Educational Leaders Course Reflection

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,

Starting on May 24th, the Ranger Institute came up from North Carolina and taught us a variety of essential skills and lessons for us to know before we entered the field. The group was informative and had us start off the first half of the morning with leadership and communication games and activities, so we could get accustomed to each other. These were great ice breaker activities and got our blood pumping. All the games we participated in, we got into each others personal bubble and had quite a bit of laughs.

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.

Teacher education is enhanced by using teachers as researchers. Teachers, who do research, can provide information on student interaction and classroom environments, and have a broad sampling field due to the amount of time spent in scholastic settings. This kind of action research allows a teacher to share with others what she/he has learned. It also offers to them, foundations for decisions regarding appropriate interventions and outcomes for improving students’ education or literacy within their classroom or school. When a teacher/researcher collects data for the purpose of research, they will mostly likely use a qualitative method (Johnson, 2008). Within this research, data is collected through observations and the answering of questions that relate to the data. Using this method, questions are more open ended and less defined, so there is more room for researchers to collect a variety of data. There are many ways that data can be collected for research purposes such as, the use of rubrics, student profiles, logs, and observation records that may consist of anecdotal records, checklists, reflections, conferences, interviews, and surveys. During my CIRG 621 my action research was based around Math. Although these courses are geared toward Reading Language arts I wanted to improve my student’s math scores and my ability to

When I began this course I was very nervous because I had no idea of the scope of the course. I was unfamiliar with the Canadian education system and other students. After receiving instructions from my professor, I introduced myself to the person beside me and this process helped to break the ice. I developed a good friendship with the student and this technique used by the professor helped me develop better communication and relationship skills. After few classes, I felt very comfortable and the nervousness and anxiety faded away. I learned about leadership, power relationships in the profession, personal, cultural, professional and organizational, each of which is very important in the nurse’s career. I also gained knowledge regarding client centred care.

I am not sure this is a good one?! Or I have to reconsider my decision.

Assessing is a major priority in the school system because this is the only way principals are aware of the progress their students and teachers are producing. It is recommended that principals meet monthly with other administrators to stay up to date on the current changes in the curriculum, instruction, and assessments. The school leadership teams must ensure that they are choosing instructional works that have high success rates for enhancing student achievement. If the data results from the assessment show that the majority of students are not producing learning gains, the school’s principal should sit down with the teacher to discuss and reevaluate the lessons that are being taught.

represent partial mastery of standards. Schools and teachers will create this venue by mapping learning

Research, educational and action, are key to the continued improvement of educational methodologies and strategies. Educational research provides theories and pedagogy by organizing “empirical facts” (Johnson, 2012, p. 9). These scientific studies reach peer-reviewed conclusions that can be applied in multiple situations. Action research is more specific and focuses to provide a usable action plan (Johnson, 2012, p. 16).

This allows the team to track the success of instruction. It also enables the educators to make necessary changes to support the student in meeting their annual goals. Due to the fact that parents are not at the school on a daily basis, IDEA requires the team to periodically report to the parents on the student’s progress. Progress can be measured in a variety of ways. The student’s progress can be assessed and reported by structuring certain requirements from the classroom teacher as well as other school educators. One requirement is to administer an assessment that describes a student’s academic or social behavior. Effective classroom teachers should be fluent in progressing whether the student’s are reaching the desired goals. These measure are often quick, informal assessments, but can be formal assessments depending on the type of learning or behavior being assessed. The instructors should also be monitoring the progress being made by comparing the data being collected with the benchmarks previously established. These comparisons should be made frequently enough to validate adequate progress is being made. If adequate progress is not being made, the instructor should make instructional changes to improve achievement of the set goals. Lastly, the instructor should be reporting the data comparison and

Academics will be analyzed in two ways. One way will be by looking at Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments. “Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level—precisely measuring student progress and growth for each individual” (Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) , 2016) . We administer MAP, which consists of a reading and math assessment, three times a year in the fall, winter and spring. The MAP is a web based test, so the data is accessible online for each

Completing the main project for this course has been an interesting exercise forcing me to challenge some of my long-held beliefs of both my personality and management style. Each survey I took revealed some interesting aspects of educational leadership that I will apply when given the opportunity as an educational administrator. This section of the paper will summarize the key findings for each of the aforementioned surveys.

In 2008, The Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards were developed from ISLLC (Interstate Leaders Licensure Consortium) Standards.

Prior to beginning any action research study in the classroom, various permissions must be granted. In addition, this study will take place in a public school; permission will be obtained from the building administrator and district officials (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007). The

As an educational leader, I have encountered several new and existing school policies. I never thought deeply about the various processes and the stakeholders involved in policy formulation and implementation. This semester I am engaged in the course Managing Educational Policy as School Leaders (EDLM 6005). This is Semester III, 2016/2017. My course coordinator is Dr. Timar Stephenson. Dr Stephenson was my course coordinator once before and was very helpful whenever I needed clarification or when I had a difficulty. I am thrilled to embrace the new ideas and learning opportunities embedded in this course since it teaches issues which I experience at work. Dr Stephenson, during his introduction reminded his entire class that success in this course would only be realized through hard work, dedication, and commitment. Therefore, it is imperative that I have the right attitude as I navigate this course. The course involves seven weeks of intense work. I am pleased to have a wonderful group facilitator by the name of Rhonda Joseph who has already given us a BBC to explain the requirements of the course and our first two modules.