Action Research Project Overview

What Action Research Is: According to asdc.org,

Action Research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions.

My Question: How is globalization impacting gender inequalities in education in Sub- Saharan Africa?

Although it is difficult to find information specifically on Niger in terms of educational policy and globalization there is a huge gap in access to education for women in Niger and what is known as West or Sub Saharan Africa. Previous literature has helped me to understand the need for services for women who rarely get a choice in anything in their lives in these regions. In my certification program I focused on this issue as much as possible and when entering into the MED knew that I wanted to focus my research on the impacts of globalization for women in education, but it has to be broadened to Sub Saharan Africa. Thus far in the peer reviewed research I have conducted there is information that says it is both helping and hindering women in education. Policy and reform is an important part of this action plan research as it is essential to understand first how globalization is affecting this part of the world. There are many Non Governmental Organizations, NGOs working in West Africa to improve not only human rights but specifically access to education for women. Statistics from UNESO and other organizations show that over time actions are being taken to change literacy rates, enrollment and protection for women to be able to attend school safely.  Although I work in an International School which is a completely different context I have access to NGOs as a primary source for action. Examining how globalization is effecting women and their access is the primary goal of the research, and to propose future solutions and actions to ensure a positive outcome for women. 

Opposing Forces in International Education

When looking at International Mindedness, International Literacy and Global Competency we are living in a world where now, more than ever education and globalization are interconnected. When looking at Global Competency there are 4 skills that are essential to students as defined by the John Stanford International School JSIS, in Seattle, Washington: 

• Competent students investigate the world. 

• Globally competent students recognIze perspectives.

• Globally competent students communicate ideas. 

• Globally Competent students Take action.

What does this mean in the context of learning environments and global education? Creating International mindedness, global competency and international literacy are easy to talk about, but there are implications for what this really means for global education and the way in which schools approach international education. 

There are other competencies related to International Mindedness, such as Global and International Literacy. While Global literacy is defined as the capacity to recognize perspectives (other's and one's own) and the capacity to communicate ideas effectively across diverse cultures. International Literacy is the competencies, understandings, attitudes, language proficiencies, participation and identities necessary for effective cross- cultural engagement. Particularly in regard to Global and International literacy, one cannot succeed without the other. If students are unable to communicate effectively from their own and others perspectives they will not succeed in competent cross cultural engagement. 

At JSIS they have succeeded in creating a curriculum which is not only bilingual, but international. With a curriculum built off of different resources, including but not limited to IB the four listed skills for International mindedness are embedded throughout the curriculum. What is not mentioned in this outline is the 5th, and possibly most important factor in the success of JSIS as an international and bilingual school, the emphasis on staff support. Professional development, training, PLC, and more are what help to make the school such a success. You can talk about these definitions and ideas all you want, but until you create an environment where students and teachers truly have resources, time, and knowledge on how to implement them is when success comes. JSIS goes as far as to hire substitutes so that teachers can observe their colleagues and “pick their brains.” While most schools have some form of PLC, or team meetings, JSIS has built it into their weekly and monthly calendar. 

Looking at these definitions of global education it is clear that they are not in opposition, but rather each one is essential to the success of the other. IB offers this to a point, but the real progress is made in the classroom and in the school environment. With test scores well above average for all four core subject in Washington state it is clear that their methods are working. Let me make a note that I do not necessarily believe in test scores as a measure of knowledge or authentic learning, however it is a data point to argue with those who may be skeptical about the school model JSIS has created. 

Teacher Evaluation

For a teacher, someone who has more experience is coming in to watch them. It’s almost impossible not to be nervous when someone is watching you and you know they are judging you on what you have dedicated your life to doing. This is why is it so important include the three step process, of a pre meeting, the evaluation and a post evaluation debrief. 

First, a pre-meeting where the evaluator and teacher can meet. This gives the teacher an opportunity to give information about their classroom community and the way their lesson operates. This also helps the teacher to know what to expect from the evaluator, and get to know them. I love in the video on The Teaching Channel, called The New Teacher Survival Guide: Formal Assessment, when the observer said they have never observed nor taught a “perfect” lesson. This is the reality of teaching and you are lucky to get an observer like the woman in this video. 

In my experience I have had a director who came into my room for about 5 min once in the entire year, and that was the extent of my evaluation as a teacher. I would not call this an effective way to evaluate teachers. Quite frankly, it was a horrible experience. No pre meeting, no feedback, no follow up meeting. Nothing. Just a written report about a 5 min observation that went into my file. I think it’s safe to say this is what not to do when evaluating teachers. 

During the lesson, the teacher is going to be nervous, or at least this is likely. A student will act up for attention, your projector will malfunction, something will go wrong. This is why you should always have a back up plan. I do this with every lesson I teach due to where I live. However, a good evaluator isn’t looking for whether or not your projector works. They want to see if you are well prepared for the lesson, and how well you handle interruptions or malfunctions to minimize disruption to learning. 

The follow up is important for the teacher. They get a chance to explain what went well and what didn’t in the lesson. It is a chance for dialogue between the two, and for the teacher to gain feedback. Often the evaluator will notice things the teacher didn’t whether it is student behavior or a missed opportunity. Teachers should look at this as a chance to grow. 

SMART goals are what we do where I teach. At the beginning of the year we set our goals and have one Scheduled, and one drop in classroom visit. At the end of the year we meet with the director and go over the goals and progress made over the course of the year. The Director writes up a narrative and puts it in the teacher file. 

Overall it’s important to reflect on what the goal of teacher evaluation should be. As we look at the way schools’ conduct teacher evaluation it’s critical to note whether it’s being done to see if a teacher is "good"or "bad' or aims give constructive criticism and feedback to help the teacher learn and grow. 

I believe that teachers should set their own SMART goals, and be assessed throughout the year. Meeting benchmarks, deadlines, and creating timelines for their objectives set in their SMART goals. Teachers must be held accountable, however teachers also need an environment where the evaluator can give them constructive feedback to help them learn and grow. Whether you have been teaching for 1 year or 15, we all have room from growth. Educators are life long learners and working in a collegia environment rather than a punitive one, is far more beneficial for teacher growth in formal assessment. Self-reflection is key, and this is what teachers need to do, and should be acknowledged by the assessor in the final report. 

Innovative Differentiation

We have a saying at our school, we can get them to do anything if they think they are "watching tv" or playing a game. This makes tech resources wonderful for differentiation, and especially assessment.

I created a basic game as a pre-assessment for students. 

Give it a try and play to test your knowledge!

Here's the quizlet: https://quizlet.com/_2bipfd

How'd you do?

Imagine if you fell into one of three categories

  

As your teacher what can I do to help accommodate your learning best through Differentiation and Assessment??

The first word that comes to mind is "Collaboration"

Using my ability to instruct and create a learning environment that is differentiated appropriately based on the pre- assessment to produce the best possible learning outcomes for students regardless of which "group" they are in.

The most innovative classrooms, and in my opinion, the best classrooms are where the students do more talking than the teacher. Using the students with stronger foundational knowledge in the subject matter to pair up and work together AND with the students who are at a lower level. The trick here is balance because the students who already know about the topic need to be challenged so that they truly are learning. It's a delicate balance and it takes a lot of work but as educators I believe it is our job to serve our students the best way we can. This is much more effort and prep than standing in front of the class and giving direct instruction and worksheets. However, the learning outcomes are far more authentic.

The teacher needs to be the facilitator, and know where the direct instruction has its time and place, setting students up to learn, explore and collaborate.

So the next question is how do we differentiate for these varied results on the pretest? 

Group 1 is likely to be able to need the most support, Group 2 is likely able to follow the content, and group 3, is similar to group 2, but will be pushed to take their learning to the next level with projects and/or activities designed for higher order thinking. 

Assessments: 

Group 1: To monitor their progress they will need the most formative assessment. It can be informal, but especially with language learners of students with special needs (if that is the case), the teacher will likely need to differentiate activities and use a variety of methods including visuals. 

Group 2: Assessments will be formative, and can also be done as peer assessment. They are likely to be able to work more independently, or be partnered with students form group 1. 

Group 3: Group 3 will need to be challenged, offering assessments that promote higher order thinking skills such as short answers, or assessments designed to apply their base knowledge and take it one step further. 

In the end, it depends on your students, the dynamic of your classroom community, and how well you know your students. Pre- assessment is an extremely useful tool for differentiation and knowing which assessments to use for ensuring the strongest learning outcomes. Meeting learners where they are at is a top priority! 

High Stakes Testing

We are at a pivotal moment in education where best practices are being questioned and organizations such as "About PARCC" and "Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium" are advocating to change the way testing is administered for our students in the American system. Standardized testing exists in the International School world as well, but it is less often “high-stakes” and more a form of “external testing.” Since I was a child I have struggled with tests. I have high test anxiety and I am, “not a good test taker.” As a teacher and as a student I advocate for the viewpoint that a standardized test or in many cases a very high number of standardized tests, are a snapshot of one student, on one day, from one point of view. This is a data point to consider but it must be considered along with the entire spectrum of that student’s capabilities and high stakes testing just doesn’t reflect that. 

One common argument for high stakes testing is that other countries throughout the world do it, and the US continues to rank lower than them, so we should do it too. Take for example statistics from 2012, according to The National Center for Education Statistics, in Math the US ranked 29th against other developed countries in the world. The argument is to push harder, drive students and use it as a tool for motivation, but the reality is this just isn’t working. NCLB is a thing of the past and in order to move forward we need to change the way we assess our youth and find ways to test that include intrinsic motivation, authentic learning, and allow for the entire picture of the learner to identify their strengths and weaknesses because high stakes testing punishes them for these.

So what’s the answer, where do we go from here? Some movements are suggesting changing assessments to measures. Best practices would change to measuring skills, social emotional surveys, creating state-wide data systems, using portfolio systems. As educators we have to ask ourselves, what’s easier, handing out the test the state sent us and proctoring it or putting in the time and effort to survey, collect data and create portfolios? The answer is clearly the former, but what is best for our children? The pressure being put on kids to perform is unbelievable even compared to when I was in school. The fact is we still put high stakes testing back onto our own teachers! Is this really a measure of how great a teacher they will be???

I understand testing has it’s place. It’s a measure, a data point. When it’s used this way I have no problem with it. Putting kids through rigorous high- stakes testing is doing them a disservice and can have negative impacts on their self-esteem, motivation and confidence in their learning abilities. It’s time we take a long hard look at where we’ve been and make a clear decision for where we are going. I stand firm that a comprehensive system is far more beneficial for students than high stakes-testing ever has been. 

Citations: 

The secret to comparing schools based on test scores [Video file]. (2013, February 5). Retrieved June 1, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhRHnXZGG3M

What is Smarter Balanced? (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2016, from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/about/

WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A MODERN ASSESSMENT. (2016). Retrieved June 1, 2016, from http://www.parcconline.org/about

International comparisons of achievement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2016, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=1

Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

The first step to applying classroom rules and procedures is to be clear about your expectations and establish and practice routines from the first day of school. Spending time in the beginning of the year setting the tone in your classroom will pay off later in the year, allowing more time for learning. When there are disruptions throughout the day when students are not following procedures it can be detrimental to learning. The important thing to remember is your students can't be expected to follow classroom procedures and rules if they don't understand them. Be clear, consistent and when in doubt,  do what you say and mean what you do. Follow through and follow up. Remember that sometimes a situation is not what it seems, give the benefit of the doubt to the student, and be sure to listen. 

Once rules and procedures are established there are strategies that can be used for helping students and reinforcing behaviors in a positive way. When you have a student that does not follow a rule the first thing to think about is why. In my experience working with primary grades the most common reason is to seek attention. As a teacher you have a choice, will you respond to this behavior with negative attention or positive? Take for example a minor behavior such as talking out of turn or getting distracted. More often than not a simple redirection can do the trick. The key is to phrase it in a positive way. "Josh, what do you think?" or "Will you please join our circle, we want you to be part of it." A reminder such as this is far more effective than telling the student what not to do. As long as it is done in a calm, cool tone, you can point out the behavior of the student. "Josh I can see you forgot to raise your hand, will you please try again so we can hear what you have to say." Sometimes a student doesn't even realize what they are doing. Maybe they got really excited or finally knew the answer to something, when you stop to take a closer look you will find that most students who do not follow a classroom rule or procedure are not doing it out of blatant defiance. A teacher should never address intention with a student for a behavior. 

An important aspect to classroom management is reinforcing positive behaviors. It is easy to get caught up in giving reminders and redirecting, but one of the most effective strategies in my experience is reinforcing positive behaviors. There are a variety of ways to do this. Teachers can give praise, establish token economies and provide parents with positive feedback about their child. It is important to remember that students should be motivated by positive reinforcement. Teachers should be careful to reinforce desired behaviors, but not get caught up in giving rewards, tangible or otherwise for general behaviors that are already expected, such as "doing a good job" or "that's great."  Too much of this has the effect of teaching students that they will get rewards for everything in life, rather than reinforcing hard work and the feeling that it brings when you succeed. Success for one child might look very different than for another, and as a classroom teacher you must be aware of this. It is my own personal philosophy to reward with experiences. For example, in my class each class period students have an opportunity to earn one extra minute of their "Friday Fun" for the entire class. I use Too Noisy Pro for this, and set the sensitivity of the app accordingly. If it's art class it might be less sensitive than during writing time. If they earn ten stars in the class period. If they continuously lose stars and don't earn all ten in a class period, they lose a minute of their Friday Fun. Friday fun is a time each week where we have free time at the end of the day. For the last period of class we either watch a movie, use iPad apps, play board games, do arts and crafts, really anything that is fun and school appropriate. Some teachers choose to reward in this way with food or items, however I feel strongly about giving an experience. I find that students are more invested when it's something they spend time for. They also do a wonderful job of holding each other accountable which can sometimes be more valuable than reminders or consequences from adults. At the end of the week I also recognize a student for their achievements. There is no tangible reward, but rather a note home and a short explanation to the class of why this student was chosen. This is actually something that was the idea of my students. They asked me to do this, so I do. Another example of buy in, when students feel they are part of something they are more invested. 

https://www.lucidchart.com/invitations/accept/f44733a5-7ba3-489f-bae6-b75613eaa50c

Creating High Performance Learning Environments

While watching the three videos presented in this activity, I jotted down notes as I watched. The first, about roller coaster physics was the most comfortable for me. Words like problem solving, scientific understanding, incentives, reflection, communication and collaboration are just a few of the words that i noted as I watched. This model is similar to most of what I do in my own classroom. Project based learning, that is cross- curricular and hands on. What stood out to me the most about the teacher in this video was her questions. She used questions to gauge understanding, or lack thereof to guide her lessons. She prompted but never interfered. Hearing these students talk about their projects in scientific terms that I can’t even recall from memory just from watching it once! Rise and Run and all that. I would like to see how they got to that point. Which methods did she use to teach the concepts. Was it all done through PBL or did they study the terms before beginning the project. I can see it done either way. Students could learn the concepts in small groups through introductory projects, or it could be done in as whole group instruction. I think that this would depend on the group. Knowing your students and the amount of differentiation could determine the best practice for teaching these concepts for your specific class or classes. The level of technology integration and kinesthetic learning in this project is high. It’s engaging, teaching real world skills and critical thinking while meeting the content standards for the appropriate grade level.

For the second video, I had to watch it a few times over. The first time I fast forwarded through to be sure that the entire video was just going to be the teacher in front of the students. When I went back and watched what struck me the most is there was absolutely not consideration for individual students. Knowing what the students were shouting out would be helpful to evaluate their understanding, however i found it chaotic, fast and teacher centered. I could not follow what she was doing in the subtraction problem, but that doesn’t mean the students didn’t. They were motivated, excited and engaged in what she was saying. With 15 hours a week dedicated to math instruction it is likely many of these students were following what she was saying. There is an enormous cultural barrier here when it comes to education and cultural norms. As Westerners whether we agree with it or not, it has to be acknowledge that this type of education has been used for thousands of years with successful outcomes. I would like to discuss the “Interviews with High School Chinese Students.” In this video the students say that they think American students must have “lots of free time.” Everything they do is structured, organized and has a purpose. If they want to play a sport or be on student council there is strong competition and they are mentored in the skills necessary. In this video there is also a reference to the parents not standing for activities that do not have academic relevance. In my experience in Asia, both SE and NE Asia, this is true. The foundations of cultural norms and expectations are strong and embedded into the school system. If you challenge these or try to “rewrite” the book, so to speak, it is not perceived as positive. Looking at these examples of Chinese education it is important to add this filter to our lens. To remember that Western logic and Eastern logic are often very different and sometimes when we attempt to combine the two, it just doesn’t compute. 

There is a tremendous amount of pressure put on students. In South Korea, I recall tutoring a 7 year old who had 19 textbooks in her backpack. We would work until 10pm at night after she had been in two different schools all day. First in her public school, then in a private academy in the afternoon followed by evening tutoring. I cannot say that I agree with this as an educator but believe it important to take a step back and try to understand. The students in the Chinese video claimed they are motivated by the competition. When choosing a career path one boy interviewed said he wants to work hard and be successful. I can’t help but wonder if we need more of these values instilled in the American system these days. With the “Age of Entitlement” being a hot topic about todays youth, a stronger work ethic isn’t necessarily a negative thing. What exactly this looks like in the already established American system is not an easy answer however it is important that students feel success from hard work and not empty praises. 

In the Chinese system they have college entrance exams, and it is similar to the SAT system in the US. If you want to go to a prestigious school, you aren’t able to do it without high test scores, excellent grades and well rounded extra curricular activities. Students are tracked very much the same way. Higher performing students are put on a different track than low performing students. The film “Waiting for Superman” comes to mind when discussing this. It talks in detail about how how tracking works in the US education system and the problems that stem from this. I watch this film with my students each year at the end of the year. They often ask questions such as, “Why don’t the teachers help the kids who need it the most.” There is a difference between setting high expectations and putting kids into “boxes.” When you set high expectations it is necessary to believe that every student can meet them. Allowing the ones who can do it, have the resources and accessibility to get what they need (like a good breakfast) or have the intrinsic motivation, and allowing the ones who struggle “to fall through the cracks” is not setting high expectations in a way that benefits students. One solution to this that I like in the Chinese system is that once students get to a certain age they can choose their track, either math and sciences, or liberal arts. In my own education, this would have set me up for more success. I am certainly a more liberal arts oriented person than sciences. I have always struggled in math and never took avoided upper level science courses whenever possible. When examining both systems it is essential to look at not only the differences but the similarities. I believe there are some positive aspects to the Chinese system of setting high expectations, if you take the time to take a closer look. 

As for the third video, about whole brain teaching on first impression I found it confusing and chaotic. Upon further reflection I realized that although I felt that way watching it, the students appeared to know exactly what they are doing. I had to go and investigate the methods further to understand what was happening. The only strategy I can say I would be inclined to adopt is the one shown where students read every other word to each other. I can see this as a great strategy to increase fluency in struggling readers in my classroom. Otherwise, I find these do not fit well with my own philosophies of classroom management and setting expectations. Routines are important and although this method shows clear routines it is done with an intensity that I find overwhelming. Maybe if I were to sit in a classroom for longer and observe this teaching method I would change my mind, but aside from the setting of routines and prompts I don’t see the value in these methods as a best practice for my own classroom environment.

As I reflect on the take away from these examples, I think about what I can do better in my own classroom to set and maintain high expectations. I currently teach grades 2 and 3 and have numerous ELL students as well as a few with the potential to be placed on an IEP. I have a metaphor I use for the expectations set in my classroom. Imagine there is a bar and it is just out of your reach, but if you jump just high enough you can grab it. This means finding the sweet spot between challenging a student and setting the expectation so high that they become discouraged, or it's not realistic. I can relate to the teaching style of the first video the most, and PBL shown here. As a whole I see this project as a wonderful way to teach life long problem solving skills and would like to adapt this project to grade 2-3 for our next physics unit. It is clear that the expectations had been set here and the students are rising to the occasion. The thing about being a teacher is we have to have our tool box ready for any given situation at any given time. Each year the group of students we teach differs, and it is up to us to know what parameters to use to set that bar just high enough, so that they can reach it and feel the success of their hard work.