Next Steps
Goals for Phase 2
Encouragement through feedback
In my next phase, I want to make a distinction between encouragement and feedback. In assessing my phase 1, I realized that I implemented positive feedback as a means of encouragement. For my phase 2, I would like to focus on students giving each other feedback rather than simply encouraging each other. I want students to be encouraging, but what I observed through my experience encouraging students as well as seeing students' reactions to each other's encouragement, is that for the encouragement to be meaningful and authentic, there needs to be some assessment of their work, in other words, feedback.
Facilitating student-to-student feedback
The goal of this action research was to encourage students to share more of their ideas without protocols, external rewards, or punishments. In other words, I wanted students to learn to be more assertive and to take a risk in their oral participation. One reason that the encouragement wasn't effective was because I did not repeat the expectations for participation the class made at the beginning of phase 1. Also, I did not pull students aside who were not participating to discuss our expectations and why it was important to uphold them. Therefore, for my phase 2, I want to better facilitate by clearly explaining expectations for student-to-student feedback as well as for the assignment, following through on these expectations by repeating expectations multiple times, correcting behavior and not accepting performance that does not meet those expectations.
Facilitating deep, meaningful feedback
From the data I collected in phase 1, I found that encouraging students did not immediately yield higher participation. Rather I observed small moments later on where students in my focus group found their own opportunities to voice their ideas. They seemed to need more time to find the right opportunity to participate. Because of these findings, I would like students to work with the same group for a longer period of time. By monitoring another student's work over a longer period of time, students might obtain a better understanding of their peer's work and therefore be able to give richer feedback. I also hope that by working with the same peers over a longer period of time, the students might get to know each other better. By getting to know each other better, students might feel more comfortable and might feel more willing to help each other improve. I also think I could monitor academic achievement more effectively if they are in their own groups for longer periods of time.
In my next phase, I want to make a distinction between encouragement and feedback. In assessing my phase 1, I realized that I implemented positive feedback as a means of encouragement. For my phase 2, I would like to focus on students giving each other feedback rather than simply encouraging each other. I want students to be encouraging, but what I observed through my experience encouraging students as well as seeing students' reactions to each other's encouragement, is that for the encouragement to be meaningful and authentic, there needs to be some assessment of their work, in other words, feedback.
Facilitating student-to-student feedback
The goal of this action research was to encourage students to share more of their ideas without protocols, external rewards, or punishments. In other words, I wanted students to learn to be more assertive and to take a risk in their oral participation. One reason that the encouragement wasn't effective was because I did not repeat the expectations for participation the class made at the beginning of phase 1. Also, I did not pull students aside who were not participating to discuss our expectations and why it was important to uphold them. Therefore, for my phase 2, I want to better facilitate by clearly explaining expectations for student-to-student feedback as well as for the assignment, following through on these expectations by repeating expectations multiple times, correcting behavior and not accepting performance that does not meet those expectations.
Facilitating deep, meaningful feedback
From the data I collected in phase 1, I found that encouraging students did not immediately yield higher participation. Rather I observed small moments later on where students in my focus group found their own opportunities to voice their ideas. They seemed to need more time to find the right opportunity to participate. Because of these findings, I would like students to work with the same group for a longer period of time. By monitoring another student's work over a longer period of time, students might obtain a better understanding of their peer's work and therefore be able to give richer feedback. I also hope that by working with the same peers over a longer period of time, the students might get to know each other better. By getting to know each other better, students might feel more comfortable and might feel more willing to help each other improve. I also think I could monitor academic achievement more effectively if they are in their own groups for longer periods of time.
Constraints
Unfortunately for my AR, after phase 1, the structure of the class changed. In the time usually allotted for core classes, the students will work on their senior projects and prepare to share their project with their parents, peers, and community members. Students meet in different pods for different teachers, and so my AR had to be put on hold until senior project was over.
After senior project, for the remainder of the year when students met back in their core classes, they will be working on their transitional presentation of learning (TPOL), which is an end-of-the-year, twenty-five minute presentation on what the student has learned over the course of four years. For this presentation, students must choose three of the possible six claims listed below. Then, they must choose work they have created in school as evidence of meeting each of the claims.
In addition to changing the goal of the class, the number of students will change as well. I am combining the two pods of English IV with my team partner. What this means is we will be working with our 42 students* in the same classroom rather than seeing the two pods at separate times of the day.
*The original number for the class was 43, but one student no longer attended my class due to disciplinary issues that occurred outside of school activities.
As a result of my phase 1, the constraints listed above, and the goals I have for phase 2, I am changing the focus of my AR questions while still maintaining my primary goal of increasing student voice in the classroom. My initial question revolved around student voice and what happens when students are encouraged to find their voice in the classroom. I still believe that I am exploring student voice and encouragement, but through feedback as a means of encouragement. Through student-to-student feedback, I am asking all students to contribute their voice to the conversation, which I hypothesize will raise students' academic performance and also influence the classroom environment in a positive direction. From my phase 1, I found that students giving each other positive feedback on discussions seemed to create a more positive environment, but I didn't have substantial data on whether student-to-student feedback improved their academic work. I want to find data on this area for phase 2, and so the two questions I will explore in phase 2 are the following:
After senior project, for the remainder of the year when students met back in their core classes, they will be working on their transitional presentation of learning (TPOL), which is an end-of-the-year, twenty-five minute presentation on what the student has learned over the course of four years. For this presentation, students must choose three of the possible six claims listed below. Then, they must choose work they have created in school as evidence of meeting each of the claims.
- I can look deeply at a text
- I can craft a compelling piece of text
- I can form opinions based on evidence
- I can make decisions based on reasoning
- I can master a difficult skill
- I can create a quality product
In addition to changing the goal of the class, the number of students will change as well. I am combining the two pods of English IV with my team partner. What this means is we will be working with our 42 students* in the same classroom rather than seeing the two pods at separate times of the day.
*The original number for the class was 43, but one student no longer attended my class due to disciplinary issues that occurred outside of school activities.
As a result of my phase 1, the constraints listed above, and the goals I have for phase 2, I am changing the focus of my AR questions while still maintaining my primary goal of increasing student voice in the classroom. My initial question revolved around student voice and what happens when students are encouraged to find their voice in the classroom. I still believe that I am exploring student voice and encouragement, but through feedback as a means of encouragement. Through student-to-student feedback, I am asking all students to contribute their voice to the conversation, which I hypothesize will raise students' academic performance and also influence the classroom environment in a positive direction. From my phase 1, I found that students giving each other positive feedback on discussions seemed to create a more positive environment, but I didn't have substantial data on whether student-to-student feedback improved their academic work. I want to find data on this area for phase 2, and so the two questions I will explore in phase 2 are the following:
- How does student-to-student feedback impact academic achievement?
- Will this feedback influence the classroom environment in a positive way?
Action Plan
The following are the steps I will take for my phase 2:
1. Identify the criteria needed in order to pass the TPOL: In accordance with the research I found from Colombo, Cullen & Lisle and from my findings from phase 1, students need clear guidelines of what is expected of them from the beginning of the class (Colombo et. al., 2004).
5. Students will present their TPOLs to an audience consisting of five of their peers, their parents, my teaching partner and me. Afterwards, I will give the student a feedback form on how much they thought their critical friends' feedback influenced their performance on their TPOL.
1. Identify the criteria needed in order to pass the TPOL: In accordance with the research I found from Colombo, Cullen & Lisle and from my findings from phase 1, students need clear guidelines of what is expected of them from the beginning of the class (Colombo et. al., 2004).
- My teaching partner and I will show a video of a sample TPOL from a student who has completed their TPOL early. We'll ask the students to write down a 32Q: three positive aspects of the presentation, two suggestions for changes and one question that the presentation raises.
- After we show the video, we'll ask the students to share with their group members the positive comments, then the suggestions, and ending with the questions.
- After the groups discuss, we'll have each group share out their positive comments and suggestions, and we'll add our own, focusing on the claim, evidence and project they chose to discuss. With this method, we'll ensure that student voice is valued while highlighting what we want students to look for for their own presentations, as well as their critical friends' group
- One student from the class presents her TPOL to a mock panel (Four students, my teaching partner and me) while the rest of the class watches.
- The mock panel fills out the rubric while the student is presenting, then asks clarifying questions to the presenter, and finally discusses with other panelists where the student falls according to the rubric. In order to promote a positive and constructive discussion, my teaching partner and I will emphasize the importance of starting with what went well for each category on the rubric and then moving on the areas that could improve.
- Mock panel gives appreciations first to the presenter, then suggestions for improvement
5. Students will present their TPOLs to an audience consisting of five of their peers, their parents, my teaching partner and me. Afterwards, I will give the student a feedback form on how much they thought their critical friends' feedback influenced their performance on their TPOL.
Assessment Plan
Determining Academic Performance:
- Comparison between script content and presentation content: In order to see whether students are improving in their academic performance, I plan on examining the script they shared with me on Google docs prior to receiving feedback. I will compare this script to the final presentation. I will look for the criteria we were looking for in passing the students: the steps they used to meet the claim and the strength of the evidence they provided.
- Observation Journal: In my journal, I want to record who goes into the practice rooms and what they say when they come back. Because my teaching partner and I don't want to make ourselves the center of the feedback sessions, we decided to only pop in once in a while instead of sitting in on their sessions. This is the reason why I'm only recording who goes in to get feedback and what students say afterward. I also want to record my initial impressions of the TPOLs in my observation journal. I want to write informally since I will analyze their performances later, but I want to write their seeming confidence levels presenting, whether I thought their claims were strong, and whether they passed so that when I go back to analyze their scripts, I will be able to compare them with the marks students received on their TPOL and my impressions of their TPOL.
- Student Feedback Forms: The survey will ask the students how they prepared for the TPOL, whether they used their critical friends group, whether they thought the feedback was helpful, and what we could do differently in the future to support students in their TPOL. I want to gather this data in order to see what students thought about the feedback groups, more specifically if they thought it helped their academic performance in their TPOL.
Timeline
Wednesday 6/4: What to look for in a TPOL
Monday 6/9: Model good feedback with mock panel
Monday 6/9: Informally present script of TPOL to critical friends
Tuesday 6/10 to Wednesday 6/10: Practice TPOL with critical friends group
Thursday 6/12 to Wednesday 6/18: TPOLs/give student feedback forms
Monday 6/9: Model good feedback with mock panel
Monday 6/9: Informally present script of TPOL to critical friends
Tuesday 6/10 to Wednesday 6/10: Practice TPOL with critical friends group
Thursday 6/12 to Wednesday 6/18: TPOLs/give student feedback forms