Curtis Elementary School Case Study Critique

1. Area of focus: The area of focus for the study is the effect of an “altered curriculum” on student achievement in reading.  An “altered curriculum” refers to the changes that an individual teacher institutes in the way that reading is taught “based on professional development activities focused on constructing meaning in reading”.  The area of focus of the study involves both teaching and learning.

2. Research questions: “What is the effect of an altered curriculum on student performance?”  This research question is answerable based upon the researcher’s expertise, time, and resources.  He clearly defined the intervention and laid-out the data collection methods that he would use to measure the impact of the program on student academic performance.

3. Locus of control:  The teacher in this case study focused on the performance of the students in his own classroom.  As such, the study was within his locus of control.

4. Data collection: The teacher in this case study used several different, and appropriate, methods of data collection for his action research study.  He used some qualitative and some quantitative forms of data collection.  The data collection methods he used in this study were interviews with students, observations during reading activities, statewide assessment scores, and regular collection of student work.

5. Ethics: There did not seem to be any overriding ethical issues involved in this action research study.

6. Reflective stance:  The teacher’s research in this case caused him to have a more reflective stance in the classroom.  He viewed action research is a process, where data needs to be collected and analyzed.  The reflections regarding the outcome of an intervention are then used to tailor classroom instruction in the future in order to become a more effective educator.

7. Action: The outcome of the study led to immediate action in the classroom.  As the teacher notes, he plans to use “observations of student learning, reflections with students (oral, written, individual, and group), and continued assessment using… multiple-choice activities, cloze activities, and oral storytelling activities.”  He also states that he will continue to emphasize vocabulary by focusing on “group novels, published poetry, current events magazines, storytelling collections, student-created stories, narratives, opinion papers, descriptions, research papers, and oral presentations.”

8. Action-data connection: The teacher’s actions in this case are a result of his data collection and analysis. He used the data he collected over the course of the study to create new classroom activities that would help to increase student achievement in reading.

Ethics

As Doug noted in his video, I think that one of the most important things ethically for a researcher to do is to inform those involved about the research that is being conducted.  This involves getting the consent not only of the parents and school administrators, but also the consent of the students themselves.  As the researcher you are using the students to learn.  The data collection should be done in a respectful manner that is always mindful of the gifts that the subjects are giving to the researcher.  The students give the gift of information to the researcher.  What is important to remember is that the researcher is in no way entitled to this information, and the researcher should always keep this in mind when considering his or her actions when conducting a project.

Researcher Bias

All research conducted will suffer to at least some degree from the biases of the individual conducting the research.  No matter how hard one tries to be objective in collecting data and analyzing the results, some degree of bias will make its way into the findings.  My research looking at the effects of parental interaction on student achievement is no different.  How do I measure a positive interaction with a parent?  What are adequate measures of student achievement?  What constitutes a significant impact or change?  The answers to all of these questions and decisions are inherently subject to the bias of the researcher.  These decisions are judgment calls on the part of the researcher, and will have an effect on the outcomes and findings of the research conducted.

Research and Literature Review

I originally wanted to focus my research question on the effects of parental involvement on student academic performance.  After conducting research into the topic area it is clear to me that this area has been fairly thoroughly studied.  The research shows that higher levels of parental involvement are associated with higher levels of student academic achievement.   

As this is the case I would like to shift the focus of my research towards how to increase parent involvement.  By increasing parental involvement I would hope to increase the academic performance of the students.  Specifically I would want to look at the effect of positive interaction with parents on a student’s academic performance.  A positive interaction would be any interaction where the focus is on what the student has done well, rather than on what they may be doing wrong.

In terms of data collection, I would want to keep a record of each time I interact with a parent, and whether the interaction was positive, negative, or neutral.  I would then want to track the grades of students, with particular attention paid to the timing of interactions with parents and the grades that students receive on assignments soon after this interaction. 

Another possible area of study would be to look at the effects of positive interactions with parents on the overall level of parental involvement.  This would mean monitoring the level of parental involvement following positive, negative or neutral interactions.  This would be measured by the number of parent-initiated interactions with the school.

Brainstorming

As I have never taught in a classroom before most of my ideas for possible areas of research are a result of my own experience as a student and also from the stories and guidance of friends who are teachers.  My brainstorming diagram demonstrates some of the key ideas that I have about the profession of teaching and also the challenges that teachers face.  At this point in time I am interested in the area of parental involvement.  How much does the level of parental involvement affect student learning outcomes? What are some ways to increase parental involvement?  I am sure that once I gain some experience in a classroom setting I will find additional areas of interest for research, but for right now my knowledge is fairly limited.

Collage of teaching images

A Good Teacher

A good teacher is someone who can inspire students to love learning.  In order to do this it is also important to really care about students as individuals, and to understand their individual strengths and weaknesses in order to tailor your lessons to maximize understanding. 

I think another fundamental aspect of a good teacher is someone who creates a safe environment for students to voice their opinions and questions.  If students do not feel that they can asks questions openly and without fear of rejection or ridicule, it will be difficult if not impossible for all students to succeed to the best of their abilities.

It is also very important for a good teacher to know his or her subject well and to keep informed of any advances in his or her field of study.  This includes reading journals, news articles, books, and various online sources of information on the area of study.

Lastly, I think that good teachers must be comfortable with uncertainty.  Learning is a messy process, and it takes some time to figure out what works and what does not work for any group of students.  A good teacher must be flexible enough to be able to tailor lesson plans on the fly and go with the flow of the classroom.

Self Study: Personal Interview

Top five reasons for becoming a teacher:

1. I love learning, and I hope to be able to share this with my students.

2. I want to work at a job that is challenging, where I get to do something different everyday.

3. I want to be able to have a positive impact on the lives of others.

4. I want to coach softball.

5. I like the work schedule and the ability to have summers off to travel.

I had a few really amazing teachers when I was growing up.  These individuals pushed me to challenge myself and also sparked a passion for learning.  I think the teachers that most inspired me were the ones that not only loved to teach, but also loved the subject area that they taught. 

In trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a career I always knew that I wanted to do something that would make a difference to somebody.  The idea of working in an office everyday, with little interaction with others, always seemed horrible to me.  I spent a couple of summers interning at a company where I worked in a cubicle.  The pay was good and the work was fairly easy, I hated going to work.  I was bored most of the time and felt like what I was doing did not really make a difference to anyone.  After working there I decided that I needed to have a job that would challenge me on a daily basis, where I would have an impact on others, and where I could continue to learn and grow.

Five “critical moments” in my schooling career

1.  My first assignment in my 11^th grade AP US history class focused on the storey

of Christopher Columbus and the “discovery” of America.  My teacher asked us to read two chapters on the subject.  One chapter was from our state recommended textbook and told the storey from Columbus’ perspective.  The other chapter was from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and told the storey of the discovery of America from the perspective of the people who already lived there.  The next class we discussed the different perspectives presented on the same event.  This was the first time that I can really remember a teacher challenging us to think critically about what we read, and how an author’s own perspectives and beliefs may influence a text.

2. My 8^th grade language arts teacher also had a big impact on me.  While she covered the necessary topics, she also allowed students the freedom to explore their own interests and complete projects in ways that helped them to get a better understanding of the material.  This meant that for projects, students had the option of performing skits, creating a sculpture or painting, or coming up with their own ideas.  Her way of teaching made class fun and engaging.

3. My senior year of high school I took AP biology.  My teacher in that class pushed us to do more than we ever thought we would be able to do.  By the end of the class I felt a real sense of accomplishment.  I was also really surprised once I got to my college biology class and realized that I had done much more difficult work in my high school biology class.

4. When I was in 7^th grade I began taking photography classes in school.  I continued to take photography until I graduated from high school.  While we still had grades in this class, there was much more of a focus on continual improvement than on what number or letter grade you received on any individual project.  The last couple of years I took photography as an independent study class under the direction of my teacher.  This experience really taught me a lot about how to work independently, always pushing myself to do the best work that I can.

5. When I was in elementary school I had a really good AG teacher.  She encouraged us to explore the world around us.  I got excited to learn, and it was the first time that I realized that learning could be fun and did not have to be boring. 

My background

I was raised in an upper middle class family in downtown Durham, NC.  My parents were very liberal and active in politics.  My dad is a lawyer.  My mom has her PhD in French has worked in many different fields, including IT work and also working as a school librarian. Growing up I was exposed to people from all different backgrounds and cultures.  I went to public schools and played sports in city sponsored leagues. 

My parents always emphasized the importance of education, and there was never any question about whether or not I would go to college.  They always told me that they would be proud of me no matter what career I chose.  The most important thing to them was that I chose a career that would make me happy.  I think this really helped me when I made the decision to become a teacher. 

Gender Roles

There were not really clearly defined gender roles in my family, everyone just sort of helped out however they could.  I think that this fact helped me to be comfortable exploring all different areas of study.  I think that this helped to influence my career choice in that I did not feel limited to certain areas that were more fitting to my gender.

I think that my exposure to people from all different kinds of backgrounds as I was growing up had a major influence on my ideas about what a teacher should be and the role of education in today’s society.  I believe that education can be a tool to allow people to live the lives that they want to live.  It can give them opportunities that they would not have access to without an education.  It also allows people to have a more complete understanding of the world around them.

One of the major jobs of teachers should be to teach students how to think critically.  The ability to analyze and interpret information is absolutely critical, and it is a fundamental skill necessary to fully engage in society. 

Research in the classroom

I think that conducting research is a critical part of the teaching process.  No one will ever know all of the answers to the problem, and there is always room for improvement.  It is important for teachers to be confident enough in their own abilities to admit that they do not have all of the answers, and that there is always room to learn.  This is also an important idea for the students in the classroom to understand.  By creating an environment that fosters inquiry, one in which uncertainty and exploration is encouraged, I believe that classroom research can be an extremely beneficial aspect of any classroom.