TARGETED QUESTIONING
REFLECTION
IMPACT
Student Learning
Throughout my action research, both my students and myself were impacted greatly. Due to the restructuring of my teaching practices, I worked to differentiate instruction based on the students' level of understanding of the content. Students who successfully understood the content were asked higher level thinking questions without having them feel as though they were just completing more work. The High Ability Learners in my class could be challenged with questions to push them to think deeper about the content, where they were not being as challenged as they could have been prior to the research. I was able to reach the lower level learners by strategically choosing questions that did not frustrate them, but pushed them to higher expectations. Each student had more individualized attention to their appropriate level of learning. The relationship between the students and myself increased because they received immediate positive feedback on their performance. When I was reading with my students as a whole group, it was difficult to ensure each student was receiving effective feedback. However, after conducting the research and making the learning more individualized, I could see each student for where they truly were in comparison to where they started due to the data that I collected.
Current Teaching
My independent teaching style changed due to the action research I conducted. Throughout my study, I researched best practices to implement in the classroom. I knew that I wanted to change the way that I was conducting my teaching and the structure for my students, so I compared the best practices to see what best met the needs of my students. With the opportunity to think about how I teach, I thought about the way that it affected my students' ability to learn in each subject. I saw where a change was necessary, and I made it. Conducting action research also allowed me to analyze myself as a teacher and identify what needed improvement in my classroom and my teaching. It is important to acknowledge the strengths of my teaching and what is working for the students in comparison to what I need to change for the students' success rate. While conducting research, I found that implementing students interests in the choices I make can also help change students’ mindsets about learning. When students feel that their interests are being accounted for, they are more likely to engage with the material and remember it for future learning.
Professional Growth
One way I grew as a professional was collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to identify multiple perspectives and ideas in teaching. I had the opportunity to see the benefits of working with a variety of professionals to see what advice they could offer and choose what works best for the students in my classroom. Sometimes the best resources can be the colleagues around me. Teachers, instructional coaches, and the students themselves know what works best for them in the classroom. The only way to assist my growth is by listening to what they are saying and using my own knowledge as a teacher to implement strategies that fit my classroom environment. The willingness to attempt their strategies has shown me why I need to continue to actively use the resources that are available to me.
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LEARNED
By observing student and teacher growth, I have learned the importance of all parts of action research. For example, I can now see how to use data in the classroom to make the changes that are necessary for the students. The first step to identifying the need is by properly analyzing progress monitoring and assessment-based data. Although I was constantly assessing my students, I was not always making decisions based on the data. Now, I have learned the importance of keeping the data organized and referring back to it to reteach the necessary skills for the students to obtain as they learn. With this data, I know that having an intentional, well-designed plan needs to be established to properly achieve standards and goals. However, I still wonder how instructional and data-driven decisions affect the students in comparison to the natural growth of students, and how external factors play a role for the students? I also wonder the best ways to reach the students when they do not come to school. I can actively implement best teaching practices, but how can we reach the students that miss instructional time? Finally, I learned the importance of being flexible within a school atmosphere. During action research, not every day went as flawlessly as I had hoped, particularly with the number of snow days and days off. However, a vital lesson could be found within my experience and being prepared for each day, and what could potentially come with it. The dilemma of days also leaves me with wondering, what growth would have been found if the students would have had all five days of instruction each week?
Future Teaching
Changed or Modified
For future teaching and using the strategy of targeted questions, I know that I need to be as prepared for all subjects as I was for guided reading. When I came to the small group, I knew what I wanted to execute and the data that I was going to collect from each session. I also took into account how it would alter my instruction for guided reading the next day. However, I need to dedicate as much time to preplanning the instruction for all subjects and analyzing the practices used for the whole class. In a small group setting, I was able to see the need of the students and differentiate for each group. However, I will need to redesign my large group instruction to implement targeted questioning, along with other strategies, to benefit my students. I will always have diverse needs in the classroom, so I will need to constantly be planning ahead for all subjects in the future and take the opportunity to reteach the skills from subject to subject.
Future Thinking, Behaving and Interacting
Action research has inspired me to take full advantage of any opportunity to interact with students and collaborate with colleagues. My students showed me how precise feedback can alter their attitudes about a subject or skill, and I need to work to the best of my abilities to acknowledge their achievement. Along with feedback, I will integrate my students' interests and understandings as much as I can into my teaching. In order to be a culturally responsive teacher, I will make active decisions about the activities and books I use with my students to promote learning. Prior knowledge is crucial in order for students to engage with any part of the learning process. In order to help me make the best decisions of teaching practices, I will collaborate with the team of professionals around me, along with researching teaching practices, to determine how I can best meet the needs of my students.
Impact Future Teaching
Action research has become a part of my professional and decision-making process. In my future teaching, I will continue to research a topic that I see needs a change and make a plan on how to change it. Whether it is formative or summative assessments that I complete in the classroom, I will use the data to acknowledge what needs a change in my teaching. In order to see this need and plan accordingly, I will organize my data to get a clear understanding of each student and their needs. I will constantly be collecting data and evaluating my progress, along with the students’ progress, to depict whether the decision I have made is what is best for each student in my class. Each decision will be planned with the goals and standards in mind, but also analyzed on how it affects the students as individuals. Finally, I will continue to make culturally responsive teaching decisions with the students in mind each step of the way.