Final Thoughts

I learned so much in this course. I learned that research does not have to be a chore, it can actually be fun. I now know how to get more people involved in the decision making process when it comes to our wonderings. I have also come to realize that everyone that will be affected by the decision should be involved throughout the process. I am looking forward to hearing the outcomes of all my cohorts’ research results.

Transitioning Bilingual Students Action Planning Template

Goal:
My goal is to better prepare bilingual students to transition into English by the end of third grade. I want to transition at least 80% of my students by the end of the 2010/2011 school year.

Action
Step(s)
1. Since I have already gotten approval from the vice principal to continue with this project, the next step is to let parents know of my intentions. During meet the teacher I will tell parents that in order to better prepare their children for English I will be teaching Science and Social Studies in English. I will help them every step of the way and much of the work will be done in groups so that the students can help each other.
2. I will administer a reading inventory in English and Spanish within the first three weeks of school and I will also have the students complete a writing assignment in both languages. This will be done once every nine weeks in order to determine whether there has been any improvement.
3. I will make sure that I get all the science and social studies textbooks and materials in English and I will start instruction in English on the first day of school. Students are to attempt to speak only in English during this time and they are to be supportive of each other and help each other out in speaking, reading, and writing in English.
Person(s)
Responsible
1. I as the teacher will be responsible for letting the parents know my intentions.
2. I as the teacher will be responsible for administering the reading inventories and collecting their writing samples. So that the results are not skewed I will ask the Language Support Specialist to review the students’ writing samples.
3. I as the teacher and the students will be responsible for ensuring that all students try their best to speak, read, and write in English during this time.

Timeline:
Start/End
1. This will be done during meet the teacher which will be held the week of August 16, 2010.
2. I will start the first reading inventory and writing sample the first week of school and finish by the third week. This will be done every nine weeks until the end of the school year when we determine who is ready to transition into English.
3. Teaching science and social studies in English will start on the first day of school and will continue until the last day of school.

Needed
Resources
1. The only resources that will be needed for this part of my action research will be the support of the administrators.
2. I will be using the Flynt Cooter reading inventory which is already supplied to us. As far as the writing is concerned, I will give them a prompt and they will write about it. I will use the TELPAS writing rubric to assess the writing, which is already provided to us.
3. I will need to make sure that I get all the students science and social studies textbooks in English for each student.

Evaluation
1. After I explain my intentions to the parents I will ask them if they have any questions or comments. I will also set up conferences with those parents who may want to speak to me without an audience.
2. The Flynt Cooter reading inventory will be given every nine weeks to determine if there is any improvement in English and in Spanish and to also see if there is a decline in either language. I will also have them do a writing sample in both languages every nine weeks and I will rate it using the TELPAS writing rubric.
3. I will ensure that the students understand the concepts being taught in English by administering the district unit tests. If the students are successful on these tests that I know that they truly understand the concepts. The first nine weeks I will consider a grade of 70 or above on the district unit tests a success, starting with the second nine weeks the students should receive a grade of no less than 75. By the end of the nine weeks the students should be making at least an 80% or higher on the district assessment tests in both science and social studies.

Research Action (week 2)

I had never thought about how many things we needed answers to at my campus. After speaking with the vice principal I realized that there were many questions we needed answered so that we could have successful students. I realized the biggest problem we are encountering is getting the bilingual students ready to transition into English sooner rather than later. I know that this will be a lot of work but the end will definitely justify the means.

Educational Leaders in the 21st. Century

Educational leaders could use blogs to share what is going on at the campus or district. They can also get input from parents, the community, and teachers on things they may want to implement in the school. Administrators could find out what the parents and community think is working well at the campus level and what needs to be changed. Many people may not confront the principal about problems they may be having at the school but a blog would give them the anonymity to say how they really feel about certain things that may be happening. Blogs would also help get the message and input from many stakeholders since it is very difficult to find a convenient time for everyone to meet. Administrators could also put their thoughts on a blog and have others add to their thought or just post what they think of that idea.

My Thoughts on Action Research

When I first learned that I would be taking a research class I was thankful that it was summer since this was going to take so much of my time. I remembered doing research many years ago and I was not looking forward to this class. After completing the week 1 readings I realized that this was not the same research I had done many years ago, this actually looked very interesting. One of the things I found interesting is that I would be researching something that affected my students and I could actually make a difference. Action research is when you get together with others on the campus to discuss problems or changes that may need to be dealt with and you do research as a group and come up with possible solutions. The best part of this process is that the people who actually know the students are the ones doing the research and implementing the changes. Not only do you get to speak to people at your campus, you may actually speak to others who are having the same problems at other campuses. You will also get to know other people that understand what you are going through and get help you reach a solution.

One way I could use action research is by determining how to better prepare bilingual students for English. Would we accomplish this by letting them do Starfall on the computer on a daily basis, have the language support teacher teach them English in a small group setting, or do Science and Social Studies in English from the time they are in Pre-k? I know that after doing some research on the topic I will find what will be the right fit for our students.