engl 481 - action research
TRANSCRIPT
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Allison M. Hawkins
ENGL 481Nardi
May 4, 2012
Major Project Four: Action Research
Upon walking into my seventh grade field placement classroom at a local middle school,
(grades 6-8) it is, undoubtedly, a typical classroom environment. The student population in all of
my cooperating teachers classes is extremely diverse, yet each student bears the same tween
look: struggling to discovering his or her true self while going through puberty, buzzing with the
talk of the tween dating scene, and carrying a cumbersome school supply binder meant for
organizational purposes, yet overflowing with each classs materials. Furthermore, everyone is
still fairly enthusiastic to be at school as no one is in the back corner, slumped into a ball and
falling asleep as seen in many high school classroom environments. However, despite this room
bursting with energy, an immense and ugly underlying issue plagues the day-to-day operations of
Mrs. Smiths1
fourth-hour English/Language Arts class: the majority of the students are failing.
Upon discovering this monumental problem and discussing it with Mrs. Smith, it became
clear the problems foundation existed not in the students inability to understand seventh-grade
concepts, but in their failure to complete and turn in daily assignments, projects, journal entries,
etc. Increasingly worrisome was the fact that Mrs. Smith rarely assigned homework and all
assignments had designated class time for completion. In thoroughly examining the roots of this
problem, I discovered this was not just an issue about completing assignments, but a failure on
both the teacher and curriculum to provide a collaborative classroom in environment in which
this population of students could thrive. Indeed, a more functional classroom environment would
enable students to see the classroom as productive workspace, rather than a place in which they
1 Pseudonym
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were coerced to do perceived educational labor. This educational roadblock was framed by two
main issues: the lack of classroom management as a result of failed procedure and dialogue
between student and teacherand the inability of the teacher to provide the scaffolding needed to
transform a students potential skills into actual, applicable skills during assigned group projects.
Upon first pondering the possible source for this lack of assignment completion, my
initial instinct was to direct some sort of blame onto the lack of self-control and/or self-discipline
on each of the failing students parts. While there is an undoubted amount of responsibility on
the student to direct his or her path toward academic success, seventh graders, (especially those
at lower achieving levels like those in my observation) need some sort of guidance on how to
achieve better organization and, thus, more timely completion of assignments. Therefore, my
cooperating teacher began to put together a specific checklist for each unit the class was covering
in which each assignment included in the unit was listed in order for students to be aware of what
he or she had not completed (see Exhibit One). Exhibit One was constructed by my cooperating
teacher as a way to effectively manage the chaos that was brewing as a result of quickly
plummeting grades and to prompt students to more efficiently complete assignments.
Following the implementation of Exhibit One, I steadfastly paid attention to the students
use of this guide as a way to manage their class time activities. While it was definitely effective
in helping each student see exactly what was expected of him or her, I found the checklist not
detailed enough as students often asked for a description of the assignment, what page number
assignments could be found on, etc. It is worth noting the few-sentence blurb above the rubric on
Exhibit One as it claims assignments will not be accepted if the score is less than 80%.
However, this is now incorrect. While the teacher originally planned for this assignment
procedure to occur, students are now only able to turn in late assignments for 50%. Therefore,
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while students actively utilize Exhibit One as a way to organize which assignments have been
completed, it has not aided in igniting a quicker turnover of assignments.
In conjunction with the discussion of Exhibit One are the actual assignments found on the
checklist. Each assignment offers a strict boundary between student and teacher in which the
student merely facilitates the assignment and the student must abide and complete. The
classroom environment incorporates only a basic transmission of information between
communicator and recipient, rather than an environment structured as an open-ended discussion
forum in which both teacher and student engage in a dialogue about class topics. This type of
interaction varies largely from the aforementioned structure and requires that teachers abandon
the security of their roles as authoritative repositories and referees of unproblematic knowledge
in favor of more subtle and ostensibly risky roles of master conversant, catalyst, critic, and
organizer of dialogue (Nystrand 89). Therefore, in constructing one of my lessons for Mrs.
Smiths fourth-hour class, my main goal was to create an activity that fostered whole-class
collaboration and a forum in which each student could extract information from his or her own
personal fundsof knowledge. In this way, the student could feel as though their thought was
valued and significant to the overall completion of the activity. I framed my lesson (see Exhibit
Two) around a previously learned concept called Content Directed Reading Thinking Activity
(DRTA) in a Curriculum and Instruction class. With Content DRTA, you preview a text with
student by asking for predictions or a listing of knowledge about a particular subject before the
actual reading of the text begins. Then, the teacher begins reading WITH students, first reading
sections to the class, then asking for volunteers, and then silently reading. After each section of
reading, the teacher reverts back to the aforementioned predictions and/or lists of prior
knowledge, discussing new points that come up and creating a natural dialogue about a topic. In
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an excerpt from my Journal of Literacy Experience I wrote: This activity was idealbecause it
modeled a communal classroom environment in which we participated in the discussion with
students rather than having them simply read the article and then write about it (Hawkins,
4/24/12). Furthermore, it helped to model a "natural" reading process that proficient readers use
subconsciously, especially because many of the students in the fourth-hour class are under-
achieving readers.
In order to remedy the problematic boundary between students and teacher, the teacher
must promote more frequent dialogic methods in his or her daily instruction. Rather than simply
transmitting information, (like the oft used Banking Method) in a teacher-centric classroom in
which learning lacks any sort of durability, the teacher must provide lessons that are driven by
student engagement and that activate the funds of knowledge unique to each student. My lesson
promoting this student-centric environment and incorporating Content DRTA involved reading
an article regarding Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen and his recent suspension for making
comments about his admiration for Cuban Communist leader, Fidel Castro. The comments
outraged not only the Miami Marlins baseball organization, but also the large Cuban population
in the Miami community. Because the article activated previous funds of knowledge and the
students were able to collaborate with group members and share this knowledge, the completion
and participation were levels above normal engagement. Exhibit Three showcases the students
work in listing their prior knowledge with the rest of the group. The class was eager to talk about
the topics raised in this article (communism, especially) and the teacher actually extended my
lesson by instructing students to write a persuasive essay on whether or not they believe Guillen
should have been suspended. Regarding this kind of lesson Nystrand writes: By asking
authentic questions and not prespecifying answers, teachers open up the floor to student
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interpretations, signaling to students that their ideasand not those presented in their textbooks
are important and can provide opportunities for learning (Nystrand 90). Indeed, by opening up
the classroom conversational floor, new opportunities for fruitful discussion and student-centric
learning are ignited.
The second major contributor to the students lack of success is the lack of necessary
scaffolding when assigning group projects. If teachers wish to assign critical thinking-based
projects that help foster creativity and dialogic peer collaboration, they must provide the
assistance and modeling that is integral to the project to be completed to the expected standard.
For example, Mrs. Smith assigned a group project in which students had to create a movie script
for a particular chapter or scene in the class novel they had recently finished. In order for this
assignment to be a successful expression of student creativity and collaboration, the teacher must
set up checkpoints for completion, rather than simply handing out a worksheet listing the
instructions and components of the assignment. The teacher has a key role in aiding
understanding of each component in order for students to reach full potential i.e. working within
the zone of proximal development.
By simply handing out an assignment sheet, students are left flounderingthey
understand the main purpose of the assignment, yet do not know how to compose a script, what
it should look like, what scene or chapter of the book to use, etc. Therefore, the teacher must
model these components when the project is initially assigned, helping students to discover the
necessary steps for completion and what the finished project should ultimately look and sound
like. In discussing Vygotskys theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, Nystrand
reinforces this aforementioned suggestion for instruction by stating: Hence, in a coordinating
effort, the adult scaffolds the learning and activity of the child, Wertsch (1979, 1985) points
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out, by allowing for what the student can do (actual development level) while providing support
for what the child is not yet able to do (potential development level) (Nystrand 95). In my
classroom example, Mrs. Smith would first observe and/or assess what each group of students
already knows about the necessary steps to complete the assignment and would then
subsequently address areas of concern. In this way, the group gradually begins to work as one
collaborative unit, slowly gaining more responsibility and a better understanding of how to
complete the assignment. Therefore, discourse and social interaction structure the development
of the childs understanding (Nystrand 95). Indeed, the peer group can only be effective and
fully utilize its dialogic capabilities if the teacher adequately scaffolds the assignment. After
watching some presentations of the movie script and witnessing the poor quality, a teacher
operating within each groups zone of proximal development would have, undoubtedly, created
more creative, thorough projects.
While the students in Mrs. Smiths fourth hour class are suffering from consistent below
average grade reports, the issue could be remedied by integrating two major concepts: by
providing more complex, dialogic, student-centered lessons and through proper scaffolding in
order to allow group collaboration the ability to showcase its complete educational benefits. By
creating lessons that activate each students funds of knowledge, the class will feel as though
they have something worthy to offer and something that will contribute to the greater
understanding of the entire class. In this way, each student feels somewhat experienced and
knowledgeable, lowering the affective filter and allowing for better completion of assignments.
Additionally, with the correct scaffolding, students would be able to produce work levels above
the below average work they are currently turning in. With guidance and gradual responsibility
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each group would allow the aforementioned concept of dialogism to function within this smaller
setting, as well.
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Works Cited
Nystrand, Martin. Opening Dialogue: Understanding the Dynamics of Language and Learning
in the English Classroom. New York: Teachers College Press, 1997. Print.
Hawkins, Allison. Journal of Literacy Experience. Illinois Compass. 24 Apr. 2012. Web.
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Appendix
Exhibit One:
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Exhibit Two:
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Exhibit Two, cont.
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Exhibit Three: