Revised Action Research Plan

School Mission: The mission of Peterson Elementary is to provide a collaborative learning community that will prepare students for the future.

Action Research Question: How does incorporating problem based learning (PBL) improve student attitudes and enhance student engagement?

Goal: To implement one PBL lesson per semester into the K-5^th grade curriculum to improve student attitudes and increase student participation. 

 

Action Research Plan

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Resources Needed	Evaluation
1. Develop campus PBL cadre	T. La Fara T. Motley Principal	March 2013	Science Faculty grades K-5	None
2. Analyze state assessments to determine weight of TEKS tested	T. La Fara T. Motley PBL Cadre	March 2013 – June 2013	STAAR Data	Categorize TEKS tested into supporting and readiness standards to determine concept areas of greatest need.
3. Identify current research on problem based learning and conduct site visits to PBL campuses	T. La Fara T. Motley Principal PBL Cadre	March 2013 – June 2013	PBL Literature Model Campus Surveys	Interview/survey staff members at model campus for feedback on PBL implementation and results.
4. Create & administer faculty/student survey	T. La Fara T. Motley	August 2013 -October 2013	Survey examples Survey Monkey or other digital format	Utilize survey results to analyze student and teacher attitudes toward learning and learning goals
4. Interpret data from literature review and reflect on commonalities between the literature & campus needs.	T. La Fara	March 2013 – May 2014	PBL Literature Campus assessment data	Reflection on commonalities & alignment between literature & my campus.
5. Incorporate PBL lessons into the K-5 curriculum	T. La Fara T. Motley Dist.  Elem. Science Curr. Writers	May 2013 – July 2013 (curr. writing) Aug. 2013 – May 2014 (utilize PBL lessons in classrooms)	Dist. Curriculum PBL Lessons Supplemental science materials Surveys	Review of classroom observations, field notes & student artifacts.
6. PBL training	T. La Fara T. Motley PBL Cadre	Summer 2013 (initial training with ongoing trainings throughout the school year as needed)	Presentation Materials PBL Lessons PBL Model Campus	Review of lesson plans, classroom observations, field notes & interviews/discussions at Science PLCs.
7. Completion of post PBL teacher/student attitude surveys	Campus Science Teachers Campus CIT	April 2014 – May 2014	Survey Monkey or other digital format	Comparison of survey data from beginning of year to end of year as related to student participation and achievement.
8. Present outcomes for 2013-2014 school year	T. La Fara	June 2014	All relevant data sources and student artifacts; Literature review	Action Research Paper/Blog Posting Digital presentation to administration

 

Action Research Project

Process Overview

1.      Setting the Foundation – After meeting with my grade level professional learning community (PLC) and Vertical Science Team to review district and state assessment data, it was noted that our science benchmark scores indicated room for improvement.  With this knowledge, I met with my site supervisor to discuss possible action research topics and reached a consensus to research the effects that problem based learning (PBL) has on improving student engagement and achievement.  Because of the difficulty in directly aligning & correlating the district/state assessments with a particular PBL unit, it was decided to make the focus improvement of student attitudes and engagement.  It is believed that if these two areas improve, it will have a direct impact on student achievement as well.

2.      Analyzing Data – My initial data collection included the 2011-2012 STAAR 5^th grade science scores as well as 3^rd-5^th grade district benchmark scores for the 2012-2013 school year.  My data collection will include site visits, staff/student surveys, classroom observations/field notes, student artifacts, subsequent test scores and a literature review.

3.      Developing Deeper Understanding – I plan to gain a deeper understanding of the PBL process and PBL lessons by conducting site visits to a PBL campus at a neighboring district, conducting a literature review, researching/implementing PBL lessons into the science curriculum, and through interviews with the PBL cadre members. 

4.      Engaging in Self-Reflection – Throughout the action research process, I will reflect on the success of PBL implementation, PBL staff trainings, student engagement & attitudes, and whether there are significant gains seen by the implementation of PBL or if other solutions should be researched.

5.      Exploring Programmatic Patterns – During my action research project, I will engage in reflective conversations with my site supervisor, the district elementary science curriculum coordinator and the PBL cadre members.  These interactions will help to gauge any problems in the PBL process, help to guide in change in direction in implementation that is needed, and will allow for celebrating successes along the way.

6.      Determining Direction – After speaking with my site supervisor and the district elementary science curriculum coordinator, I believe I have a specific and realistic action research question and goal.  I have collaboration on this project with my site supervisor, curriculum coordinator and a group of 5 other science teachers who will be serving on the PBL cadre.  I also have collaboration from a model PBL campus in a neighboring district.  I believe my timelines are adequate.  Some work on this project will take place in the next few months.  However, the implementation of PBL lessons will not occur until the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.  Once implementation begins, I will immediately begin collecting data with surveys, classroom observations, field notes and subsequent benchmark assessments.

7.      Taking Action for School Improvement – Our PBL cadre has been established and a site visit of the model PBL campus was conducted on March 22^nd.  My draft action research plan is complete and I will be meeting with my site supervisor for further  comments/amendments.  PBL lessons have been reviewed and written into the science curriculum in May and June.  PBL training was available on a district level this summer and a subsequent training is being offered on October 8^th.  I am in the process of working with elementary science curriculum coordinator to develop student and staff surveys.

8.      Sustaining Improvement – If the implementation of PBL lessons in the curriculum proves to be an effective means of improving student engagement and academic achievement, I will share these finding with my colleagues via my blog, with my campus using a digital presentation format at a faculty inservice, and with our district Executive Director of Curriculum & Staff Development via my final action research report and/or digital presentation.