Semester one was short lived during the month of January, so
not as much data could be collected in my General English 2 class. After returning from Winter Break, there was
only one week of instruction before the students were given their finals. During this week, some class time was
allotted one day for the students to prepare for the CDTs (downloading program,
resending usernames/passwords, unlocking CDTs, completing the assessment) which
was their final exam for the course.
Many students took advantage of this time in an effort to get prepared
for their final. I learned that many
students did take advantage of this time or at least expressed interest in
completing this assessment due to the importance placed on it.
As I was collecting data for this particular assignment, I
discovered that, although over half of the students did complete the CDT for
their final (20/34 = 59%; three excused – 23/34 = 68%), the importance placed
on this assessment did not affect or increase the completion rate. For the most part, the students who did not
complete this assessment were students who were already failing and
non-compliant. I drew a comparison from
this year’s General English 2 failure rate to last year’s course failure rate,
and although the total number of students changed, the overall failure rate
dropped 14%. There may have been other
factors in this decrease, but I believe that implementing my action research
had a significant impact on this difference.
The challenge I faced this month was the short amount of
time I had to spend with the students upon return from Winter Break. I presented a mini poetry/literary elements
unit the last week before finals in an effort to prepare them for the CDTs and
the Keystones for my 11th graders.
It was difficult to find time to prepare the students for these
assessments, while at the same time allowing class time for them to complete
their final. Also, time was a factor in
researching the completion rate of other assignments before semester’s
end. Another challenge I faced was
getting some of these students to realize the importance of completing their
finals or at least putting forth an effort to do so. My next challenge will be transitioning this
action research project from my General course to my Intermediate course since
General was only a semester one course.
I am unsure how the Intermediate students will respond to taking time
out of class to work on in-class assignments; I do not want them to frown upon
the “down time” reserved for lively discussions of class materials. However, because there are also some
Intermediate students who struggle/fail, I am hoping that allowing class time
for some assignments will allow these students the means to pass the course. It will be interesting to compare and
contrast how these classes (General and Intermediate) respond to my inquiry
research.
Again, I will be sure to choose essential assignments so
that class time that will not be lost to unnecessary assignments. I would like to give my Intermediate students
a chance to provide feedback on allowing class time to complete certain
assignments. After I determine the
effect of this research on this particular class, I will adjust the amount of
classes I allot for class time or just allow class time for lengthier, more
complex assignments, so I will be available for student questions.
