Upon reflecting on my experiences this semester in EDTC 615, I believe that I have a stronger understanding of data informed practices. Without data to inform our practices, we are acting upon hunches (Venables, 2014). I learned that data collection is an ongoing process, and often a very messy process.
As educators, we should make every effort to muddle through the data process so that we can help our students. We can make the biggest influence in areas where we have some control over (Venables, 2015). Educators will not have all the answers but we can always try to get answers. My experiences with the data action model were very lengthy but it was an eye opening process. The idea of thoroughly analyzing data was very new to me. Of course, I have analyzed data about what you notice and wonder, but rarely have I seen data informed decisions as a lengthy 5-step process. The Data Action Model encourages all stakeholders in thoroughly engaging with data for learning outcomes (Venables, 2015). The best way to engage with this process is through work groups. My classmates Christelle, Shannon, and Amber and I searched for an exploratory question, weeded out daily tasks, and replaced them with researched based instruction. My experiences in my group with The Data Action Model was an uphill climb. The team took time to look at all the lesson elements, and decided how we would support students after setting a SMART goal. Some of the elements of instruction such as pre-teaching, turn-and-talks, and questioning help students who are struggling with the content. Using videos, images, and game technologies through ActiveView, a tool used with the Promethean help students engage with their learning. 21st Century skills combined with better teaching, curriculum, and testing promote student success (Rotherham & Willingham, 2009).
In order for my team’s authentic participation in The Data Action model, we needed to set up group norms for our meetings. My group was a PLC, and we worked very well together. Everyone had great ideas or insights to share. Everyone had a role in our meeting and we took turns in each role. The team leader of the week was responsible for hosting the virtual meeting, choosing the meeting tool, and confirming the meeting time with everyone. The team used the technology of Zoom to hold our meetings. At first, it was difficult navigating the screen-cast features but we learned quickly. The task manager created an agenda on the meeting discussion. The note taker took notes on the ideas formed and discussed throughout the meeting. The submitter chose a presentation tool to present those the ideas outlined by the note taker. I had all of these roles assigned in my PLC. In addition, I was the submitter twice in our meetings. As a submitter, I used Screencast-O-Matic to record all my presentations of data. This was helpful because viewers could see me talk, as well as the presentation. My first presentation was used with GoogleDocs. This was an easy format to use for presentations; however, the design elements and options are limited. In my other presentation, I used Prezi. I thought that this was a great choice because I had more options for presentation and design. Reflecting on these different group roles through blogging was very helpful in thinking about strengths and weaknesses. Overall, my strength in groups included participating, preparing, and presenting ideas. My weakness included, lack of variety in technology and needing to listen to ideas more than sharing my ideas. These reflections help me think about my future actions in my professional community.
My school district is implementing the learning coach model to help educators talk about data. This involves all educators working with students in a specific grade. The grade level team and all related service providers are my schools PLCs. I can be a model in my school’s PLC by setting group norms, expectations, and assign roles. For example, someone can be the note-taker as everyone talks about the data. Related service providers such as the reading specialist or school psychologist can chime in on additional tools for students. These providers are also very good in giving additional resources to help students. Our school’s Occupational Therapist is continuously sending us ideas or articles on instructional practices. I will continue to seek outside help to guide me through lesson plan implementation to help close that learning gap during data 3 and 4 meetings. As a special education teacher, I am always collecting data and making new objectives or goals based upon data. However, now I can look at my data based upon looks, notices, and questions. The most important part of this data process is looking at what teaching practices you can change for a better outcome and then setting a goal for implementation. We have web applications such as ABCmouse to help students learn independently. However, I wonder how I can incorporate videos and images in whole group lessons. I want the use of technology to be a more active process than a passive process. I can collaborate with our technology specialist to help me with resources to help my students.
Reference:
Rotherham, A.J., & Willingham, D. (2009). 21st century skills: The challenges ahead. Teaching for the 21st Century, (67)1, 16-21. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/21st-Century-Skills@-The-Challenges-Ahead.aspx
Venables, D. R. (2014). How Teachers Can Turn Data Into Action. Retrieved from https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzcwODM5Nl9fQU41?sid=63f79861-8cc8-41b3-bb6d-31b81f11cd68@sdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=1&format=EB&rid=1
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