Chapter 1: Introduction Guidelines

Patrick Cullinane

EDAM 528: Research Methodology for Action Research Winter 2014 Katz-Buonincontro

Introduction (Environment)
The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School opened its doors in 2005 with the hope of becoming a leader in next generation of teaching and learning. After eight years, AMSA has become one of the best rated schools in the state of Massachusetts (3rd), , and in the United States, (130th)(U.S. News and World Report, 2014) . With such a high ranking school district, the administration is looking for ways to keep improving and to stay at thetop of the list. One thing the administration does to do this is give full power of departments to the department chairs. Department chairs are responsible for the hiring and firing of employees, observing teachers in the classroom, and giving suggestions on how to improve teaching practices. Administration also believes that teachers should be thinking outside the box, trying new things, and wants teachers to use successes and failures to change education and enhance the classroom. Administration is very adamant aboutletting the staff know that it is ok to try new things, get out of their comfort zone, and see what can be accomplished. They ask the staff to share their stories at department meetings and staff meetings aboutwhat worked and what didn't so that all teachers have the opportunity tobenefit from the action research that goes on in otherclassrooms. In this amazing school with a great support staff is me:Patrick Cullinane, a computer science teacher at the 8thgrade level and 11th through 12th grade.. I currently teach HTML, JavaScript, Engineering, Robotics, Electronics, and Cyber Forensics; a wide array of units to cover in a short period of time. For 8th graders, this vast array of subjects gives the students a chance to find a path that interest them: engineering, web design, or programming. Classes range from 17-26 students, are 45 minutes long,and followan eight day rotating schedule. This means that I see each class every other day, resulting in an average of 2.5 hours of class time each week. During this time students are expected to come to class prepared, complete a Do Now (small task at the beginning of the class to get students to remember the last lesson and/or get prepared for the next lesson), listen to lectures, follow along on their computers, and practice on their own with in-class assignments and projects. At the end of each unit there is a final exam. If a unit lasts more than fourweeks, there is also a quiz in the middle to help students maintain information being learned. The classroom is not ventilated well, and with the heat off the room stays at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes for an uncomfortable teaching and learning environment. On top of this, the seating arrangement is in two rows of 12 with an extra 2 seats on the side of the room. (See Appendix A for a map of the classroom) Because of the wiring, this setup cannot be changed. All wires are contained behind the desks to ensure students do not trip on anything. The seats students are expected to sit in are plastic and non-forgiving (Appendix B). They get stuck on the wires behind the desks and on the carpet, trapping students in their desks at times. This is what I have to work with for my action research.

Problem Statement
There is a lack of full participation in my classroom for the entire class period. For my action research I want to take two things that I enjoy doing:Physical fitness and computer science; I also want to use this knowledge to better my students and the classroom. I have currently observed that students are often disengaged in my classroom for some or all of the lesson and/or assignments. This depends upon the day, who the person is, and what is being taught. Although there are a multitude of variables affecting why a student would be disengaged, I am setting out to see if and how some physical activity could alter the conditions of the classroom. I would like to observe the change in students behavior, attitude, emotions, and engagement in the classroom when given a break in the middle of class. This break will consist of some physical activity that has no relevance to the subject being taught at that point in time. I want this time for students to clear their minds before getting back to work. This break will consist of walking around the room, jumping jacks, push-up, sit-ups, talking with friends (something other than computer science related), etc. I want to see if giving students minds a break for a short period of time will actually enhance their learning levels and output levels. I also want to see if a short walk around the room can recharge the students into being more engaged in classroom activities such as talking, participating, and asking questions. Statement/Observation: students seem to be down in a majority of their classes including falling asleep, not doing work, staring into space, and not keeping up with notes. Students do not seem to be engaged 100% of the time. Question: Will a shortbreak, which has physical activities, help students learn? I feel from my experience as a track coach that this "down time" will be beneficial for students. However, I just don't know what the right amount of time would be and when to have this break. I do not want to stop students if they are currently engaged and working hard, which would interruptstudents concentration and thought process. To start an action research project, some initial research must be done to investigate the underlying causes, and/or if this kind of research has already been done before. I have found this research project will look into and attempt to address two problems: 1. Obesity

According to the CDC, obesity has become an epidemic, and In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese (Childhood Obisity Facts, 2013). 2. Attention/Engagement problems Students in my classroom are not engaged fully and, according to Shane J. Lopez, Student engagement peaks during elementary school, decreases through middle school and early high school. (Lopez, 2011) It is important for students to be engaged during all of their lessons at school. Classrooms and school in general need to look into the best way for students to learn inthe 21stcentury, where information is at their fingertips 24/7 and gamification has become the norm. This action research will help me become a better teacher if I can better understand the needs of the students in the classroom.

Purpose of Study
The main purpose driving this study is my personal interest in physical fitness and teaching. I am the current Cross Country coach as well as the Track & Field Coach here at the Advanced Math and Science Academy. I love running, working out, and general fitness. I think that all students should be participating in sports or some fitness activity throughout the day. I would like to see what a small change in physical position and change in mental thinking will do for the students. This will serve as my first action research project and thus will be small in scale. If results are inconclusive and/or positive I will then pursue this action research in more detail without the limitations stated in the following section. As a teacher,I do as much as possible to help my students and, therefore, the purpose of this action research will be to help students inside and outside of the classroom,whether it be physical activity to promote better physical and mental health, or to help curb attention problems and improve engagement in the classroom. There may be an optimal proportion of physical activity to lectures, and to sitting around. I am interested in seeing the results; if positive, I think I can continue this action research to find a balance between classroom activities and down time. My goal is to have better student engagement in my class. Metrics for student engagement will be the following: 1. More work being done in a smaller amount of time 2. Additional and improved questions being asked on a daily basis

3. Work being taken home by students free will 4. Higher grade averages in the classroom I will be noting topics covered in the classroom, questions asked in class by the students, quiz and test scores, as well as student surveys throughout the research and interviews with students during and after the research. I hope to find evidence that clearly shows physical activity placed within the classroom will enhance student learning.

Research Questions
Please refer to the following section on the study limitations for an explanation ofwhy there is only one research question. Will a short break, which has physical activities, help students learn?

Study Limitations
This action research does have its limitations. The largest limitation is the time restraints. This research must be done within a 10 week window. Most action research items can be done over the course of a year or longer with a larger scope and more research questions to be answered. Because of the small time frame, the other limitation will be the data set. Due to the small timeframe, there will only be one classroom tested against fivecontrol classes. This will limit the data and potentially may not allow a definitive answer to the research question.

Definition of Terms
For this research project key terms have been defined in the following. Please use this list to define key terms: 1. Action Research any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers, principals, school counselors, or other stakeholders in the teaching/learning environment to gather information about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how well their students learn. This information is gathered with the goals of gaining insight, developing reflective practice, effecting positive changes in the school environment (and educational practices in general), and improving student outcomes and the lives of those involved. (Mills, 2014)

2. ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (overactivity).(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) 3. Best Practices "what works" in a particular situation or environment. When data support the success of a practice, it is referred to as a research-based practice or scientifically based practice. As good consumers of information, we must keep in mind that a particular practice that has worked for someone within a given set of variables may or may not yield the same results across educational environments.(Best Practices in Education) 4. Computer Science the study of computers and their uses (computer science, 2014) 5. Gamification transferring the features that motivate players in video gamesachievement levels, say, or a constantly running score-into nongame settings. Gamification systems are possible because much of what we do in the workplace is conducted through software that can track our productivity, constantly measure our value and apply incentives that prod us to do better. (Manjoo, 2014) 6. HealthThe state of an organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality. (Webster's New World, 1987) a. Mental h. the absence of mental or behavioral disorder; a state of psychological well-being in which a person has achieved a satisfactory integration of his instinctual drives acceptable to both himself and hi social milieu (Webster's New World, 1987) 7. Obese extremely fat or corpulent (Webster's New World, 1987) a. Obesity [see obese] Fatness; Corpulence; an abnormal increase of fat in the subcutaneous connective tissues(Webster's New World, 1987) i. Morbid the condition of weighing at least twice the ideal weight(Webster's New World, 1987) 8. Physical Activity any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.(Physical Activity, 2014) 9. Student Engagement students who are engaged exhibit three characteristics: (1) they are attracted to their work, (2) they persist in their work despite challenges and obstacles, and (3) they take visible delight in accomplishing their work.(Strong, Silver, & Robison, 1995)

References
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorderadhd/index.shtml Best Practices in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from SERC: http://ctserc.org/s/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=28 Childhood Obisity Facts. (2013, July 10). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm computer science. (2014). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/computer%20science Lopez, S. J. (2011). The highs and lows of student engagement. The Phi Delta Kappan, 72-73. Manjoo, F. (2014, January 12). The 'Gamification' of the Office Approaches. High Definition. Mills, G. E. (2014). Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Physical Activity. (2014). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/ Strong, R., Silver, H., & Robison, A. (1995). Strengthening Student Engagement: What Do Students Want. Educational Leadership, 8-12. U.S. News and World Report. (2014). Retrieved January 14, 2014, from Education High Schools: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/massachusetts/districts/advanced-mathand-science-academy-charter-district/advanced-math--science-academy-charter-school-9252 Webster's New World. (1987). Webster's NewWorld Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.

Appendix
Appendix A: Floor Plan of Classroom

Appendix B: Picture of Classroom