Update on Action Research Project

Action Research Project Title:  Professional Development:  Improving the Experience and Outcome

Blog URL:  http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/

Number of AR Project Documented Hours:  15 hours

AR Project Summary (at least 250 words):

Like I mentioned before, I was able to identify and review literature that highlights key points of effective professional development.  I met with my campus administrators and we talked about our own perceptions of what constitutes effective professional development.  I emailed teachers explaining the purpose behind my action research and specified how they could provide their input.  I’ve also surveyed teacheras to assess their perceptions on our district’s current professional development policies and effectiveness on student achievement.  I was also able to form and meet with a focus group to get a clear picture of what teachers want out of their professional development and what they feel is lacking from several staff development they’ve attended.  Even though I’ve made all this progress in my action research project, I fear that I may have to change and start all over with a new topic.  Because of my busy schedule, I won’t be able to complete a big part of my action research which was observing and visiting with teachers, previously treained by me, on the implementation of specific curriculum.  I don’t know if I can still continue with my original plan without including that specific component.  One possibility that I see is surveying teachers again on the effectiveness of our district’s Language Arts Curriculum staff development that we attended this past summer, and using the STAAR Reading results for this school year to assess the impact on student achievement.  My only problem is that I won’t be able to see first hand how that curriculum is being implemented on a daily basis in the classroom since I don’t have the luxury of time to visit each classroom during my conference time.  Since I attended this workshop, I can also identify its strengths and weaknesses and compare it to key points in my literature review, but I don’t know if this will be enough to render accurate and valid results.  Another option I had was to totally change my topic.  This school year we are implementing PBIS, and one idea I had was to investigate the effectiveness of this program and if we saw a bigger impact in student discipline and achievement this year than our previous school year. 

Approved Action Research Plan

I was finally able to meet with my site supervisor on Friday and get my final approval for my Action Research Plan.  We went thru each activity, the time frame, how I will be collecting data, and the challenges that could come up as I implement my plan.  There were no major revisions made to my plan, except for two things that I was already planning on doing, except I hadn't included them in my template.  I've added a section for dissemination of background information and reasoning behind my research to encourage teacher buy-in, as well as a time frame for teachers that will serve as a guide for completion deadlines and meeting dates, like surveys, focus group meetings, etc.  These two activities will be done with plenty of time before I begin with my first campus activity, which is surveying teachers.  I also extended the time frame for my observations to give me enought time to observe every teacher.  This made my research extend till January, but I think it's the best thing so that I have enough time to implement every component of my research plan, while not neglicting my duties and responsibilities as a teacher.  So, without further ado, here's my FINAL & APPROVED Action Research Plan!

Sheila Mata-Action Research Plan
Goal:  To assess the perception of professional development amongst teachers in my campus, find out ways to make those sessions more meaningful, and identify the type of support needed for practices to be implemented with fidelity.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.     Met with site supervisor to discuss professional development as an improvement area for our campus and current teacher selection criteria for attendance.	Sheila Mata	March 6, 2013	None	Review practices for teacher attendance of professional development sessions.
2.     Literature review on professional development	Sheila Mata	March 2013-July 2013	Lamar Online Library Internet	Review and identify literature that highlights key points of effective professional development
3.     E-mail teachers in my campus with background and reasoning behind my action research plan.	Sheila Mata	March 2013-April 2013	E-chalk	N/A
4.     Conduct teacher survey on perceptions of professional development	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	Surveymonkey.com	Review surveys and identify differences between new and veteran teachers.
5.     E-mail teachers deadline timeframe for completion of surveys and focus group meetings	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	E-chalk	N/A
6.     Meet with focus group for teacher discussions on professional development	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	*Team leaders for every grade level *Questionnaire on professional development	Field notes on focus group discussion.
7.     Attend Trainer of Trainers Workshops	Sheila Mata	June 2013-August 2013	La Joya ISD Calendar of Summer Workshops	Identify key points of highly effective professional development in attended workshop
8.     Plan for summer staff development session using literature review on components of highly effective professional development	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for staff development session and identify components mentioned in literature review.
9.     Meet with site supervisor to present plan for staff development session and identify any problem areas or resources needed.	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for allocation of resources.
10.   Conduct a staff development session	Sheila Mata	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Material/content for staff development	Evaluation form from teachers
11.   Obtain teacher evaluation of my staff development session	Sheila Mata	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Staff development evaluation form	Collection and review of evaluation forms
12.   Monitor teachers implementation of learned content during staff development session and provide needed support	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	August 2013-November 2013	Monitoring & Feedback form	Field notes on monitoring and discussion with teachers.
13.   Conduct final teacher survey on support received after staff development session.	Sheila Mata	December 2013	Surveymonkey.com	Review teacher surveys and compare results to first survey.
14.   Share project findings with administration, teachers, and curriculum coordinators.	Sheila Mata	January 2014	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Collect and review evaluation form on presentation, blog comments, and e-mail feedback.
15.   Meet with site supervisor to discuss how research findings can improve campus professional development procedures/effectiveness for 2014-2015 school year.	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	January 2014	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Literature Review	Feedback from site supervisor.
16.   Revisit my action research plan, post it in school website, as well as educational blog for sharing and continuous improvement opportunities	Sheila Mata M. Ramos M. Alaniz (Technology Specialist)	January 2013	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Review comments and feedback from site supervisor, curriculum coordinators, and colleagues.

Revised Action Research Draft

After tonight's web conference, I went back and made some revisions to my action research draft.  It is lengthier than my first draft, so please don't get turned away by it!  I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions you have.  I will be happy to comment on your's as well :)

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To assess the perception of professional development amongst teachers in my campus, find out ways to make those sessions more meaningful, and identify the type of support needed for practices to be implemented with fidelity.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.     Met with site supervisor to discuss professional development as an improvement area for our campus and current teacher selection criteria for attendance.	Sheila Mata	March 6, 2013	None	Review practices for teacher attendance of professional development sessions.
2.     Literature review on professional development	Sheila Mata	March 2013-July 2013	Lamar Online Library Internet	Review and identify literature that highlights key points of effective professional development
3.     Conduct teacher survey on perceptions of professional development and create/meet with focus group for teacher discussions.	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	*Surveymonkey.com   *Team leaders for every grade level   *Questionnaire on professional development	Review surveys and identify differences between new and veteran teachers.   Field notes on focus group discussion.
4.     Attend Trainer of Trainers Workshops	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	June 2013-August 2013	La Joya ISD Calendar of Summer Workshops	Identify key points of highly effective professional development in attended workshop
5.     Plan for summer staff development session using literature review on components of highly effective professional development	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for staff development session and identify components mentioned in literature review.
6.     Meet with site supervisor to present plan for staff development session and identify any problem areas or resources needed.	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for allocation of resources.
7.     Conduct a staff development session	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Material/content for staff development	Evaluation form from teachers
8.     Obtain teacher evaluation of my staff development session	Sheila Mata	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Staff development evaluation form	Collection and review of evaluation forms
9.     Monitor teachers implementation of learned content during staff development session and provide needed support	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	August 2013-October 2013	Monitoring & Feedback form	Field notes on monitoring and discussion with teachers.
10.   Conduct final teacher survey on support received after staff development session.	Sheila   Mata	November 2013	Surveymonkey.com	Review teacher surveys and compare results to first survey.
11.   Share project findings with administration, teachers, and curriculum coordinators.	Sheila Mata	November 2013-December 2013	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Collect and review evaluation form on presentation, blog comments, and e-mail feedback.
12.   Meet with site supervisor to discuss how research findings can improve campus professional development procedures/effectiveness for 2014-2015 school year.	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	December 2013	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Literature Review	Feedback from site supervisor.
13.   Revisit my action research plan, post it in school website, as well as educational blog for sharing and continuous improvement opportunities	Sheila Ramos M. Ramos M. Alaniz (Technology Specialist)	December 2013	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Review comments and feedback from site supervisor, curriculum coordinators, and colleagues.

8 Steps from Analysis to Action:

 



Setting the Foundation:

As a teacher who has attended many professional development sessions and participated in discussions with teachers from my campus and others as well, I’ve picked up on a general dissatisfaction or negative disposition when it comes to professional development.  This is something that I shared with my principal as well, in one of our conferences regarding my action research topic.  She agreed that professional development was an issue not just for teachers but for principals as well.  She shared that many times, she had attended workshops that failed to target her school population or were conducted by outside presenters who didn’t have a clue as to her school culture or current problems, so the learning presented couldn’t be applied to her campus.  After discussing this topic with her and some fellow teachers, I realized that this was an issue that had to be looked at and improved, since continuous learning is at the center of teacher development and student success.

Analyzing Data:

This will be done thru teacher surveys to gain an insight as to the type of professional development they’ve attended throughout the school year (content or managerial) and the level of satisfaction.  I will also conduct focus group meetings where we will be discussing commendations and recommendations for the current professional development procedures.

Engaging in Self Reflection:

As I look at the data analyzed and the literature review, I will determine if I have access to the resources needed to carry out and implement my action research project.

Exploring Programmatic Patterns:

During my research I will maintain contact with my principal and assistant supervisor to uncover any problem areas that may surface once I implement my action research.

Determining Direction:

At the moment, the timeline that I’ve created seems to be realistic to the needs of my action research project.  I’ve gotten permission from my campus principal to survey teachers on level of satisfaction of professional development and I’ve also gotten the approval from team leaders in my campus to share their thoughts/ideas for our focus group.  As I implement my action research I will go back and reflect on progress made and meet with my site supervisor to identify probable problems that might surface throughout the implementation.

Taking action for school improvement:

I’ve developed a written draft of my action research as well as created a focus group to discuss areas of commendation and recommendation for our current professional development practices.  I’ve decided that by monitoring the implementation of learned practices after my staff development session, providing support, and meeting with teachers to discuss effectiveness of session, I can evaluate the meaning and value of the session and compare current perceptions to old ones.

Sustaining Improvement:

After sharing the results of my action research with administrators and curriculum coordinators, I will continue to revisit my plan as well as post it in the school website and educational blog for colleagues to review and comment on areas of improvement for the school years to come.