Allison+Carmack's+Teacher+Research+Project

Teacher Research Project What are the most effective ways that a high school English teacher can assess his/her students’ abilities in literacy and writing? The research question above is extremely important because it will affect my students’ performances in reading and writing. If I establish a grading system that offers flexibility, reflection, and growth, then I can potentially create a student body that enjoys reading and writing. If my assessment methods are strict and leave no room for self-reflection, then I would most likely create a student body that dislikes the processes of reading and writing. As a future educator, I truly believe that teachers should set their students up for success, not failure. Often times, teachers get wrapped up in correcting students’ mistakes, rather than parsing their efforts and growth. Ultimately, I want my students to leave my class feeling accomplished and confident. The best way to do this, I feel, is to design a curriculum and methods of assessment that allow students to grow and further develop appreciations for reading and writing. Without this, students will have a difficult time understanding why reading and writing is important to their life.
 * Part I: Research Question**
 * Part II: Rationale**

For the first part of my research, I interviewed Kristina Pittman, a current English teacher at Farmington High School. Kristina's method of teaching writing and literature has changed throughout her career, but she now feels that she has found a teaching method that consistently works for her students. The following is a summary of the teaching techniques that Kristina currently uses in her teaching practice. Kristina typically begins a new unit or novel by asking her students vague inquiries. These questions are meant to get students to critically think about their own lives. Once students have answered and reflected upon these initial questions, she then will move into more specific questions that focus on the unit’s content or the texts read in class. In addition to this, Kristina will divide her students into table groups, each containing approximately four to five students. This arrangement will give students the opportunity to cooperatively learn and further build skills in teamwork and leadership. While students read or work on discussion questions together, Kristina will walk around the room and monitor students' behavior and study habits. She prefers this method of teaching because she believes it allows more students to participate in class. In past years of teaching, she would often lecture and incorporate large group discussions into her lesson plans. Like many other teachers, Kristina found that many students would not participate with this method of teaching. During these large group discussions, only four to five students would participate, while the rest of class was (1) too intimidated to speak and/or (2) paying no attention to the discussion. Kristina will often assign literary roles to students as they read in their literature circles. Students may be assigned any of the following roles: discussion director, passage master, connector, investigator, character analyzer, and literacy connoisseur. After reading a passage in a novel, each student will speak for two minutes and reflect upon their literary role. This method of reading allows students to interpret the text through many different lenses, and she believes that it enriches the students’ reading experiences. Kristina now incorporates many opportunities for reflection too. She uses her student's reflective essays as a way to informally assess their work, and they also give her an opportunity to assess her own practices of teaching. When formally assessing her students, Kristina believes in a balanced assessment plan throughout the school year. In other words, she feels that her students need practice writing impromptu essays, taking multiple choice exams, and completing final projects and writing portfolios. This balanced summative assessment plan will hopefully give her students the variety that they so desperately need in today's diverse and global economy. The second part of my research includes a review of the state of Michigan’s Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Teachers. Two standards that correlate with my research question include the following: These standards above clearly articulate what is expected from each and every high school English student. Although they might be a great challenge for teachers, they also imply the importance of growth and reflection among student bodies. The third and final stage of my research includes two articles that support opposing viewpoints on how to assess reading and literacy. The first article, “Assessing Literacy in Children and Adolescents” focuses on assessments that move past the mindset of the standardized test. Researchers write, “The tests we describe focus on what we argue are the three critical dimensions of literacy: printed word recognition, reading comprehension, and writing.” In summary, authors Jane Hurry and Estelle Doctor argue that assessments should be based upon many factors, not just one. They also encourage growth, research, and reflection while assessing students’ abilities in writing and literacy. The second article, “Standardized Test Scores as Admission Requirement” supports the use of standardized tests. Authors Goodyear and Lampe scientifically evaluate results from this type of testing, and merely illustrate the methods of assessment that have been forced upon the nation’s public schools. In essence, the article demonstrates that without this type of testing, students are not able to move onto education at the college level.
 * Part III: Review**
 * Writing: “10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.”
 * Reading: “10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.”

When I have my own English language arts classroom, my goal will be to assess my students’ strengths and weaknesses in literacy and writing. The purpose in doing this is to help me to make informed decisions about how to teach reading and writing. When specifically discussing teaching techniques that deal with reading and literacy, I would initially have to find out my students’ reading habits. Vital questions that I should be answered when designing lesson plans that focus on literacy include the following:
 * Part IV: Method**
 * Do my students enjoy reading?
 * What types of texts are most appealing to my students’ age range/culture/socioeconomic status?
 * Do my students read at home?
 * Can my students read?
 * Are the parents of my students involved in their child’s reading habits? Are these parents readers themselves?

In relation to literacy, I would have to ask similar questions when initially assessing my students’ writing abilities. Questions that I would try to answer include the following: Answering these questions may not be an easy task to accomplish. I personally feel that the best way to answer these questions is through informal discussions with students. These discussions can take place in small groups or one-on-one, but through casual conversations about reading and students will hopefully feel cared for and appreciated. Most importantly, however, the answers will direct my curriculum’s learning objectives.
 * Do my students enjoy writing?
 * Are they able to write? If so, what are they able to write?
 * Do they write at home?
 * What do my students define the subject of writing?
 * How are my students able to incorporate their culture/personal experiences into their academic writing?
 * Are their parents able to write?

Goodyear, Nancy & Lampe Mary F. Standardized Test Scores as an Admission Requirement. Clinical Laboratory Science. Bethesda: Winter 2004. Vol. 17, Iss. 1; pg. 19, 6. Hurry, Jane & Doctor, Estelle. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Volume 12, Issue 1,pages 38–45, February 2007.
 * Bibliography**