Action Research Plan
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Question: How will having 15 minutes of daily
recess affect the classroom behavior and academic performance of elementary
school children?
Goal: To
determine how daily recess affects academic performance and behavior in
elementary school children. (Grades K-4)
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Action Steps(s):
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Person(s) Responsible:
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Timeline: Start/End
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Needed Resources
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Evaluation
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1. Read professional articles to gather
information about the benefits of recess for students
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Teacher
inquirer
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March 2013
to May 2013
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Professional
readings
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At least 5
collected/ printed Professional articles
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2. Prepare and conduct surveys of students and
staff to gather data showing current attitudes toward recess.
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Teacher
inquirer
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May 2013
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Created
surveys; internet survey for teachers
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Receiving
responses from 80% of student body and staff
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3. Write a plan for teachers to follow for
conducting recess and collecting/sharing data.
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Teacher
inquirer
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April 2013
to May 2013
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Professional
readings; created form for recording data
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Completed
written plan with easy to follow directions.
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4. Select teachers from each grade level to
participate in data collection. (5 participating in daily recess; 5 with
comparable student characteristics NOT participating in daily recess)
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Teacher
inquirer and Site Supervisor
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May 2013 to
August 2013
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Teacher
volunteers
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All 5
teachers committed to data collection with full understanding of the data
collection process
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5. Selected teachers will check cumulative
folders for data on any students who have a history of N’s and U’s in
conduct, office referrals, or bus write ups.
(Place a * by those student numbers to pay closer attention to how our
study affects them.)
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Teacher
inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers and Site Supervisor
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August 2013
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Access to
prior behavior records; documentation form
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Prepared documentation
to show effect of recess on students with a history of behavior issues.
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6. Accumulate recordings of recess times and
activities, student conduct grades, benchmark test scores, and grade averages
in reading, writing, and math.
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Teacher
inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers
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August 2013
to December 2013
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Recess
record sheets
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Completed
data forms collected from all 5 teachers.
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7. Analyze data collected. Compare conduct, grade averages, and
benchmark scores from recess classes to comparable classes that did NOT have
daily recess.
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Teacher
inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor
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December
2013 to January 2014
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Benchmark test
data, report card grades, and conduct
grade averages from all 10 classes
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Determine
the effectiveness of recess through analysis of collected data.
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8. Compare previous conduct grades of students
who had a history of N’s and U’s in conduct, office referrals, or bus write
ups to current grades.
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Teacher
inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers; Site supervisor
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January
2014
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Accumulated
Documentation
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Express validity
of action plan with improved conduct grades for students in daily recess
homerooms.
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9. Conduct surveys of students and staff showing
changes in attitudes toward recess.
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Teacher
inquirer
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January
2014
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Created
surveys; internet survey for teachers
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Receiving
responses from 80% of student body and staff
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10. Propose daily recess for the entire campus.
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Teacher
inquirer with 4 committed homeroom teachers, Discipline committee, and Site
supervisor
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January
2014
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All analyzed
data and professional literature
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Implementation
of daily recess campus wide. (The action plan continues...)
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Format based on Tool 7.1
from Examining What We Do to Improve Our
Schools
(Harris, Edmonson, and
Combs, 2010)
This will be an interesting plan to follow. You lined it up well. I like the timeline you developed. Your data sheets will be critical for your research, but they will show you a lot of information. Good luck with your plan. Be sure to check my plan out, if you don't mind. You and I seem to be the early birds :-)
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment, Rebecca. That has become a big challenge for me - the data sheets. I feel compelled to design them now, but I have not completed parts 3 and 4 of the week 3 assignment. Having the forms completed would help my "plan" become more visual and coherent for me. Every time I start reading, I think about my research instead of the assignment that's due. Feel like the plan IS my assignment. I thoroughly understand why it's not due until this fall.
DeleteYolanda, this looks amazing! I think it was very smart of you to expand you inquiry to multiple groups, and to include the data from equivalent groups not participating in daily recess. The timeline you have set for yourself is very practical, I would love the idea of finishing by January. Rebecca is right, data collection will be critical, especially from your five "committed" teachers! I am looking forward reading about your progress! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMariellen, you inspired me! I am continuously realizing more parts I need to include. I've already revised my plan and deleted the first one. Thank you for your comments. You have been most helpful!
DeleteI agree you have a great idea. Not sure I would want to be in the no recess class however. I do believe at that age letting them go outside and runoff a little steam is a great idea. I know as someone who can't hardly sit still as an adult, I can only imagine what I must have been like for my elementary teachers. I still hate the days when we can't get outside with our athletic kids. If we have many days in a row without being to get out in the sun I know they have at least one coach that gets grumpier that usual. We currently will alter our offseason schedule to make sure we dont miss a pretty day outside at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteTrey, the main reason I selected this topic is because at our school we are not allowed recess more than 1 day a week. The sad fact is, until I begin my action plan, we are ALL in the no recess class. If only we as teachers had the power to "alter" our schedule on our own, this research plan would not be necessary. Thank you for your comment!
DeleteI look forward to see your results. It is so unfortunate that your students do not get more than one day of recess as it does seem to help get the wiggles out so they can focus fully on the instruction at hand. Your research will be vital to making a change at your campus.
ReplyDeleteI hope so Jamie. Our entire discipline committee wants this. We developed a plan, but did not get any feedback. We are hoping that taking this route and actually providing data will bring about change.
DeleteYolanda, Little off topic but i didn't know it you knew or not but you can change the width on your format so your plan does not bleed over across the screen.
DeleteI tried and tried, Jamie! It took a while for me to figure it out, but I finally did. Thank you!
DeleteYolanda, this is a great topic. How will you go about selecting the teachers to collect data? And which classes will go to recess? Do you feel that any parents will hinder the process and question your reasonings as to why their child is not participating? Just thinking outside the box. Good luck...and agreed...good data collection is critical.
ReplyDeleteAs chairperson of our discipline committee, I had already written up a plan that included daily recess. Our committee has 2 teachers from each grade level. I have already spoken with one from kinder and one from 4th and they have agreed to participate. I will represent 3rd grade. I am waiting for agreement from a 2nd grade teacher with whom I've already spoken. I have yet to speak with any kindergarten teachers. That is my goal for next week.
DeleteI had not considered any parent input or feedback. I initially wanted to include the entire campus. That was denied by my site supervisor. I suppose she can address any parents who have concerns about their child's homeroom not being included.
This is a nice plan Yolanda. Very detailed and very well laid out. The idea of collecting data from multiple teachers from each grade was great; the more you have the more data you have and different levels, so the data will vary. I look forward to following your research.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say this: Thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing this topic!!! I think of all the topics I have been hearing and reading about, I am most excited about yours! I am a staunch advocate of providing students with an opportunity for physical activity. I know that for myself in particular, my brain works better, I am happier, and I feel better when I exercise... especially if that exercise is enjoyable! In fact, I always try to take a quick jog before writing any sort of research paper or long assignment. It helps to open and clear my mind. I have no doubt that this is one of the reasons for decreased student performance over the last several years. When we began to take PE and other opportunities for physical activity out of our schools, we created a very big problem for our students. Good luck on your action research! I look forward to learning about your results!
ReplyDeleteWow, Bridget! I feel fully validated! Thank you for your comments. I too feel much better after some movement. I would often take 5 minutes breaks in the classroom, but there are days when we all need to just RUN! I agree with you that there has been a decrease in student performance due to the lack of recess. Funny how in trying to improve performance by taking recess away, things were made worse. I feel empowered as I begin this study. Again, I appreciate your support.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with Bridget. I do try to like clean the house or do something physical before my mind works and how much more kids. all their energy cooped up in four corners of a room. The best way to improve children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it. Playful learning leads to better academic success than the skills-and-drills approach. I think. I know that I am no expert when it comes to teaching because I am still new in this field but I do know that activity makes my brain works.
DeleteThat sounds like an interesting topic. I am curious, is the 15 minute recess being added, or was it longer and being shortened? Regardless, I know I do better when I get a break here and there :)
ReplyDeleteI am sure that it will help the students getting a few minutes to reset their brains. I like how you picked a topic that should be easy to monitor. Your plan looks good. I will of course be following your research so I can see your findings.
Scott, the 15 minute recess everyday is an upgrade to our current 15 minutes ONCE a week. I wanted to make it 20, but was denied. I hope to still show improvement in student performance with just the 15. Oh, but if we could do 30!!!
DeleteI think the effects of recess is a great topic for action research study! In my personal opinion, recess is important for all grade levels!
ReplyDeleteI really like your plan. The layout is very nice and easy to read and comprehend. I like that your are looking at multiple grade levels and am curious to see which grade benefits the most from recess. It blows my mind that elementary students are not getting recess everyday. Every body needs a break especially elementary students. As an adult I try to make sure I work out at least three times a week because I have more energy and I'm in a better mood. I am very interested in your findings. Good luck with your research.
ReplyDeleteYolanda,
ReplyDeleteYour plan looks great! I think that it will be very fun and interesting to implement. Being a huge advocate for recess, I think that it will be cool to see the differences in scores, behavioral issues, and so forth based on the students that have recess daily and the ones that don't. I believe that exercise is a great way for students to have a mental break from the rest of the world and allows them to come back to class rejuvenated and ready to learn. Playing and exercising releases endorphins in the brain. I can't wait to continue to follow you to see what you find along the way.
Laura
Yolanda,
ReplyDeleteI moved from the north where recess is an event 2 times a day, sometimes even in snow. It was quite a shock when I got to Texas and found kids were not allowed out to play. I worked in your district several years ago.
I remember vividly the discipline problems that occurred daily throughout the campuses I worked on because students had so much energy to burn. The days that were most successful in my classroom were the days we "snuck out" to recess or to run around the track.
I look forward to your findings.
Heather
I absolutely love your research topic. Sad but a lot of schools has taken recess away from kids and expect them to be model A students. I feel 15 minutes of daily recess will help any student's classroom behavior as well as their academic performance (especially K-4th grade students. Can't wait to view your findings. Good luck!
ReplyDelete