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An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all stakeholders.
Indicators:
-Collaboratively develop and implement a shared vision and mission
-Collect and use data to identify goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and promote organizational learning
-Promote continuous and sustainable improvement
-Create and implement plans to achieve goals
-Monitor and evaluate progress and revise plans
Indicators:
-Collaboratively develop and implement a shared vision and mission
-Collect and use data to identify goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and promote organizational learning
-Promote continuous and sustainable improvement
-Create and implement plans to achieve goals
-Monitor and evaluate progress and revise plans
Rationale
Education is ever changing and in order to keep up with the children of tomorrow changes in education must be made. The instruction, delivery, and activity style of teaching must continuously be altered in order to fit the transformation of today’s students. One of the groundbreaking methods of implementation that is changing the classroom of present day is the idea of choice in the classroom. This can be seen at any level in any curricular area, but what impact does it have on student learning?
The action research project started with one class in an urban high school setting. In the months prior, the class had been exposed to reading materials selected by the teacher and thus provided by the teacher. The project measured if and when students were given the proper learning tools could choice make a difference on the overall enthusiasm of reading in the classroom. In order to determine if choice could have a positive effect on reading, many preliminary steps had to be taken into consideration. First things first, students had to be taught how to pick what they were interested in. Students at the high school level are at an impressionable age, a few of the difficulties early on were learning how to outweigh a recommendation versus peer impressionism. Many variables were then introduced: methods to select their own books, classroom library, school library, book discussions, etc. The data was then measured in various forms: charts, graphs. Students that brought their books with them to class, students that participated in classroom reading time, participation in individual and classroom discussions, reading reflections to measure personal change or growth in terms of reading, and frequency of visits to the library on an individual basis were all methods used to gather information to further analyze.
The overall mission was to cultivate a spark in student reading using choice and self selection. This spark would harvest positive interest in reading and propel students to continue reading habits and develop students into lifelong readers and lifelong learners. The success of the student on their journey through lifelong learning is only as strong as the educators who are at the forefront. In completing the action research project, it was unveiled that in order to foster success in students the teacher had to be extremely knowledgeable in content, creative in implementing new methods to peak interest, and understanding in the various triumphs and tribulations that can attest to reading. The action research project fully encompasses all individuals invested in education. In doing so it focuses on two indicators: achieving goals and evaluating progress in order to attain benchmarks. There were several goals that served as the driving force in order for the project to take flight. Selecting books that sparked an interest in the individual reader, finishing books cover to cover, reflecting on growth and using that information to propel forward to the next choice in reading were a few of the main goals that the plan was focused around. These goals helped to push the plan into action. Collected data gathered weekly or sometimes even daily helped to re-evaluate the current process, or if changes needed to be implemented. The re-evaluation process is a vital one, as though it is sometimes difficult to admit that failure has occurred- we often learn more from the mistakes than from the triumphs. In order to reach a place where success can be measured educators and leaders must understand that the evaluation process must occur. An element of discussion was added to the action research project as speaking and developing opinions about reading is just as important as selecting the material. Many students were not comfortable speaking out in front of their peers. This portion of the research project had to be altered a bit, as there were still methods to recover the goal, it just needed to be approached differently. Working in smaller groups or pairs seemed to have a more impactful outcome in terms of everyone sharing or voicing their opinion. The entire plan or goal does not need to be changed sometimes it is just the way it is approached that needs to be re-evaluated. In the end the classroom discussions were more beneficial when everyone has an invested voice in order to make their point.
Artifact 1
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Supplemental Material
-Classroom Library
Reflection
School leaders must be continuous in their ability to measure growth and learning not only to staff members but students as well. In order to create a climate that fosters forever learning; leaders must be willing to open their minds to innovative ideas that will help teachers and students build a relationship that will envelop lifelong learning. The implementation of choice in the classroom brought many positive attributes to the classroom. Students developed a habit of reading, but more importantly they developed a system to evaluate what will work for them. The development of self selection allowed for students to become lifelong readers. As an educator the system of developing choice in the classroom is an addicting one, as it transpires an invested interest for students to have in their own education. The entire month long process taught many life lessons in that; when teachers are proposing a new initiative to learning it is very important to be knowledgeable on the subject matter. To examine the process in its entirety, a great deal of research went into the development of the project. The research exposed many of the troubles that struggling readers might have or loopholes students will try to find. I did come across these loopholes and difficulties, but I felt prepared to handle them, and point students in another direction where they would be able to find success.
Going into the project one would think self selection- the teacher must stand back and let the student make their own choices. I found that there is an important place for teachers in self selection. Coaching students using materials and questioning techniques will help students make conscious decisions that they will eventually make on their own. Teachers should be used as a great resource and reference point for students; it is an educationally changing moment to watch students become less and less dependent on teachers for reading materials. It is truly magical to watch a student who once viewed the teacher as the beacon of reading material and then learn to select their own material, but then share their enjoyment for the chosen book and really reflect on why they picked it and what they will be reading next. The system of choice directly fosters lifelong learners.