Man, those snow days threw me for a loop! Not too happy about having to make those days up at the end of the year. However, with the coming week being a short week too before Mid-Winter Break, it gives me a little bit of time to extend the new strategy that was planned for this week.
This week I started the strategy of collecting "pod points" when focusing on transitions. I again have decided to keep my line-up order. Students have responded really well to it and it has cut down our line transitions drastically. This is something I will keep until the end of the year for sure!
I have student desks grouped into pods of 4, so there are 5 "pods." *I call them pods because my classroom is ocean-themed, and whales/dolphins swim in pods. :) * On the board, I wrote 1-5 so students could see how many points they were collecting. I focused strictly on transitions in the classroom. In the future, I could add points for working quietly, quickly, etc., but for the purpose of this research, I only gave out points for transitions. If pods were able to get to 5 points by the end of the week, they got to pick something out of the treasure box. I was originally going to do 10 points, but with the shortened week, I made the goal 5 to encourage/motivate them. I had 2 out of 5 pods make it by the end of the day on Friday, which was a good eye opener for the groups that didn't make it. I am going to try that strategy again this week, but have them start over and see if they can get to 5 again. After we return from break, I will give my students a survey about which strategies they liked and why. I want their buy-in, so it is important for me to get their feedback!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
Action Research: Week 5
This week I implemented a strategy called, "Beat the Clock." This strategy is used to help transitions to and from activities within the classroom, for example, going from the carpet back to their desks. I set the timer and let students know how much time they have to transition and get started on their work (or transition/put things away, etc.) I decide how much time is appropriate, so the "clock" time varies each time. Every time students are able to complete the task at hand and "beat the clock," I put a tally mark on the board. Each tally mark represents an extra minute of free choice at the end of the day on Friday (they already get 30 minutes).
On Monday, it was sort of a trial run for me. I set the timer multiple times throughout the day to see if students could beat the clock. It was a learning curve because sometimes I gave them too much time (man, were they rushing to get those extra minutes!) and only a couple times did I not give enough time. Even though there were a couple of times where I didn't give them enough time, even though they were moving quickly, it only seemed to motivate them further. They were ESTATIC about this strategy! They loved it so much and worked SO hard this week. By the end of the week, they earned an extra 20 minutes of free choice, totaling 50 altogether at the end of the day today.
Students have been so excited about last week's and this week's strategies that they have told their parents, who made a point to tell me how interested their child was during conferences. I was also able to take anecdotal notes during conferences, asking parents a few simple questions about how their children transitioned at home. It gave me good insight!
Next week I will implement pod points. This will help them to get more competitive in small groups. I will keep the lineup order, however, from last week. It has worked so tremendously so far, I already know I am going to keep it!
On Monday, it was sort of a trial run for me. I set the timer multiple times throughout the day to see if students could beat the clock. It was a learning curve because sometimes I gave them too much time (man, were they rushing to get those extra minutes!) and only a couple times did I not give enough time. Even though there were a couple of times where I didn't give them enough time, even though they were moving quickly, it only seemed to motivate them further. They were ESTATIC about this strategy! They loved it so much and worked SO hard this week. By the end of the week, they earned an extra 20 minutes of free choice, totaling 50 altogether at the end of the day today.
Students have been so excited about last week's and this week's strategies that they have told their parents, who made a point to tell me how interested their child was during conferences. I was also able to take anecdotal notes during conferences, asking parents a few simple questions about how their children transitioned at home. It gave me good insight!
Next week I will implement pod points. This will help them to get more competitive in small groups. I will keep the lineup order, however, from last week. It has worked so tremendously so far, I already know I am going to keep it!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Action Research: Week 4
This week I implemented my first strategy to improve transitions. I made a specific line order for my students to line up in. The focus this week was transitioning to line up. I had to be methodical when choosing my line-up order. I had to keep in mind that sometimes students would be out of order if they were the helper of the day (then they move to the front) or the "hallway patrol" (caboose). I also had to keep in mind when students are absent. So I had to make sure that not only were the students in front and behind each other good matches, but also if one was absent, if the student in front or behind THEM would be a good fit. It took some time to figure out this order.
When I introduced the line order on Monday, I had students practice getting into their line-up spots. They also had to remember their number in line. I saw a DRASTIC difference in the amount of time it took students to line up. Instead of taking approximately 4.5 minutes to line up (this includes getting their coats out of their cubbies and putting them on), it took about 1 minute. If students didn't need to get their coats (depending on where we were going), it took less than 30 seconds! I was blown away. I couldn't believe how much time we were saving! Students also seemed to like the challenge and were interested in the new strategy.
Next week I am trying a "beat the clock" strategy. Here, every time we transition quickly and "beat the clock" within the classroom (to and from subjects/activities), they will get an extra minute of free choice at the end of the day on Friday. Because this strategy focuses just on transitions within the classroom, I have decided to keep the line-up spots for next week too. It worked so well I don't want to give it up! :)
When I introduced the line order on Monday, I had students practice getting into their line-up spots. They also had to remember their number in line. I saw a DRASTIC difference in the amount of time it took students to line up. Instead of taking approximately 4.5 minutes to line up (this includes getting their coats out of their cubbies and putting them on), it took about 1 minute. If students didn't need to get their coats (depending on where we were going), it took less than 30 seconds! I was blown away. I couldn't believe how much time we were saving! Students also seemed to like the challenge and were interested in the new strategy.
Next week I am trying a "beat the clock" strategy. Here, every time we transition quickly and "beat the clock" within the classroom (to and from subjects/activities), they will get an extra minute of free choice at the end of the day on Friday. Because this strategy focuses just on transitions within the classroom, I have decided to keep the line-up spots for next week too. It worked so well I don't want to give it up! :)
Friday, January 20, 2017
Action Research: Week 3
This week I collected baseline data on my students in regards to their transitions within the classroom. I focused on two areas: transitions to and from activities/subjects within the room and transitioning when lining up (for recess, lunch, specialists, etc.). As I took this data, I compiled the information to find averages for each area. After adding up the total minutes spent transitioning, I realized that it was eating up about a half hour out of the day! This was pretty shocking for me to see. My goal, after implementing 3 strategies in the next 3 weeks, is to see if I can find a way to cut down that time in half.
The 3 strategies I will be implementing next week are as follows:
Week 2: Specific line up order. Students will have assigned lined spots. I want to see if this will help them stay organized, get to where they need to be quicker, and keep down the noise level while transitioning.
Week 3: "Beat the clock" game. I will set a timer for an appropriate amount of time to transition depending upon the activity (30 sec.-1 min or so). Every time the class beats the clock, they will earn a tally mark. Each tally mark indicates one extra minute of free choice at the end of the day on Friday.
Week 4: Pod points. Students are split up into "pods" (table groupings with their desks). Pods will earn tally marks throughout the week when they are transitioning appropriately. I will dismiss them according to the pod in which they sit. If a pod can reach 10 points by the end of the week, they will get to choose something from the treasure box. There is a certain level of competition here between their groups, and my hope is that this will raise engagement.
I look forward to implementing these strategies and discovering which works best!
The 3 strategies I will be implementing next week are as follows:
Week 2: Specific line up order. Students will have assigned lined spots. I want to see if this will help them stay organized, get to where they need to be quicker, and keep down the noise level while transitioning.
Week 3: "Beat the clock" game. I will set a timer for an appropriate amount of time to transition depending upon the activity (30 sec.-1 min or so). Every time the class beats the clock, they will earn a tally mark. Each tally mark indicates one extra minute of free choice at the end of the day on Friday.
Week 4: Pod points. Students are split up into "pods" (table groupings with their desks). Pods will earn tally marks throughout the week when they are transitioning appropriately. I will dismiss them according to the pod in which they sit. If a pod can reach 10 points by the end of the week, they will get to choose something from the treasure box. There is a certain level of competition here between their groups, and my hope is that this will raise engagement.
I look forward to implementing these strategies and discovering which works best!
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Action Research: Week 2
This week I was able to plan and get prepared for my Action Research project on transitions within the classroom. I was able to complete my Focus and Rationale, where I determined my topic, reason for choosing that topic, and my desired outcome and expectations. I also completed my Review of Literature, where I found 5 articles pertaining to my topic. I was able to gather ideas and choose the strategies in which I would like to implement in my own classroom. I particularly enjoyed articles pertaining to Early Childhood classrooms. One even took place in a 2nd grade classroom, which got me excited and hopeful. I also completed my Planning Framework, where I determined all of the "nuts and bolts" of why I am doing this for action research. My plan is to select and try out different transition strategies, each within their own week. I will have my students reflect on which method was their favorite and compare the effectiveness of the data. I think it will be important to ask my students which method they enjoy best, because active engagement and a sense of ownership is important to my teachings. This week I will complete my detailed 4-week plan and begin implementation. I am looking forward to my findings!
Friday, January 6, 2017
Action Research Week 1
This week I was able to clarify my topic by thinking about the length of time needed to research an area of growth I would like to see in the classroom. I decided to focus on all kinds of transitions I am seeing within the classroom: lining up, exiting the classroom, entering the classroom, moving from one activity to another, etc. I was able to start brainstorming and think about the different components needed to research this area. As I research this topic, I will make a plan by filling out the framework and start taking baseline data in my classroom. It will be an interesting topic to gather baseline information on, since transitions happen constantly throughout the day. Next steps include creating a rubric (once I gather enough resources and data).
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