facing white educators preparing to teach culturally or racially diverse classrooms. These difficulties can include an inability to identify the need for culturally relevant instruction, reluctance to speak openly about race in the classroom, and latent cultural racism held by teachers” (pg.285). By preparing teachers to be more culturally aware, whether they are working in a high ses or low ses school, it will make the difference. This will help students that are from low income families or of a minority be much more successful academically and won’t compare themselves to their affluent

Low-income families provide less tax dollars to schools, which directly affects a school’s financial ability to provide resources to teachers and students. Also, larger class sizes could lead to more discipline referrals, which affect the culture of the classroom (Rowley et al., 2011). The role of teachers and family is crucial for student success. A teacher’s ability to show compassion, provide instruction that is relatable, and eliminate discriminatory behaviors, is essential in establishing a classroom culture that promotes learning. Parental involvement in their child’s education is essential, as well. According to Rowley and Wright (2011), “Economically disadvantaged neighborhoods expose children to behaviors and ideals that hinder academic progress” (p.

In 2006, low income students formed a new majority of the South’s public school students. In 2008, students of color primarily African American and Hispanic students became a majority of the south’s public school enrollment. Because African American and Hispanic students tend to have families with lower incomes than white students, four of the five Southern states with a majority of students of color in the public schools also have a majority of low income in those schools (Southern Education Foundation, 2009).

The use of a team with a common project or problem leads to an action learning program which looks remarkably like action research.