Education Foundation Grant

I just applied for the Education Foundation Grant my credit union, Schools First, offers to educators in Southern California. I asked for productivity and creativity apps to install on the iPads we have at school. The problem with our iPads at school is that we have none of the wonderful productivity and creativity apps that are available through iTunes because they are not free. We have no budget to purchase these apps. So the apps I requested are Explain Everything ($2.99), Keynote (9.99), and iMovie (4.99). I asked for 45 licenses. I also asked for the cable and adapter to connect the iPad to my LCD projector, and I asked for Apple TV. I think that will cover everything I will need to help my students and myself.

I had to create a unit/lesson as part of my curriculum and explain how new program will integrate with the current lesson. I needed an Implementation Plan and an Evaluation Plan. It all reminded me of my Literature Review and my Final Project. I wish I could have explained what I have been studying, but there was a word limit. To describe my Evaluation Plan, I wanted to show them how important I feel it is to do a pre-assessment to gather data and then a post-assessment to analyze achievement. I also mentioned taking formative assessment measures to gauge whether my students were understanding the content.

I wanted to emphasize the importance of information literacy and using the new technology of the iPads in the classroom. I think my focusing on students and technology in this class inspired me to apply for this grant. It’s just a small grant ($1000), but every little bit helps. Since we received these iPads, they’ve just been sitting there. We don’t really know how to use them. That is part of what my Final Project is about. One of the reasons they’re not being used is those great productivity and creativity apps are not installed on our iPads, and we don’t know when or if they ever will be because of the cost.

I hope they choose my project. I checked out past years, and they seem to choose quite a few every year. I’ll now sometime in January!

SWOT

I attempted a SWOT analysis of my local public library, Huntington Beach Public Library. 

Strengths: 

The Children's Library

The library has four floors of books, an extensive reference center, computer center, genealogy center, new releases area, centrally-located reference desk, beautifully remodeled children’s library, and media center to borrow DVD’s and CD’s. The library has also offers e-readers such as Kindles as well as provides online access to “borrow” e-books. Just recently, the library began offering Google Chrome Books for borrowing. And, to keep up with technology trends, patrons can search the catalog via an app for iPhones and Android phones. The library’s community relations is shown through its theater, its connection to the park, and art gallery featuring the art of residents. There are many rooms that community members can rent for events including fitness programs, recitals, competitions, workshops, banquets, and weddings. Homework help is available to elementary and middle school students Mondays through Wednesdays, September through May, and free online tutors are available every day from the local high school Key Club. The library is very comfortable for patrons as there are plenty of tables, chairs, couches, and reading areas, and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to filter in.

Weaknesses:

The library’s hours can be considered a weakness. In the recent past, it was open on Sundays; however, because of budget cuts, it is now closed. Furthermore, the library opens at 1pm on Mondays. Another weakness is that the Reference desk is unstaffed on Saturday mornings until two hours after opening. Although its mission statement claims, “The Public Library is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and the joys of reading for our diverse community,” there is no obvious evidence of “our diverse community”: all signage, brochures, and fliers are written in English even though demographics show a very large Spanish-speaking population. Another weakness is the young adult area. It is just a small corner on the main floor and lacks a staff member devoted to that space while the children’s library is extensive and rich with activities.

Opportunities:

Changing ethnic demographic base offers opportunities to provide meaningful services to English language learners. Furthermore, because decreasing public school funding reduces programs for students and, in many cases, has eliminated school library programs all together, the library may provide more services to families with school-aged children and young adults. The current economic downturn with the subsequent lost jobs presents opportunities for the library to reach out to such people and offer resources for job hunting, developing skills, and resume writing. Another opportunity can be found in the rapidly changing world of computers and the Internet; patrons may need assistance and workshops to keep current with trends and develop information literacy skills. Also, as education shifts to Common Core State Standards, the public library could offer opportunities to help teachers with this change. In the OPAC, they could label books according to the new lexile/grade-level change.

Threats:

Reduced state and city budgets always threaten library funding including services to the public and collection development. While the library currently has favor and is supported by local government, in the wake of current economic difficulties, public attitudes regarding the library’s importance may wane, thus threatening public support and becoming apparent on ballot measures. In fact, one proposition in this past election (November, 2012), was about reducing funding for public services such as libraries. Furthermore, existing competition such as the large Barnes & Noble bookstores in local entertainment areas and people’s increasing interest in e-readers may draw patrons away from the library. Similarly, people’s increased reliance on Internet search engines such as Google may decrease patron’s use of the library, especially the reference area.

Data Analysis and California Distinguished School

Congratulations to my school! We have been given the opportunity to apply for California Distinguished School for the second time! This is what the website states: “Honors some of California's most exemplary and inspiring public schools. Schools selected for the Distinguished School Award demonstrate significant gains in narrowing the achievement gap.” (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/)

Of course, I have to be involved in the writing of the application! I’m so excited! I am working with my principal and two other colleagues. Our district is so supportive that they are even providing us with substitutes for 3 days to write the application. It’s due on December 10^th! We were notified on November 8^th!

Already, my colleagues and I met at a local restaurant on the day after Thanksgiving to brainstorm and create an outline. Today, all four of us met to discuss our next plan of attack. We chose our three days to be out of the classroom. We reread the requirements and made a list of the data we need to collect. The application requires both quantitative and qualitative data to provide evidence of narrowing the achievement gap through our programs.

The quantitative data we are focusing on are the reports we create every year that shows demographic data, the reports that show discipline data and attendance data, the GPA data, the free and reduced school lunch data, the frequency of online gradebook logins from students and parents, and sports and extracurricular attendance data. We are also looking at the class sizes and number of classes we have for ELD as well as the rates of EL reclassification.

I think we need to spend some more time thinking about the kind of qualitative data we collect. Today, I interviewed the teacher in charge of Homework Club to gather some data. I would like to see some kind of student survey or questionnaire, but I don’t know if we have enough time to do that. Perhaps we could work in some classroom observations.

Relating back to this course, the reason we have so many great programs supporting student learning is because we have studied our data to identify students’ needs and have adjusted our curriculum and school focus to make our school a great place for kids. I am glad we are being recognized for that, and I am honored to be part of the writing team!

OBPE

OBPE stands for outcome-based planning and evaluation. When I first began reading this book, I thought, “Backwards planning!” One of the ways I design curricular units and lesson plans in my 8^th grade English classroom is by backwards planning. I start with a goal I have for my students. That would be the outcome. All my planning, then, is structured to lead to that goal or outcome. Along the way, I evaluate whether I am meeting my needs, my students’ needs, and whether the path I’m on will truly accomplish the goal. For example, perhaps, based on some formative assessment strategy, I find that students are struggling with a certain aspect of the topic. I cannot just continue on that path; I need to rethink and restructure the activities in which I have them engage.

The authors of Dynamic Youth Services through Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation (Dresang, Gross, & Edmonds Holt, 2006) emphasize how planning and evaluation are inseparable functions. I agree. We cannot plan for future outcomes without evaluating what is occurring currently. On page 117, they describe formative evaluation: “Instant evaluation is one kind of formative evaluation. It can shape and form the planning process even when it is still under way…so evaluation is embedded throughout the process and can modify any part of the process as it occurs.” Again, this is exactly what I would do with what teachers call “formative assessment.” When we gather data through formative assessment, we can modify or adjust what is being taught and how it is being taught in order to achieve the goal. It is a way of ensuring that students’ needs are being met without waiting until it is too late.

On the other hand, summative evaluations occur at the end of something. It is important for comparing data to that gathered at the beginning of the process and it provides data about the extent to which the desired outcomes have been reached (118). In my classroom case, we gather summative data in the form of benchmark exams. The results of this assessment provide our departments with how well the students have learned the material.

In the past, there was a lot of time devoted to analyzing the data of the benchmarks. The thought was we would go back and review or reteach the material with which the students struggled. As you can imagine, this didn’t always work. In fact, it rarely worked. Recently, while we still administer the benchmarks, less emphasis has been placed on the actual data and more emphasis has been placed on identifying the needs for future situations as well as developing lessons and activities that might help lessen the gap.

Therefore, it is important to engage in both formative and summative evaluations. Their purposes are slightly different, but they provide data important to stakeholders and affect change.

Update on the UCI Pathways Project

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the second all-day workshop for this project due to my bereavement leave. However, my friend and colleague gave me an update, and there are two issues that greatly concern me.

First, people realized that there is an entire school in our district not participating! I will call that school, “C.” Will this intentional lack of participation affect the project’s research? Why is school C not participating? Well, according to those who know, the principal there, Dr. BC, has written a book about how to teach with the new Common Core State Standards. Ok, I have more issues with this. Dr. BC is a bully who has made it clear that he does not like his English teachers to teach with novels. Pause here to reflect on that…Also, when we compare his school’s rate of students passing AP exams to other schools in our district, more students pass the AP exams in other schools relatively to the students in school C. There are more students in Honors classes and AP classes in school C than other schools, but by percentage, other schools have higher rates of passing those exams. Does he think his school, teachers, and students would not benefit from this project? Furthermore, while the project does have a strong Common Core component, it isn’t the absolute primary focus. So, to exclude his teachers from the project because he has written a book about teaching with Common Core doesn’t make any sense. Also, teachers who are part of this project are gaining so many good ideas (so many that I cannot even begin to explain it), and these are strategies we are currently practicing in our classrooms. But those C teachers have no idea. Does Dr. BC believe his teachers are going to have better practice and strategies by reading his book? Isn’t that hypocritical? Students learn by doing, by being actively engaged. As teachers, we are the students in this project and we are learning by doing, not learning by reading a book. Anyway, the ultimate gatekeeper here, Dr. BC, is keeping the gate locked.

Second, there are teachers who are complaining about doing what the university professors are telling us to do in our classrooms! What?! We signed agreements! We consented! There can be no complaining or refusal. We are to do exactly what they tell us to do. The issue is a lesson plan they gave us in October. It is to introduce the Reader and Writer’s Toolkit through reading the short story by Avi, “What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything?” It’s a great story, but to read through the story and stop at every stopping point to teach the reader/writer tool takes a very long time. I know, because I have done what I was told to do, and I’m not even finished with it. And that’s ok, but there are teachers who are refusing to do it because it doesn’t fit in with their curriculum at this time. Ok, well then, make it fit. Besides, these tools/strategies we are learning how to use fit every reading situation at any time and can only benefit students from here on out.

I’m just really disappointed with my district. Here we have this amazing opportunity to learn new strategies and be part of this project, but an entire school is not participating and teachers are complaining. My friend said the university professor had to strongly remind the teachers that they are part of this project and they need to do the lessons provided them. Imagine being admonished like that! I’m embarrassed.

Thinking about my Final Project

In preparation for my Final Project, I have chosen to do Option A, which is a research proposal. I am not doing Option B because I think that would be much more difficult to accomplish considering I am not directly involved with a library at this time. I also think Option A fits the research I conducted for my Literature Review better, and I can summarize my findings for the Literature Review component. When I was doing the Literature Review and reading so many research studies and reports, I kept thinking of ideas how I would do my own research.

When I consider the significance of my research to the field, I think that if I actually conducted this research, it would be a really good study. It would be a study I would want to read if I were researching. Why is this research important? iPads are such a new component to using technology in the classroom and we, as educators (teachers and librarians), need to identify how to use them to their highest potential. As a classroom teacher, I don’t want to just hand my students an iPad and play drill and kill games. Furthermore, as we transition into Common Core Standards, this is a great moment in education to really get a handle on how we can use it.

My plan for data collection and analysis—well, I’m leaning toward qualitative methods, but perhaps a mixed method approach would work best. I know my school administration loves hard data in the form of numbers, so having a quantitative aspect would be powerful. Therefore, I think I’ll have some kind of pre- and post- test or assessment, a survey, observations, and interviews.

My participants would be my students. I know that creates other certain issues, but that is who I have to work with.

Advocacy and Participatory Worldview

Creswell (2009) on page 9, describes this wordview: “An advocacy/participatory worldview holds that research inquiry needs to be intertwined with politics and a political agenda. Thus, the research contains an action agenda for reform that may change the lives of the participants, the institutions in which individuals work or live, and the researcher’s life. Moreover, specific issues need to be addressed that speak to important social issues of the day, issues such as empowerment, inequality, oppression, domination, suppression, and alienation.”

I would position myself with this worldview. When I read about the social constructivist worldview, I thought I would position myself with that one, since “social constructivists hold assumptions that individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work” and “the researcher’s intent is to make sense of (or interpret) the meanings others have about the world” (8). However, after reading further, I think there needs to be more of a reason why one would do research. For me, I want the research to contribute to something more than understanding, and the advocacy/participatory worldview is just that.

In my case, the action agenda for reform involves kids. I am a teacher, and I am always interested in anything to do with kids and learning, especially my age group, which is middle school. I feel like there is so much out there about the elementary age group and not as much concerning middle school kids. So, while the social constructivist worldview would seek to understand middle school kids in education, the advocacy/participatory worldview would seek to understand that age group in education AND advocate for changes within the system of institutionalized education.

Reflecting on my Literature Review

As I worked on my Literature Review, I realized I had to adjust my research question a little bit. Originally, I wanted to research how or why iPads were so beneficial, educationally, to students in grades k-12. However, iPad technology is so new to education, that it became evident that studies exploring the benefits of iPads in classrooms were not as prevalent as I had hoped. Perhaps that is one of those gaps in research someone can tackle. Anyway, after hours of research, I became more focused on what factors about using iPads in the classroom were fostering the best learning experiences for students. So my new research question changed accordingly:

What are the Factors that Contribute to Positive Outcomes and the Most Benefits to Students?

I used the phrase “positive outcomes” to describe increased student motivation; increased confidence; increased academic achievement; and positive attitudes toward technology, education, and collaborative work. These are positive outcomes that influence the students’ success in school, and I feel iPads contribute to all of them.

Still, because iPads are so new and using them in classrooms is so new, I felt it necessary to expand my research to include all mobile technology such as laptop computers, mobile or cellular phones, smart phones, PDA’s, and iPods. I did that because these are all the tools that lead up to the iPads, and they are tools used frequently in schools. If there are successes with these tools, then it is easy to generalize these successes to that of the iPads.

There is so much more to research, though. For example, what about when students in a school don’t all have access to iPads all the time? What if their school has a minimal number of iPads? How do teachers deal with classroom management? How do teachers successfully implement the technology into the curriculum? How can iPads impact the new curriculum changes coming with Common Core?

The research studies I found seemed to mostly be studies done with mixed methods strategies. For example, I was drawn to those studies, which included not only quantitative research strategies resulting in concrete numbers showing gains in student achievement, but also qualitative strategies which included observations and interviews. I think the mixed methods strategies really painted a good picture of student achievement in a way that cold numbers of quantitative research cannot. Ha! That is my problem with the current method of assessing student achievement with STAR tests and API scores.

Working on my Literature Review

I'm thinking about how to group my research...

It's about using iPads (and other tablets, but my focus is on iPads in k-12 schools)...

Student Needs and Success
Teacher/Educator Needs and Success
What to Avoid
Management and Implementation

There seems to be quite a bit of research that supports these ideas. I think I should include what to avoid, even though I want to focus on what to do. The topics above would be topics I, as a teacher, would want to know as much information as possible about. I'm thinking about this research with a very personal, relative perspective.

Crewsell Chapter 2 was very helpful

AKA: Trying to figure out my research question.

This chapter helped me understand the research processs. I could envision it and how it relates to my topic. A topic, according to Creswell, is “the subject or subject matter of a proposed study” (23). He recommends to describe the topic in a few words or a short phrase and it becomes the “central idea to learn about or to explore” (23). Therefore, my topic is iPads in the classroom.

I want to talk about the idea of exploring. I think I get caught up in the assumption that a research study must prove something or be the final word on a topic. However, I do not need to be so black and white about research. There can be many right answers, not just one. When one explores a topic, there might not even be an answer. Rather, the researcher makes meaning from the data.

I am focusing on iPads, even though there are other technological devices out there such as different tablet computers and laptop computers. With this in mind, I might need to broaden my topic to encompass such technological devices and not focus just on iPads. Furthermore, this technology is so new that the literature available would probably not focus on iPads.

I also appreciate the helpful hint of drafting a brief title to the study (23). In my case, my title could be “Use of iPads in the Classroom.”

Another way is to try completing this sentence: “My study is about…” In that case, my title still works. Creswell offers, “Another strategy for topic development is to pose the topic as a brief question” (24). Using this strategy, my topic might be “What are the best uses of iPads in the classroom?”

Researchers can also ask how this project contributes to the literature already out there about our topic. That leads me to the literature review. Where does it go in a qualitative study? Creswell offers three possibilities: in the introduction to the study, in a separate section as a review of the literature, and at the end as a basis for comparing and contrasting findings (27). In my idea for my research, I envision the literature review’s placement as at the end so I could compare and contrast my data and analysis with other research. This makes the most sense to me.

The Steps in Conducting a Literature Review section was helpful. It also explains why I can spend hours searching countless numbers of articles only to narrow them down to a significantly lower number of usable items. The design map on page 35 is brilliant! I’ve used my own method of organization with notes at the top and sticky notes, but having a map like that is something I want to try. It could show my research’s place in the overall literature available regarding my topic. It could answer the question of how my project contributes to already-existing literature.

Finally, the steps for writing an abstract on page 36 were invaluable. Without that list, I couldn’t have written my own abstracts.

Notes About and Connections to Creswell Chapter 1

• Three types of research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.
• Research design: the plan or proposal to conduct research (is this proposal term the same as the proposal that is my final project?)
• Worldview: basic set of beliefs that guide action (epistemologies, ontologies, broadly conceived research methodologies)
• Four worldviews: postpositivists, social constructivist, advocacy/participatory, pragmatic
• Strategies of inquiry: types of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs or models that provide specific direction for procedures in a research design (approaches to inquiry, research methodologies)
• Quantitative strategies: survey research, experimental research
• Qualitative strategies: ethnography, grounded theory, case studies, phenomenological research, narrative research
• Mixed Methods strategies: sequential mixed methods, concurrent mixed methods, transformative mixed methods

Upon reviewing the different worldviews, I think I lean more toward the social constructivist worldview. This makes sense to me because I have degrees in both English and American Studies. Social constructivists “hold assumptions that individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work” and “The researcher’s intent is to make sense of (or interpret) the meanings others have about the world. Rather than starting with a theory (as in postpostivism), inquirers generate or inductively develop a theory or pattern of meaning” (8). Creswell states that this worldview is “typically seen as an approach to qualitative research” (8). Furthermore, Creswell states, “Qualitative research is exploratory and is useful when the researcher does not know the important variables to examine” (18). Therefore, I believe I am more interested in the qualitative design of research and have a constructivist worldview; I want to observe and interview my subjects during my research in order to make meaning of what I observe.

*The following comment has been added after the original note. Now that I have spent a few weeks finding research articles and forming a research question, I am even more convinced that my worldview is that of social constructivist.

Creswell Chapter 10: Notes, Thoughts, and Connections

We haven’t read Chapter 5 yet, so when I read this line, “It also extends the discussion about research problems that incorporate the need both to explore and explain” (203), I wondered if research could be conducted just to explore or to explain, or if it always consists of both exploring and explaining.

Aspects that influence the design are timing, weighting, mixing, and theorizing. It seems to me that weighting would allow researchers to interpret data in a way that might show bias. Researchers are not supposed to do that, but in education, it seems that for many studies that show one result, there is another study that shows the opposite result. For example, at my school (I teach 8^th grade English), we have Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). There are studies that show SSR is a great addition to the students’ day and studies that show it is not. Of course, there are many factors regarding this issue, but when administration is focused on data, we have to be careful which studies are being cited.

After reading Chapter 10, I can safely say that I do not want to do a mixed methods study. I do not have enough time, nor do I have enough resources.

Having said that, I believe the study I am currently involved in with UCI (the Pathways Grant), is a mixed methods study. First, we are administering a pre- and post-assessment. The pretest is a written assignment and a survey, which are administered over a period of 2 days. They recommended to not give the writing test and survey on consecutive days, but to give them close together. That test is in October. Then, in May, students will take the posttest, which, I am assuming, will be two similar tasks. The goal is to measure growth in Pathways classes (the experimental group) and growth in the control classes. These assessments will give them their quantitative data. They will also visit and observe classes, which will give them qualitative data. I am also being assessed as I took the initial survey on Wednesday.

It seemed that the Introduction Kick-Off Day on Wednesday for the Pathways Project was like a research proposal. They cited us other case studies and explained what they were going to do with us. They showed us results of similar projects. They explained to us the methods of data collection.

I am proud to be part of this study and I cannot wait to begin implementing the program in my classroom. I have to use my period with the greatest number of English Language learners (EL’s) as my Pathways class. However, because the writing program is so phenomenal and better than anything I could have come up with on my own, I am going to use it with all my classes. It’s just that I will have one class for the grant project’s data collection and analysis.

It’s top secret, too. I cannot tell anyone anything about it, including my principal. I feel, though, that my involvement will give me a leg up on everyone else in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. I also get a stipend and $500 to spend on books for my classroom library!

Thoughts on Creswell Chapter 9

As I was reading this chapter, I kept wondering if my research would take on a more qualitative approach rather than a quantitative or a mixed methods approach, which would combine both. I think about whom my audience would be, and in my mind, my audience is my school, my administrators, and my peers. Perhaps, the district would be my audience too. Crewsell states, “If there is some question about their knowledge, present the basic characteristics of qualitative research in the proposal and possibly discuss a recent qualitative research journal article (or study) to use as an example to illustrate the characteristics” (174). This type of statement would be good to help prove the credibility of the study and the results to my data-driven principal.

Some characteristics of qualitative research I can see incorporating into my inquiry include collecting data in a natural setting and gathering multiple forms of data (175). The natural setting of my classroom would provide the participants (the students) and the multiple forms of data would include interviews and observations. I would observe their working with the iPads and I would interview them before, during, and after the study.

I need to go back to Chapter 1 to choose the strategy of inquiry: narrative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, or grounded theory. Alas, I am so new to actually thinking about research in this way that I am still getting my footing and finding my balance!

Since I’d conduct research at my school with my students, this qualifies as “backyard” research, and I would have to be careful not to be biased.

Then, I worry about gatekeepers. Am I the gatekeeper because I am their teacher? Do I have to acquire permission from my principal or the students’ parents?

The section in the chapter concerning observational protocol made me think of my use of Cornell notes with my students. On the left, students write the term or concept and on the right, they write the definition, examples, descriptions, etc.

While reading about the stages of data analysis and interpretation, I especially recall noticing certain elements of these stages in research reports I have read so far for my abstracts. For example, Stage 6 involves making an interpretation. Creswell cites Wolcott (1994): “One way ethnographers can end a study…is to ask further questions. The questioning approach is also used in advocacy and participatory approaches to qualitative research” (190). Many of the reports I read concluded with the researchers asking questions for further study and inquiry or the implications of the study. In fact, I have highlighted a few of these questions because I might want to adapt them for my own research question. That way, my research idea would add to the current research about the topic by theoretically filling a gap.

Another aspect of the chapter that I am curious about is mentioned in the qualitative write-up section. Creswell recommends to use metaphors and analogies. I hadn’t thought of this before, but it makes sense. A metaphor or an analogy might clarify terms or data that the reader might otherwise not understand by comparing it in ways familiar to the reader.

In conclusion, the research I want to do is appearing qualitative rather than quantitative. However, I still need to narrow down my ideas and gain a concrete understanding of exactly what my question is!

List of Keywords and Search Terms

For later…

Electronic book readers

Libraries & teenagers

Teenagers—books & reading

Electronic books

Teenagers—attitudes

Young adult services librarians

Nook (Electronic book reader)

Kindle (Electronic book reader)

Education & iPads

Education & technology

Students & technology

Technology & classroom

Disclaimer...

I have not been posting to my blog because I am trying to write my journal entries first in Word, so I have quite a few lined up. I wasn't so sure I wanted my Research Journal to be a blog at first, but I have decided to keep it up.

This task seems quite open-ended and while that leaves me with much freedom, it also creates some stress. Am I doing this correctly? Or is doing this correctly not the point? Perhaps there is not one, single correct way. And isn't that what part of research is? To explore? To make mistakes and learn from them?

I am part of a research study!

I am very excited about a new development in my district. Once again, we are involved in the UCI Writing Project. Our district has worked closely with the University of California, Irvine, for many years on various writing projects. In these situations, experts in Language Arts and especially in the writing aspect of teaching English help teachers in our district learn best practices to implement in our classrooms.

However, this time, it’s different. This time, they are using the UCI Writing Project as a case study. The subjects are us, the teachers, and our students. There will be both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of the UCI Writing Project on student achievement and meeting Common Core standards.

Here’s how it works. This is a two-year grant project. Four teachers from each school volunteered or were chosen. In my school’s case, we volunteered. The teachers are paired with another teacher in the same grade level. One teacher is the test group and the other is the control group. The test group is not allowed to tell the control group what they are doing. This will be extremely difficult for me because my department chair and I are very close, we work very closely together, and we have always done new projects like this together. Alas, I am not paired with her. She is part of the control group and I am part of the test group.

The test group is provided extra training and a stipend to spend on literature for our classrooms. The literature collection will be focused on meeting Common Core standards.

Our first day is this Wednesday, September 26, in Costa Mesa. It’s an all day overview to get us started. In all, we will have six pull-out days and six after-school meetings. I do not know anything other than that, but stay tuned!

They’re providing lunch, too. Yay!

The First Post: You Have to Start Somewhere

Hello! I will be using this blog format as my research journal. It's been awhile since I created a blog, and they've changed some things here on Blogger, but I remain hopeful that the learning curve will be small. We shall see.

Thank you for joining me on my journey through learning about research.