Week 5 Reflection

The assignments throughout this course seemed to flow as we learned step by step and prepared our action research step by step. The most insightful part of the assignments was learning to reflect. This is such a great tool for making any change, in the classroom, school or for personal growth. Everyone can benefit from stepping back and really taking a look at what has been done or what needs to be done. The best part about it is you can really take ownership of your accomplishment as you reflect on what you have done to make things better. As I reflect on this course, I feel my accomplishments and I know the direction in which they are taking me.

My Approved ARP!

GOAL: Changing the Perception of Word Problem        Implemented  by:  Donna Thompson September 2013 – June 2014
(1). Describe the goal and area of focus.	The new state of Texas STAAR tests will be a challenge for our 7th grade students, especially with the emphasis on increased higher order thinking skills and cognition. Research will be done and data will be collected to aid in reinforcing strategy skills for word problems so our students will achieve increased levels of competencies on the tests.
(2). Describe the factors involved in your area of focus.	Factors involved in my area of focus: (1) Students’ prior math development from earlier grade levels.  (2). Students’ aptitude for taking more rigorous, higher order thinking skills test.   (3). The students’ access to community resources to aid in success (4). Students’ and parents understanding of the STAAR test and its impact on math placement of students. I will send a letter to the parents and have the students fill out a survey to help in understanding the importance of the STAAR test.
(3). Develop research questions.	What resources and data can I accumulate from state, school, and district sources to aid in my action research on changing the perception of word problems in math?  What can I do to help the students succeed on the STAAR tests for 7th grade students? Am I able to persuade the understanding of students in the area of solving word problems using strategies as tools necessary to gather and analyze data?
(4).Describe the activities to be implemented	1. Draw picture of Diagram 2. Find a pattern 3. Acting it out 4. Making a table 5. Working backward 6. Guessing and Checking 7. Write an equation
(5). Develop a timeline for implementation.	The data collection will begin in September of 2013, and will be continued throughout the2013- 2014 school year. Every six weeks the district test will evaluated along with homework and tests that are given on Fridays. This will be an ongoing and fluid action research project, the results and findings constantly being monitored and adjusted.
(6). Describe stakeholders.	The stakeholders who will benefit from this research will be I, the students, fellow teachers and staff, our parents, and the administration. I hope to develop research that will be used as a model to be implemented to develop students’ success using word problems.
(7). Develop a list of resources to implement the plan.	As stated earlier, student data from six weeks test, benchmark, and STAAR accountability models will be used to develop proactive programs to correct the deficiency of students’ understanding on math word problems thus, maximizing success on the STAAR tests. Also, field research from the actual students will be implemented during this action research study.
(8). Describe the data to be collected for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives.	I will collect data on how many students take the pre-test; how many pass the pre-test on the first administration, versus students who do not pass the first administration; and how effective interventions and remediation activities will aid in improving student success. The ones that do not pass will determine the group of students I will be working closely with for my action research plan.
(9). Develop an assessment plan.	Data will be collected using state, district, and teacher’s resources. Also, field study and research will be conducted, the results being reported in power point.
(10). Develop an analysis plan.	When the findings are collected and organized, I will work collaboratively with fellow teachers and administrators to investigate the effectiveness of the action research on changing the perception of math word problems.
(11). Carry out the plan.	Strategies will be use and the data will be collected on an ongoing and a fluid basis throughout the 2013 and 2014 school term, and beyond.
(12). Report the results.	Results of the plan will be reported to all stakeholders through the implementation of a math department meeting. This will allow for collaboration on a school wide action plan. I will send a letter home to the parents to also let them know the results.