Action Research Plan Revisions 10/26

After yet another week of "wondering" and getting input from other teachers and colleagues, I have found a few areas of my action research plan that can stand to be adjusted. For one, I wanted to continue with my idea of assessing reading comprehension, but I have since realized that assessment of critical thinking and inquiry are both specific results of reading comprehension, so I think it would be better to focus on those two concepts.

I also have received valid input from other teachers, and have reconsidered my "passion" behind my original goal statement, which involved improving critical thinking by using writing and speaking assessments. Though this is a good goal to have, it does not really spark a prolonged passion in me. I want my action research to be something that I'm really having "trouble" with, and so I decided to do more tin incorporate technology into this plan. My new goal or question deals with how effective the use of technology to evaluate students' critical thinking is. This will be much more of a relevant topic for me to incorporate into my instruction, for I am still a bit skeptical in my ideas about how effective technology is when being used as  "learning tool" in the classroom.

I have also reconsidered the role of reflection in my action research. A good point was made by one of my colleagues that I needed to implement visible time into my plan for reflection and evaluation of my research. This was something I originally thought was understood, but as I considered her comment, she made great sense. Therefore, I plan on setting aside time that will allow me to reflect at least once per week as I continue research.

I have posted my revised Action Research Plan Template below. I hope to continue receiving great feedback from my peers that will help me to make the most out of this research experience.

Action Planning Template
Goal: To determine if the use of technology can effectively assess students’ critical thinking and inquiry skills as demonstrated by written responses and presentation skills that require technology.
Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Recourses	Evaluation
Gather data that includes missed objectives and concepts from DMAC, current Common Assessment Exam,  and “before” samples of student work	Ekena Wilkins Peter Downing	October 24- October 31st, 2011	DMAC Software, Pulled articles from other education experts	Statement regarding findings in statistics, and how it will affect the plan in moving forward. Interview with Department head on findings and his current suggestions or successes with lessons that enforce critical thinking
Implement three lessons that highlight critical thinking and complex writing strategies and address students’ weaknesses in objectives and concepts	Ekena Wilkins	November 1st, 2011-- January 10th, 2012	MISD Scope and Sequence, DMAC Software research	Self- reflection on instruction process, student sample(s), student survey or poll with the purpose of self-evaluative reflection
Assess student progress through technology-driven writing exercise(s) that measure comprehensive mastery of critical thinking skills as it relates to genre-specific objectives and concepts	Ekena Wilkins Peter Downing	November 1st, 2011 -- January 10th, 2012	AP Novel Unit for Lord of the Flies, MISD Scope and Sequence, Generated rubrics for writing and speaking	Samples of student work as Reflective Blog