Sunday, September 18, 2011

New Insights For Improvement Within My Action Research Project

When looking for improvements for revision in the action research project over student discipline, blog information from classmate’s suggestions have allowed me to gain insight of what may work for motivational factors to gain a positive change and how data could be organized to produce greater understanding of what may or may not be effective discipline motivators.
Jackie Postlethwait suggests creating competitiveness within the high school campus as a motivational factor. I love this idea, each grade level will compete to see who has the least amount of student referrals at the end of a semester, and the class with lowest referrals will be rewarded. However, to keep those students with outstanding behavioral status but in a disruptive class, I think there should be some kind of reward for these students. My site supervisor and I will be creating a combination of the two, to keep students from being discouraged because they have a class with students who really do not care if they receive incentives for good behavior.
Another suggestion I found helpful in revising my research project into an effective student discipline research project, was from Becky. She suggests breaking down offences into particular levels/categories to see if there is an effect in one area more than in another area. Categorizing student referral information will help bring insight to which individual is doing what and are problems reoccurring. This will allow my site supervisor and I to see if there is an underlying problem , viewing of individual folders and teacher interviewing may be need to gain further knowledge about habitual students.
Being able to interact with other Lamar students over the action research projects will be a tremendous help in creating an effective and efficient student discipline research project for my high school campus. Also, following projects similar to mine will allow me to gain insight of different strategies or suggestions to improve discipline across the campus will be very beneficial for all stakeholders while creating a positive morale for all.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

What have I learned this week?

This week I have gain insight of the importance of comprising a well thought-out research plan consisting of student discipline. What do I hope to gain from this research? Hopefully what all educators would hope to create within their classroom, discipline strategies to create harmony for producing constructive learning.   This is why my student discipline has created a wondering for me as an action research project.  As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to grasp a better understanding of my students. If administration can find positive ways to mold student’s actions without degrading students with negative reinforcements while winning over respect and interest from today’s student, then administration opens doors to students learning while creating positive learning environments.

Draft: Student Discipline Action Research Plan

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Purpose and Significance of My Action Research Project: Student Discipline

The purpose of my action research plan is to take a look back at our student discipline process and procedures. We have a small campus, where most of our students are good.  Many teacher complaints are about respect and getting a handful of students to get quiet and stop disrupting class.  Very seldom do we have fighting, drugs or major discipline problems. The first stage of my action research project has started by reviewing discipline referrals: looking and categorizing them into different severities.  I will check to see if there is a correlation between discipline and productive learning. I thought about checking to see if state assessment scores are affected in certain class with high discipline referrals.  I also want to create teacher, student, and parent questioners to see how they feel about past, current, and present discipline on our campus. I feel that including those whom discipline affects, should have input about our discipline perspective.  Maybe look at teacher training, has our district assured teachers have been properly trained how to discipline, defuse problems before they escalate. Also, look at students individual folders, could there be an underlying problem or issue with the student(s).
What is the significance of my action research project? I will create a positive beneficial way to keep discipline at its lowest level. I will create a positive and productive learning environment for administration, teachers, and students.