Well, I tried loading the SPSS program onto my new laptop- which of course has Windows Vista/Mohave/whatever on it. I'm thinking the SPSS and the Vista don't like each other much and don't really get along very well. So I've decided I will just do it all on my work computer like I did for our research and statistics class anyway and then move from there. I intended to run some statistics using the program last week, but things got kinda hectic, and, well, yeah.
Can someone tell me: Chapter 3, that's just our research findings and Chapter 4 would be the conclusion? I'm just guessing here. I had the "draft of components" due, I don't know, last week, and I assume this just refers to the research portion.
Where is everyone else on theirs?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Moving right along!
OK!! So, with drafts of chapter one and chapter two out of the way, I am now looking at evaluating some research. Most interestingly, I have finally finished evaluating the TIMI tests I administered to my little ones about a month back (I've been busy, ok?). I don't know how many of you are familiar with the TIMI test, but it's basically a bunch of pandas doing different things, and kids choose their favorite. I opted to make it into a booklet so my first graders could circle one panda, and flip the page (28 times). I, then, had to take those booklets and transfer them to the scoring page, so this took some time. Now I am looking at their dominent intelligences. My topic is on Music and Movement helping ELs learn academic vocabulary, so I felt it would be important to have information on how my students learn best. What I have found is that there are many ties between their first and second dominent intelligences. For example, the Musical intelligence is just as dominent as the Logical intelligence. I am trying to figure out how best to enter this information when it comes to evaluating it statistically.
I have also collected parent surveys on their perceptions of how their child learns best. So I am looking to evaluate the data I have gathered so far in the following ways:
* I want to see how the parent surveys match up to the student TIMI tests.
* I want to see how my L1s, L2s, and maybe L3s match up with their dominent intelligences. Is their a majority here?
* I want to see how my "at risk" students (many of them also EL) match up with dominent intelligences. Do many "at risk" students learn the same way (and is this dominent intelligence out of the mainstream teaching style of direct instruction?).
From here, I need to design a unit using music and movement and another one not. I expect both units will show an improvement from pre- to post-assessment, as that is just simply the nature of learning and being six years old. I'll need to measure the amount of growth in each unit. So that will be my next step.
=) Thanks for reading!
I have also collected parent surveys on their perceptions of how their child learns best. So I am looking to evaluate the data I have gathered so far in the following ways:
* I want to see how the parent surveys match up to the student TIMI tests.
* I want to see how my L1s, L2s, and maybe L3s match up with their dominent intelligences. Is their a majority here?
* I want to see how my "at risk" students (many of them also EL) match up with dominent intelligences. Do many "at risk" students learn the same way (and is this dominent intelligence out of the mainstream teaching style of direct instruction?).
From here, I need to design a unit using music and movement and another one not. I expect both units will show an improvement from pre- to post-assessment, as that is just simply the nature of learning and being six years old. I'll need to measure the amount of growth in each unit. So that will be my next step.
=) Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Get yer head straight...
Alright! Moving along- slowly but surely. We had back to school night, and I had all but two parents attend. I got about five of the parent surveys back since then, so I stapled it to their homework this past week. I'm eager to check to see if they actually did it with the homework. I have now gone back and collected more research, and today I sat and read most of it and organized it into my Lit Review Binder. In collecting more research and seeing where the research has led me, my outline has changed completely. I am now looking more into multiple intelligences and how this impacts the learning of language. I found an interesting article about "at-risk" students typically being the kind that learn in a more kinesthetic or visual way. I'm interested now to compare my TIMI test results to my Title I and at-risk data to see if there is any corellation.
I finally got a timeline from my instructor, only to find that I'm "behind." So I HAVE to finish my lit review this weekend. I feel much more confident about it now. I really think it'll be done by tomorrow afternoon. I work best in the morning, so I'll have that cup of coffee and get to work on it.
So here's what I developed as my "action plan" as I was trying to crank out and submit Chapter 1 last weekend:
1. Area of Focus Statement
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of incorporating music and movement in the curriculum to raise academic achievement for all learners.
2. Define the Variables.
a. First grade classroom.
b. 75% English Learners
c. Varying degree of ability
d. Title I (low socio-economics)
e. Multiple Subject Classroom
3. Research Questions
a. How much gain in academic vocabulary is made with EL’s scoring as an L1 or L2 on the CELDT by incorporating music and movement into the curriculum of a first grade classroom with 20 students?
b. What is the gap in achievement between incorporating music and movement, and not?
c. How to all my students learn best?
4. Intervention or innovations
I will incorporate music and movement in to the standards based first grade language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies curriculum.
5. Membership of the Action Research Group
I will be working with twenty students in a general education first grade class. While the focus of this research is primarily English Learners, I am interested in also comparing achievement with English only students. Parents will also be included in the study. While the study is centered on their children, it is important for me to understand how their child learns best. Therefore, it is important I include their input in my study. Parents will be responsible for completing a survey on how their child learns best. Students will be responsible for taking a test to assess their dominant intelligence. They will also be responsible for formal assessments given to assess progress throughout.
6. Negotiations to be Undertaken
a. Media Release
b. Notification to Parents (Back to School Night).
7. Timeline
Phase 1: (Aug-Oct) Identify area of focus, review related literature, develop research questions.
Phase 2: (Oct-Nov) Collect and analyze data. Modify curriculum and instruction as necessary.
Phase 3: (Nov-Dec) Final write up of findings.
Phase 4: (Dec) Submit findings for review.
8. Resources
a. Music (I-tunes, sheet music, CD’s)
b. Music printed or written out with visual cues.
c. Choreography
d. First Grade Standards
e. Assessments
Whadaya think?
I finally got a timeline from my instructor, only to find that I'm "behind." So I HAVE to finish my lit review this weekend. I feel much more confident about it now. I really think it'll be done by tomorrow afternoon. I work best in the morning, so I'll have that cup of coffee and get to work on it.
So here's what I developed as my "action plan" as I was trying to crank out and submit Chapter 1 last weekend:
1. Area of Focus Statement
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of incorporating music and movement in the curriculum to raise academic achievement for all learners.
2. Define the Variables.
a. First grade classroom.
b. 75% English Learners
c. Varying degree of ability
d. Title I (low socio-economics)
e. Multiple Subject Classroom
3. Research Questions
a. How much gain in academic vocabulary is made with EL’s scoring as an L1 or L2 on the CELDT by incorporating music and movement into the curriculum of a first grade classroom with 20 students?
b. What is the gap in achievement between incorporating music and movement, and not?
c. How to all my students learn best?
4. Intervention or innovations
I will incorporate music and movement in to the standards based first grade language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies curriculum.
5. Membership of the Action Research Group
I will be working with twenty students in a general education first grade class. While the focus of this research is primarily English Learners, I am interested in also comparing achievement with English only students. Parents will also be included in the study. While the study is centered on their children, it is important for me to understand how their child learns best. Therefore, it is important I include their input in my study. Parents will be responsible for completing a survey on how their child learns best. Students will be responsible for taking a test to assess their dominant intelligence. They will also be responsible for formal assessments given to assess progress throughout.
6. Negotiations to be Undertaken
a. Media Release
b. Notification to Parents (Back to School Night).
7. Timeline
Phase 1: (Aug-Oct) Identify area of focus, review related literature, develop research questions.
Phase 2: (Oct-Nov) Collect and analyze data. Modify curriculum and instruction as necessary.
Phase 3: (Nov-Dec) Final write up of findings.
Phase 4: (Dec) Submit findings for review.
8. Resources
a. Music (I-tunes, sheet music, CD’s)
b. Music printed or written out with visual cues.
c. Choreography
d. First Grade Standards
e. Assessments
Whadaya think?
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