Cluster Action Research Plan Example

Cluster Action Research Plan Example

Teacher: School: Date:

Goal 1: Increase capability of teachers and principals to improve students’ learning and achievement through e-learning. (Highlight one or two bullets)

Create a supportive learning environment
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Be included in all lessons at their level as appropriate to their individual needs
· Celebrate their learning by displaying a range of their work
· Interact positively with other students
· Interact positively with the teacher
Facilitate shared learning
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Take part in discussions to reach understanding
· Share and explain their opinions/ideas
· Question and challenge others appropriately
· Work cooperatively to achieve group goals
Encourage reflective thought and action
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Discuss how well they have worked
· Identify what they should do differently in the future to get better
· Reflect on their goals to guide their action
· Use thinking tools to help them learn
Enhance the relevance of new learning
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Help decide the learning intentions and success criteria
· Know what they are learning and why
· Help decide what they are learning about
· Identify their next learning step using the success criteria
Make connections to prior learning and experience
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Share what they have learnt with others
· Learn through authentic, real life tasks and experiences
· Build on what they already know
· Relate learning to their everyday lives

Research Questions:

· What strategies will I use to help my students … be aware of the learning intentions and success criteria in my e-learning activity?

§ Have learning intentions and success criteria displayed in the classroom

§ Discuss these with the students

§ Give my students the opportunity to add to the success criteria

· How will I gather evidence to show increased opportunities for students to… be aware of the learning intentions and success criteria in my activity?

§ Student voice – have another teacher interview a group of children, asking them how successful they think they are in completing the task. Record their comments (do the students make reference to the success criteria that was provided?)

Goal 2: Integrate ICT into the NZ Curriculum (Highlight one bullet)

Integrate ICT
Teachers provide opportunities for students to:
· Make informed decisions about when to use ICT for learning
· Use a range of ICTs for communication and collaboration
· Use a range of ICTs for critical thinking and researching
· Use a range of ICTs for creativity

Learning Area: English

Concept: Communication

Strand: Creating meaning for themselves or others (speaking, writing, presenting)

Making meaning of ideas or information they receive (listening, reading, viewing)

Context: Creating a factual recount of our trip to the botanical gardens

Research Questions:

· What tools and strategies will I use to help my students use ICTs for communication and collaboration?

o The students will contribute to a digital text of their trip to the botanical gardens.

§ They will assist in taking digital photographs

§ I will import the photos and create an album to use in iMovie

§ As a whole class we will sequence the photos in iMovie (using the data projector for everyone to see and having student volunteers click and drag photos into the correct sequence)

§ In pairs the students will compose a brief recount (1-2 sentences) for each of the photos to read aloud. These narrations will be recorded in iMovie.

§ I will export the movie for the whole class (and wider audience) to view.

· How will I gather evidence to show increased opportunities for students to …

§ I will photograph my children throughout the process (taking photos and recording their narrations)

§ sharing their movie in our syndicate assembly

Goal 3: Strengthen professional learning communities and increase collaboration within and across schools.

Research Question:

· How will I share the results of my action research with my school and cluster colleagues?

§ I am going to share my findings with my syndicate

§ On the 16th of June when we meet as a whole cluster, I will bring along a copy of my movie and some photos of my children working on it. When we break into small groups I will share my experiences.

· What happened as a result of my actions? (Based on the evidence I gathered)

§ Eg My students could clearly articulate most of the success criteria for this activity. I made an effort to keep referring to the criteria as we worked through the task. It helped to have them displayed on the wall. This was a really good way to reinforce the general structure and grammatical features of a recount. By having the students take the digital photos and compose and record the narrations – the students were highly engaged in the task and very proud of their final movie. I was impressed with the quality of their narrations!

· What are my next steps for teaching and learning?

§ My next step is to involve the children more – in the process of writing the success criteria as a class.