My vision of my action research plan
was to increase student achievement through effective methods of review.
I thought
about how the students enjoyed doing labs in class, so I decided to create
mini-labs that students could rotate through while reviewing the tested
material. My target population was 105 students in the 8th grade.
The setting of my study will be in my science classroom. The project will be
implemented at the end of each six weeks. I will use the data from class work
and teacher observation to determine weak objectives to include in the review.
My principal encourages my work on this project and has observed one of our
mini-lab reviews. My expected results from using this method instead of the
tired worksheet or vocabulary game review are student achievement, student
engagement, and increased test scores.
My action research plan served the needs of
all students. In the lab review students with special needs and those of
diverse backgrounds were very successful. Hands-on learning seems to always be
effective with special needs children. In addition, the technology station that
worked on vocabulary was especially helpful for my English language learners.
The group collaboration was impressive to observe. As I monitored the groups
and listened to their conversations I was amazed at the problem solving and
critical thinking they were exhibiting. They worked together to master the
question, problem, or investigation. They worked as a team and learning was
evident and for eighth grade that is achievement.
