Reading by the Numbers

 With our K-4 elementary school, we do not allow teachers to take grades or require that students receive a certain amount of points per nine weeks.  I thought this article was insightful because it came from a parents point of view.  I too have seen so many of our students only driven to read by the amount of points they receive.  What will these students do one day when there is no reward or incentive to entice them to read?  Will the students still have a love for reading?  My eyes are definitely being opened to many more negative aspects of the Accelerated Reader program than I had discovered previously. 

Reading by the Numbers

How Parents and Educators Can Utilize the Accelerated Reader Program

How Parents and Educators Can Utilize the Acclerated Reader Program

Accelerated Reader in Schools

Accelerated Reader in Schools

One of many new articles I've found that is very informative. "Motivating Struggling Readers: Three Keys to Success."

Motivating Struggling Readers: Three Keys to Success

Motivating Your Child to Read - An article from the national pta organization.

What have I learned from action research?

After listening to our videos this week, the different professors confirmed what I had already been thinking... action research is a must and as an educator I've already been performing action research through my own inquiry!!!! I've learned that action research is what a good teacher should be doing all the time anyways.  A teacher should always have "wonderings" in order make sure they are delivering instruction to the best of their ability and so their students can be successful at all they do.  The more I learned about action research this week, the more I understood the methods for completing action research and how it can be beneficial to schools, parents, teachers, students, administrators, and more.  As an administrator, you must be able to analyze a problem and determine if the correct steps have been taken to make the situation more effective.  Leaders should also have the capability to lead others in the direction of action research.  Teachers will be more effective instructional leaders on their campus the more the begin action research of their own.  Only then will they know what is effective and ineffective in their teaching practices.  I also learned the importance of reflection during action research.  Whether it involves reading an article from a journal or discussing a plan with other educators, the need for reflection is crucial.  Creating time for reflection allows you to stay engaged throughout the action research project as you continue to learn more about the topic.  Finally, I learned of the importance of choosing an action research plan that is relevant to what you are already doing.  If you are involved in an action research project that relates to your current teaching practice, you are more likely to be highly motivated and involved in developing and monitoring the best action research possible.  

Well...now what?

After our web conference tonight I began second guessing my previous decision for action research.  I am very interested in the topic of self-contained vs. departmentalized classrooms, but I am having a hard time understanding how I will collect my data and which areas I should look at.  Since we have a high population of at-risk students, my focus has now turned to what motivates students to read?  Even with a current incentive program in place we still have many students who choose not to read.  I want to know what methods the teachers are using to motivate the students and which methods are more effective than the others.  Student and parent surveys would also give good insight into the different methods of motivation used.