Claim: Providing student instruction in a technoloy-rich environment enhances student motivation and increases student achievement. Sharing the results with other teachers, and starting the conversation about how implementing technology in the classroom, is every teacher's responsibility.
Support: Principal's letter discussing my presentation of my action research project. The documented progress of my participants.
Support: Principal's letter discussing my presentation of my action research project. The documented progress of my participants.
For the course of my action research project (Capstone B), I chose to conduct a study that would show if a technology-rich environment would enhance student achievement in a differentiated classroom. The results were incredible. The study showed that the use of technology in the classroom curriculum does enhance student learning and promotes growth in the area of reading fluency, reading comprehension, and increases student math skills. After implementing this study, I found that by incorporating technology into our daily academic routines, the students were more engaged in repetitious skills that would normally be considered a mundane task. Students were able to develop stronger skills in reading and math through a daily or weekly practice routine using the computer programs that were put in place. All of the students experienced a large growth in reading (see Product 2 below) and two students even increased by two grade levels.
At the end of my study, I presented the findings to my principal and some of my colleagues (see Product 1 below). She was very impressed with my findings and we are already planning how we can incorporate technology into our curriculum next school year. I was actually a little surprised at how successful my students were this past year. I learned a lot about flexibility and managing the pulse of my classroom. One of my favorite quotes from Tomlinson & Imbeau “School is a place of learning for students and teachers alike” (p.135) reminds me that I am always learning from my students as much as they are learning from me.
Product 1 Product 2
At the end of my study, I presented the findings to my principal and some of my colleagues (see Product 1 below). She was very impressed with my findings and we are already planning how we can incorporate technology into our curriculum next school year. I was actually a little surprised at how successful my students were this past year. I learned a lot about flexibility and managing the pulse of my classroom. One of my favorite quotes from Tomlinson & Imbeau “School is a place of learning for students and teachers alike” (p.135) reminds me that I am always learning from my students as much as they are learning from me.
Product 1 Product 2
References
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria: Ascd.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria: Ascd.