Project Summary

My action research project seeks to answer the following question: which strategies for teaching vocabulary produce the greatest gains in student retention of concepts and performance on standards based assessments? The project was conceived in the midst of a campus push to increase performance on science tests, whether they were district or state assessments. My principal decided to focus teacher efforts on the retention and subsequent use of vocabulary on assessments. The end goal of posing such a question is to effectively increase student retention of academic science vocabulary and subsequent application of the terms on district curriculum based assessments thereby increasing performance on the state exam. Currently the project consists of seven steps or segments. First I will assess the current levels of retention and application using district 5E lessons with a sample group consisting of the seventy-five students in my three sections of science. Subsequent steps include researching methods to increase retention of vocabulary, implementing three researched based strategies, disaggregating the resulting data, compiling a report, and presenting my findings to the staff at my school. Each strategy will be tested and assessed separately to increase the accuracy of resulting data thereby reflecting on the effectiveness of the strategy. While the presentation of the data will focus on the strategy that achieved the best results, all the strategies tested will be represented in the findings. It is my belief that there is no “one right answer” in this situation. Learning styles vary and the application of teaching strategies will vary with them. I think it will be interesting to see how the data reflects performance when focusing on an individual student from case to case. 

Goal: Increase student retention of academic science vocabulary and subsequent application of the terms on district curriculum based assessments.
Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Assess the current levels of retention and application using district 5E lessons	John Waldrip	September 5 - September 27	5E lessons, CBA Data, Vocabulary quiz data	Disaggregate data and look for trends in student retention and application of vocabulary.
Research methods for increasing retention of academic terms.	John Waldrip	September 30 - October 25	Books, Articles, Internet, Meeting with Instructional Coach	Compile a report of strategies for encouraging student growth in this area highlighting 3 strategies that will be used.
Implement the 1st strategy	John Waldrip	October 28 - November 1	Planned Strategy, Testing Data	Disaggregate Data and look for trends in student retention and application of vocabulary.
Implement the 2nd strategy	John Waldrip	December 2 - November 1	Planned Strategy, Testing Data	Disaggregate data and look for trends in student retention and application of vocabulary.
Implement the 3rd strategy	John Waldrip	January 21 - February 28	Planned Strategy, Testing Data	Disaggregate data and look for trends in student retention and application of vocabulary.
Compile Data	John Waldrip	March 3 - 28	Data, Research	Compile report
Present Findings	John Waldrip	May 27 - 30	Compiled report	Final Documentation

 

The Big Question

Which strategies for teaching vocabulary produce the greatest gains in student retention of concepts and performance on standards based assessments?

This week after visiting with my site supervisor, I learned some important lessons on being able to measure the affects of the research I am doing. In my discussion with my supervisor we talked about the many ways in which I could test the effects of different vocabulary strategies in the classroom. This is also an area of focus for our school this year. So, I believe I am changing my research question to: Which strategies for teaching vocabulary produce the greatest gains in student retention of concepts and performance on standards based assessments? In hindsight I think this question is much more measurable and I believe the impacts of this research will be much more relevant to my school.

John

On Blogging in Educational Settings...

Blogs are a great way for leaders to address their staff, communicate with the community where they serve, and share their perspectives. Blogging has opened the door for educators to create and publish news that is localized to their campus and community. It has empowered them to not only share ideas, but also give greater attention to ideas that have more relevance in their community. This ability should be motivation enough for educational leaders to use this platform to create a strong image for their campus, district, or region. 

What I Have Learned About Action Research

Action research is a means of reflective research that allows principals to systematically develop questions and planned solutions about a set of needs specific to their school (Dana, 2009, pp. 1-25). I have learned that while action research is broad in its scope, it is a means of addressing the needs of a campus or student population in a definitive way that provides time to make informed choices about solutions to problems. Its uses are many, from analyzing the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction to addressing the needs of a staff and it is not limited in its application of solving problems. Benefits of using action research include: increasing the pool of resources used to make a decision, fostering a team approach to problem solving, and empowering practitioners to make informed and localized choices that will effectuate change in their school. As a principal, I will use action research to make informed choices in the formation of solutions to the needs at my campus. The format of action research lends itself to taking time to make informed choices based on research and data. I will use this format to engage my staff as stakeholders in the process of meeting campus needs and solving problems pertaining to our campus. The creation of sub committees on a campus is a perfect forum for the use of action research and adheres to the tenets of the servant leadership style. I will use action research in conjunction with sub committees as a means of empowering my staff through the distribution of power and control in the decision making process. Effectively, this format will also decrease professional isolation in my campus community.