Reflections
The process of Action Research helped to change how I approach the needs of my students and how important it is to constantly reflect on one’s teaching practices. This research project helped me to systematically implement changes, document their effect and reflect on how each change impacted the needs of my students.
Thoughtful reflection is the key to effective practice.
One of the most beneficial aspects of this research project was in strengthening the disposition to thoughtfully reflect on the needs of students and to consider how the intervention either benefited or adversely affected the students’ success. With the fast pace and the large numbers of students in a classroom, time to thoughtfully reflect on teaching practices seems to be difficult to find. This action research required me to thoughtfully consider the needs of my students in writing, implement changes to the current writing program and then reflect on how successful the implementation was for the students. These practices need to be done regularly in the classroom in every subject area. As a new teacher, I believe that being a reflective practitioner is even more vital practice. With lack of experience in the field, I am going to try things are not going to be effective for my students and I will implement things that will be effective. The only way to evaluate how effective your teaching is to reflect constantly.
Incorporating student interest into teaching is vital.
One of the most significant findings of my research was how important it is to incorporate student interests into all subject areas. When implementing phase one, I initially provided photographs that had an interesting scene and characters. I soon realized that students were not motivated to write on these and that changes to their writing were not occurring. Once I decided to change the pictures to those of their favorite cartoon characters, their enthusiasm for writing skyrocketed. This element demonstrates how crucial it is for a teacher to know each student well. Action research helped to me to realize that the more student-centered each lesson can be, the greater the student engagement and passion.
Sometimes things do not go as planned.
One of things that I wanted at the beginning of the action research process was for each of the implementations to be a success. I wanted my students to use the things that I provided for them. I wanted to see their writing improve because I believed that these things would work for them in expanding their topics. Surprisingly it was in the failure that I got some of the most valuable information about my students. I realized during phase two that not all changes in the classroom are going to be a success and that this “failure” was a valuable learning experience. I learned that my students are not ready to create their own stories by using pictures in their books, but they were very capable of brainstorming prior to writing. This was a very valuable lesson for me and for my future career. Not every lesson or every implementation is going to be a success, but it is in these failures that your teaching grows and you learn valuable information about your students.
Overall, I am extremely grateful for the action research experience. I learned so much about assessing the needs of my students, effectively changing the routine of a classroom to support student learning and to constantly reflect on all aspects of teaching. I am grateful for all the support that I received during this process and will take this learning experience with me throughout my teaching career.
Thoughtful reflection is the key to effective practice.
One of the most beneficial aspects of this research project was in strengthening the disposition to thoughtfully reflect on the needs of students and to consider how the intervention either benefited or adversely affected the students’ success. With the fast pace and the large numbers of students in a classroom, time to thoughtfully reflect on teaching practices seems to be difficult to find. This action research required me to thoughtfully consider the needs of my students in writing, implement changes to the current writing program and then reflect on how successful the implementation was for the students. These practices need to be done regularly in the classroom in every subject area. As a new teacher, I believe that being a reflective practitioner is even more vital practice. With lack of experience in the field, I am going to try things are not going to be effective for my students and I will implement things that will be effective. The only way to evaluate how effective your teaching is to reflect constantly.
Incorporating student interest into teaching is vital.
One of the most significant findings of my research was how important it is to incorporate student interests into all subject areas. When implementing phase one, I initially provided photographs that had an interesting scene and characters. I soon realized that students were not motivated to write on these and that changes to their writing were not occurring. Once I decided to change the pictures to those of their favorite cartoon characters, their enthusiasm for writing skyrocketed. This element demonstrates how crucial it is for a teacher to know each student well. Action research helped to me to realize that the more student-centered each lesson can be, the greater the student engagement and passion.
Sometimes things do not go as planned.
One of things that I wanted at the beginning of the action research process was for each of the implementations to be a success. I wanted my students to use the things that I provided for them. I wanted to see their writing improve because I believed that these things would work for them in expanding their topics. Surprisingly it was in the failure that I got some of the most valuable information about my students. I realized during phase two that not all changes in the classroom are going to be a success and that this “failure” was a valuable learning experience. I learned that my students are not ready to create their own stories by using pictures in their books, but they were very capable of brainstorming prior to writing. This was a very valuable lesson for me and for my future career. Not every lesson or every implementation is going to be a success, but it is in these failures that your teaching grows and you learn valuable information about your students.
Overall, I am extremely grateful for the action research experience. I learned so much about assessing the needs of my students, effectively changing the routine of a classroom to support student learning and to constantly reflect on all aspects of teaching. I am grateful for all the support that I received during this process and will take this learning experience with me throughout my teaching career.