I think this experience really models professional development standards such as the Five Core Propositions and best practices in my associations. The first core proposition says teachers are committed to their students and learning. I did that because I tried to help my students learn something they needed even though it isn't in my curriculum. The second core proposition says teachers know their subject and how to teach it. When I didn't know how to help my students in this area, I did the research I needed to be able to help them. The third core proposition says teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. I constantly monitored them throughout this topic by doing check in worksheets and daily observation logs. The fourth core proposition says teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from the experience. I did this by analyzing my results and reflecting daily on the progress they were making. The last proposition says teachers are members of learning communities. I sought out many resources throughout this process such as professors, colleagues, and research articles.
My school district has best teaching practices that I tried to model during this research. Cumulative review is seen as something that should be done often in the classroom. I did this throughout my research and plan to keep coming back to it as the year goes on. They also talk about gradual release of information. This is where the teacher starts by showing the process, then the students do it with guided help, then the students do it on their own. Before I implemented a new strategy, I would show them how to use it and then have them practice on some basic cases. After that, I would have them try the new strategy with areas they were having trouble with. This gradual release helps them not get confused with the strategy as well as the material. I used these and other best practices by doing research on what my education associations and my district feels are best practices.
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One major focus in my classroom is 21st century skills. I naturally incorporated this into the research by having them collaborate when we were talking over problems in class. They also learned to think critically about their answers. The students would often think about their answer by discussing it with their group members. They worked with several real world examples so they saw how to apply the material. These are very important skills because students will have to collaborate and think critically no matter what their career is.
How does this research relate to other areas of my professional development?
I think this experience was meaningful for my students, because they saw a learning gap that they had. This topic is taught and should be mastered in elementary and middle school. They got to see how this learning gap was preventing them from being successful in Algebra concepts. Many of them wanted to better themselves in this area. They now have an idea of what they should be working on and some resources to help them understand operations.
I also think they got the opportunity to realize that it is okay to be wrong, as long as we think critically about our answers. I didn't intend for this to be part of the research, but naturally we spend a lot of time reflecting on our answers. This helped them learn to not just shout out answers, but think about how they got the answer and whether it makes sense. I have noticed, particularly in 9th hour, that someone will say an answer and the students will think about it and comment on whether they agree or not, without me prompting them. This collaboration has strengthened our class community and has helped the students learn the importance of reflection.
What does this mean for my students?
I think this experience showed me the importance of trying to close learning gaps for students, even if it is not in my curriculum. I didn't have to teach students this topic, but it will help them be more successful in my class and beyond. I learned how to identify a problem and teach it while balancing the demands of the current curriculum. Unfortunately this is still a problem area in my classroom, but now I have strategies to use throughout the year to help them close this gap.
I learned how to use my professional resources to help my classroom. I talked to veteran teachers, professors, and did research before I implemented my strategies. From the research, I selected the most effective strategies to use in my classroom. I used data to support my choice and the outcome of my action research. This is something I could use again, as I encounter other large problems in my classroom.
I think I gained a better understanding of my class too. They needed tools to learn and reflect on this subject area. They wanted to do better, but they needed the help to get there. I also saw how they wanted to be able to participate. This gave them a way to start doing that, but with less pressure.
What does this mean for me as a teacher?
What would I change?
While I can see success in these strategies and this research, I can see things that I would change or try for next time. The biggest thing I would change is to use these strategies earlier in the year. By the time we go to this chapter, these operation issues with numbers have persisted for a long time. I think they would have been more successful if we started the year with these strategies.
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I would have made use of the number lines earlier and put them on more securely. I didn't get the idea to put the number lines on their desk until after the research had started. I did not put them on in the most secure way so they were often ripped off by students. This became a great tool, but it would have been better if they were on early in the research and secure.
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Lastly, I wish I had given the students more autonomy. I sought out their real world examples, but I could have asked what they wanted to see applied to this topic. Also, I think the process could have been better if I had the students doing reflections on their progress every day. I do think they reflected at times in their mind, but making it more explicit could have helped their motivation.