Action+Research


 * __ Problem: __** My 5th grade students at St. Michael Elementary School scored lower on the Math indicator 5.S.1-Use statistical models to gather, analyze, and display data to draw conclusions.


 * __Question:__** Will implementing Project Based Learning with a focus on 21st Century Skills and Tools improve my student’s achievement on standard 5.S.1? Specifically, can I engage my students with a financial literacy theme and increase their understanding of finding the mean and using graphs and charts to communicate information visually?


 * __Plan:__** I want children to see mathematics as a subject that can spark wonder and curiosity. I want my students to experience math in areas other then just math class. I am also hoping that my children will take delight in their learning and I can take delight in my teaching. I am hoping that this lesson will: require thinking and reasoning, extend their understanding of mathematical concepts, get students to talk about their thinking, make math real and more concrete, and allow cooperative work. One of the main purposes of this activity was to provide a context in which student could investigate finding averages. I believe that this will be a much better approach then completing an assignment from the textbook and then being done with it. So my plan is to Design a project that // encourages active inquiry and higher-level thinking .// I am hoping to create an environment in which students construct their own knowledge and I will step back and become the facilitator. I also want to Integrate 21st Century Skills and Tools into my lesson plans.
 * __Reflection:__** This has been a great learning experience for me. I feel that in the past I’ve taken the project based learning approach but this year I was able to give the students more choices and to step back and let the students guide the instruction. It was true project based learning. I think my students learned more than they would have if I had had the students complete an assignment out of the book. My favorite parts were when the students were working on their budgets and when they were working on their individual projects. When the students were working on their budgets they were really putting effort into them, having fun, laughing, and learning all at the same time. It was really neat to see. Then when the students were working on their projects there were so many “teaching” moments I felt like I was actually able to do my job…teach. I had some students who needed to learn how to turn fractions into decimals, I had some students needing to know how to measure to the nearest 1/8 of an inch, and others trying to problem solve…where do I go next? It was neat to be able to use questioning to inspire critical thinking.


 * __Implications for Future Work:__** My plans are to continue to take what I have learned about data driven instruction, project based learning, 21st Century Skills and Tools, and technology to transform my teaching and my student’s education bit by bit. I hope to continue to expand my comfort zone and to continue to try new lessons.  Engaging students in the classroom is a key component to success in education. For education to meet the evolving needs of our students this requires me to keep one foot in the present and the other on tomorrow.  ** As a teacher I want to ensure that I am indeed preparing my students for their future. I want to transform my ** teaching to meet the evolving needs of my students.  My long-term goal is to be the teacher who creates a rich learning environment in which students regularly engage in activities that would have been impossible to achieve without technology.