Getting Organized and Planning the Rest of the Year

I spent this week getting organized and planning the remainder of the lessons for Project LEAD this year. With all the testing that is coming up I needed to make sure I provide great lessons to end out the year. I created six lessons from seniors reviewing FAFSA, surveying students with the different clusters, deciding students leadership style (since we have several officer elections coming up), career exploration and evaluating and reflecting on the school year.

With the lessons completed it gives me the opportunity to sort out my samples and surveys from throughout the year. I am curious to see how the year turns out. I will post my findings at the end.  

AR Project Summary

When I first started planning my Action Research I knew I would have to be flexible because it was going to be a program that all staff and students were going to be involved in. The program started off very strong because of all the support that I had from the principal and staff. My goal was not to make extra work for any teacher but to give them an opportunity to really work and connect with students to prepare them for after high school. The program is still going well but I have learned that some lessons were hit and miss when it came to students and teachers enjoying them. Some weeks I felt rushed with the lessons and unfortunately didn’t always get the help I thought I would.

 

In talking with students it became very beneficial because they have given me an insight of what they enjoyed and what they want to learn. Student input is very important to me because of what my goal is for the program. With only a few Project LEAD lessons left for the school year I need and want to finish strong. I want these lessons to be very interactive with students and teachers. I will have students and teachers complete a survey of the overall program and include likes and dislikes. I am also planning to present the findings of the program to the faculty at a faculty meeting as well as present the findings at a CEIC (Campus Education Improvement Council) meeting. Even though it has been a very tough project it is something that I am glad that I did because I feel that it is very important.

Ending March

March has gone by fast. With Spring Break being over I created two more lessons for the Project LEAD classes. "Ethics at Work" and "Thinking Like a Genius". It is getting close to summer so I thought a lesson about ethics woudl be good since so many students will be getting a summer job. Also, the "Thinking Like a Genius" was really a lesson about working in small groups and have students think about different quotes and if they had a chance to do something over, would they and how would they do it over. Ending March students had to really think, but in talking with students they enjoyed both lessons. Teachers really stressed how ethics is important and that students really need to understand and apply. I am realizing as we start getting closer to the end of the year I am starting to lose some students and teachers, so I really need to think about some fun and exciting assignments to keep their attention.

March Update

This is has been a very strange month for the Project Lead classes. The first Monday in March was set aside for TAKS testing and the next week was a different schedule because of Spring Break so we didn't have a class. Next Monday is Spring Break so I don't have a Project LEAD class until March 18th. So, I decided to do a lesson on work ethics since it is getting to be that time of year that we have so many students that are looking for summer work. As for the last month of the month I am still undecided. I know that I will do a FAFSA lesson for the seniors but I am not sure about the other grades yet. I will post again at the end of the month.

February Recap

February is going by fast and there is only three Project Lead classes this month due to President's day. The lessons this month included an activity on listening skills, leadership and dating violence. Students really enjoyed the leadership activity I think because it was a game on determining who the leader is. As the year goes on I am learning in order to keep their attention the activities need to be more fun. The listening skills lesson was fun because teachers and to read a short paragraph then students had to work in groups to determine how to answer the questions that could have two completely different endings. It was amazing to see how students interpreted the passage.

On Monday students will review a "Toxic Relationships" video through Discovery Education and have a class discussion. I felt this was an important lesson to do with it being Dating Violence Awareness Month. I am curious to see what the students think.

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report

Check out my website that has more information about Action Research Project.

https://sites.google.com/site/jdeentechnology/home/edld-5397/action-research-project

Back into the Routine

This semester has started off a little crazy. This will be the first normal week. We had a Project LEAD class on Friday but it was the same time as our FFA show and Rush Day. So between Friday and today teachers should have covered two lessons. 10th & 11th Grade had to determine who the leader was by sending a student out, selecting a leader and have the class follow the leader so the "outsider" could determine who the leader was and 12th grade had to complete sample interview questions. Today was to recap the lessons and add a questioning exercise. Students sat in two rows, knee-to-knee and had one minute to answers questions before they rotated to the next person. I am waiting to get feedback from students and teachers to see how these lessons went.

Between these lessons, students learned about being a leader, follower, how to interview and ask each other questions.

The New Semester

Starting the 2013 semester has been good so far. We have taken a little break from "Life Lessons" to issue students new ID cards and explain how the ID cards are going to work as well as the expectations. Today, we spent Project LEAD completing Match Makers forms. It is a fun activity we do each year to see who students match up with. 

Next week, we have a short week because of a student holiday and a early release but we are going to have a Project LEAD class. This semester to we are going to do more individualized grade level lessons, since we have all the required Internet Safety Curriculum out of the way.

I am still reviewing and collecting data from the end of semester surveys and I hope to be able to report that to the staff soon.

Final Project LEADS for the Fall Semester

This is our finals week at school and we are having two Project LEAD classes. The one tomorrow I had originally planned to do a lesson on career choices but because of the recent tragedy in Connecticut I decided to change my lesson to "Courage". I feel that it is important that students understand, "what courage is?" It will be important for teachers to really take the time to have students discuss and identify "heroes". 

On Thursday, students will complete an end-of-semester survey to evaluate how the Project LEAD classes are going and if they have any suggestions. Until 2013 and implementing our student id program.   

Digital Identity

Monday was the last part of internet safety lessons. I had the students discuss how what the post on any social medias can affect their chances for college or future jobs. I had a video for them to review but because of the weather we were without power so all the classes had discussions. I think it worked out better. I had the opportunity to sit in on a senior class to listen to what they had to say. I could honestly see they understood the importance of their decisions. I could definitely see a mature level difference in them compared to their answers at the beginning of the year. Next week is the last week of the semester and the Project LEAD classes will meet twice. I am looking at doing a career choice lesson and an end-of-the-semester survey. 

December 3, 2012-Project LEAD

Monday's Project LEAD lesson was part 4 of 5 of the Internet Safety Lessons. This week we covered Internet Safety and Privacy. Students and teachers both learned what "cookies" were and what kind of information websites are collecting and if students really want to share their information with just anyone. Students also learned that websites should have a "Privacy Policy" and where they can find that. In talking with students, several of them didn't know what cookies were and what they do. Hopefully, they will be a little more cautious in the future. I even had a few teachers tell me they learned something new, so that is always a good thing. Next week, the last of Internet Safety, so stay tuned. 

Copyrights and Wrongs

On Monday in Project LEAD students worked on Part 3 of 5 on the Internet Safety Curriculum we have to complete. This section covered Information Literacy, so I felt it was time that we covered Copyright. Teachers presented the lesson I created where they explained the difference in copyright, fair use and public domain. Classes had discussions on how these are handled in the classroom and also reviewed videos provided by Common Sense Media.

Relationship/Community

Today in Project LEAD I created a leson that is tied in with our Internet Safety Curriculum; this is part 2 of 5. Students discussed with there teachers the reasoning for the pictures they post online. This included pressure, double standards, etc. that young people deal with when they post a picture.

4 Days of Project LEAD

Last week during our six weeks testing we decided to change up the schedule and we had four days of Project LEAD. During that time we were able to have class meetings for freshman and seniors, graduation plans for sophomores and juniors. I decided to start our five-part Internet Safety Curriculum. We spent two days on cyberbullying were students created a cyberbullying policy to present to our Campus Education Improvement Committee as well as cyberbullying survey for our student body to complete. I will update my blog on both of these activities to see where it takes us.

October Update

October Update: We only have two Project LEAD classes because of exams and early release this month. Our lesson on October 8th was simple. We saw the need to review the dress code with students. On October 15th students were able to do a report reflection over the 1st six weeks. I will use theses reflections to gather data on what students feel that need to improve their grades. We are going to look at these reflections again at the next report card cycle to see if there was any change. Hopefully, it will provide me with information for future lessons in our Project LEAD.

Week 3

Yesterday was week 3 in our Project LEAD program. Students completed a survey on test taking responsibilities. I wanted to see what students felt they were responsible for and what they felt the teachers are responsible for.  I also provided students with a handout on test taking strategies, which include before the test, taking the test and after the test is completed. In talking with some students they liked the survey but the strategies they found boring. In future lessons I need to think of a different way to present strategies.

Next week is an exam week, so there will not be a Project LEAD class but hopefully that will give me the chance to prepare the next few activities.

Week 2

Yesterday we completed our 2nd week of Project LEAD with our students. This week we had a variety of lessons instead of all the grade levels doing the same thing. The 9th grade received planners and shown by our Ambassadors how to use them effectively. The 10th-12th grade students did different activities on Time Management. We wanted them to evaluate how they spend their time during a day. We had them break down sleeping, eating, studying, etc. then how could they manage their time better.

In talking with some students they felt it was effective because they didn't realize how much they were wasting. So, hopefully this will be the first step in managing their time better.

Week 1

In getting ready for Week 1 of my Action Research I am still making adjustments. Program LEAD is now Project LEAD. I have all the teachers and students assigned to classrooms, so everyone has a place to go. We completed our first lesson yesterday. I called it "Linking Our Successes" and we created a paper chain for the school. We wanted to help students understand that every individual at HHS is an essential piece of the puzzle. I had every student and teacher write their name and two qualities they have to offer our school to become successful on their own link. I also gave them the options to decorate. Every advisory class created the paper chain then I had a member from each class come down to join our links together. At first the students were not to sure about completing this activity but they were very surprised and happy when they saw the finished project. I will be adding pictures soon.

Update on my Action Research Plan

As I start the 2012-2013 school year at Hargrave High School I am ready to put my Action Research into action. I am going to have to make some changes to my current plan but so far it is only minor. I have a teacher assigned to each grade level to help me oversee the assignments and gather data. We are going to call the character education program LEAD. LEAD stands for Loyal-Empathetic-Aware-Driven. We are incorporating this new program with our mission of Finding the Leader in Every Child. I am spending this week setting up the advisory classes and teachers and I will start planning the lessons next week.

The Future of My Action Research Plan

As my Research course is coming to an end my Action Research has only begun. I hope you will follow as my real journey begins in August when I implement my plan. I will post my progress, results, problems that I am faced with and hopefully success stories to share in May. I have learned in this course feedback is crucial and I hope that I will receive not just from my campus but my Research classmates.

In completing my assignment for my course I wrote a reflection of the highlights from the course and I included part of it below.

Between the discussions and blogs my classmates helped me with my Action Plan by asking questions that would be similar to what might be asked by teachers on my campus. I think in the way we were taught to complete the steps and help each other I was able to eliminate some potential problems just by others reviewing my plan. I think what is going to be more helpful than anything is that it doesn’t end just because we are at the end of this course.

I feel more confident in implementing my Action Research because I know that I will continue to share my progress on my blog and I will continue to get feedback from those who started with me and have been following from day one. In return I will be able to do the same with their Action Research plans.