Reflection | Capstone Project

Impact

The action research had an impact on student learning by increasing student achievement. Through the use of a research-based strategy my students' achievement increased. Collecting data during the study has allowed me to see differences in growth. During my study, some students grew significantly in student achievement while others did not grow significantly. Action research impacted student learning by affecting each individual student differently. The study had given me the opportunity to look at each individual and their achievement from the study. This had impacted student learning by identifying what environmental factors I can and cannot control in the study.

This action research had impact on my current teaching because it had showed me when there is a need in my classroom to find research and implement it in my classroom. For example, if I find next year that I have a need in my classroom I will research tools to help the need and implement the research. I can use action based research if I am teaching a different grade next year because I will be finding a need in my classroom.

This action research has impacted my professional growth because it allowed me to find a need in my classroom and find a research based strategy that would help this need. The action research has given me the opportunity to research and learn about a specific strategy. Also, this study has helped me look at my decisions as an educator and determine if these decisions were right for students. For example, when I chose to use questions where students had to justify an answer, I realized this was not the best for students. Another decisions I made as an educator that was not best for students was not giving enough supports to specific students. These students might have needed other ways to exhibit their learning. I made a right choice by giving my students who were below grade level the choice in how they exhibit their learning and differentiating to their level, but I did not think about the students that were on grade level. Action research allowed me to look at myself and my choices in a critical eye.

What I learned

During the study, I learned that collecting data on each student every day is important in order to understand where your students are at. For example, if I only collected data before and after the study I would not know how students were doing during the study. Collecting data throughout the unit allowed me to know how to help students and meet where they are at with their understanding.

Also, I learned how to evaluate whether a research-based strategy is effective in the classroom. Not every research-based strategy is going to benefit students. When the all pieces of data showed me the same message I knew the research-based strategy was helping students. It was important to make sure all data points were helping students increase their achievement.

Here are some lingering questions I still have about my study:

What impact do the different types of questions have on students?
What impact would the study have on students’ achievement if the duration of the study was longer?
Do the students who disliked math, have any influence at home or from peers that could affect their attitude toward math?
How would the data have changed if I did not give students feedback in their math journals?

Future

One of the things that needed to be modified is the length of the study. My study was only implemented for six to eight weeks with the interruption of snow days. Time of the study needed to be modified because the impact my study had on students could had been communicated. The data may have had shown that it did or did not increase student achievement. For example, if I collected the data over the course of three months it might have presented different ideas about student achievement than after eight weeks. The data could have had presented an increase or decrease in achievement in all students if collected at a later time. In my next action research, I would be able to collect data for as long as I want based on situations that had interrupted my action research.

The action research will impact my future thinking because I will be able to collect data throughout the school year based on a need I have in my classroom. If I have a need in math in my future classroom, I will be able to research a strategy, plan out tools to use in my classroom, implement the strategy, and evaluate the impact on my students. This future thinking will help me become reflective with the actions and choices I make in my classroom. I will be able to determine if the decisions I am making in my classroom are best for students and reflect on those decisions.

Action research will impact my future teaching by not staying stagnant in my classroom. If there is a need in my classroom, whether academically or behaviorally, I will find a research-based strategy that can help my students. Once I identify which research-based strategy I want to do, I will collect data throughout the weeks to see if the strategy was effective or not.

In addition, action research has impacted my future teaching by analyzing data deeply. When looking at data, I will not only look at the whole class but individual students. I will ask myself, “why did these specific students score this way?”. This will help analyze my decisions as an educator and come up with new ideas on how to help these students become successful. Action research has helped me look at myself through a critical eye and has taught me how to find solutions for needs in my classroom.