How am I preparing for data collection?

Well, I am researching student engagement, and it is very difficult to measure student engagement. So, I have been reading on ways to collect qualitative data. I hadn’t quite understood qualitative data collection and wanted to read more about it. I found a website that helped make it easier to understand. I am the type of person that has to read and reread to make sense of things. This site helped make things clearer to me. http://knowhownonprofit.org/how-to/how-to-collect-qualitative-data-the-easy-way There were links at the bottom of this article that explained how to run a focus group. After emailing Anne, I am planning to use a focus group, but wasn’t quite sure how to use one. I had thought that it was just a case study, but after reading about it, it is a way to gather information before starting the data collection.

I will be making a rubric for student engagement and show students how to place them on it (this will be done after I have defined it and discussed with my class what it looks like). I will also be making a survey about engagement that is kindergarten friendly.

Spring break in our district started today. I will have this whole next week to prepare my data collection, and then hopefully will be able to jump right in the next week.

Research proposal

Here’s my research proposal. Any comments or ideas that I may need to change? I hope this is what I am supposed to do…

Student Engagement Strategies to Improve Student Ownership in their Learning

Rational for the Research
I am currently teaching Kindergarten. My class consists of 11 girls and 14 boys. The majority of my class is Alaskan Native of Tsimshian decent. Most students are from lower-to-middle class income families. There are five students that I am mostly concerned about. In Kindergarten, I try to keep the lessons moving and as engaging as possible, but there are those five that still do not know their letters and sounds or cannot count past 20. It is very difficult to keep their focus when providing whole group instruction, and sometimes during small group instruction. What engagement strategies would work best with these learners?

Literature Review

Student engagement occurs when “students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success (grades), but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives” (Newmann, 1992). For students to be engaged in learning, they needed to be actively engaged and collaborative. One study showed that students, enlisted in community colleges, that were active and collaborative in their studies showed a link to higher grades and course completions that led to completing degrees (McClenney, 2007). In order to hold their attention, students need to be an active participant. They need to be able to manipulate information physically. Students should be able to work in groups, or be able to discover things on their own. “Keeping students involved and engaged in activities is the very best solution. When students are excited about their learning, they are motivated to pay attention in class” (McDonald, 2013). Keeping students involved and engaged in a lesson is difficult at times. “Because children with low levels of engagement are at risk for disruptive behavior, absenteeism, and eventually dropping out of school (Roderick & Engle 2001), the need to increase engagement is critical to children’s success in school” (Jablon, 2006). Jablon also notes that there is a difference between being engaged and being on task. She quotes a book, Shaking Up the School House, “Engagement is active. It requires that students be attentive as well as in attendance; it requires the student to be committed to the task and find some inherent value in what he or she is being asked to do. The engaged student not only does the task assigned but also does it with enthusiasm and diligence. Moreover, the student performs the task because he or she perceives the task to be associated with a near-term end that he or she values. (2001, 64)” (Jablon, 2006).

Engagement is more than involvement. It requires feelings and making sense of things and being actively involved. Students need to be able to make connections to what is being taught. Memories are made when feelings are involved. Trowler goes into much detail about student engagement and what it is, who is responsible for student engagement, what kind of engagement, and reasons for engagement (Trowler, 2010). One study listed eight different types of engagement. (Taylor & Parsons, 2011) Ways to measure student engagement were discussed as well. These measurements focused on attendance rate, standardized test scores, and truancy rates, which all are quantitative data. Along with these types of engagement the best practices that were recommended were ‘Interaction, Exploration, Relevancy, Multimedia and Instruction’.

What happens if student engagement is not working efficiently? There are many strategies or best practices to keep students engaged in their learning. One study that focused on mathematical number sense showed that activities that focused on the big ideas of number sense as well as explicit instruction, combined with practice, led to improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. “The present study shows preliminary evidence that instruction combining big ideas of number sense and explicit instruction can enhance mathematics competence of kindergarten students” (Sood, 2010). These combined lessons and practice led to improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. (Sood, S., & Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2010). There are different strategies for various types of lessons and groups of children. There are strategies that can be used with whole groups, small groups and individuals. “The engagement strategies you choose depend on your purpose, teaching style, and the children in your classroom. Regardless of the strategies selected, effective facilitation is a key to making them work. By facilitation we mean the techniques used to execute a strategy” (Jablon, 2003). Trowler also states that. “Strategies for engagement hinge on one’s understanding and definition of engagement, as well as notions of what would constitute appropriate targets, goals and beneficiaries for engagement strategies” (Trowler, 2010). Deciding student engagement strategies is beyond classroom observation and is more complex as each child is different.
The literature reviewed showed several themes. The first theme is that students need to be active participants and have opportunities for collaboration in order to be engaged in learning. The second theme is that students need to make connections with the content; connections are more than just being involved in learning, they are active, evoke feelings, and create memories. The third theme is that students ultimately determine their own engagement strategies. Individual learners need unique ways to stay engaged and teachers are responsible for facilitating the appropriate engagement strategies.

Research question:
Some Kindergarten students are not engaged during traditional lessons, nothing specific, because they are generally not engaged in most lessons. Why? The goal of this research is to improve student learning, to get students to be more involved in their learning or get them to have ownership in their learning. Some key factors are: socio-economic conditions, teaching technique or style, and student learning style. The more I think of my students and how many different strategies there are, I am thinking of using self assessment tools. This would be one way for students to have ownership in their learning. How can student engagement strategies help all students take ownership of their learning?

Method

Participants
The participants in my study are four boys and one girl. They are ages five and six. All of the students are chosen because they are all struggling with letter and sound recognition. I believe they are struggling because when it is time for the letter and sound lessons, they are not engaged in the lessons. The focus of this project is to provide different engagement strategies so that they will be able to recognize all letters and sounds by the end of the school year.

Materials
I will be taking observation notes and using a checklist to check student engagement after providing lessons using different strategies. I will use Aimsweb Probes to record letter and sound recognition and fluency at the beginning and will use them to record at the end of the study to see if they have improved. The data collection process will be four to five weeks.

Procedure
In my project, I will be meeting with my small group of students to introduce lessons. I will give clear explanations and expectations. I will show them a rubric for self-assessment in writing and handwriting. I hope that showing them the rubric that they will be able to take ownership in their learning and that they will use it to help stay engaged in their lessons.
 
References

Jablon, J. R., and Wilkinson, M. (2006). Using Engagement Strategies to Facilitate Children’s Learning and Success.” Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200603/JablonBTJ.pdf

McClenney, K., Marti, C. N., and Adkins, C. (2007). “Student Engagement and Student Outcomes: Key Findings From CCSSE Validation Research.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement.

McDonald, Emma. “How to Involve and Engage Students.” Education World. 2013.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald007.shtml

Newmann, F. (1992) Student Engagement and Achievement in American Secondary Schools. Teachers College Press. pp. 2–3.

Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/

Trowler, V. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/StudentEngagementLiteratureReview_1.pdf

Week 6 Reflection

I have been struggling and struggling as what to do for data collection? Is my topic too broad? Not focused enough? I think my question keeps changing as I think of my group of students. Do I focus on the ones I am concerned with, or the classroom as a whole?

While reading through the other blogs, it seemed like most of everyone had a firm plan. I don’t feel that way yet. I am still unsure of my plan. I saw that Cheri is doing student engagement as well, and I had planned on doing observations for my collection. She shared a data collection form that I found very useful and hopefully will be able to adapt for my classroom. I went to the Teachers pay teachers website and I was able to find some other forms that could be useful to me! Thanks Cheri!

Cheri had some concerns about students doing self-assessment. Sometimes I get in the habit of being the “all-seeing eye” in the classroom. What happens is that I get so overwhelmed with having to assess everyone, that I get bogged down with 26 students standing in a line waiting for me to look at their papers. I have learned to let go of that role and have had them check with each other, or check on the white board. For students that I am really worried about, I make sure to see those students. I was able to give Cheri some self-assessment ideas for her kindergarten students.

After reading blogs, I feel much better about data collection. I was unclear of what I needed or wanted to do, but now I am feeling much better and hope that this boost of energy continues to get us through the week!

Another note: Next week there is no school for us. We will be on spring break! Earliest spring break we’ve ever had! I hope this doesn’t cut into too much of our data collection time and that I will have enough information and data to collect.

Week 6 blog

How will data collection ‘look’ for me? What challenges am I anticipating?

I think most of my data collection will be from observations. I will provide different engagement strategies for my students. I also am going to use an observation spreadsheet to record engagement behaviors. This is all I have so far. I have looked and looked and tried to get ideas from the Internet, but haven’t found anything that will help with recording data on student engagement. I see a lot of engagement strategies, but not a lot on how to collect data. I did see that others were using surveys for their classes. I may have to create a kindergarten friendly survey, but not sure how I would incorporate it. This is something that I will have to think about more. I think I’m having a hard time, because there are so many ways for children to show engagement, not all children will show it the same way. So, I’m thinking that I will focus just on the children I have concerns about, make observations about them, and try different strategies to see what fits their learning needs.

Theoretical Framework and Research Question

The literature review showed three themes. The first revealed that for students to be engaged in learning, they needed to be actively engaged and collaborative. Students need to be an active participant in their learning. The second theme is that students need to be more than involved. It requires feelings and making sense of things and being actively involved. Students need to be able to make connections to what is being taught. Memories are made when feelings are involved. The third theme is that each individual student ultimately determines engagement strategies. Each child is different and will require different ways to keep them engaged. It is a teacher’s responsibility to facilitate that strategy and keep the students engaged.

Research question:
Some Kindergarten students are not engaged during traditional lessons, nothing specific, because they are generally not engaged in most lessons. Why? The goal of this research is to improve student learning, to get students to be more involved in their learning or get them to have ownership in their learning.

Some key factors are: socio-economic conditions, teaching technique or style, and student learning style.

The more I think of my students and how many different strategies there are, I am thinking of using self assessment tools. This would be one way for students to have ownership in their learning.

So, my question is: How can self-assessment improve student engagement?

Week 5 Reflection

Well, I can honestly say that I haven’t contributed much this past week. I totally spaced our twitter session and didn’t remember it until ten at night! I did go back and read the chat session and wished that I had participated. Those twitter sessions help me to stay focused on my research. There are a few things in my personal life that have me all stretched thin, but I am still here.

I can’t say that I was very helpful to anyone (by commenting on their blogs or posting on twitter), but what I did post on my blog was helpful to others. Through my blog I was able to remind others of the reason we are doing this research. We are doing this to improve learning in our classrooms.

I also want to say thanks to my PLN, those who have commented on my blog post. Getting the great feedback helps me feel like I am on the right track. It also helps to know that a few of us are researching the same topics and are able to share documents. Thank you Cherie for sharing your documents with me! I was looking for a way to record student engagement and she offered one that might work for me.

Another thing about that I found out was that I am a slow processor! I have to read, and read, and reread to make sense of things. I was a bit frightened at what to write, or how to write my theoretical framework. Reading over the twitter chat session and my PLNs blog postings have given me clarity and that really helps. The resources Anne has listed have definitely helped! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Week 5 Essential Question

What methods that I learned about in the research literature can I use to collect data? What new methods will I need to design?

As I continue to think about my research, I find out that more and more questions keep coming up. I continue to think about student engagement and there are so many ways for students to display this, because each child is different. Each child has a different learning style and can look drastically different when totally engaged in a lesson. There are so many factors that influence a child’s learning and achievement.

As I was looking back at my research, and with the help of my peers, I came across some assessment tools that will help me. I was at a loss as how I would measure student engagement with 26 students in my class. But, I found that the most important way to keep track of students was through observations. “Assessing the process of learning is critical and it should occur while the learning is happening rather than assessing the final product” (Assessment Techniques, 2014). Assessment tools listed where anecdotal notes.
• Anecdotal notes can be tedious task with 26 students, but was noted that not all needed notes in one day. Taking notes on all students over a period of time is not as overwhelming.
• Taking pictures, video, and audio recording can be very useful when trying to document a student’s learning.
• Providing ways for students to do self-assessment is another way for students to be engaged in their learning. I can think of ways I can do this in my classroom. I need to put up a writing rubric in my room. I can display pictures of what writing should look like on level, below level, and above level. This will give the students the ability to self-check and set goals for themselves.
• Posting checklists specific to learning outcomes. An example would be a checklist for letter recognition and letter sounds.
• Collecting work samples and portfolios to show student growth is another way to assess. It is important to have a collection to show what a student can do, not focus on what he/she cannot do. Having students choose their work can help encourage them to value the work that they do and help them see the progress they have made as well.
These tools are all great, but these tools seem to be used for end results. I am looking for ways to record student engagement. I see that the only logical strategy is to make observations and take anecdotal notes. I haven’t found a way to keep track of student engagement, so I may have to create a checklist of some sort. But, I must focus on why I am researching this topic. Most of my students are learning. The reason is to improve all students learning. I need to focus on the process and not the outcome.

Resources
Trowler, V. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/StudentEngagementLiteratureReview_1.pdf.

Click to access 8.%20Section%204%20Assessment%20FINAL.pdf

Week 4 Reflection

How have you contributed to the learning of others? What was the impact of your interaction with others through social media (Twitter, blog responses) on your learning?

I feel really good about where my research is going so far. It looks like a few of us are researching the same topics and ideas in our own classrooms. My focus is on student engagement, which is still a pretty broad topic, but while reading others’ literature reviews, I am getting closer to narrowing it down to a specific time of day or subject matter.

In my research, there were many strategies listed to help keep students engaged. After reading others reviews, I saw how others were researching some of those strategies (brain breaks and recess times) and how effective they are. I am so glad that we all have similar backgrounds and concerns, because it appears that student engagement is such a huge factor in our worlds. It should be the MOST important! After all, how will we be able to teach if our students aren’t engaged, or participating, or actively involved in THEIR learning.

Something that has been on my mind is how am I going to measure student engagement? How will I be able to collect data? A few have asked me that question and my response was, “I don’t know yet.” Thankfully we have a great PLN because one person gave me some great ideas on how to collect that kind of information. She had read an article for her research and had suggested it to me. I am feeling pretty good about were this project is taking me and this PLN is so very helpful.

What patterns or themes are evident in the research I read?

How do these themes inform my project and/or the projects of others in this PLN?

The themes that I noticed throughout my research was that there was a clear definition of what student engagement was. It isn’t just being on task, but being an active participant in the learning, not just going through the motions to finish a task. Student engagement means to be actively participating and collaborating with others in lessons.

Another theme was that there was more than one type of engagement. In addition to this, there are more ways, or strategies, to engage students in lessons. There are different strategies depending on the type of lesson, the grouping, and class size.

This all makes sense to me as I reflect on my own class. Everyone learns in different ways. Each child has their own learning style. My thought to this is, how am I going to engage 26 students at the same time??? How can I effectively differentiate the lessons, so that all students are actively learning?

Below is my Literature Review. I’m sorry its a little late. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

Thematic Literature Review

Student engagement occurs when “students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success (grades), but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives” (Newmann, 1992). For students to be engaged in learning, they needed to be actively engaged and collaborative. One study showed that students, enlisted in community colleges, that were active and collaborative in their studies showed a link to higher grades and course completions that led to completing degrees (McClenney, 2007). In order to hold their attention, students need to be an active participant. They need to be able to manipulate information physically. Students should be able to work in groups, or be able to discover things on their own. “Keeping students involved and engaged in activities is the very best solution. When students are excited about their learning, they are motivated to pay attention in class” (McDonald, 2013). Keeping students involved and engaged in a lesson is difficult at times. “Because children with low levels of engagement are at risk for disruptive behavior, absenteeism, and eventually dropping out of school (Roderick & Engle 2001), the need to increase engagement is critical to children’s success in school” (Jablon, 2006). Jablon also notes that there is a difference between being engaged and being on task. She quotes a book, Shaking Up the School House, “Engagement is active. It requires that students be attentive as well as in attendance; it requires the student to be committed to the task and find some inherent value in what he or she is being asked to do. The engaged student not only does the task assigned but also does it with enthusiasm and diligence. Moreover, the student performs the task because he or she perceives the task to be associated with a near-term end that he or she values. (2001, 64)” (Jablon, 2006).
Engagement is more than involvement. It requires feelings and making sense of things and being actively involved. Students need to be able to make connections to what is being taught. Memories are made when feelings are involved. Trowler goes into much detail about student engagement and what it is, who is responsible for student engagement, what kind of engagement, and reasons for engagement (Trowler, 2010). One study listed eight different types of engagement. (Taylor & Parsons, 2011) Ways to measure student engagement were discussed as well. These measurements focused on attendance rate, standardized test scores, and truancy rates, which all are quantitative data. Along with these types of engagement the best practices that were recommended were ‘Interaction, Exploration, Relevancy, Multimedia and Instruction’.
What happens if student engagement is not working efficiently? There are many strategies or best practices to keep students engaged in their learning. One study that focused on mathematical number sense showed that activities that focused on the big ideas of number sense as well as explicit instruction, combined with practice, led to improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. “The present study shows preliminary evidence that instruction combining big ideas of number sense and explicit instruction can enhance mathematics competence of kindergarten students” (Sood, 2010). These combined lessons and practice led to improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. (Sood, S., & Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2010). There are different strategies for various types of lessons and groups of children. There are strategies that can be used with whole groups, small groups and individuals. “The engagement strategies you choose depend on your purpose, teaching style, and the children in your classroom. Regardless of the strategies selected, effective facilitation is a key to making them work. By facilitation we mean the techniques used to execute a strategy” (Jablon, 2003). Trowler also states that. “Strategies for engagement hinge on one’s understanding and definition of engagement, as well as notions of what would constitute appropriate targets, goals and beneficiaries for engagement strategies” (Trowler, 2010). Deciding student engagement strategies is beyond classroom observation and is more complex as each child is different.

References

Jablon, J. R., and Wilkinson, M. (2006). Using Engagement Strategies to Facilitate Children’s Learning and Success.” Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200603/JablonBTJ.pdf

McClenney, K., Marti, C. N., and Adkins, C. (2007). “Student Engagement and Student Outcomes: Key Findings From CCSSE Validation Research.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement.

McDonald, Emma. “How to Involve and Engage Students.” Education World. 2013.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald007.shtml

Newmann, F. (1992) Student Engagement and Achievement in American Secondary Schools. Teachers College Press. pp. 2–3.

Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/

Trowler, V. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/StudentEngagementLiteratureReview_1.pdf

Annotated Bibliography

Haugland, S. W. (2000). Computers and young children. ERIC digest. Retrieved, 12, 2007.

When is the right time to introduce computers to children? What is the appropriate age? This article discusses these questions and programs that are developmentally appropriate for young children. Benefits of using computers and technology are discussed and how integrating them into the classroom can be beneficial to student learning. A great resource for finding information that would benefit student learning through the use of technology.

McClenney, K., Marti, C. N., and Adkins, C. (2007). “Student Engagement and Student Outcomes: Key Findings From CCSSE Validation Research.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement.

The focus of student engagement in this article is on community colleges. But, it is applicable to young students as well. Study after study has shown that students who are more actively engaged in education, “the more likely they are to learn, to stick with their studies, and to attain their academic goals.” Again, this study was about students in community colleges. The study showed that students that were active and collaborative in their studies showed a link to higher grades and course completions that led to completing degrees. The article also mentioned that student effort was just as important. Student effort was measured based on “time on task, preparation, and use of student services.” Of course, student and teacher interaction was a key factor in impacting a student’s learning.

McDonald, Emma. “How to Involve and Engage Students.” Education World. 2013.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald007.shtml

Keeping students involved and engaged in a lesson is difficult at times. “When students are excited about their learning, they are motivated to pay attention in class. Activities to involve and engage students are ones that get students to move around. Activities should get students to manipulate information physically and mentally. Students should be able to work in groups, or be able to discover things on their own. Teachers should be able to get students to actively think and move. This is a great resource to help educators get past the monotony of pushing papers to doing more creative things to keep students engaged in learning.

Sood, S., & Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, (2010). “The Role of Cognitive Strategy and Direct Instruction in Enhancing Kindergarten Students’ Learning of Number Sense.” Society For Research on Educational Effectiveness.

Students with mathematical difficulties experience many problems related to learning and applying mathematics. This report states that children that are at risk for mathematical failure are deficient in three areas of mathematical cognition: “: (1) the ability to retrieve number facts from long term memory, 2) the ability to solve word problems, and (3) the ability to organize, monitor, and evaluate information (e.g., Mercer, 1997; Paulos, 1990). The study showed that activities that focused on the big ideas of number sense as well as explicit instruction, combined with practice, led to improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. “The present study shows preliminary evidence that instruction combining big ideas of number sense and explicit instruction can enhance mathematics competence of kindergarten students.”

Suomi, D. (2010). Technology and Kindergarten: Is it Possible? Digital Is. National Writing Project. Retrieved from http://digitalis.nwp.org/.

This is the digital age. It is time to embrace it. As a teacher, if technology tools are effective to use in the classroom, why not use them? In the article, the author is conflicted about whether it is possible for kindergarten students to use technology. She addresses these concerns and decides to try it. She has amazing results. Students are learning concepts that they wouldn’t have learned if she had not used technology. Finding the time to teach the students how to use technology was another concern, but in the end it was all worth the effort.

Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/

A veteran teacher would be able to say what student engagement looks like, which students are learning or which ones are disengaged. In this study, several types of student engagement were defined. There is more than eight types of engagement mentioned. Ways to measure student engagement were discussed as well. These measurements focused on attendance rate, standardized test scores, and truancy rates, which all are quantitative data. Through extensive research, “best practices” were recommended. “To engage learners in learning, new educational curriculum and activity must include – ‘Interaction, Exploration, Relevancy, Multimedia and Instruction’.” The authors elaborated on each category and also included a section on assessment.

Trowler, V. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. The Higher Education Academy. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/StudentEngagementLiteratureReview_1.pdf.

Engagement is more than involvement. It requires feelings and making sense of things and being actively involved. Students need to be able to make connections to what is being taught. Memories are made when feelings are involved. Trowler goes into much detail about student engagement and what it is, who is responsible for student engagement, what kind of engagement, and reasons for engagement. It is an extensive study and would be very beneficial in helping teacher empower students to take responsibility in their own learning.

Yettick, H. (2014). Research Reveals ‘Rich Get Richer’ Scenario in Kindergarten Math. Education Week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2014/05/researchers_uncover_surprising.html.

“Kindergarteners learn more math in classrooms with higher average levels of student engagement. That’s the less-than-surprising conclusion of a study that appears in the current issue of the peer-refereed American Journal of Education.” This study showed that students that were in a highly engaged classroom made more growth in math. However, only one aspect was studied for this research. They described student engagement as observed by the classroom teacher. “Although behavior is a key indicator, it is not the only ingredient of student engagement. There are also emotional and cognitive aspects that are tougher to observe because they unfold inside a student’s mind.” Deciding student engagement is beyond classroom observation and is more complex as each child is different.