The question that I am exploring in my inquiry is: how can I use specific strategies to increase levels of engagement in my classroom?
Part A: Taking Action
The most important way that I took action this week was by incorporating SMART Board lessons into my Response to Intervention (RTI) block. First, I thought about what types of lessons my students would benefit from the most when using the SMART Board. My CT and I had a conversation about SMART Board lesson for RTI and it was decided that a making words lesson would be the best to start. My CT knew a colleague who had a making words SMART Board lesson already and had it sent over for us to use. Next, we tried out the lesson ourselves to ensure that it would work well for our students. We dragged and dropped letters using the touch screen on the board and also tried using a stylus style pen as well to see what would be more user-friendly.
Last, we tried out the lesson with our students. During RTI, I had my students come to the carpet in front of the SMART Board and sit in a line. Using my book that correlates with this SMART Board lesson, I would call out words and read them in a sentence. I would call on students to come up to the board and make words by dragging and dropping the letters from the boxes at the top of the screen to the numbered rectangle that correlated to the word that they were trying to make. The student experience was extremely positive. All of my RTI students were excited to get to come up to the board and make words. Even though some students became nervous to get a word incorrect sometimes, overall we had a welcoming, open atmosphere that allowed for learning experiences to come from mistakes.
Part B: Reflecting on Learning – Formative Data Collection Analysis
The most powerful formative data that I collected this week to better understand student learning and/or my teaching practice was digital pictures and brief student interviews. I took pictures of my SMART Board to show the making words lesson that I used with my students. I conducted brief student interviews by asking my students whether or not they enjoyed making words using the SMART Board. Something that I learned this week about my inquiry topic of engagement is that conducting interviews with students is one of the most beneficial ways to see whether or not something is engaging. If students are highly interested, usually they are highly engaged. In this case, my students are highly interested in making words on the SMART Board, so I could most likely conclude that they are highly engaged during my making words lessons.
I believe this learning was important for my inquiry because it helped me to understand not only the power of student feedback, but also the power of incorporating multiple forms of technology in the classroom. My data supports this learning because it shows how I used student feedback to better my lessons while also using technology to enhance student learning as well as levels of student engagement. The actions/changes that I plan on taking based on my learning this week are incorporating more SMART Board lessons and taking field notes as well as reflective notes to improve my students’ learning and levels of engagement while also improving in my teaching. Based on the data that I have collected, I still wonder: what other subjects could I incorporate SMART Board lessons into in the future?
Part A: Taking Action
The most important way that I took action this week was by incorporating SMART Board lessons into my Response to Intervention (RTI) block. First, I thought about what types of lessons my students would benefit from the most when using the SMART Board. My CT and I had a conversation about SMART Board lesson for RTI and it was decided that a making words lesson would be the best to start. My CT knew a colleague who had a making words SMART Board lesson already and had it sent over for us to use. Next, we tried out the lesson ourselves to ensure that it would work well for our students. We dragged and dropped letters using the touch screen on the board and also tried using a stylus style pen as well to see what would be more user-friendly.
Last, we tried out the lesson with our students. During RTI, I had my students come to the carpet in front of the SMART Board and sit in a line. Using my book that correlates with this SMART Board lesson, I would call out words and read them in a sentence. I would call on students to come up to the board and make words by dragging and dropping the letters from the boxes at the top of the screen to the numbered rectangle that correlated to the word that they were trying to make. The student experience was extremely positive. All of my RTI students were excited to get to come up to the board and make words. Even though some students became nervous to get a word incorrect sometimes, overall we had a welcoming, open atmosphere that allowed for learning experiences to come from mistakes.
Part B: Reflecting on Learning – Formative Data Collection Analysis
The most powerful formative data that I collected this week to better understand student learning and/or my teaching practice was digital pictures and brief student interviews. I took pictures of my SMART Board to show the making words lesson that I used with my students. I conducted brief student interviews by asking my students whether or not they enjoyed making words using the SMART Board. Something that I learned this week about my inquiry topic of engagement is that conducting interviews with students is one of the most beneficial ways to see whether or not something is engaging. If students are highly interested, usually they are highly engaged. In this case, my students are highly interested in making words on the SMART Board, so I could most likely conclude that they are highly engaged during my making words lessons.
I believe this learning was important for my inquiry because it helped me to understand not only the power of student feedback, but also the power of incorporating multiple forms of technology in the classroom. My data supports this learning because it shows how I used student feedback to better my lessons while also using technology to enhance student learning as well as levels of student engagement. The actions/changes that I plan on taking based on my learning this week are incorporating more SMART Board lessons and taking field notes as well as reflective notes to improve my students’ learning and levels of engagement while also improving in my teaching. Based on the data that I have collected, I still wonder: what other subjects could I incorporate SMART Board lessons into in the future?