Determining appropriate assessments and data points
Interruptions to daily schedule and routine, which interrupted guided reading instruction
Inability to complete data collection due to Covid-19
Teaching Question-Answer Relationship strategy in second grade language
Consistently meeting with all five guided reading groups
Aiding students in thinking deeply about what they read
Deepening metacognition in students
Increase in student ability to summarize and sequence after reading a text
Fostering a love of reading in many students
Determining areas of need for different guided reading groups.
Action research has allowed me to learn many things about reading comprehension and questioning. My biggest takeaway is there are many comprehension strategies; however, they may not impact students in the intended way. For example, the data collected with the Question-Answer Relationship strategy showed growth from beginning to end, but the data points do not demonstrate a consistent progression from week to week.
Although the impact may not have truly reflected an increase in student comprehension, the questioning strategies deepened student metacognition and resulted in unintended growth. Students have demonstrated greater ability in sequencing and summarizing text while reading. Prior to introducing questioning strategies, students were unable to summarize and sequence text, independently, on a regular basis.
As a result of this experience, my teaching has been influenced in a positive manner. Throughout the action research process, my teaching transitioned from being generic to becoming much more specific. Each guided reading group had specific needs, and I was able to adapt and preplan instruction to hone in on specific needs for groups of students.
Action research has taught me to be a reflective educator before, during, and after instruction. I have learned how to find and utilize research-based strategies. I have also grown to analyze and rely on data. Moving forward, I am more confident in my ability to make instructional decisions. I am capable of differentiating instruction during whole-class, small group, and individual instruction. I feel equipped to find and use new strategies to help students be successful in the classroom and beyond.
In an effort to grow professionally and enhance student learning, collaboration with professional educators was a key part of this journey. The research I conducted prior to my action plan allowed me to read case studies and research pertaining to reading comprehension and questioning strategies. All of the articles were peer reviewed, scholarly articles. Beyond written research, I had numerous collaborative interactions with university professors, school administration, and other educators in my school community. My CADRE associate and I had numerous reflective conversations to ensure consistency in strategies and teaching to meet the needs of students. All in all, I believe professional collaboration and research aided in my growth as a reflective educator as well as student growth in reading comprehension.
If I were to conduct this action research again, I would do a few things differently. Ultimately, I wonder if the Question-Answer Relationship strategy is age appropriate for students. I would be interested in selecting a different reading comprehension strategy to use with second grade students. I am curious to see how identifying and utilizing text connections may impact reading comprehension.
The other change I would make is in the assessment of reading comprehension. In the current study, I used Wonder's Weekly Common Formative Assessments to measure student growth. The language on the assessment did not seem age appropriate for students. I do not believe the assessment was the best fit to measure growth in reading comprehension for students.
Next year, I plan to implement some questioning and reading comprehension strategies earlier on in the school year. Self-Generated Questions is helpful for students to channel their thoughts and reflect on what they are reading.
Although the Question-Answer Relationship strategy was challenging; I do think it is appropriate for high ability learners. I value the growth in metacognition associated with the strategy.
All in all, I will differentiate instruction based on student needs. Ability grouping during guided reading will allow me to implement strategies to aid students in processing text at their cognitive level.