Draft Action Research Project Report

 

Title

How We Might Provide Better Instructional Support for Teachers to Effectively Utilize and

Embrace Technology in the Classroom

Needs Assessment

The need for this project was determined in conjunction with my site-supervisor in reviewing our

campus School Technology and Readiness [STaR] chart results for the 2011-2012 school year.

The main objective of this action research project will be to improve our campus School

Technology and Readiness [STaR] chart rating in the area of Instructional Support. The concern

is that teachers are not confident and/or motivated to utilize technology in the delivery of their

lessons. This research will seek ways to understand the qualitative issues as well as demonstrate

quantitatively why technology in the classroom is vital to student and teacher success. According

to our AEIS report, our campus faculty is 99+% White and less than 1% Hispanic.

Objectives and Vision of the Action Research Project

Our campus STaR chart rating for 2011-2012 in the area of Instructional Support was 2. It is the

objective of this project to improve that rating to at least 3 by the end of the 2012-2013 school

year.

Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy

As the project progressed, it was quickly discovered, in a careful reading of the STaR chart

questions that the teachers answer and score accordingly, that in order to receive a score higher

than 2 in the area of Instructional Support, it would be necessary to implement teacher cadres

that would provide the instructional support in technology. This was discussed with my site-

supervisor and agreed upon. It was discussed with the campus SBDM committee and was

approved.

Articulation of the Vision

The vision of this project was communicated to staff, parents, students, and community members

in SBDM committee meetings, informal discussions, a blog site, and email.

Managing the Organization

The strategy used for organizing the implementation of the project was as follows:

·         Set a foundation by informally discussing my research goals with other teachers and informing them that I will need their help to successfully complete this research.

·         Acquired questions from STaR chart regarding Instructional Support.

·         Analyzed the data on the STaR chart

·         Developed a deeper understanding by listening to teachers describe problems and reasons they are not utilizing technology in their lessons

·         Engaged in self-reflection by documenting how often I utilize technology in my classes and the different kinds of technology I use

·         Explored patterns in the use of technology in the classroom (e.g., older teachers vs. younger teachers, core subjects vs. electives, and department vs. department)

The campus principal and the SBDM committee were responsible for the following:

·         Determined direction for campus based on findings from inquiry

·         Took action by assigning department heads to monitor and encourage implementation of technology by all teachers in each department on a regular basis. Also, planned appropriate technology training as staff development to increase comfort level of teachers

·         Sustained improvement by following up with department heads to ensure compliance of technology utilization and looked for ways to anticipate future technology needs/upgrades

A priority was put on student learning and safety by stressing that improving in instructional

support would have a direct impact on student learning and by emphasizing the Children’s

Internet Protection Act, respectively.

Managing Operations

The strategy used to lead the operations of this project and set priorities was discovered as the

project got underway. Once it was discovered that teacher cadres had to be implemented in order

to improve the score in the area of Instructional Support on the STaR chart, consensus was

attained. There were no conflicts to resolve. Discussions were almost completely informal and,

fortunately, no dissent was encountered.

Responding to Community Interest and Needs

All students will benefit from the improvement of instructional support in technology. Teachers

will be more able to utilize and embrace the technology at their disposal and more seamlessly

integrate its use into their lessons.

References

School technology and readiness [STaR] chart for vidor jr. high school (2012).