Friday, March 20, 2015

Research Memo Option

Researcher choice this week.  Choose one of the following to guide your blog:

1. Write a memo on what you are discovering from your readings.  How does this literature inform what you have discovered so far in your own research?  What are some gaps in the research that your work may fill?

2. Write a research memo similar to two weeks ago, in which you synthesize this week's data in order to make meaning.  What new discoveries and questions have arisen?  What might you have to change (i.e., research questions, data collection practices) as a result?

29 comments:

  1. After two full weeks of collecting a daily survey of students reflections on their own understanding of the days lesson and there engagement level I have noticed a few things. Since last week, when I introduced the I-THINK framework, and started conducting class as more of a discussion through the 6 steps (Individual think, Talk with group, How can it be solved, Identify a strategy, Notice if the strategy worked, Keep thinking about the problem) students engagement levels and understanding levels have both risen. Students have felt confident in the understanding levels, they have also found ways to discuss their understanding more openly with each other (from my journal on Friday)

    “L mentioned that he still did not fully understand inverse proportions but got similar shapes and H mentioned that she was opposite, she got inverse proportions but didn't get similar shapes. It is great hearing students talk to each other about the understanding and being aware of what they have to work on.”

    Student will be taking a chapter 6 test starting on Monday. I am really excited about this, it is four pages long so it may take the students a few class periods to finish. But I thought a lot about the questions and I put a lot of the why and how into the test which we have been working on with the ITHINK framework. I plan on having student complete a chapter reflection when we are done as another data source.

    At first I thought I was going to be collecting a lot of data on the type of questions students ask and how to get them to think deeper, but what I’m starting to realize is that a lot of my frustrations of low understanding and what I thought of as shallow, lazy questions were mostly coming from the type of instruction the students are used to. When I changed up the instruction and turned it more into a conversation, a process of discovery, the students became more engaged and aware of their understanding. Though the students still mention that they don’t like writing about there thinking (for the last two classwork/homework assignments I have had students split their page into two columns, one for showing their work and one for explaining their work in words) I think that they are gaining a deeper understanding of the work that they are doing.

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    1. Good stuff, Jenny! How cool to witness these conversations in which the students are helping one another and talking about their learning....I'm looking forward to seeing how the test plays into all of this!

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    2. I agree Tina! I think that when you say "turned it into more of a conversation" you are definitely on to something. I think it is through conversation that we actually learn in the best way. It makes us work through our ideas and identify where our weaknesses lie. It's so cool that you are making that kind of process with your students in a fairly small amount of time!

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    3. Love that you reframed 'shallow lazy questions!'

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  2. Jenny,
    We get very few world-shifting moments in teaching, mostly there are subtle shifts that move us closer to where we are trying to get. It seems like you had a moment that was right on the line between subtle and WOW, as the students L and H were discussing what they did and did not understand. I am wondering if you let them have a conversation, attempting to explain to the other what they knew so that maybe they could convey something conceptually that either reinforces your teaching, or varies slightly, but in a way that connects it for them. I am excited to see what you discover from your test, and I think the double entry journals make perfect sense. That way, writing words to complement process doesn't seem so much like writing, but will still allow you a deeper look into their thought process.

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    1. Agreed to Tina and Brian! I love what you said Brian about having the students "attempting to explain to the other what they knew so that maybe they could convey something conceptually that either reinforces your teaching, or varies slightly, but in a way that connects it for them." So often, when a student is confused, I redirect that confused student to the class and have them choose a peer to explain it to them. It's such an effective strategy for everyone!

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  3. In looking at my data for the last couple of weeks, I am faced with a problem that the Falk and Blumenreich article deals with directly (very appropriate timing Dr. Johnson). My desk is piled high. I have sticky notes, handwritten TRJ's in my notebook, and on loose sheets of paper, I have typed observations, and data on the laptop, and data I have collected on my language-o-gram, and behavior charts.

    There is rich information, surrounded by anecdotal support, with my interpretations, all clouded in a dysfunctional metaphorical laundry hamper. Also included in this bountiful dossier are themes and questions that require my attention. First, the pervasion of foul and inappropriate language, which I believe is embedded and unconscious, and at the same time a learned response. Second, procrastination and work avoidance, which takes two main tracks, absenteeism, and distraction. As my students roll ever closer towards their graduation date, there seems to be both an anxiety to finish and graduate, and a corresponding desire to postpone and delay, perhaps also anxiety driven, because of what questions remain for them in a post-graduate capacity for success. The suggestion which most appealed to me in the article, is to sort the data and info, and write a reflective analysis, taking the "bird by bird" approach. Coding the data runs contrary to my learning style, and while I have had success in outlining previously, I think creating a data analysis chart once I have centralized and synthesized the information will help to point me in a more focused direction.

    I have noted an increase in self-destructive behavior (major disruptive, and substance use/abuse), among a number of the students over the last few weeks. Specifically in the major disruptive category, students have been seeking out and engaging in a variety of incidents with students and teachers outside of the G2S program, resulting in a spillover of difficulty within the program. In the self-destructive category, my observations show in increase in cases where students have come to school under the influence, or left during the school day to get altered, in some cases attempting to return under the influence. Are these students attempting to sabotage their chances of moving on? What motivation could possible be the cause for this? What is it about what happens outside the G2S classroom walls that creates such anxiety/grief? How can I build a sense of trust and respect in general for themselves and each other that will transfer to others in the building? Are the roles they have been accustomed to so ingrained that new perspectives can only sustain in a controlled environment or are they transferrable?

    On a separate and interesting note, the students I have focused on, have been involved in the research from the beginning. I often use notes from the previous day or few days to spark discussion in the classroom at our morning meetings, and they seem very interested in the process. I am routinely amazed at how easily they can reflect on their own behaviors, and take ownership of their actions with a short time for reflection, and some of the best information I have comes out of these discussions. It seems like past actions are neatly categorized into past mistakes, and their sense of detached optimism in the following day or days intrigues me.

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    1. Brian, I love that in answering some of your questions and analyzing certain bits and pieces of your data, you are only left with more questions! This is, I think, one of the most difficult parts of research - the cycle of questions, data, analyses, and more questions is never-ending. But that's why we do it, I think. I know you are constantly looking for ways to make your classroom a better place for all of your students. This project is no different. The question that seems most interesting to me right now is "Are these students attempting to sabotage their chances of moving on?" You give them such a safe, stable environment to come to every day, and for some of these students, the prospect of not having that option after graduation (however great that may be as well) can be really scary. Might be an interesting question/topic to look into if you are doing any student interviews.

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    2. I agree with Tina, that the most interesting new question is the one based on self-sabotage. I also wonder if you have seen this pattern of behavior in past years? Is this a common problem with students about to graduate? Is it the pending graduation or not being able to graduate that has your students on edge? I also wonder about the outside forces that are also having an impact on your students. It is impossible to control outside the classroom events, but I have noticed that they have such a large impact on our students even when they are within our walls.

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    3. Brian - I think it's really interesting to hear that your notes and observations are informing/shaping your morning meetings. I am also wondering what you mean by "detached optimism." Because typically, students being able to recognize their mistakes and reflect on their choices is a good thing, but are you hinting that they are not seeing the patterns to their own choices and continuing to make the same mistakes? Lots of great avenues for questions!!

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    4. Wow Brian! You have some deep insight here. I agree with Tina when she says that questions are a way for you to make your classroom a better place for your students. I'm also curious as to why there has been a spike in negative behaviors with many of your students over the past few weeks. Is this common at this time of the year or is it uncharacteristic? I love your phrase "dysfunctional metaphorical laundry hamper." This definitely speaks to the "mess" that I think we are all finding ourselves in and hopefully will start to make some sense out of (at some point...).

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    5. I've noticed that self-awareness as well. Definitely a literacy practice. we have talked about this self-sabotage before. Have you discussed this with them? if they reflect on it what do they say?

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  4. As I take ten minutes at the end of every school day to write in my teacher journal, I think I’m becoming more authentically “reflective.” At the beginning of the process, I was just writing down everything that I remembered as significant from the day, but now I am a bit more focused in my writing. What is really interesting to me is that, as a result of journaling, I am changing the way I react and respond to my students. Had I never started this reflective process, I would not have thought about my responses and the effect they have on my students. I originally thought of the teacher reflective journal as simply “data”; however, it is turning out to be much more than that. Here is an example from last week’s journal:

    (The student I mention here [BC] is the same student that I referenced in my previous memo. She was the student who asked me about how many questions she asked and would it affect her grade on a Socratic seminar. In my previous memo, I alluded to the fact that my response to Brianna’s grading question might be part of the problem I see with my students and their constant focus on grades rather than authentic learning.)

    “Interesting note…back to BC. As we were talking about the Socratic seminar outer circle, BC asked me a question about the outer circle observation worksheet that I have them fill out at the end of the discussion groups. One of the questions on the observation worksheet was ‘Did the inner circle participant engage in any distracting behavior or side conversations?’ BC asked me, ‘So, does that mean that they’ll get points off if they do that?’

    And I had a moment when I thought about what my response to BC should be.

    At first I was going to say, ‘Yes, it will affect their grade.’ But, then I decided against it. Instead, I said to BC ‘You will, at the end of the seminar discussion, look at the person you followed and tell them they were being distracting. Hopefully, your comments will motivate that person not to do those behaviors next time we have a similar discussion.’ She looked a bit confused at first and then said, ‘Oh, I don’t like that’ which I thought was an interesting response. I’m curious as to why she had this response. Was it because it took the grade out of the equation? Or was it that BC didn’t like the fact that she would be the one critiquing her classmate. I’m not sure why she reacted that way, but it is an interesting piece of information to consider.

    However…with all that being said…I am pleased with my response to BC’s question because it took “the grade” completely out of the question. I would have never responded to BC’s question in that way had I not written my previous memo.

    Also, I tried this other new thing today where, at the end of the Socratic seminar, I had students speak directly to each other rather than referencing students as ‘he’ or ‘she.’ This made the peer feedback more authentic because students were speaking directly to one another. I don’t think I would have thought to make that change had I not been doing this research and thinking about peer feedback.”

    So…that is a new version of what my teacher reflective journal looks like every day. I know I didn’t talk too much about other types of data I’ve been collecting because the reflective journal spoke to me the most this past week.

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    1. Wow, Melissa! How awesome!! I, too, find myself being more self-aware of my responses to the things and conversations around me as well, I think because of the TR journal...where I might have overheard a sexist comment made by a teacher and then just bristled in disgust, I have, twice now, on two separate occasions, made it a point to have a conversation with that particular teacher about those comments. It's interesting to hear their responses! Good for you for working to "take the grade out" - remind me on Wednesday, I went to a workshop on Saturday at the RIWP that was all about assessment and feedback...you will love this stuff.

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    2. I read an article over the weekend that described what kind of student thinking should be included in a class discussion, it had a 6 tier checklist to go through about whether the students thinking should be addressed as a class. I thought to myself as I read, how could I ever have the time to mentally go though each of these steps and make a discussion about whether thats student's thinking should be highlighted in my instruction. But then I realized that we do it everyday. Everyday, thousands of times a day, we make fast responses to students' questions, most of the time without thinking about our response first. I agree with you Melissa, the TR journal has made me also very aware of my interactions with my students and how I respond to them.

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    3. Melissa,
      I love how the central theme of your memo is authenticity. It is so important to recognize that we are trying to help these students learn something, to ingrain it into their person, and that assigning a grade is too often the focus, when what's really important is the stretch. I found this website which discusses authenticity, and specifically in Socratic seminar: http://www.authenticeducation.org/alexis I thought was really interesting, and you might enjoy (7 minute video). I also think it's awesome how your reflective practice is affecting your feedback, that's how we know that we are growing. Can't wait for class this week.

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    4. Melissa - I think you make a great point about how what we do might be (unintentionally) reinforcing those habits/mindsets we are trying to address. Like you said, the TR journal is such a great way to stop and think about ourselves in another way.

      Also Jenny, though it's not my topic, I'd love to read that article you mention!! If you have a link, please share :)

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    5. Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions! I am definitely going to check out that website Brian. Yes, and Jenny please share the article if you can! And Tina, please share what you observed at the RIWP conference on Wednesday!

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    6. Love that your journal is more than data! I write every day just for this reason. Still curious about BC's reasoning for why she doesn't want to give feedback--my guess is students are not used to being critical of one another.

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  5. I was struggling a bit to organize my thinking, so I decided on "What, So What, Now What" model and started with a story...

    WHAT

    As I stood at my classroom door on Tuesday the 10th, B shuffled up to me and pulled down the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

    “Look! I made this!” He exclaimed.

    It was a bright green rainbow loom bracelet. I asked him some questions and told him that it looked pretty awesome. I continued to greet the other students at the door as B went back to his locker to get his materials for his first class. When he returned to the doorway, I noticed a gold tin, about the size of a tissue box under his arm. I asked him what was in it since I had never seen it before and he replied, “My elastics!”

    I told him again that his bracelet was cool, but said that the tin and all other elastics need to stay in his backpack since they are considered toys. He nodded his head and returned them to his bag.

    Throughout the day, we noticed several students with rainbow loom elastics around their fingers, left on the floor, shot into trashcans, and overflowing from pockets. We quickly confiscated them and warned the students about the trouble they would get into if caught with them anywhere besides a completed bracelet/necklace.

    The elastics disappeared the next day, but a purple binder full of Pokemon cards emerged the following Tuesday in homeroom. I told a quick silly story about my brother’s collection of Pokemon cards, but asked the owner to please return the binder to his or her backpack.

    I should have guessed that it was B who had brought them in.
    Combined with his shout outs to the class about whatever he is writing/drawing/creating in class and all of the times he is out of his seat to get a classmate to come look at his work, a pattern is becoming clear.

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  6. *sorry for the two part post!*

    SO WHAT

    I think B doesn’t know how to initiate positive, appropriate interactions with his peers.

    For a while, I was worried about the way B was getting involved with students who were distracting to him. I have had him in for lunch several times to discuss what he might do when feeling distracted by a peer. However, nothing was seeming to get through. Then, because of my charts and fieldnotes, I am noticing that the pattern might not be that B is distracted by others, but rather that B is seeking to interact with peers. However, I am hypothesizing that he doesn’t quite have the skills to do so in a way that is appropriate within a classroom setting.

    I have noticed all year that B is a bit of an outsider. I’ve mentioned before that he began the year with long hair in a ponytail. He chose to sit by himself in the first week of school. He professes his love of cats. When doing a collaborative project, he will often end up separated from the group.

    The rainbow elastics and Pokemon cards and shoutouts about his new kitten desktop screen are all ways that he is trying to get his peers’ attention. By themselves, these aren’t really problems. These are age-appropriate toys and activities. However, meowing in the middle of my class is not the best way to create a positive relationship with his peers (or me, or any other teacher school staff member). He is laughed at, rather than laughed with.

    NOW WHAT

    So far this year, B has received five write-ups from a variety of teachers for his continued disruption of class. Though he sometimes apologizes for his actions, the seemingly constant redirection (regardless of whether my lesson is my more teacher-centered or learner/learning-centered is draining. My frustration then clouds my ability to notice the why of his actions. I know that I need to continue tracking the data in my charts and field notes so that I don’t lose these observations and the opportunity to make sense of why he is doing what he is doing.

    I feel like all of these examples are going to give me a good basis to craft my interview questions later. I think it’s so important to hear what B thinks about what he does and why he does it.

    I also want to discuss my noticings and hypotheses with my team. We need to figure out the best way to support him and help him grow (rather than merely punish) if he is lacking these social skills.

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    1. I really like the What, So What, Now What approach. It is good that you are starting to put together a plan and get a little deeper into this students behaviors and the why behind them. I have seen students like this in the past, who want attention from their peers/teachers/parents, but the only attention they know how to get is negative attention. So they continue with the negative behaviors be cause negative attention is better then no attention. Have you tried talking to your school psychologist or to B's parents about the behavior. Do they see a pattern? Maybe there are other students who also need support in appropriate peer/friend seeking behaviors.

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    2. Brittany, your insight into B's motivation for his in-class behavior seems right on the money. I have had many students over the years who seem to be the same kind of "outsiders" that you describe him to be. I would concur wholeheartedly that he is desperately in need of connections with his peers, and is seeking them out in a manner that both sets him apart as an individual, and are also not effective in gaining the type of attention he desires. It is possible that, over time, this has become the role he feels he has to play in the social group, and I have at times had success pairing this type of student up with another, quiet student that may share a similar interest, so they have common ground to connect with. I have actually seen lifelong friendships develop out of similar situations, and a change to much more positive social interactions. Keep watching!

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    3. Brittany, This reminds me of the activity we did the first night of class when we watched the "Freaks and Geeks" episode. I remember thinking that I did not notice many of the things that you all did when I was watching. I think that the close observations you are making about B are amazing. I think I lack in this type of observation, but the reason might be that I haven't really ever forced myself to do so. I think that you are on to something, and you are probably going to see a positive effect on B through your observations and research!

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    4. I wonder what some ways are to support his more appropriate involvement. in class. Plus I think it's okay to meow in class :)
      This framing is a good way to think of your paper as well. It fits the description/analysis/interpretation framework we will be working with.

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  7. At this point in time, I find myself making similar observations about my teaching and conversations that Melissa mentions in her blog post this week. I think one of the biggest changes that I've noticed so far is that because of my hyper-awareness to issues of gender bias and stereotypes, I am less afraid (nervous/hesitant) to speak up about it.

    Take last week, for example. I was covering a class for the teacher that currently has a Student Teacher in her classroom, who has already taken over all four of her Social Studies classes (not too shabby of a day for me, either!). One of the reasons I like the position I am in now is that I get to see many different classrooms, setups, teaching activities, and (once in a while) observe the way other teachers interact with their students. For the purposes of this project specifically, this offers me the opportunity to see the topics and issues I am studying in places other than my classroom alone.

    In this Social Studies class, students were finishing up the creation of maps representing Manifest Destiny and westward expansion. Each student was making his or her own map, which had to be colored and labeled appropriately. The Student Teacher was making his way around the room, when he reminded students that the best-looking map that was completely accurate from each class would win a prize. He then announced, "so boys, don't even bother trying - the girls are just better at coloring." If this had been a few weeks ago, I might have kept to myself how uncomfortable I was with comments like that. This time, however, I perked up at his announcement. I took a look around the room and noticed one of the boys, whom many people would describe as very artistic, looking dejectedly at his map. I knew I couldn't just let this comment pass.

    So I called him on it - and (almost jokingly, so as not to embarrass him) said I didn't think it was fair that he was crushing some of the boys' dreams who had been working very hard on their maps as well. I even told him he was stereotyping based on their gender. He looked sheepish for a second and then said, "well, maybe I was wrong - I suppose a boy could win." Instantly, the young artistic student I had described lit up, and had a smile on his face stretching from ear to ear as he continued to pour his effort into his map.

    I wonder why, over the years, comments like that have become mainstream/acceptable in our society and schools, and why I felt the need to make sure not to offend him in the process of making him aware of it. Not that I haven't made comments or remarks (how often have I addressed a group of students, "hey guys"), but I feel as if I am making more of an effort to be aware of these kinds of things, especially as a result of some of the research and thinking I have been doing.

    Some of the articles I have come across have really made me think about where these gender stereotypes and biases come from - cartoons children watch growing up, toys they play with, stores we shop in on a daily basis….and that is all without any comments/remarks from friends, family members, teachers, etc. Will I be able to change the world over the course of this project? No. But I am realizing just how important it is that at least those students in my own classroom are made aware of these issues, and taught how to question the values and gender biases that society has placed upon them from early on.

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    1. Wow, Tina! I think your comment to the student teacher was appropriate and necessary. And you made it in a way not to offend. I think we all need to do more of this because it is crucial if we want these stereotypes and comments to stop. You may not have solved the entire problem, but at the bare minimum, you made that person aware of his comment. And even better and more importantly, you made that boy feel confident to do what he clearly was talented at doing!

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    2. You should never embarrass a colleague in front of students, so you had the right approach since you did this in public. In private, you could suggest that you talk about stereotypes and how they are harmful.

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  8. Tina - If I remember correctly, your research questions were more focused on students and gender biases in your own classroom, but like you said, your position allows you a bigger view of the school community - including what other teachers say to their students. I think it is so powerful for those students who were in that classroom to see you model a respectful response to a challenging situation that would have otherwise been swept under the rug. Kudos!

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