Professional Rounds in Education, Teaching in Multicultural Classrooms - Research Proposal Example

Professional Rounds in Education Action Research Proposal Dustin Robinson Dr. Charla Rudd Louisiana College -March 30, The study sought to investigate how instructional rounds directly influence instruction in the class room. The research specifically focused on how the teacher’s instructional rounds can be implemented in order to enhance professional development among them and student performance. The study was conducted at Union Groove Middle School. Data was collected using quantitative methods. The analysis of the data conducted for the paper shows that if students can articulate the learning goal, interact at high cognitive levels with learning tasks that are aligned to the goal, and track their progress toward the learning goal, then their achievement will improve. The study has also found that dialogue among the members of the teaching profession is very important since it can help them to reflect on different aspects of their careers. I. Title and context There is a lot of information on Instructional Rounds about how to do them, prepare them and the reasoning behind them. However, there is little information that gets directly back to the teacher. As a result of this reason, I found it necessary to conduct research in order to establish how instructional rounds directly influence instruction in the class room. In this study, I specifically focused on the teachers since some of them are stuck in their old ways, refusing to try new approaches while others are willing to give a try to anything new. However, most teachers fall between the two categories and this is the reason why this study sought to investigate the measures that can be taken to implement instructional rounds in order to improve instructional competencies in teaching students from different backgrounds. The study also investigated how instructional rounds in teaching can enhance the teaching profession in different contexts. The study mainly focused on Union Groove Middle School which has a current enrolment of 876 with a composition of 416 males and 460 females. The ethnicity composition of the students is as follows: White (325), Pacific Islander (10), Black (224), Asian (45), Indian (6) and Hispanic (200). The number of students with 504 plans stands at 82, and the number of at risk students is 224. The total number of students in special education is 85. The composition of the total population of the students is ideal for conducting a study about the effectiveness since it is comprised of six ethnic groups as mentioned above. Usually, teaching students from diverse ethnic backgrounds can be challenging since these people have different levels of understanding by virtue of their experiences. Elements such as language and cultural differences also contribute to the level of understanding of the students in as far as teaching is concerned. Teachers need to take all these factors into consideration in order to improve their instruction and effectiveness in teaching students from different backgrounds. The other issue is that the behaviour of the students from diverse backgrounds differs and this is the reason why this study was important to conduct. Description of pre and post assessment For my pre-assessment analysis, I started by listing all the probable questions that could be asked in the study. That gave me the opportunity to explore all the avenues that could be used to solicit for information that can lead to reliable results in terms of investigating the effectiveness of instructional rounds. Two subsets of data were compared. In my post assessment, I tried to compare my composition notebook to the ones belonging to the students in order to gain a clear insight of whether the strategy of instructional rounds has been effective or not. For post assessment, I also tried to establish if there was any notable change in the academic progress or behavior of the students after the teachers implemented changes that resulted from instructional rounds. More details about the findings of this data are presented in the findings section of the action research project. II. Literature review Research has shown that various studies pertaining to the topic of instructional rounds have been carried out which can give insight into the extent to which this strategy can improve the competences of the teachers in giving instruction. As such, this section of the study reviewed different forms of literature drawn from other studies related to the topic so as to gain a clear insight about how instructional rounds can improve the instructional experience among teachers. A review of literature from published studies also helps to give insight about how other researchers perceive this notion of instructional rounds on the teaching profession. Significance of collaboration in case of teachers’ professional development A review of literature in the research by Chew (2013) titled: “Instructional rounds as professional development for teachers” shows that the study mainly focused on how instructional rounds can be implemented in order to enhance professional development among the teachers. It sought to establish how participation and collaboration can help develop the teachers in a professional manner. The study has found that dialogue among the members of the teaching profession is very important since it can help them to reflect on different aspects of their careers. The paper has found that instructional rounds provide a lot of teaching experience that is grounded in real life experience. The theoretical framework of the paper is about adult learning and organizational learning theories. Popularized by Senge, learning is a process that is constructed by the learner (Chew, 2013). The learners particularly adults know what they want to learn and this is very important in as far as teaching is concerned. The teacher should be aware of the fact that the students are cognizant of what they want to learn. Organizational learning theory is also applicable to the concept of instructional teaching rounds. Teaching itself is supposed to be organized so that the desired results can be achieved. This study also reviewed literature that involves instructional rounds in education, teacher collaboration for professional development, as well as medical rounds in the healthcare sector. The main findings of the above mentioned study have indicated that certain skills are enhanced through instructional rounds and the teachers can also develop professionally. Collaboration is the main theme that emerged from the study and indicates that the teachers can develop the much needed knowledge in their teaching profession if they collaborate their efforts with their colleagues. Learning can also be enhanced through collaboration and this plays a pivotal role in improving the professional development of the teachers. To that effect, it can be seen that this literature is relevant to the current study since it can also be applied to improve the professional development of the teachers in the dispensation of their duties. Literacy development through technology A review of literature in the journal article by Milton (2013) titled “Digital literacy and digital pedagogies for teaching literacy: Pre-service teachers’ experience on teaching rounds” has indicated that pre-service teachers who go on teaching rounds in classrooms experience different environments to those experienced by the students hence the need for them to adapt to the new teaching and learning environments. The study has also indicated that pre-service teachers ought to explore the importance of technology to enhance their professional development. Teaching groups as noted by the study are very effective since they help to improve the teachers’ skills. There is need for pre-service teachers to improve their digital literacy and understanding of digital pedagogies in order for them to improve their abilities. Exposure to different forms of literacy pedagogies can play a very important role in improving the capabilities of the teachers. Understanding of different literacy pedagogies can also enhance the implementation of teaching rounds in classrooms. This also enhances interaction between the teachers as well as their students (Milton, 2013). Through the use of different forms of technology, it can be seen that interaction between those involved is likely to be improved as well. Essentially, interaction is very important since it enhances the exchange of information among the parties involved and this conceptual framework is applicable to the current study. Teachers are in a position to understand what students expect from them if they engage them in meaningful dialogue. New information and communication technology can enhance this type of relationship. Teaching in multicultural classrooms Premier and Miller (2010) also carried a research with important literature related to this area of the study titled “Preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms.” The study sought to establish the measures that can be implemented in order to improve the performance of the teachers who teach in multicultural classrooms. The paper mainly focused on how professional rounds can improve the needs of the students who come from different backgrounds. Research has shown that teacher student interaction is very effective in improving student performance. Essentially, interaction helps to create a free communication environment whereby the teacher and students can get to know each other better. This helps the teacher to clearly understand the needs of the students such that they can implement the best teaching methods that can improve the performance of the students. Teaching multicultural students can also be enhanced by implementing teaching rounds which help the teachers and the students to closely interact. In this current study, it has been observed that the composition of the students’ ethnicity is comprised of mainly six ethnic groups. By any standard, it can be observed that the level of understanding of these students in regards to teaching vary significantly. Cultural factors impact the way students learn as well as the way they perceive the world around them. For example, factors such as attitudes, cultural understanding, and practices ought to be taken into consideration by the teachers who teach students from multicultural backgrounds. (Giambo and Szecsi, 2005; Youngs and Youngs , 2001). Interaction between the students and the teachers is likely to be improved significantly if the teachers are aware of the cultural factors that shape the behavior of the students from different backgrounds. It is essential for the teachers to understand the factors that shape the behavior of the students and this can be achieved through instructional rounds. This helps the teachers to grasp the needs of the students which also enhance their teaching practice. Instructional rounds in improving teacher student partnerships Teacher student partnerships are very important for instruction to be effective. This is revealed through a review of an article by Petti (2013) titled “Successful Leaders Beating the Odds: Leveraging Instructional Rounds with Professional Development in School–University Partnerships.” In financial crisis, it can be noted that the education sector is also impacted in a negative way since the responsible authorities are forced to downsize the teaching workforce in order to operate viably. Thus, leveraging on instructional rounds has been observed to be a very effective strategy as a result of the fact that the teachers who already have large classes can improve their level of interaction with their students. Information can be easily exchanged between the teachers and the students regardless of the size of their classes. This kind of interaction also helps to close the gap that may exist between teachers and their students. Interaction is a very special ingredient that can improve learning among different students. During a financial crisis, the number of students in a single class can increase as a result of the shortages of teachers. In this current study, the aim is to establish the extent to which teaching rounds can encourage student teacher interaction. This also helps to investigate the level of student participation in class as a way of trying to measure the extent of their understanding in class. The teacher is in a position to understand the needs of the students through participation in class. Those who fail to participate in class help the teacher understand the measures that can be taken in order to help them catch up with others in terms of participation. Teachers can also improve their teaching skills if they understand the needs of the students in their classes. Quality teaching rounds The research study by Gore, Bowe & Elsworth (2010) titled “Changing teachers, changing teaching: Exploring the relationships among teachers’ perceptions of Quality Teaching Rounds, their teaching, and their identity as teachers” is also useful in the study of instructional rounds among the teachers with regards to their teaching experience. The main focus is about Effective Implementation of Pedagogical Reform (EIPR) so as to ascertain the quality experiences of teaching practice. The paper is grounded in the following theoretical approaches: professional learning communities, instructional rounds, and quality teaching. These approaches are very important since they help to improve the quality of teaching for the benefit of the students, as well as the teachers. The other important dimension highlighted in the paper is related to teacher intervention where student performance is concerned. There is a need for the teacher to intervene to give quality instructions to the students in order to improve their performance. There are quite a few intervention techniques that can be implemented by teachers and these include remedial exercises. These constitute instructional rounds since the aim is to improve the abilities of the teachers in establishing the needs of the students in class. The quality of education is also likely to improve significantly when there is mutual understanding between the teacher and the students. Information exchange can also be enhanced between the two groups involved. Thus, different sections of the literature reviewed for this current study are related since the aim is to investigate the significance of teaching rounds in order to improve the teaching profession. III. The project Research question To what extent do instructional rounds improve teaching experience among teachers? A case study of Union Groove Middle School. I engaged other teachers so that I could obtain their views with regards to their perceptions about the effectiveness of instructional rounds in teaching and how their instruction has changed as a result of the information gained from the instructional rounds process. I also encouraged the participants to list the points they thought could improve teaching through the use of instructional rounds in class as well as any ideas for facilitating the transfer of lessons learned back to the individual teacher. Time line I began collecting data in October 2014. I also engaged other teachers in discussions regarding instructional rounds in October. The process took about six months and it was completed towards the end of March 2015. Pre-assessment of the students was started during the same period when data collection commenced. Teacher intervention was carried out two months down the line after the commencement of the study. The interventions were implemented through interaction with the students and engaging them in discussion in order to establish the areas that required improvement. Situations in which instructional rounds are used Instructional rounds can be used in different situations. For instance, they can be used in regular classrooms since the aim is to establish the effectiveness of encouraging teacher student interaction as a method of teaching. Essentially, the aim of instructional rounds is to improve student teacher relationships so as to improve the performance of both. It can also be noted that the strategy of instructional rounds can be used in AP/Talented and Gifted classrooms. The strategy of instructional rounds can also be implemented in classrooms with inclusion and special education students. Interaction between the teacher and these groups can often be improved significantly. This strategy is especially effective on students with special needs since the teacher is in a position to identify what really needs to be done in order to improve performance. Mutual understanding is likely to be improved as well and this can expand the instructional methods utilized by others. IV. Methodology Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data for this study. Qualitative research method is useful for studying a limited number of cases in detail, and tends to collect data in realistic settings (Hofsteed, 2004). Quantitative data was obtained from a survey that was carried at Union Groove Middle School. Numerical figures were also obtained so as to establish the different views of the participants with regards to the way they perceive instructional rounds as a strategy for improving student performance. Qualitative data was also obtained from secondary sources such as journals, as well as other published literature that is relevant to this area of study. This data is very important since it gives us insight about what other researchers have found with regards to investigating the effectiveness of instructional rounds in teaching. This method of data collection is reliable since it is based on official studies that have already been conducted in the same field. This data is authentic since it has been authorized for publication which implies that it meets the standard expectations of a research study that is meant to generate knowledge about a particular subject that is of interest to the readers. Basically, validity and reliability are concerned with checking the status of the data collected if it is valid and reliable (Hofstee, 2006). Getting feedback from my supervisor also helped to ensure that the data being collected was valid and reliable. Research design A research design is a conceptual structure which outlines the blueprint of what the researcher will do in the study to obtain data that can be used to solve the research problem or answer the research question (Hofstee, 2006). The research was designed in a survey based form meant to obtain information from a limited number of participants believed to have the information being investigated in the study. A survey was conducted to gather data from the selected respondents and a section of studies will be reviewed in the following chapter to gain insight of their main findings in relation to the current study. In this case, the study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of instructional teaching rounds. Sampling technique and sample size selection The sampling method used for primary research was based on non probability sampling procedure. The respondents that were available were chosen to participate in the study. The sample covered Union Groove Middle School. The other important aspect was that data was collected from regular classroom teachers with at least one full year as a classroom teacher at the middle school level, grades 6-8. I also used pre and post interviews of teachers, students, collecting data on rounds and keeping a personal account of my own experiences with instructional rounds. I particularly looked at what I did before instructional rounds vs. what I am doing now. This would help give me insight and a clear understanding of the effectiveness of instructional rounds at the classroom level. The method of selecting teachers to become participants in this study is very effective given that they are the ones with knowledge and experience in the teaching field such that they provided meaningful results from the data gathered. It is a good strategy to target people with knowledge in the same field of study in order to get authentic results from the research. V Discussion of the findings Purpose for Instructional Rounds is to look at a Problem of Practice (PoP). In this case, the PoP included the Learning Targets. The students were supposed to reflect on their own learning, growth and should have a clear understanding of what they should know. On the other hand, the teachers are supposed to make better instructional rounds in order to gauge student mastery in order to get formative assessment options. In this current research, two studies about Instructional Rounds were carried out at Union Grove Middle School on October 2, 2014. In study A, reference was made to the Problem of Practice (PoP) at the beginning of the lesson only. In this case, PoP was used to refer to the way students demonstrate that they understand the learning target and connect it to their current learning. Study A consisted of TAG Pre-AP students (7th Grade). The survey was carried among 27 participants and their pre-assessment and post assessment data were captured in one table. (See Appendix 1) A close analysis of the findings of the post assessment data shows that out of the 27 participants, data for five students remained unchanged while data for 9 students negatively changed. However, the post assessment data also shows that there was marked improvement in the data for only 13 students in the survey. Indeed, the survey did not yield the desired results since the number of students who showed positive improvement is lower than those who showed negative improvement together with the ones whose data remained unchanged. This led to the conduct of the second study (Study B). In study B, both pre-assessment and post-assessment were done differently. The duration of the study was different for Study A. The test for day 1 commenced on 16 February and intervention days were between 2 and 17 and they started on 20 February to March 12. Day 18 was post assessment and was done of the 13th of March 2015. The other issue that should be taken note of is that Study B was an inclusion class. Intervention was carried out to ensure the following outcomes were done: Ensured the learning target is prominently posted each day, communicated the learning target a minimum of three times throughout the lesson, asked students to articulate the learning target each day as well as to choose students at random to describe how the learning targets connected with the lesson each day. Study B involved 28 participants and an analysis of their post assessment data shows that it remained unchanged for 6 students while it negatively changed for 6 students again. Overall, there has been a marked improvement for post assessment data for 16 students. The other issue that has been observed in the data collected is that students usually struggle with articulating a clearly defined learning goal and interacting at high cognitive levels with that goal and the aligned learning tasks. The study also sought to examine how the students demonstrate that they understand the learning target and can connect it to their current learning. The evidence captured included 132 students who were surveyed school wide and the results are summarized in point form below. 9% of students could not articulate the learning target 31% of the students asked to articulate the learning target, read the target off the board 34% could articulate the target in their own words 26% of students could articulate the target and tie it to the activity 70% of the rooms visited had a target posted 31% of the observed targets were aligned to the task the students were working on 69% of the targets posted were not aligned to the task the students were working on 100% of the non-aligned tasks were a lower cognitive level than the target posted. An analysis of the above shows that if students can articulate the learning goal, interact at high cognitive levels with learning tasks that are aligned to the goal, and track their progress toward the learning goal, then their achievement will improve. VI Implications It has been observed especially from Study B that if the students can articulate the learning goal, interact at high cognitive levels with learning tasks that are aligned to the goal, and track their progress toward the learning goal, then their achievement will improve. This study has been enlightening especially about the issues pertaining to instructional rounds in teaching profession. I have noted in Study B that the students feel safe to take risks in classrooms. However, some of these students may be able to go throughout the day without being called upon and they also have the opportunities to build relationships with the teachers. This is very effective in as far as the concept of teaching rounds is concerned. Collaboration between the students and the teachers is essential which gives a positive answer to the research question posed in this study. I have also gained more knowledge that I can utilize in my teaching profession. For instance, I need to ensure learning targets are posted on the board all the time and also reinforce the learning target throughout instruction. The other implication of the study is the need to differentiate between learning targets and learning tasks while at the same time aligning the learning task to the learning target in order to obtain the desired results from the use of instructional rounds. The other issue is to increase cognitive level of the tasks being covered in class. In my current teaching, I will continue to work on writing meaningful targets as well as to ensure that the verbs of the target and task are aligned. This is meant to ensure that the students understand the subject matter being presented to them. I now also use the technique of randomly calling on students to VII Conclusion There is a lot of information on Instructional Rounds, how to do them, prepare for them, and the reasoning behind them. Little information exists about how the results get to the teacher and this has compelled me to carry out a research that is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of instructional rounds at the classroom level. In this proposal, I have indicated that I will focus on the teachers since some are closed to trying new approaches while others are eager to implement new strategies. This study utilized quantitative and qualitative research methods for gathering data in order to obtain answers to the research questions posed in the study. The sample of the study included the participants from Union Groove Middle School. The study also utilized secondary research where published articles were be reviewed in order to gain insight about what other researchers have found in the same field of study. The analysis for the data conducted for the paper was done in a descriptive manner. A descriptive analysis was effective for this study because it gave me the opportunity to present a personal reflection from the experience I gained from the study. This also gave me the opportunity to describe the data in such a way that I can simplify the terms for easier understanding. This technique also helped me to interpret different requirements of the participants in terms of their perceptions towards instructional rounds in class. Bibliography Blanding, M. (2009). Treating the ‘instructional core’: Education rounds. Retrieved from: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/blog/uk/2009/05/treating-the-instructional-core-educationrounds.html on 10/12/2009 Chew, C. (2013). “Instructional rounds as professional development for teachers.” Education Doctoral Thesis. Paper 85. Viewed from: . Bean, R., &Dagen, A. (2011). Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to School Improvement. Guilford Press. Chauncey, C. (2010). Spotlight on strategic priorities for school improvement. 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The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Alexandria: Va. Marzano, R., Frontier, T., & Livingston, D. (2011).Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching. ASCD Publishers. Milton, M. (2013). “Digital literacy and digital pedagogies for teaching literacy: Pre-service teachers’ experience on teaching rounds.” Journal of literacy and technology. Volume 14, No.1. Oppenheim, A.N. (1992), Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement, New Edition. New York: Pinter Publishers. Petti, A.D. (2013). “Successful Leaders Beating the Odds: Leveraging Instructional Rounds with Professional Development in School–University Partnerships” Ypsilanti, MI: NCPEA Publications. Retrieved from: . Premier, J.A. & Miller, J. (2010). “Preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms.” Australian Journal of teacher education. Volume 35. Issue 2. Prete, T. (2013). Teacher rounds: a guide to collaborative learning in and from practice. Reid, D. (2014). Dilemmas in Educational Leadership: The Facilitator’s Book of Cases. Teachers College Press. Roberts, J. E. (2012). Instructional rounds in action.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.and learning. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Education Press. Ruff, W., & Shoho, A. (2005). Understanding instructional leadership through the mental models of three elementary school principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(3), 554– 577. Struwig F. W. & Stead G.B. (2004), Planning, Designing and Reporting Research. CT: Pearson Education. Swanson, C. (2010). 21 Urban districts exceed expectations. [Diplomas Count: 2010 Special Edition.] Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/10/34overachiever.h29.html Teitel, L. (2013). School-based instructional rounds: improving teaching and learning across classrooms. Troen, V., & Elmore, R. F. (2014). The power of teacher rounds: a guide for facilitators, principals, & department chairs. Appendix 1 NAME Study A Pre-Assessment Data Study A Post-Assessment Data Collado 88% 92% Estevez 81% 81% Heightshoe 100% 100% Mosely 69% 77% Rogers 73% 85%     Wolf 77% 88% Arcenaux 85% 88% Bobbitt 88% 81% Brooker 96% 92% Burke 81% 81% Chhim 92% 81% Cleveland 92% 92% Drozd 81% 81% Ferrer 81% 73% Flores 81% 77% Hatcher 85% 81% Hocking 88% 77% Kinnard 88% 92% Neely 69% 77% Ortega New Student 88% Perez 96% 92% Schneider 65% 77% Sebti 92% 96% Smith 81% 85% Steinfort 96% 92% Tollett 92% 92% Tomassetti 92% 85% Appendix 2     Study B Post-assessment Data   Arroyo 83% 88%   Baumgartner 83% 88%   Burgess 67% 75%   Dozier 75% 71%   Dukes 83% 88%   Edmond 75% 79%   Fiso 54% 58%   Graham 75% 75%   Hollander 83% 71% James 79% 83%   Johnson 83% 71%   Kinnison 75% 75%   Marbella 79% 83%   McDowell 83% 92%   Nero 88% 88%   Nichols 79% 83%   Njinkap 88% 92%   Phillips 75% 83%   Pinzon 67% 63%   Ritchey 79% 79%   Rodriguez A. 92% 92%   Rodriguez J. 71% 63%   Rodriquez L. New Student 92%   Taylor 71% 88%   Turner 63% 67%   Urquhart 83% 71% Whitfield 92% 92%   Williams New Student 8800%   Read More