Action Plan - Revised

I've revised my action plan based on comments from cohorts. Any revisions are shown in blue.

Goal: To determine in what ways access to a literacy library can improve student literacy in the K-2 classroom.

Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Research K-2 literacy best practices, focusing on small group reading and library use.	L. Coulter	August 2-13, 2010	Internet Lamar Library	None needed
Meet with literacy committee to brainstorm ways to incorporate use of best practices and the literacy library in the K-2 classrooms.	L. Coulter Literacy committee	August 18, 2010	Classroom Copier for research dissemination Presentation station for presentation of research Chart paper for writing group ideas Easel Markers
Review previous year's use of the literacy library	L. Coulter	August 20, 2010	Literacy library checkout book	Previous year's information collected for comparison analysis
Survey teachers to determine current strategies in use in the classroom	L. Coulter Literacy committee	1st week of school	Survey Monkey	Pre-assessment information will be reviewed, analyzed, and charted.
Beginning-of-Year DRA	K-2 teachers	1st 2 weeks of school	DRA testing materials
Survey K-2 students on perceptions of and comfort levels with reading and books.	L.Coulter K-2 teachers	2nd week of school	Survey	Collected data for review and analysis
Develop and present PD to K-2 teachers on literacy best practices and how to implement them using the literacy library. Provide suggested activities for books in the literacy library.	Members of literacy committee Instructional coach Intervention teachers	During the first six weeks of school After school sessions	Items will vary	Evaluations at the end of each PD session provide participant feedback
Support K-2 teachers with ongoing feedback on best practice use and literacy library use	Members of literacy committee	All year	Items will vary	Feedback from teachers in short follow-up sessions
Collect observational data through classroom walkthroughs	L. Coulter	All year	Notebook	Data collection for review
Mid-year DRA	K-2 teachers	January 2011	DRA testing materials	Data collection for review
Mid-year collection of literacy library checkout activity	L. Coulter Literacy committee	January 2011	Literacy library checkout book	Data collection for review
End-of-year DRA	K-2 teachers	May 2011	DRA testing materials	Data collection for review
Survey K-2 students on perceptions of and comfort levels with reading and books. Include section on feelings about literacy library books.	L.Coulter K-2 teachers	May 2011	Survey	Collected data for review and analysis
End-of-year collection of literacy library checkout activity	L. Coulter Literacy committee	June 2011	Literacy library checkout book	Data collection for review
Survey teachers for perceptions of effectiveness	L. Coulter Literacy committee	May 2011	Survey Monkey	Data collection for review and analysis
Review, analyze, and chart data	L. Coulter Literacy committee	June 2011	All collected data	Evaluate effectiveness of increased use of literacy library paired with best practices.
Present results to staff	L. Coulter Literacy committee	June 2011	Presentation station	Present what is working and what still needs improvement

Making a Plan - It's a Living Thing

I spent this third week of the Research class creating an action research plan. At first, I struggled with breaking it down into so many steps. After all, I knew where I wanted to go, didn't I? As I started enumerating the steps and deciding who would be responsible for what, I realized that there were more people involved in this research project than I anticipated. That actually took some of the pressure off me and opened my eyes to the collegial effort the faculty on my campus put forth on a regular basis. Everyone wants our students to succeed.

As I was listing the steps, I found myself circling around back to the beginning to insert something I missed, something that I would need later in the process. In reflection, I am not sure my research would have been successful if I didn't have a detailed plan. Now that the plan is solid, I see the end and feel confident that I can move forward with it.

Settling on a Subject

In week 2 of my research class, we reviewed the areas of passion for action research in education. It was an interesting experience. It uncovered areas that I hadn't previously considered for action research, like action research on social justice. I had to come up with three possible topics and discuss them with my site supervisor. Unfortunately, the topic that was near and dear to my heart is one that is way too big of a bit to chew. I ended up being practical and choosing an action research topic that flows well with my internship plan: In what ways can access to a literacy library improve student literacy in the K-2 classroom? This is practical for me because I am already the chair of the literacy committe and one of our main tasks is maintaining and encouraging use of the literacy library.

My other two topics, the ones that didn't make the cut, are still important to me and I plan on watching my environment through those goggles this school year. The other two topics are:

• Does improving a student’s reading level positively affect all academic subjects?
• What role do teachers play in positively involving parents in the school or classroom?

I didn't choose the first one because it seems like a given to me, but I certainly would like proof. I do plan on working closer with parents this year after learning so much in the School Community Relations class.

But What’s the Big Deal about Blogging in Education?

Educational leaders can use blogs in a myriad of ways. I’ve seen blogs where the principal updates the community on school happenings. I’ve seen blogs that discuss education and politics. I’ve seen blogs that are reflective of professional learning. I’ve also seen blogs that help teach others about ideas or technology. All of the blogs I’ve seen are trying to inform others and reaching out to a community, be it the local community or a professional community. It’s about making connections.

On the flip side, educational leaders might use blogs, not as authors themselves, but as resources in their own work. Some might follow blogs that are writing about a topic that is relevant to the school leader. Others might read them to find excellent ideas for their own schools. The bonus about blogs is that readers can insert themselves into the conversation by commenting. This often sets off professional conversations, more connection-making. Reading them or writing them, blogs are a positive in the educational leader’s world.

What is Action Research and Why Should I Care?

When you hear the words ‘professional development’ what comes to mind? Do you imagine yourself in a library or presentation room sitting with others like you, absorbing the lesson (or not)? Most people do. Professional development (PD) has certain connotations. It feels like you should be open and receiving what the ‘professionals’ impart. But then something comes out of left field to challenge all those perceptions. It goes by many names, administrator inquiry, action inquiry, and, as I’ll use it here, action research. Action research is when a practitioner, in this case a school administrator, chooses something in his or her work to study in-depth. Through this study, the school leader gains insight about the issue and about him/herself and how he/she reacts to the issue. The idea is to research, reflect, and then take action. The practitioner grows in the process of learning for school improvement. This is professional development at its strongest. To reflect upon a problem and search within and without to find a workable solution is rich and deep growth. That’s why I should care about action research. I want to be able to grow in meaningful ways that serve my school community.

Finding and Following Principal's Blogs

Doing reading for graduate school can be some pretty dry stuff, but every once in a while it lights a fire under me. Nancy Dana's book Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as an Action Researcher has a pretty interesting section on reflective blogging for principals. Sadly, some of the information is outdated with links that lead nowhere, but that is the nature of our dear, dear Internet. So I went through what was available and found some keepers.

School leader blogs to peruse:

• Leading 180 Days
• Principal Reflections
• Practical Theory: A View from the Classroom
• Principal Learner
• PHSdirectorBLOG
• Learning to Collaborate
• The Elementary Principal
• From the principal's desk
• The Transformationist
• Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts
• The Woodland Brag Blog
• Education for All
• Chalkdust101
• dangerously ! irrelevant
• Education Innovation
• Principal of the Matter
• Sentiments on Common Sense
• The Principal Blog
• Creative Tension
• grand rounds
• School-of Thought

 Blogs for school news:

• Almost Monday: Wildwood's Weekly Staff News
• Spring Trail Tiger Times
• Georgetown Elementary School

Professional blogs for school leaders:

•  LeaderTalk 

These links originally came from Support Blogging! - Links to School Bloggers, but many of the links were broken, so I culled and came up with these.

Reflection on Instructional Leadership EDLD 5352

Vision and Outcomes
I envisioned strengthening my definition and perception of instructional leadership. I thought this course would help me understand better how to help the teachers on my campus be the best instructors they can. I was looking forward to that information because it is a question that I have. Unfortunately, it is still a question. I do believe that the material covered in this course was important. All the required class articles, plus those I read outside of this class, indicate that technology is the biggest part of education that we will have to work on. But certainly, it’s not all the instructional leadership information we will need? I will have to do some outside reading on instructional leadership to fill in the gaps left by this class.

Assignments
I was successful in carrying out the course assignments if grades are an indication. I felt that some of the instructions were so vague that my answers were more of a shot in the dark than I would ever want them to be. I was often frustrated at the lack of direction in the assignments. Most requests for help were directed to the course overviews, which were little more than a copy of the assignment instructions, and there is born a vicious circle. I was able to muddle through the assignments because I have a good study group to work with and discuss what the instructions could really mean. The assignments themselves were huge. Creating a technology action plan was way more than a one week assignment had any right to be. That plan would be better served as an ongoing project through the class. It was somewhat helpful to look at district technology plans through the eyes of an administrator, but the work I did on it was so rushed that I do not think it will be helpful to me in the future.

What I Learned
What I learned in this course was most definitely relevant to the work I do in my school. At this point, I am still a classroom teacher. I am incorporating more technology in my assignments so that these students will not be behind when they enter middle school or high school. I have let go of some of my fear of using unknown technologies with my 4th graders. Because of the articles and discussions, I’ve begun to tell my students that I don’t know how it [new software] works and I need them to play with it and teach me. This lit such a fire under many of these students that I wondered what on earth I had been waiting for.

Even though I didn’t get exactly what I expected from this course, I definitely learned a lot. I already had a solid grasp of many technologies, some from classroom use and some from personal use. This class helped me see that some of the technology I use personally, like blogging, can work for me and my students in the classroom. I also saw how I was adding to the [falling behind] problem by not having my students use the computers for anything more than subscription services like Symphony Math, Ticket to Read, or Accelerated Reader. I realized that my students don’t need perfect lessons from me with technology incorporated in according to my rules. They need to see me use it, and they need to use it themselves as a tool to learning. They need to put their hands on it and click to figure out what they can make it do. They need someone to give them permission to explore. The dendrites they build through that exploration last longer than any perfect assignment I can give them. In that, I see my own attitude altered greatly.

Blogging
Blogs have a terrific educational value. Students write reflectively and for an audience. It helps them learn to find their voice (very important for 4th grade in Texas) and write coherently. It also connects their ideas to others. Through RSS feeds and commenting, students can interact with each other, practicing the way adults are interacting more and more in our society. My students always ask me why they have to learn to write correctly. They tell me it’s all on computers nowadays. Well, when I think of handwriting, I can see their point, but no one wants to read a blog that is not coherent or has mechanics so terrible it hurts the eyes! Of course, there are concerns about blogging. These are 4th graders we’re talking about. Our district uses Edublogs and with that, I would be able to block my students’ blogs from the outside internet, allowing them access only to each other. Should our blogging efforts require communication with someone outside of our circle, I, as the teacher, would take steps to be the filter between the groups. I would love to encourage other classes at our school to blog so that students can have a range of students to discuss content with. And, of course, the topics of blogs would be moving the curriculum forward. My own teacher blog would have pages for students, other teachers, and parents. As an administrator, I can see a blog as a valuable tool for connecting with the community.