Internship for Supervision EDLD 5397

REFLECTION Week 3

The web conference held on October 22,2013 was very insightful and educational for many students. Dr Borel seems to be very thorough with her answers and she makes sure she answers everyone either during the web conference or on the chat. This week Dr.Borel clarified the questions about homework assignment for week 3 and showed example work to make it easier on the student to understand. She also talked about Action Research Template and insisted that we follow the guidelines to be able to get credit.She also talked about the literature review part of Action Research which should not be our opinion but part of journals that we read.She also gave update on 5352 ILD course that has just been added for students which will benefit them as well as be a part of a course. Dr Borel ended the conference with a positive note and promised to send us the excel sheet for the submission record for PISE.

Internship for Supervision

Discussion week 3 EDLD 5397

APA
APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and social sciences. APA format may seem difficult, but it will become easier once you familiarize yourself with the rules and format.

About APA Style
When editors or teachers ask you to write in APA Style®, they are referring to the editorial style that many of the social and behavioral sciences have adopted to present written material in the field. APA Style was first developed 80 years ago by a group of social scientists who wished to establish sound standards of communication. Since that time, it has been adopted by leaders in many fields and has been used by writers around the world.

Share your understanding of the IRB policy. 
An institutional review board is a committee that has been designated to monitor and review and approve research that involves human subjects.  IRB policy is put in place to protect humans from physical or psychological harm for studies in the field of health and social sciences that includes: anthropology, sociology and psychology.  

Does your district have an IRB policy? 
Our district does not have an IRB policy.

Progress in Action Research Project

I have made ample progress in my Action Research Project but it has been a tough road on which I am walking alone to find some answers to my questions and to see some results which are positive and helpful for the students especially boys who struggle in school more than the girls. My research is based on various information collected through data and surveys compiled together. I am trying to find ways to enhance student learning by using different interventions, strategies, differentiation in instruction theory and parental involvement. Though my research is only limited to the entire first grade class but I strongly feel that other grade levels can also benefit out of it. I have learned many things during this research project but the one most important thing that I have learned is not to stress out when things don’t work out on your timing since someone else did not have the time to work with you or to answer your questions or to provide data or support .I have not learned to give up easily and I keep persevering towards my goal and intention to succeed.

Action Research Progress Notes

The Internship activity that led to significant knowledge were my “Action Research Project”. From having a meeting with my principal for approval to collecting data on academically fragile students and conducting surveys was a big learning step. I had to send reminders to my fellow workers to be able to complete data and seek their cooperation from time to time which was a challenge in itself. After I received all the data and information on students regarding their scores in DPM (District Progress Monitoring, previously known as benchmark), their socio-economic background, behavior referral, single parent home, language deficient or ESL learner, then I compiled the data into a single report. Looking at the background and scores of these students, I created a tutoring plan to provide various interventions and help to these students using various sources like I-station, Star-fall, Study dog, Pearson success net which are excellent online interactive program for kids to enhance their reading skills and capture their attention making learning more fun. I also had a support staff who volunteered to help me in this endeavor by providing help during this time to monitor and guide students through these various programs. I was very nervous before I started my Action research project but after I started it, I was extremely excited to see the change and enthusiasm against the students. My action research is still an ongoing process and I have learned a lot through this journey and will continue to learn as it progresses. I will soon be conducting a PLC with my team as a leader and I am excited to share all the information that I have collected so far.

Another internship activity that provided great learning experience was creating the blog to write weekly reflection. It made me to learn to get connected with other leaders and learn from them and get their perspective on various things. It is a great way to share your vision and learn from others.

The biggest surprise that I have experienced is that sometimes it could be very overwhelming and challenging to take over the responsibility as a leader and that any kind of leadership activity or role demands a lot of dedication, patience, knowledge, courage and strength. Through this course I have learned to appreciate my leaders more and more and hopefully I can be a strong positive leader someday.