First Animation

The assignment this week in EDLD 5366 was to create an animation. I have a fascination with animation. Not to the point of dressing like a Japanese anime character, but I appreciate the effort, patience and attention to detail necessary to make an inanimate object come to life. This week working with scratch allowed me to dabble in animation and create a short multimedia presentation that I plan to use when leading professional development.

I dove right into this assignment and soon was confronted by the steepness of the learning curve for this application. Scratch is a powerful tool with many variables. Furthermore, it's a programming tool, so the sequence of commands is absolutely essential to achieving the sequence of events and actions in the characters. For someone who remembers having little success inputting Microsoft DOS commands, this development almost brought out a quick, R-rated stream of commentary. However, after a little research to find a user guide and some more trial and error, I soon began creating. To view the animation click on the scratch logo above.

Impressions of the Bible from Ethiopia

What struck me immediately upon viewing the Bible from Ethiopia was how innate the principals of design are to human communication. As I clicked through the pages, I could see examples of contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity on nearly every page.

I immediately noticed the use of contrast to add visual interest and vibrancy to the images. On each page complementary colors were used to create detailed illustrations that drew my attention. Shades of orange, red, yellow paired with opposite shades of green and blue to convey the mood and feeling of the text. This was especially noticeable on the Crucifixion page. The colors spoke loudly as they told the story of the Jewish people and Christianity from Abraham through the life of Jesus and on through His disciples. Contrast is also evidenced in the text through the use of red to highlight passages.

This image of the 12 apostles from the Bible of Ethiopia shows
the use of contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity.
image http://kootation.com/british-library-add-ms-59874-ethiopian-bible-jpg-wikimedia-commons.html

I also immediately noticed the repetition of certain visual elements not only in the design of the book but the structure of the text as well. In each illustration, repeated visual elements and colors are used to carry the story forward as well as identify characters.

A two column alignment is used throughout the text to break up the text and make it more readable. The illustrations also evidence alignment through the use of symmetry. Symmetry is visually predictable and helps focus the eye on details. The illustration shown on this page shows how symmetry works to focus on details. Even without being able to read the text, it is clear who is being portrayed in this illustration and, possibly, identify each disciple.

Finally, proximity is used to link the text to the illustrations and within the illustrations to effectively communicate the message. More importantly, the concept of proximity is used to convey feelings about what is occurring on the page. I believe this is especially true in the background colors. As the story progresses, color is used to unify the illustrations and generate emotions in the viewer. Dark backgrounds are used in illustrations depicting sadness, grief, strife; light backgrounds are used to depict joy, enlightenment, hope. Using these colors in proximity to the message creates a relationship between words and pictures that creates emotions in the person viewing the text.

It is fascinating that the principals of design still used today are rooted in the 15th century, when this bible was first written.

Time for Action (Research)

After five weeks of fairly intensive study (it is summer vacation after all), I think I've got a handle on what action research is, why it's an important part of growing as an educator, how to go about developing a project, and when to begin my project. Over the last few weeks, I have come to understand action research as a necessary function of an administrator; and the importance of administrators becoming "role models for the teachers and students in their building. A critical belief about learning is ownership. Learning must be something teachers and students do, not something that others do to or for them."1 Engaging in action research is imperative in order to prepare for the "crucial role of the principal as head learner of the schoolhouse."2 I think I'm ready to take ownership of my action research project and get started.

As I worked through the exercises and developed my action research plan, I realized that taking on the role of lead learner wasn't all that difficult. I have always been curious about education and the role of educators, primarily due to the fact that education is not my first career field. It has always struck me as odd that the enterprise of education allows policies that affect it to be largely dictated by outside sources. The more I learned about action research, the more I realized how this process of inquiry and developing studies based on "wonderings" puts the impetus for change in the hands of those most connected to the effect of the change being proposed. It just makes sense to have the person responsible for the myriad of challenges present in a school be the one leading the inquiry and, by extension, the learning, instead of waiting for someone outside of the enterprise to come in and solve problems. Action research doesn't have to be difficult to be meaningful, but leading without meaningful action research would be a challenge.

During this course, my concept of research changed. I previously thought that research was based solely on the data - and then only on statistical, numerical, quantifiable data. I now understand that in action research the most important word is not research but action. As Dr. Johnny Briseno said, "numbers don't tell the whole story." It's also important to look at "how student environment affects learning outcome." Engaging in action research is important to the growth of an administrator because it requires attention to the "soft" data, and in doing so grounds the administrator in what is truly important - what is best for creating an environment dedicated to student learning. Conducting research as a precursor to action or adjunct to implementing a program contributes to my growth and development as an educator.

Contributing factors combined with inquiry lead to developing an action research project. I found that when I initially began thinking about what to research, I had an unrealistic idea about what I was going to prove. As the course continued into the final weeks, I realized that less is more and the process of conducting action research may, in many ways, be more valuable than the product. I came to this realization after listening to Dr. Steve Jenkins discuss the purpose of action research and read about Quality Indicator 2 in Leading with Passion and Knowledge. Both Dr. Jenkins and Nancy Fichtman Dana talk about the importance of developing a study that is focused yet flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions and sufficiently feasible and reasonable to be completed. These two resources convinced me to scale back my research and focus not on proving my hypothesis, but on implementing a program focused on student learning.

Now it is time to begin my action research project. I have reasonable, feasible plan set on a realistic timeline. I have anticipated the obstacles that may lay ahead and elicited the help of colleagues to overcome them. My project has a purpose tied to student learning. While I haven't developed the data collection instruments yet, I now have a good idea of what they should contain and how to collect data that is meaningful, applicable, and transferable. For me, the past five weeks defined and clarified my new purpose as an educator - an agent for change through engaging in action research.



1 Fitchman Dana, Nancy (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (12) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
2 Barth, Roland (1990) quoted in Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (186) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Action Research Update

I realized this week as I reviewed my action research plan that I bit off more than I could chew and needed to adjust the scope of the study. Today I met with my site supervisor and we decided to limit the participating grades to first and second for a couple of reasons.

• Since our building does not qualify for any Title I money, we do not currently have an interventionist for these grades. We do have a teacher for third and fourth grade. Kindergarten has an aide that serves two classrooms. The need is greatest for first and second grades, so we decided to focus there in this study. Based purely on need, we agreed to limit the study to students in first and second grades.
• The second reason has mostly to do with scheduling a building with 900+ students. Trying to schedule intervention time and specials (art, music, library, p.e., computer, Spanish) dictated a smaller study.

Overall, the study remains essentially the same and should provide information to inform decisions for the following year. We reached a consensus on the apps that needed to be installed on the iPads to collect data and on the need for meeting with the aides prior to the school year to address their perceptions of the research project. 

One of the issues we discussed is how to manage the change for the teachers in first and second grades and for the instructional aides. We discussed using force field analysis with the affected teachers as a means of gaining their support. As far as the aides are concerned, the greatest issue to overcome is their perceived value to the school. Currently the perception is that they don't feel valued. To address this we talked about creating a professional atmosphere through mentoring, accountability, inclusion in planing time with teachers and creating a physical space for interventions as a means to "professionalize" their purpose in the school community.

Weak 3 Reflection

No, I meant to do that. I've typed so much that my fingers are weak. So's my brain. I've spent more time thinking about all the little details in an action research plan, I wonder if my plan makes any sense, especially since planning is not my strong suit.

It's not that I don't plan, it's just that my plans are usually big picture and flexible. I justify my method of planning due to the changeability of a group of seven year olds. And since I've become a one-to-one classroom, planning has become more of an exercise in anticipation. I think we're going to do this today because we're supposed to; however, in reality, sometimes things come up and I'd be doing my kids a disservice if we didn't explore what's got their interest. I'll find a standard to match it to later. Did I mention that they are seven?

So, I'm ready to spend a day recharging and prepping for week 4. It's hard to believe that this course in half over. It has definitely been a sprint and not a marathon. I hope my fingers and brain can make two more laps.

Action Research Plan Outline

Hello fellow action researchers! Over the past two days, I have been developing, refining and discussing my plan to study the effect of instructional-aide delivered, technology-based interventions on student learning. The process has really forced me to think about all the details; which is good, because I'm usually a big picture kind of guy. One of the most important lessons I learned in this process is that it really does help, as I believe Dr. Abshire stated, to start with the end in mind. I found my self visualizing meetings and anticipating the push-back from colleagues as I wrote a more detailed version of my plan in section 3 of this week's assignment. I'm certain I haven't thought of everything - and I think that's the point.

Here's the template for your perusal and comments:

Action Planning Template
Goal: To improve instructional aide efficacy in student learning through the use of tablet technology.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Survey faculty to determine sentiment on current use of instructional aides and elicit opinions on how aides could be better utilized.	Paul Stolt – developed survey. Stacee Freeman – site supervisor	(completed prior to beginning EDLD 5301) May 13 – May 17, 2013	Google Doc survey	Survey resulted in valuable information from faculty used to determine scope and sequence of research project. Review with site supervisor lead to wondering about how to implement a program to incorporate aides more fully.
Research current literature on instructional aide use in providing remediation and small-group instruction. Identify curriculum areas of greatest need for intervention. Develop menu of applications based on greatest need(s) and determine what training in implementation would be required.	Paul Stolt Grade level representatives	August 2013	Access to internet	Synthesis of current research on topic presented to principal and grade representatives. List of 4 – 6 areas of critical need established by committee of representatives and applications identified to address areas developed. Aides trained in app usage and student engagement with device. Guidelines established for student use and schedule developed for aide intervention times.
Develop data gathering protocol and methodology. Begin interventions informed by STAR assessment data. Collect data from standardized assessments, anecdotal evidence from instructional aides.	Paul Stolt Instructional aides Classroom teachers Principal Literacy/Math Coaches	August 2013 – September 2013 October 2013 -April 2014	Google Doc Form for recording aide’s observations Standard measure(s) of student achievement tied to curricular subject. Interview form doc Standardized assessments Raz-kids.com assessments of literacy Scootpad.com assessments of standards	Qualitative and quantitative measures determined to access effectiveness of interventions. Standard reporting form created to collect information from aides and teachers. Weekly interview of aides and review of interview form to discern thoughts on effectiveness. Standardized measures  reviewed to determine growth in student learning of designated subject matter. Conclusions drawn from various data collected.
Conclude research, conduct analysis, and disseminate findings.	Paul Stolt Stacee Freeman	May 2014 – July 2014	Google doc spread sheet	Action research report created to show results of project including analysis of data collected and opportunities for future research.

Six Simple "Truths"

I've been wondering about action research all week long and in the process discovered some recurring themes. I really want to call them truths, but that would be presumptuous.

• The process is as important as the product.  

The process of arriving at a topic through reflecting on current practices creates value in an of itself. Simply by thinking purposefully about the subject under scrutiny, the researcher discovers new information.

• Reflection is key.

Inquiry derived from reflection creates ownership in the research. Starting a project by wondering how to solve a problem, change a procedure, acquire new learning, motivate and train faculty or understand students better directly connects the researcher to the outcome.

• Data-informed is more purposeful than data-driven.

Research requires data. Traditionally, data would be "hard" i.e. impersonal, mathematical, quantifiable. Action research factors in the "soft" data that personalizes the research. It does matter how research is perceived and how the subjects feel. While arguably less "scientific", the data-informed conclusions of action research provide greater insight, and, I would argue, increase the validity and potential for buy-in by those affected by research conclusions.

• Purpose + practicality = significance 

Both Dr. Kirk Lewis and Steve Jenkins spoke on the requirement that action research be practical and not theoretical. The point of action research is to learn and apply that new learning to a real situation. Purpose determines the scope of the research and practicality provides the boundaries all leading to significant findings that can be implemented presently and applicable to the future.

• Don't re-invent the wheel

Does this really require explanation? Given the wealth of knowledge literally at our fingertips, one of the first steps in any wondering should be to search for topical research on the Internet. Even if the project under consideration is unique, in the process of seeking, knowledge is found.

• Students, students, students . . .

Action research not grounded in positively affecting student learning runs counter to the purpose of engaging in research. It's always about the students! Students are the reason schools exist. and their benefit is the number one priority of research. 

Let me know if you agree or disagree with the six "truths" above, or if you think of others that should be included by commenting to this post.