A Change in Direction.

Now that the school year is in full swing, I have been incorporating DESCA into our daily routine.  I'll add an attachment of the activities I used soon.  I've been tracking them paper and pencil...still old school, I know.  :)  I think the students are really starting to become more aware of their actions.  Our environment is very caring and comfortable.  There are a few students that have a desire to bully from time to time, so there is still come work to do.  

However, as a implement the activities and begin thinking about specific data collection, I feel very overwhelmed.  I feel like I am trying to do too much with my action research question.  I feel there is so much going on in the implementation plan that I can't keep up with all the observing and such.  

I am thinking I may narrow my question to something like..How will the implementation of guided math stations affect students' academic performance?  I think all of the DESCA framework building that we have been doing will still be part of my plan, but I will not collect data for it.  I think that the themes of DESCA provide a great foundation for the students while working in small learning communities.  I will include activities I used and keep the research I found on DESCA as part of my RoL.  But, the main focus of my data collection will be on the implementation of guided math groups.  I will measure academic performance based on these four main components: engagement, homework completion, end of unit assessments, NWEA assessment.  I have been teaching unit one in math whole group instruction style.  I am learning a lot about the students abilities and work habits, have been writing observations on each student, and will be using the information to aid in forming student learning groups for unit two.  

I'm hoping that I'm not too late in refocusing my plan, but I really feel like this will be a good direction for me.  I feel more confident in the plan and look forward to exploring this new learning. 

Planning - Full Speed Ahead

So as I wrap my head around the research, and focus my action research question, I am excited to finish making assessments, observation forms, and plans.  It is a little scary to see the template for the week to week guide, but I am anxious to 'eat the frog' and plan the nitty gritty.  

Planning - Full Speed Ahead

QUESTION:  

How does the implementation of active learning, with an emphasis on cooperative group work in math, affect students’ academic performance and motivation? 

TIMELINE:

September - The focus of class will be on building community and how to work cooperatively.   We will use the active learning themes DESCA (dignity, energy, self-management, community, awareness) as a guide and base point.  I will provide opportunities to model these, and incorporate these themes into our daily curriculum.  Active/cooperative group work will be modeled with use of a reading literature circle unit.  The students will take the NWEA assessment, and math will be taught as whole group as a way of finding students performance levels for data.  This data will be used to place students in future cooperative groups.  

October/November -  DESCA themes will continue in daily routine.  Math will now be taught with minimal whole group instruction.  The students will work in cooperative/active learning groups during math and follow a station rotation.  

Data Collection Tools - Student reflection journal, group work student self-assessment, teacher daily record of active learning opportunities, teacher observation/reflection, NWEA data, unit summative assessments in math.