Action Research Lesson Reflection

Action Research Lesson Reflection

The lesson plan that I created and implemented centered around the correct use of apostrophes in contractions and possessions.  I used a Smart Board to teach this lesson and students completed it in small groups as they rotated to their word work center.  In the lesson, students learned about apostrophes being used to replace letters in contractions and to show possession for possessive nouns.  Then students were given sample sentences and asked to move the apostrophes into the correct location for each sentence.  This put the concept into context to see if they were able to apply the knowledge.  I added sound to the lesson to assist my auditory learners in completing the task.
The lesson was given to my second grade students during centers.  They were very excited to use the Smart Board for a lesson during the word work center.  My students give a lot of attention to technology and the visuals that the Smart Board provides. Therefore, they did very well following the directions and completing the task at hand.  Unfortunately, it will be difficult to tell if they carry out the correct use of the apostrophe in future writing because they will be going on summer break and will have a different teacher in the fall.  However, I can always check in with the third grade teachers to view some writing samples next school year!
Learning, Curriculum, Technology, and Teaching

Through the lesson, students learned the correct use and placement of an apostrophe in both contractions and possessives. The learning goals were to understand where apostrophes were placed and why they are placed in those spots as contractions and possessions. In planning and implementing this lesson, I assumed that students already knew what contractions and possessions were, what apostrophes look like, and how to use a Smart Board.

The information that students learned was represented visually on the Smart Board, which benefited visual learners.  Also students interactively moved apostrophes into sentences, which benefited kinesthetic learners.  I added audio to help the auditory learners as well!  Therefore the main constraint was that not all students were able to use the Smart Board at once.

Learning took place by manipulating the apostrophes on the Smart Board.  Constructivism took place because students worked together in small groups to move the apostrophes into the correct places in the sentences.  They learned from one another.  Behaviorism occurred as the Smart Board gave students positive reinforcements if they put the apostrophes in the correct places and negative reinforcements if they did not.
Before this lesson, many students associated a “s” at the end of a word with needing an apostrophe in front of it no matter if it was a possessive or not.  However, I did notice an improvement in this when reading over students’ responses.

The Smart Board technology fit into school curriculum by supplementing the English Language Arts grammar standards of understanding when and how to use apostrophes.  The technology helped reinforce the concept and taught it in a better way than the traditional paper and pencil method. By using this technology, students’ learning was enhanced and they were more motivated to learn and pay attention with the use of the Smart Board.

Students learn in many different ways and the Smart Board did a great job of reaching visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.  The large screen created rich images and the touch screen allowed students to manipulate the screen.  This made learning more motivating and the stimulation increased students’ attention span to complete the lesson.

In order for the lesson to be successful, teachers and learners both needed to know how to manipulate and use a Smart Board.  Learners must have known how to use the touch screen in order to reap the full effects of the lesson. Teachers must have known the options of how to set up a lesson using a Smart Board and how to assess student learning. As a teacher, I must be up to date on current technologies in order to motivate and stimulate my students’ learning.  That is one reason why I chose to pursue my Masters Degree in Educational Technology.  In order to use a Smart Board, there are teacher trainings on how to use them and many resources on the Internet, including Smart Board software, to help a teacher learn how to use a Smart Board. If a teacher has the skills to use a computer and navigate the Internet, I believe that they will be capable of using a Smart Board as well!

I based my assessment on my learning goals.  I wanted my students to know where apostrophes go in sentences and why they go where they do.  I assessed whether or not my students knew this based on the sentences that they created using the Smart Board after manipulating the apostrophes into the correct places. These learning goals will also be assessed in their future writing.  If students have truly learned this concept, I should be able to see correct contractions and possessives within their writing in the future. This will show that they carried over the grammar concepts learned in this lesson into everyday writing.  I will also assess whether or not students still misuse the apostrophe in their writing.  Ultimately, putting apostrophes into the correct places should become a natural practice.  Students were held accountable for their work because the technology allows me to go back and view how each group manipulated their sentences.  If I were to do this using paper and pencil, students may lose their paper, copy off of other groups, or simply not complete the task even though they know that I check their center work.  The Smart Board plays a key role in this lesson being effective and meaningful for my students.

Lesson Implementation Using Technology

Technology facilitated the lesson.  Students could have learned about the proper use of apostrophes using worksheets, but by teaching with technology, the learning becomes more engaging and meaningful. Technology also helped reach more of my learners by creating visuals on the Smart Board and incorporating movement and interaction in the lesson. When students’ learning styles are incorporated, they are more motivated to pay attention and be successful in the lesson. The only disadvantage of using this technology was that my students could not all complete the lesson at once, but had to do it in small groups.

I expected my students to be very excited to use the technology during their centers and I was proven correct.  Some of my students cheered and many had giant smiles on their faces when I explained what the word work center would be for the day.  Every time that I looked over at the Smart Board from the guided reading table where I was teaching, the students were staring at the screen and manipulating the apostrophes while collaborating with one another.  

Students asked if they could move the apostrophes again after they placed them in the sentence.  I told them that they could move them as many times as necessary and explained that if they placed the apostrophe in one spot, but reread the sentence and did not think that it made sense, they could move it again to a new, more-fitting location.  They also asked if there was supposed to be more than one apostrophe in each sentence and I explained that it was up to them to determine where the apostrophes are supposed to go and how many fit into each sentence.

Students seemed to make more connections with the content and have more meaningful, content-centered conversations when using the Smart Board rather than paper and pencil.  They were more engaged and interested in where the apostrophe needed to be placed.  By using the Smart Board for the lesson, my students saw the lesson as more of a game than school work.  They were very excited to move the apostrophes into the correct locations in each sentence.  Overall, the lesson, including the use of technology, was a success!

CEP 800 Apostrophe TPACK Lesson

Content: 
In this lesson I am teaching the correct use of the apostrophe when it is used in contractions and possessions. Students will understand where the apostrophes are placed and why they are placed in those spots in contractions and possessions.
Big Idea: Apostrophes are used to replace the missing letter(s) when two words are joined in contractions.
Big Idea: Apostrophes are used to show that something or someone belongs to a noun.
Essential Questions: What are apostrophes used for? Why are apostrophes important? Why does it matter where apostrophes are placed in a sentence?
Standard: Students will...In the context of writing, correctly use nouns and possessives; apostrophes in contractions.
 Students struggle with the concept of putting the apostrophe between the correct letters in a contraction. Also, students overuse the apostrophe with words ending in “s,” even when the word is not showing possession.

Pedagogy:
 Students will be completing the Smart Board activity in small groups during literacy centers. This lesson will serve as their word work center. I decided to do this lesson in a small group setting so each student would have a chance to move the apostrophes into the correct places in the sentences. If I were to do this as a whole class lesson, it would be difficult to give each student the kinesthetic opportunities available with the Smart Board. By working in a small group, students will be practicing the Social Constructivist learning theory. While completing the lessons, students will discuss the sentences and ideas and learn from one another through their discussions. In planning the pedagogy for this lesson, I considered my students’ learning styles. Many of my students benefit from visual lessons and my boys especially benefit from kinesthetic learning. My students work well together, especially during literacy centers. They are influenced by each other and highly consider what one another say so collaboration is a great learning tool for my students.

Content & Pedagogy:
By allowing students to work in small groups during centers on this activity, it gives them the opportunity to learn from one another. One of the main reasons for this lesson is to correct the misconception that an apostrophe belongs at the end of every word that ends in a “s”. Therefore, with students working together, one student may be able to correct and explain reasoning to another student if they misuse the apostrophe.
 Also, by teaching using visuals in an interactive way, students are more likely to learn about apostrophes and improve their grammar in writing than if they completed paper and pencil activities. Students learn best with concrete, visual materials first before moving towards abstract ideas. I am a firm believer in collaboration, especially at the onset of new concepts and ideas. If I were to teach the content using a cognitive approach where students worked independently, all of the misconceptions about apostrophe placement may not be addressed.
 In terms of my choice of pedagogy, classroom space and the small groups that I already have during centers played a large part in my choice. By working in a small group, students can see and manipulate the screen up close. Also, there will only be 2 or 3 students collaborating at a time. Therefore a few students will not overpower the lesson while the rest of the class sits back and takes the credit. If I were to have the technology equipment, I may have done things differently. I may do this as a whole class lesson then have students work in small groups on several iPads to complete the activity portion of manipulating the sentences using correct apostrophe placement. In regards to the content that I chose, I have recently been assessing a lot of my students’ writing and this misconception of the apostrophe was one thing that I saw as unmastered by many. This lesson presents a better way of reaching my students and improving their writing.

Technology:
I will be using a Smart Board to teach this lesson because it works well for small groups to manipulate during centers and provides a means of offering an interactive lesson. Students can complete the lesson without teacher guidance because they are familiar with the technology. The screen is large enough for a group to all view the content at once and gives them space to interactively manipulate the screen without anyone being pushed to the side. This technology is not absolutely necessary to teach the content, however it does provide for a deeper understanding and gives students a sense of ownership over their work. The technology allows students to manipulate the apostrophes, reread the sentence, and easily rearrange the sentence and apostrophe placement depending on how the sentence sounds. It gives students a sense of pride because they have the opportunity for trial and error. I will not see erased marks on a paper, but merely the final placement of the apostrophes in the sentences.

Technology & Pedagogy:
The Smart Board works well with a small group to manipulate during centers. The screen is large enough for a group of students to all view the content at once and gives them space to interactively manipulate the screen without being pushed to the side. While using the Smart Board, students will be able to collaborate and discuss the placements of the apostrophes in the sentences. In terms of the Social Constructivist learning theory, students will be able to work together and share ideas easily using a Smart Board. The ideas that students share about the sentences will influence one another and scaffold one another’s learning. Also, each student will take turns manipulating the apostrophes instead of other group work where one child writes and the others feed information to that child. By using a Smart Board in the small group, each student will feel like they have just as much importance as everyone else because everyone will be involved equally.

Technology & Content:
The Smart Board helps teach the big ideas of using correct apostrophe placements by allowing students to physically manipulate sentences to make them grammatically correct. Students will be able to move the apostrophes into the correct places and reread the sentences to see if they make sense. The use of this technology livens up the content, making it more engaging and hands-on.

Assessment:
I want my students to know where apostrophes go in sentences and why they go where they do. In order for my students to understand this, they must understand what contractions and possessions are. I will know whether or not my students know this based on the sentences that they create using the Smart Board after manipulating the apostrophes into the correct places. I will assess whether my students have learned the concept based on their Smart Board final sentences and also in their future writing. If students have truly learned this concept, I should be able to see correct contractions and possessives within their writing in the future. This will show that they carried over the grammar concepts learned in this lesson into everyday writing. I will also assess whether or not students still misuse the apostrophe in their writing. Ultimately, putting apostrophes into the correct places should become a natural practice. The technology allows me to go back and view how each group manipulated their sentences. If I were to do this using paper and pencil, students may lose their paper, copy off of other groups, or simply not complete the task. The Smart Board plays a key role in this lesson being effective and meaningful for my students.

CEP 800 Student Understanding Digital Story

CEP 800 Student Understanding Podcast

Student Understanding of the Water Cycle on Audacity

Wicked Problem Project

Problem:  The educational need that I addressed in my classroom was the lack of reading comprehension that my students have.  Year upon year, students have a problem with remembering what they have read.  This is very important for both their ability to retain knowledge as well as for standardized reading assessments that students are required to take. 


Solution:  My solution was to incorporate digital storytelling into my classroom.  Furthermore, students chose one of our weekly stories that the whole class has read to focus on and were put into groups based on their choice.  Students also chose the character in that story that they wanted to represent.  Giving students choice builds interest level and motivation.  Each group spent about two weeks planning, practicing, and recording themselves acting out and retelling the story of choice.  With parent consent, I videotaped with a Flip Video Camera.  Then the whole class watched the video.  Students were engaged in this activity as they each got their own role as well as an audience to perform for. 


TPACK:

PT: The technology of videotaping using a Flip Video Camera and iMovie to edit support my holistic approach to reading comprehension.  Furthermore, by acting out and retelling a story, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic students benefit.  Students benefited from the technology by watching their own group’s video as well as the videos of other groups.  This boosted comprehension of all stories for all students who watched the videos.  The technology in this solution provided an audience for the students’ work, which enhanced motivation.  Students took part in cooperative and active learning through the use of technology in order to meet their learning goal. 

TC: The technology of videotaping and playing students’ videos increased student motivation to meet the content goals.  When students knew that they had an audience and would be videotaping their group’s story, students worked together to make sure they retold their story accurately and thoughtfully.  Students wanted to present themselves well in front of their peers.  The technology was an incentive for students to accurately retell the story and represent this comprehension through the video. Without the technology, the task would be boring, as students would simply retell what they have read aloud.  Incorporating technology made the task more meaningful and got students participating in a cooperative, interactive activity.

PC: My pedagogical choices livened up the content, which made the act of comprehension more enjoyable.  Instead of just retelling the story components aloud to the class, students worked in groups to interactively retell the story.  Students are recreated the scenery, characters, and plot, which caused them to think deeply about the story in order to depict the story accurately.  If they were simply retelling a story aloud, students may have skipped over important details, but when acting out the story with other classmates, they were more conscious of each part of the story and how it all fit together. Students were actually a part of the story instead of just an outside observer.  

Professional Learning Plan

View at Screencast.com

Transcript:

My Professional Learning Plan by Abbie Bucska CEP 812 Fall 2011

Some of the goals that I set for myself this past summer in CEP 810 I have accomplished.  These include differentiating my instruction using technology, creating a Diigo bookmarking page, and incorporating movie making into the classroom.  The Diigo page that I created for my classroom offers students suggestions for websites that students can go to at home to play games and learning activities that go along with what we are learning in the classroom.  I used movie making to improve reading comprehension through my Wicked Problem Project and for video taping the student who wins our classroom poetry race each week.

Other goals that I have accomplished are using Jing to capture images and record audio, using Survey Monkey to question students, using Text 2 Mind Map to gather thoughts while brainstorming, and becoming familiar with a web conferencing tool like Adobe Connect.

After taking this course, I now have several professional goals for myself as a teacher.  I would like to incorporate student blogging into my classroom to boost my students’ use of technology and collaboration.  I would also like to use Audacity to record students reading or speaking to create podcasts in order to meet the needs of auditory learners.  Lastly, I would like to implement virtual pen pals in my classroom using a web conferencing tool like Skype or Adobe Connect.  I have a friend who teaches in Honduras who would be interested in starting this pen pal system with my class in Michigan.

I also have some new personal goals for myself.  I would like to take what I have learned and continue to learn about technology and share it with my coworkers perhaps at a staff meeting or teacher inservice day.  I also want to learn how to write a grant to obtain more technology for my students.  Lastly, as an ongoing goal I would like to continue to expand my Personal Learning Network.  I could do this by taking advantage of MACUL Space or Linked In more often than I do now.

My next steps include taking advantage of my Personal Learning Network that I have begun to create, researching on the 21 Things For Teachers site, continuing my Master’s Degree in the Educational Technology program at Michigan State University, and learning how to write a grant. 

Here are some different ways that I can utilize my Personal Learning Network!

Group Leadership Project

Adobe Connect Virtual Pen Pals Tutorial

We used Adobe Connect to deliver our tutorial.  We chose Adobe Connect because it doubled as the tool we were teaching about and our means of recording.  This gives viewers a first hand example of how the software can be used in the classroom.  We also included an example of how a pen pal interaction could be done using Adobe Connect.  Virtual pen pals could also conference using Skype, which is a popular web conferencing tool.  However, we wanted to broaden our web conferencing knowledge, as well as that of our viewers.

This project took a lot of thought and planning.  We worked together very well to develop a Google presentation to use while web conferencing.  We also created a detailed script that we would follow that went along with each slide on the presentation.  Since we had planned so much beforehand, I did not think the actual project would take very long.  I thought it would take less than an hour to run through as practice and then record.  However, we had some technical difficulties, so it took about 2 hours to complete.   I learned how I need to be patient with technology.  At first, I could not hear Jessica in Adobe Connect, but she could hear me.  We tried a few things and then luckily she had another set of speakers which worked.  However, then there was a delay in time from when I spoke and when Jessica could hear me.  We tried many things before deciding to move on.  We recorded two different sessions before we were happy.

If I had to do a similar project, I would use Skype.  Although Adobe Connect worked well for web conferencing, there was not only a delay in my voice for Jessica, but also a delay in the things that I shared on my screen that I noticed when I watched our final recording.  When I pulled up different websites, they came up fine when we were recording, but for some reason Adobe Connect did not register them as quickly for the screen share recording.  Also, my voice still lagged on the recording.  Since I recorded it from my computer, I do not think this should have happened.  Adobe Connect should have recorded what was going on from what I could hear on my end.  It did not do this satisfactorily.  Next time, I would use Skype because that is the software that most educators would use for their students.  Therefore, this project may hold more meaning and be more beneficial for fellow educators.