Application 7: Evaluating Research Methods

My task is to take a look at four scenarios and decide what type of research method would work for best for each.


Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

Qualitative research methods would work best for this type of research study. Qualitative research is where "researchers collect data in face-to-face situations by interacting with selected persons in their settings" (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 135). The interview will allow researchers to take a close look at the participants to discover the underlying issues of peer mediation. I believe that this type of research is best for this study because the goal of qualitative research is to understand social phenomena "by analyzing the many contexts of the participants and by narrating participants' meanings for these situations and events" (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 135).

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics-age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

To study the two groups of 30 students, quantitative methods could be used. The variable of the study would be if participants received peer mediation training or not. A simple random sampling could be used. This is used when there a small population to draw from and "subjects are selected from the population so that all members have the same probability of being chosen" (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 104). The number of office referrals would be able to be analyzed. The only thing that worries me is the reliability of the study. Because this is a relatively small sample, I am not sure if the test will yield the same results each time it is repeated.

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

As Dr. Canipe stated, action research methods can be used to help produce immediate solutions to problems in the educational field (Laureate Inc., 2008). Action research methods are used by teachers, administrators, faculty, or counselors as a "systematic approach to help professionals change practice, usually a collaborative model that includes several individuals" (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008). Although either quantitative or qualitative methods can be used inside the action research study, I believe that this particular problem would call for a qualitative approach. For data collection, the counselor may want to take an experiencing approach, which usually includes observation of variables.

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known - either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post- tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

This study looks at both qualitative data and quantitative data. Therefore, I believe a mixed method approach should be used. "By combining quantitative data with qualitative data, a more complete understanding" (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 161) of the information can be obtained. The qualitative aspects of this study are the follow-up interviews that will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis. The quantitative pieces of the study are the pre- and post- tests given to the students. After the quantitative data is analyzed, the qualitative data can be added to get a more complete picture of the feelings of the students involved in peer mediation.


Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Additional Research Methods [Motion Picture]. Introduction to educational research. Baltimore: Author.

McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry. (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson.

Research Questions-Revised

After much thought, I am still a bit perplexed about my questions. I have revised and added a few questions based on greatly appreciated comments!

Here is my revised problem statement:
I plan to determine if the use of interactive white boards increases engagement, as assessed and reported by the teacher, for elementary school students.

Who: elementary school students
What: usage of interactive white boards
Why: impact...to increase engagement

My questions are as follows:
1. Is there increased pupil motivation when lessons are presented on an interactive white board versus text?
2. Do students have increased enjoyment in learning when lessons are presented on an interactive white board?
3. Do students participate more actively when material is presented on an interactive white board?
4. Is the use of interactive white boards done teacher centered or student centered?
5. Does the use of the interactive white boards change the amount of cooperative or collaborative work being done in the classroom?

Here is my question. Because much of this is qualitative, should I narrow the "who" down to first grade students at my school site? Is that too narrow of a focus? In addition to this, I'm wondering if I should look at all students or specifically students with diagnosed ADD? (This is just of interest to me because my son has ADD.)

Thank you for your input!
Amy

Revised Problem and Questions

Here is my revised problem statement:
I plan to determine if the use of interactive white boards increases engagement, as assessed and reported by the teacher, for elementary school students.

Who: elementary school students
What: usage of interactive white boards
Why: impact...to increase engagement

My questions are as follows:
1. Is there increased pupil motivation when lessons are presented on an interactive white board versus text?
2. Do students have increased enjoyment in learning when lessons are presented on an interactive white board?
3. Do students participate more actively when material is presented on an interactive white board?

I'm still not completely sure of all of this, so any suggestions are always greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Amy

My Problem Statement

For my next class, I am planning on conducting research on a topic that in the last year, with the introduction of higher technology into my classroom, has become of great interest to me. I recently have started integrating the use of my new interactive white board more regularly in my lessons. I personally have seen a change in my own first grade students and I am eager to see if using this new technology truly increases student engagement for other elementary school students as well.

Here is my problem statement:
I plan to determine if the use of interactive white boards increases engagement for elementary school students.

Who: elementary school students
What: usage of interactive white boards
Why: impact...to increase engagement

I am still in the process of trying to find research appropriate to this topic. I may have to be more specific in my grade level, instead of the broader range of "elementary school students". Also, I planned on an "overall" look of subjects instead of just one subject, however I welcome any suggestions since this is new for me!

Amy

Reflection For Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction

As I reflect on the past eight weeks and all that I have come to learn, I have found that it is not so much that my personal learning theory that has changed, but that the way in which I ulitize those theories has changed. I have always gone to great lengths to identify the various learning modalities of my students. From my personal school experience, my own childrens' learning experience, and that of my students, I now more than ever, realize the importance in using a combination of the theories presented to effectively reach each and every child in my class. I will continue to use the Constructionist and Social Learning Theories, because it is evident that children learn better through collaboration and being actively engaged in their own learning process.

Two technology tools that I am very excited to use in my classroom are VoiceThreads and Virtual Field Trips. Being a first grade teacher, it is sometimes difficult to have students blog because of their lack of keyboarding skills and blog sites being blocked at my school, (although I am trying to have students do this from home using one or two sentences). VoiceThreads is something that I knew right away that I could implement. I am eager to have my students break up into small cooperative groups and present standards-based information using their own creativity. The other tool that I am using is Virtual Field Trips. I have written before about how I, myself, am a visual learner. Virtual Field Trips enable the child who can't get an image in their mind just from reading words on a page. These "trips" appeal to all of the senses, making learning more optimal. I am still amazed at how these tools, among others, will change the way in which I teach, as well as, the way in which my students learn.

When I think about my long term goals, I become a little overwhelmed because there are so many. But, as I have learned, I need to begin slowly. I have learned that I need to essentially work backwards. I will first look at my goal(s) and then identify which technology tool(s) best suites my needs. Using technology just for the sake of using it, isn't necessary or good practice. My second goal is to allow my students be more in control of the way in which they are learning their material. I need to step back and be more of the learning facilitator. Once I have introduced my students to these various technology tools, they will be able to tell me which tool THEY would like to utilize in learning or presenting, instead of me telling them. In order to make this a smooth transaction, I, myself, need to become more comfortable in using the technology that is at hand. In essence, it is important for me to continue to step out of my comfort zone and into the 21st century of technology! It is a time for me to bid farewell to so much pencil and paper work, and say hello to all of the amazing technology we have at our fingertips.

Amy Arsenault

Social Learning and Technology

I have always believed that the best way a child truly learns is through "doing". As a first grade teacher, I have gone to great lengths to provide my students with numerous opportunities to actively engage in the learning process. I allow for cooperative learning groups and present problem-based activities as much as possible. The problem that I have with this, however, is simply a lack of time as well as pressure from my administration to raise test scores. I do the best that I can to include projects that pertain to my students' "real lives" as well encourage more critical thinking, but I have to admit that when test scores come out I get a little nervous. Did my students do as well as the others? Did I spend enough time on the "basics"? At times I feel as though I'm walking a very long tightrope.

Tonight, before doing "my homework", I was helping my son with a book report on Wayne Gretzky. (My son thinks he should be President!) As we were printing up pictures and information from various websites and glueing them to a poster board, I was thinking about how amazing using a VoiceThread would be instead of a written (boring) report. When my son saw me doing mine, he was excited to do his own. (Keep in mind, this is a ten year old boy who hates homework!) He wanted to learn how to do everything I was doing. My mind shifted to the possibility of him showing small groups of students from his class how to do this and them deciding together on a project topic. What great peer tutoring! I am also going to use this in my first grade class by taking pictures of my students acting out a story and then having them tell the story on a VoiceThread. They will absolutely love this! In addition to this, I have just recently started my own class website where projects such as this and blogging are available to my students. Although my steps are small, I feel extremely excited to implement as much of the social learning practices along with technology as possible. Now, if they would just stop pressuring me about test scores.....

Amy Arsenault

My VoiceThread

Here is my VoiceThread URL:

http://voicethread.com/share/657467/

It is a look at the problem of bullying that is occuring in our schools today.

Constructionist Learning

Reading all that I have for this course, I have truly been able to self-reflect on my personal teaching theories and how they impact my students. I now realize that having my students take an active role in their learning is of the utmost importance. I would be doing my students a disservice by simply standing in front of them and teaching with lecture, pencil, and paper. Times have changed and so must my strategies.

Having said this, I have not fully embraced the constructionist learning theory within my teaching. I am happy to say that the classes I have taken at Walden have opened my mind to things that I never thought possible for my first graders. I am excited about teaching again!

This year has brought the idea of implementing the use of the internet and my new flip camera to our science unit on Weather. My students will be able to access the computers in our classroom to find a city of interest for them. (Prior to this, I assigned cities randomly.) Once they find one, they will begin to track the weather for that city. (Excitingly enough, it could even be a city in another country!) I can then show my students how to make a line graph in Word that they can personalize to their liking. Imagine the possibilities of my students finding interesting pictures that they could cut and paste to their project. As a culminating activity, students could dress up and give weather reports to be captured by my flip camera and posted on our class website. Although we have just begun this unit of study this week, I am more than excited to start this project! I am hopeful that my students will find this more engaging than just reading about weather as well as also opening other avenues of interest for them. If I am excited just thinking about it, I believe that my students will be even more excited about actually doing it!

Cognitive Learning

I vividly remember sitting in my second grade class and listening to my teacher read to us about the Statue of Liberty. There was one picture in our textbook, but that was about all. I just couldn't picture in my mind the boats that came through Ellis Island and what all of the people on board looked like. I found myself wandering away from my teacher's words and thinking about something else. As I have been reading about cognitive learning, I have come to realize even more how important it is to make those links or connections through as many avenues as possible. Last year, as I was teaching my own class about the Statue of Liberty, I remembered my experience and how I struggled to remember anything that my teacher had taught me. I could see that I was loosing my students also. To keep that from happening, I logged onto scholastic.com and found a wonderful virtual tour showing the actual boats pulling in and people getting off and stepping into their new life. It's amazing to see the women's dresses and scarves, along with the men in their best suits and hats. Showing this has made an immediate connection with my students and led us into a discussion comparing and contrasting people of today and yesteryear. It was far from the lesson I was taught!

I think as teachers we all recognize the importance of such tools as concept mapping and virtual tours and field trips (just to name a few), and making those connections to make learning more meaningful. I have found that bringing learning to "life" leads even my young learners into deeper discussions and gives them a greater understanding of that which we are studying.

Amy

Behaviorism and Technology

In my thirteen years of teaching I have learned and tried different theories. It sometimes seems as though these theories are "here today, gone tomorrow". The one theory that I have always kept in my classroom, if even just a bit, is Behaviorism. Although I strive to show how important effort is to my first graders, they just don't understand it. Unless there is a reward for positive behaviors or a consequence for inappropriate behaviors, they see little reason to put forth their best efforts on a continual basis. Now, of course, this is not true for all students. I am speaking generally. It is my hope that as my students mature and see how rewarding putting forth their best will be, they will realize the true importance of effort.

I use Behaviorism in various ways within my classroom. We have a clip chart whereby students can move their clip up for desired behaviors or down for undesired behaviors. If they reach a certain point on the chart, they are rewarded with a Super Hawk note. After receiving ten Super Hawks, they are able to brag with the principal about their achievements. This has worked tremendously since all students love to see the principal for something positive. We also have Super Hawk forms that one child can fill out for another telling about a good deed that another student has done. After a while, students seem to forget about receiving a Super Hawk for everything, and just do it for the intrinsic reward.

In the area of academics, our school uses a Reading Counts program where students read a book each night and take a comprehension test on that specific book the next day. The students earn points and prizes each month for reaching a certain level. It is amazing to watch the faces of the children light up when they receive their prizes and are recognized by the administrator. If a student didn't reach the level needed one month, they are sure to reach it the next. The test that is taken is on the computer. Not only have my students' comprehension skills gone up, but so have their keyboarding skills. This has been possible through repetition and the students love it.
Another area where I use the Behaviorist approach is in memorizing math facts. It is part of our curriculum to have first graders memorize their math facts through twenty. Instead of the old flashcard way, we now use websites such as aaamath.com. I looked through the aplusmath.com site and it looked similar to the one I usually use. I do like the way that aaamath.com offers timed tests, which is what we do in first grade. I also like the way the level can be changed to match the competency level of the child. Another website that I use is spellingcity.com. Again, this site utilizes a more behavioral approach in that students earn points through their correct answers. However, it also allows students to do more than just spelling, such as word sorts and word finds.

In looking at some of the other websites, I have found that many of them are too difficult for my young students. As I pointed out earlier, my students are not able to track their own behavior with a computer program, but they are able to do something similar with the clip chart. The technology that is available for them is mostly game type, however, it has been very beneficial for me to use technology to show parents where their child stands academically. Somehow seeing a graph showing growth (or no growth) is very eye-opening!

Amy

Week 8 Reflection

Eight weeks ago I began this class knowing about and using only a very few of the technology tools that can be utilized in the classroom. I was more teacher-centered in my daily activities and did not fully realize the importance of integrating technology into my lessons. In just a short time, I have learned how to blog, create podcasts, and wikis. I have recognized the importance in further developing my own technology skills, so that I can be a true 21st century educator. If someone had told me that in eight, short weeks I would begin not only to greatly expand my knowledge of technology, but also actually put this new knowledge to immediate use in my classroom, I am not sure I would have believed them. But, it is true and this has happened!

Perhaps one of the most important ideas that I will take from this course is the fact that I, myself, can never stop learning. In reading about the 21st century learning skills that are essential for our students to have, I recognize the fact that technology is everywhere in our future and it will become even more integrated in our daily lives as time moves forward. It is imperative for me as an educator to continue collaborating with colleagues, further my studies and training in this area, and above all, continually evaluate my teaching practices in hopes of increasing student achievement. In short, I will be the life-long learner!

My first goal in transforming my classroom environment is to set up a class website. This will enable me to use less paper, while still keeping parents up to date on all that is happening in our classroom. I hope to post pictures, use blogs, and even podcasts. Although it may take a while for my first graders and their parents to get used to this, I believe it will be beneficial to all. My second goal is to integrate the use of more technology in my lessons. Instead of technology being a free-time activity, it will become part of the learning process. This will require more collaborative efforts with my peers and time, but I feel strongly that technology can assist in reaching the various learning styles of my students. We now live in a time where people are used to having answers at their fingertips, exciting graphics, and multimedia. If I don't keep up, then not only will I suffer, but my students will also.

In conclusion, this class has renewed my excitement for teaching. It has opened a window into all that is truly necessary to prepare my students for a successful future. It has also shown me how technology does and will likely always play a tremendous role in our daily lives.

First Grade Podcast About Technology

This week I created a podcast about how first graders use technology both in the classroom and at home. I gave my class a questionaire and personally interviewed two students. It is truly surprising to hear what a big part technology plays in their lives at such a young age. I hope you enjoy it.

http://amyarsenault.podomatic.com/entry/2009-05-31T16_30_41-07_00

Evaluating 21st Century Skills
Over the past few days, I have been navigating through "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills" (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/). My first reaction to the website was one of overwhelming surprise. I couldn't believe that I had never heard of this organization before. My second reaction was simply being overwhelmed. There is so much information on the site. As I continued to read their mission statement, among other things, I thought to myself, "Well, of course. This is what true teaching and learning should be like. This is perfection at its best." Then that feeling of being overwhelmed came flooding back again. The thoughts of, "Am I doing these things? Am I bringing 21st century skills into education? Do I have a true vision of what it takes to ensure every child's success as citizens in workers in the 21 century?" Among many other things, just viewing this website made me stop and reevaluate MY mission.

While reading through the information given, I was surprised to see the various companies that are involved in this endeavor. It seems a true collaborative effort and partnership among educators, businesses, community and government leaders. Because of the diversity, they are able to offer a wide range of important tools and resources needed to help our students move forward and eventually successfully enter the 21st century workforce.

In pondering all that this website was about, one idea stood out to me. The passage read, "...schools must move beyond the focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects." This is done though the study of global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health literacy. Currently, my school's main focus IS on basic competency. It's all about raising test scores. Sadly, these other areas are not an area of primary focus. Also, the state of California is currently not a partner state of this program. I am wondering why this is so?

Overall, I feel like I strive to do much of what was discussed by this organization. I work hard to create an environment were learning is relevant and in real world 21 century context. Students participate as individuals, groups, and as team members. And although this is a start, this organization proves that there is so much more to be done. I feel that if I had acquired more of the skills that are discussed on this website throughout my school years, I would have been much more prepared for the "real world". It is evident that the gap is widening between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in the 21 century workplace and communities. The powerful vision that this organization has, in my opinion, is what should drive teachers like myself, to try even harder, in spite of the roadblocks that we may face.

Blogging in First Grade

This year our first grade team decided to post homework on a website offered by Scholastic, instead of printing homework packets. Then, we went a bit further and began posting weekly messages and pictures. This was an enormous success. Although is it almost the end of the year, I am anxious to take this to another level and introduce blogging. I would like my blog to be both a showcase for class pictures and work, announcements, and include an area for comments on a weekly topic given by me.

My first thought is to introduce this simply through posting a picture and having the students use adjectives to describe what they see. Our end of the year writing prompt has students describing an object using their five senses. This would be a wonderful way to allow students to both give and receive ideas that they may otherwise not have shared. It allows for the, "Ah-ha! I didn't think of that word." moments. Because my first graders would be participating with an adult at home, it may bring forth more discussion of the picture itself and therefore, more vocabulary. It could possibly also serve to enhance discussions at home that relate to our classroom topics. In order for this to be a successful experience, I would introduce this during my center time in small groups. Utilizing my parent helpers, I would have the students complete one blog while with the parent, incase any problems arise. After the students felt comfortable and the expectations were set, they would then be allowed to blog from home. Of course, safety guidelines would be established prior to beginning. For example, the students would only use initials on their postings and content would be monitored by me.

Another idea I have is to relate the blog to our literature story for the week and focus on one of the skills from our text. Perhaps one week the blog would be to describe the plot of the story or a favorite character. Perhaps the next week would be to describe the main idea. As we got further along, children may want to post links to books with similar themes. There are days at school where we just don't have the time to carry a discussion any further-blogging would allow for that.

Due to the fact that first graders are so young, it will be extremely important to communicate with parents about the safety rules and expectations for the blog. However, I believe it will be very well received because it truly has the capability to enhance learning.