Reflection
Impact on Student Learning
Action research has impacted student learning in many ways. Before conducting this research, my students were mostly unengaged and were having a difficult time retaining information from one class period to the next. While I had hunches about why student retention was low (e.g. class every other day, school breaks) and ideas for higher engagement, I did not have a strategic way to improve student learning. Action research provided the strategic vision and vehicle for improved learning. This journey resulted in positive student attitudes and motivation in Spanish class. During the study, students became more engaged with the content as a result of the familiarity of the context provided by the literature I used. Students were able to remember the high frequency vocabulary words from one class to the next. This allowed them to transfer this knowledge to help them understand complete texts related to the same context. Using the context of well-known stories allowed me to plan lessons with a variety of novel activities that got students’ attention and provided multiple meaningful exposures to the content. Every day of class looked a little different, but the students were still learning the same information. All types of learners benefitted from the activities and were engaged in at least one activity that fit their learning style. In sum, action research impacted student learning through reinforcing best instructional practices including a variety of pedagogical skills and strategies designed to meet the needs of all learners.
Impact on Current Teaching
Always learning and never complete have become the cadence of my professional growth. Conducting action research inspired me to try new things in my classroom and learn more about my population of students. In doing so, my current teaching has evolved and become more responsive to best practices. Before beginning my research, I used a lot of rote memorization activities that just were not working for my students. They were disengaged and not learning. Without this study, I would not have researched the topics that I did. Through extensive investigation into using well-known children’s literature as a context for teaching world language, I uncovered solutions to the problems going on in my own classroom. This has impacted all grade levels that I teach and has made me a better teacher by encouraging me to take the initiative to try many different types of activities to benefit all learners. I also evolved as a teacher in being able to view units more long-term. Before the study, it was difficult for me to know how long I would spend on a certain concept, how I would teach the concept, and what I wanted my students to be able to do with the learned information. Conducting this research and using the information I found to make decisions taught me how to use vocabulary and grammar skills in a real-life context. I have learned to plan units in an order that make sense while using a variety of novel activities.
Impact on Professional Growth
My professionalism grew immensely as I collaborated and communicated with many other experts on numerous topics related to teaching. I had daily conversations with the other Spanish teachers at my building about classroom management strategies, stories they have used in the past, advice on which activities to use, and so much more. I also spoke with other teachers in my building who do not teach Spanish about classroom management strategies and classroom engagement tools that work for them. Outside of my building, I went on observations to get ideas from colleagues that I do not have the opportunity to talk to on a regular basis. Observing different teaching styles gave me great insight on my own classroom. Making connections between colleagues has made me a better professional as I now have a group of people that I can always go to for questions or for advice on any topic. After learning so much about using children’s literature to teach a world language, I could also be a great resource for other teachers to come to if they would like to learn more about the topic. Another way I grew as a professional was to make data informed decisions. As a teacher, I make a lot of decisions throughout the day. When I make them, it is important that I have a reason to back them up so I know I am making the right decisions. Using research and data to make choices is important in providing the best possible education for each student. It also ensures that I can confidently relay to parents that I am using the best practices possible for acquiring a new language.
Learnings and Remaining Questions
After conducting all of my action research, I learned a lot but I am still left with many questions. First, I learned that a good teacher is not a problem observer, they are a problem solver. This research taught me to go out, find the best practice, try it, and then use data to drive all of my decisions from that point forward. It also taught me how many ways it is possible to teach the same content by using many meaningful exposures with a variety of activities. One question that I still have is how to find stories that align with my school’s curriculum and are also interesting and familiar to my students. I also wonder if it would have made an impact on student attitude if I started out the school year using stories instead of introducing it later in the year. For the most part, students enjoyed learning from a story. Would they be bored if I used a story for every concept in Spanish class or would they still enjoy it?
Changes and Modifications for the Future
If I were to do this study again, I would change or modify some parts of the study. First, I would give smaller assessments throughout the units. I don’t think I gave my students enough written feedback about these concepts as many of the activities we did were ungraded. To ensure that each student knows where they are in the learning process, I would either give smaller graded assessments throughout the unit or leave feedback on more of their in-class work. I would also give students a vote in which book we choose to read. This would be more challenging as I previously mentioned it was difficult for me to find stories that aligned with my school’s curriculum, but I do believe it is important students have choice in what they learn. Another change I would make is that I would give students something to do while we are reading the story. I asked questions throughout and called on students for responses, but some students were easily off-task during this time because they didn’t have a concrete task to complete. Lastly, I would have been more clear about expectations and used them as reminders more frequently.
Impact on Future Thinking
My future thinking has changed by believing that I should always turn to research backed practices before introducing something new into my classroom. Throughout this process, I have also learned that students should know why they are learning what they are learning. I found that when I explained to students why they were engaged in a certain activity and what the research says, more students were actively engaged and wanted to participate. After the climate survey, I realized how many great ideas and thoughts my students had about activities in Spanish class.
Impact on Future Teaching
Action research has taught me so much about my students, my school, my colleagues, and myself as a teacher. It has immensely impacted my future teaching to benefit each and every student. In the future, I will always start out with the end in mind. I will know how I want students to be able to use Spanish for a certain topic and I will use a variety of activities to plan for that skill. I will spend time finding authentic resources that relate to my students and are interesting. Also, I will find a classroom management system that works for my students and myself and stick to it. I won’t hesitate to ask for assistance or advice from colleagues. If I notice an issue in my classroom, I will go to the research and find a solution that works.