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Overall... I am very pleased with my action research results. Researching best practices to use in the classroom, implementing them with my group of students, and seeing positive results, has impacted my teaching. I feel confident in gathering and understanding data. I now know what research says to use for students to build their fact fluency and I have seen it work with students. I have evidence to back up my students' successes. Because of my action research, I saw an increase in confidence in my students.
Best Practice... My action research strategies align to 21st century skills. Math stations allow students to receive differentiated instruction at their instructional level, interact with peers, and use technology to strengthen skills. I have used researched based evidence in my classroom while implementing math stations. I have committed myself to my students' successes, as stated in Proposition 1. I understood the differences my students portrayed and met them all at their instructional levels. I deepened my understanding of first grade content and used diverse instructional strategies for Proposition 2. I was collecting data, monitoring my students' progress, and making professional decisions as mentioned in Proposition 3. As far as Proposition 4, I really learned more about myself and what I am capable of achieving. I kept an open mind to research, changed my math set up for the betterment of my students, and kept student growth as my main goal. I became more comfortable in Proposition 5 as I assigned roles to other adults in the classroom. By collaborating with other adults, my students received more individualized support. Capstone has really opened my eyes to the benefits of research and using best practice in the classroom to enhance instruction.
Reflection
What I learned... Students enjoy interacting with each other and I found that to be a successful tool in my math rotations. Students were having that social piece, but were talking about math. Students also love hands-on activities. My students could not wait to get to math stations because they had their sense of independence, but also because stations were fun and engaging for them. I also learned to praise growth, even if it is the slightest difference.
I learned how important fact fluency is to the development of math. When students can quickly retrieve a fact, it helps them reach those higher-level thinking skills. Number sense also plays an important role in understanding all math concepts. Having a solid foundation of these skills is crucial to having success in math.
As a teacher, there will be challenges. Not every idea will work for all students. I found it challenging to find different activities that fit all levels of my students. I thought I would see significant growth in all my students early on, however that was not the case. I saw growth later in some students and had to alter instruction to fit the unique needs of my learners.
I also learned to remain open minded and to try new things. I learned to take risks and to not be afraid of failure. What works for some students will not always work for others, so having different ideas put in place is beneficial. It was also helpful to work with my colleagues and get suggestions and ideas from them. Keeping them involved and gaining their expertise really helped me develop my thinking and understanding of my action research.
Moving Forward... I plan to continue to use math stations in the future as I feel they are the best way to meet all students' needs. I want to introduce math stations earlier and get my students started on this hands-on learning. As far as using the Cover-Copy-Compare method and fact checks, I really liked how students understood the concept and were excited to pass to the next level. It kept them motivated and eager to practice more. My students also loved getting new flash cards. They enjoyed taking their old ones home and practicing a new set. I will continue to use technology in the classroom to enhance students' fact fluency, but I would be open to trying a flash card method as well. My stations are a work in progress, but I am hopeful for the future and will alter my rotations as needed.
Professional Growth... This Capstone experience really introduced me to the importance of planning and planning well. When implementing stations, I was not aware of the extra planning that needed to take place, such as games, independent work, and small group instruction. I needed to plan purposeful activities to enhance my students' learning. I took risks, collaborated with others, and made decisions based on my students. I gathered ideas from my first grade team, principal, and math specialist to have resources that my students could use. Throughout the year, I sought out advice from veteran teachers and used suggestions to strengthen my teaching. I am more confident in my abilities based on my research, action plan, and suggestions from other professionals.
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