This artifact is the final draft of the Literature Review section of my action research paper titled Socratic Circles in Middle School Science: Impact on Cognitive Engagement and Discussion Depth. This Literature Review section was written during the class 601 Action Research in Education--Introductory, taught by Susan Hughes in the summer of 2017. The goal of the course was to introduce students to the action research process, begin planning for their own research, and complete the Literature Review section of their action research papers. This artifact was essential in getting students started off in the action research process. The Literature Review provided a foundation on information that could be referenced and compared throughout the action research study. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 7, Planning for Instruction, and Standard 8, Instructional Strategies. Standard 7 aligns because the literature review enabled researchers to learn more about content areas and pedagogy through extensive reading in their focus area, as well as further analysis of those texts. Standard 8 aligns because when doing the research required for the review, researchers are exposed to a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners, and they are also encouraged to decide which of these might have impact in their own classrooms.

Honestly, writing the Literature Review was one of the toughest components of the action research process for me. I had not done any formal research that was similar to the format expected in this section even though I do less formal research for my job as an instructional coach all of the time. The toughest part for me was keep the sheer volume of sources straight. I did create an organizer that became very helpful as I added more and more selections to my review. Initially, I struggled with which information to include from the pages and pages of studies as well, but eventually I started to get better at deciding which information was most relevant for connecting to my study. It was definitely out of my comfort zone, but because of that I feel like it has been a good experience for me. I think it has also helped me look at my job-related research as well. I think I am better able to grab essential information and ideas from texts now to help my work with both teachers and students.

This artifact is the Proseminar Book Reflection and Synthesis Paper which shares connections and common themes in the four selected texts from the Proseminar book list as well as relates those books to the Proseminar theme All Are Welcome: Meeting the Needs of All Students All the Time. Students were required to identify common themes in the books, identify how the books fit with the overarching Proseminar theme, and use textual evidence to support ideas, and make connections to experience in the classroom. This paper was written during the class 604 Proseminar which was taught by several instructors in the summer of 2018, but Christine Bakkum was my Proseminar instructor. The goal of the course was to culminate the master’s degree journey for students with presentation of action research and learning portfolios, reflecting on the learning journey, and ultimately graduating. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 2, Learning Differences, and Standard 3, Learning Environments. Standard 2 is connected because the reading and reflection done in this assignment is immersed in understanding the individual differences in our students and working towards creating inclusive learning environments to best serve all of our students. Standard 3 is also an easy fit because working with other teachers, administrators, and even students to create an environment to foster positive, active, and collaborative learning speaks to the purpose of each of the book options.

I found the book selections in this assignment to be very timely as it seems more and more of our time as educators is spent working through the burdens that our students are bringing with them to class every day. Most of these burdens, whether poverty, trauma, mental health struggles, or just apathy are present before these students ever enter our classrooms, but we still need strategies to help our students through these burdens. Honestly, I am very tired of the trend to blame teachers for what is happening with our students. It is not accurate when we have so many teachers going above and beyond to help our students persevere through all their struggles. Teachers are trying to adapt and do what is best for our students, but that seems to be constantly changing and becoming more complex each year. I appreciate books like the ones that we read for this assignment that attempt to help our caring teachers by arming them with the tools they need to make a difference. I feel I have gleaned a lot of strategies and philosophical ideas from reading these books. I am also thankful for the plethora of notes that I took as I read because that will help me to share the ideas with my colleagues so that we can work together to help our students succeed.

This artifact is the final draft of a TLC Synthesis paper that I wrote in EDUC-623 Teacher Leadership Professional Learning with Terry Hurlburt in the Spring of 2017. The course’s purpose was for students to reflect on an assess their own roles as leaders so they can create a plan for expanding that role in the future. The purpose of completing this synthesis paper was for the student to reflect on the TLC program in their own schools. Students were asked to analyze the specific benefits, impact, and process of implementation as observed in their own districts. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 9, Professional Learning and Ethical Practice, and Standard 10, Leadership and Collaboration. Standard 9 is connected because the assignment asked students to assess the impact of the TLC program on others as well as their own impact with the TLC program. Standard 10 was connected because it helped the student become more cognizant of the impact of leadership initiatives in general, and more specifically, a teacher’s own impact as a leader in his or her district.

I really enjoyed this assignment since I have had such a large part in my school’s journey in the TLC program. As a member of the original TLC committee, and then as one of the first instructional coaches in our school’s program, I have been able to see the impact first-hand. It was a good experience for me to step back into more of an observational role to write this paper and reflect on the overall impact to my colleagues and the district in general. This was also a great opportunity for me to do some reflection on my personal leadership journey. It was not an easy decision to leave the classroom, but the reflection in this class helped me to affirm that I did make the right decision for myself and my district because I can use my experience to impact several classrooms, teachers, and students now instead of just my own classroom.