YesterdayI had the opportunity to attend the TWU Reading Recovery & K-6 Literacy Conference in Dallas and it was so worth it! Since my action research plan is based on student achievement in reading, this was right up my alley. I had the opportunity to attend sessions that were geared towards administrators/leaders on campus and have conversations with educators from all across Texas. I think one of the greatest insights was knowing that there are schools just like mine all across Texas that are struggling with the same thing, but there are also schools just like mine that are making things work!
One of the most inspiring sessions I attended was one presented by the principal and instructional coaches of a school that is just 45 minutes north of mine. Apparently Denton County has taken a whole new approach to what intervention is all about. Rather than hiring more "interventionists" that work with various groups of students, they have various "Instructional Coaches" on one campus. These coaches work with just a few teachers, who have asked for the help, to help with planning and co-teaching. My action research study is based on whether a certain type of intervention is effective in increasing student achievement in reading, but now I'm wondering if the approach that this particular school is taking is more effective. Considering that they are an Exemplary campus with the same demographics as we have I am thinking it's probably pretty effective!
Although I plan on continuing the plan that is approved right now by my site supervisor, I've already begun to think about possibilities for more action research. Especially if the results from what we're doing this year are not favorable.
Another insight I gained from this session is that change takes time. They have worked for the past five years to get to where they are at. The most important factor is having a unified vision of where we want to go and constantly reassessing how we're going to get there.
No comments:
Post a Comment