RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION

RESEARCH 1
Collaborative Teacer Yo!t Partici"ator# Actio$ Re%earc Pro&ect
Pa# It 'or(ar)
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RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 7
Ab%tract
Ti% e%%a# "rovi)e% a co/"ree$%ive overvie( a$) a$al#%i% o0 te collaborative
teacer #o!t "artici"ator# actio$ re%earc "ro&ect !$)erta6e$ i$ tree ele/e$tar#
%cool %etti$+% i$ or)er to i/"le/e$t te %ocial actio$ i$itiative 8Pa# It 'or(ar)85 It
al%o i+li+t% a$) )e%cribe% te i$ve%ti+ative "roce%%, i$cl!)i$+ +ro!" )#$a/ic%,
calle$+e%, a$) %!cce%%e% tat (ere e9"erie$ce) a% "art o0 te i/"le/e$tatio$5 It
co$cl!)e% (it a )etaile) %!//ar# a$) a$al#%i% o0 te :$)i$+%, i$cl!)i$+ te
relatio$%i" bet(ee$ te :$)i$+% a$) te rea)i$+% e9"lore) i$ te co!r%e5
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH ;
I$tro)!ctio$
According to Powers and Allaman (2012), Teacher Youth Participatory Action Research
(T-YPAR), or research that allows teachers and students to inestigate meaning!ul social topics
to understand the root causes o! pro"lems that directly impact them, and then ta#e action to
in!luence policies through the dissemination o! their !indings, can sere as a power!ul tool !or
engaging students in social action$ %n !act, Pine (200&) asserts that 'teacher action research must
play a prominent role in ma#ing research wor# to a!!ect teaching and learning and to trans!orm
the school into #nowledge democracies where learning re!lects social action$' (y his
assessment, he agrees with Powers and Allaman (2012), action research "roadly, and T-YPAR
speci!ically can and should "e used to engage teachers and students in ways that help us all learn
to grow as teachers and learners, as well as indiiduals in li!e$ )ne might assume then, that
educational research and practice, particularly in the !orm o! teaching, learning, and ultimately
student achieement, are intrinsically lin#ed$ A!ter all, what we hae come to #now and
understand a"out the e!!ectieness o! teaching, and the su"se*uent impact o! e!!ectie teaching
on student achieement, is in part attri"uted to the educational research conducted "y scholars
and researchers in the !ield$ +n!ortunately, this assumption is not reality$ %n !act, recent !indings
demonstrate that educational research has had little impact on teaching and learning, and
ultimately school re!orm that leads to the improement o! student learning (Pine, 200&)$ Pine, in
Teacer Actio$ Re%earc, reminds us o! this reality "y citing the wor# o! ,iller (1&&&),
when he states 'Although it has always "een assumed that educational research and practice
should "e intimately tied together, research and practice seem to "e more disconnected and
alienated !rom each other than eer "e!ore' (p$-)$ This disconnection "etween research, practice,
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH <
and ultimately student achieement leads Pine (200&) to rede!ine the disconnection as a gap
"etween educational research and classroom practice and e.plain the importance that school
conte.t, comple.ity, and culture hae on the implementation o! research !indings$ /e asserts
that teacher action research, which pedagogically includes school culture, comple.ity, and
conte.t, can "ecome a power!ul research approach !or improing teaching and learning, and
proposes this approach as way o! closing the research practice gap$ This proposition and
conceptual !ramewor# is "oth illustrated and a!!irmed "y %0irray (2011) in the youth participatory
action research (YPAR) conducted and descri"ed in his seminal wor#, Te Lati$i*atio$ o0
U5S5 Scool% S!cce%%0!l Teaci$+ a$) Lear$i$+ i$ Si0ti$+ C!lt!ral Co$te9t%
and will sere as the !ramewor# and lens through which we descri"e our own implementation o!
the 1Pay it 2orward1 (P%2) pro3ect, a social action initiatie designed to engage students in the
actie dissemination o! 1acts o! #indness1 throughout the school and "roader local community$
Te Teacer Yo!t Partici"ator# Actio$ Re%earc Pro&ect 'oc!%
De:$i$+ Pa# It 'or(ar)
4e decided to implement a T-YPAR pro3ect that aligns with each o! our school1s
commitment to deeloping and nurturing the whole spirit o! a child$ %n that regard, we chose to
wor# with the social and character deelopment program, 1Pay %t 2orward1$ Pay it !orward (P%2)
is a social action initiatie designed to engage whole schools, children, teachers, sta!!, and een
!amilies, in doing good deeds !or others and not e.pecting anything in return$ %nstead, the
recipient o! a good deed is encouraged to respond in #ind, "y "estowing a good deed upon
someone else, or paying it !orward$ The premise is that the "estowing o! good deeds will create
an ama0ing, and neer-ending ripple e!!ect that causes all sta#eholders in the community to learn
inalua"le lessons a"out the impact and power o! one indiidual to ma#e a di!!erence and help
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
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others in need, despite age, "ac#ground, money or social status (n$d) Pay %t 2orward 4e" 5ite6
http677www$payit!orward!oundation$org7education7 The goal o! "oth the initiatie and ourseles,
in implementing this pro3ect with students, was to help students re!lect on ways to ma#e
someone else a little happier "y doing some small thought!ul deed(s) in their communities$ %n
this way, we were hoping to use and promote random acts o! #indness as a way to spar# us all to
"ecome and "e "etter people$ This is in #eeping with the goal o! teacher action research as cited
"y Pine (200&), 'Action research is change research, a nonlinear, recursie, cyclical process o!
study designed to achiee concrete change in a speci!ic situation, conte.t, or wor# setting to
improe teaching7learning$' As Pine (200&) suggests in this de!inition o! action research, we,
"y selecting the P%2 initiatie are engaging our students in a change process that is nonlinear,
re!lectie, recursie, and that will hope!ully lead to a li!elong ha"it o! in*uiry$
-# a$) Ho( -e Selecte) Pa# It 'or(ar)
The P%2 initiatie was initially selected !or this pro3ect "y Pittenger, who then shared it
with the remaining mem"ers o! the team$ Pittenger1s school counselor introduced her to the
program as a way to help students actiely engage in !acilitating acts o! #indness throughout the
school$ The idea was to implement a pay it !orward day, much li#e the pro3ect initiatie
promotes, with hopes that the day1s actiities would spread to wee#s, months, the rest o! the
school year, and li!e$ A!ter our initial reiew o! the initiatie, the team determined that P%2 could
also wor# in the remaining school sites "ecause it most closely matched each o! our school1s
mission to create an enironment conducie to learning while also deeloping the character and
spirit o! the whole child$ As teachers o! students in an ur"an setting, we each also had an interest
in e.ploring a pro3ect that inoled teachers and students wor#ing in tangent, within an ur"an
setting, to promote positie social action within the school$ P%2 matched that description$ %t was
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 2
also an initiatie that we all agreed would "e releant to e.plore, particularly since the !ocus o!
students doing something positie within their own communities might proide insight to us
a"out how we might incorporate social action within our own wor# with students$ This is
particularly releant i! we consider the paradigm shi!t that YPAR o!!ers as an approach to
teaching and learning$ As %ri0arry (2011) reminds us when he *uotes 8uncan-Andrade and
,orell (2009), 'Participatory Action Research is alua"le "ecause it "rings in populations that
are o!ten alienated within the traditional research paradigm, "ut it is also important "ecause these
populations o!ten hae the "est antage point and the greatest ested interest in the wor# itsel!'
(p$ 109)$ %n this regard, selecting a pro3ect that incorporates the wor# o! students, regardless o!
"ac#ground, in action to hae positie impact on their own community, and !rom their antage
point, seemed li#e a natural choice in helping us to see how T-YPAR might "e used in the !uture$
Thus, the com"ination o! P%21s selection "y Pittenger, P%2 incorporating social action !rom a
student1s perspectie, and the highly engaging and empowering component o! ma#ing
communities "etter through #indness, gae this initiatie authenticity !or us and was
su"se*uently selected as our inestigatie !ocus$
Te Proce%%: Re%earc i$ Actio$
As Pine (2011) reminds us, ':olla"oratie action research is a process in which teachers
and researchers wor# with parity and assume e*ual responsi"ility to identi!y, in*uire into, and
resole the pro"lems o! classroom teachers' (p$12&)$ %n creating our pro3ect, we were challenged
to incorporate the tenants o! T-YPAR as we implemented the P%2 initiatie in each o! our
schools$ 4e would need to wor# with parity, assume e*ual responsi"ility !or our wor#, as well
as wor# to identi!y a !ocus and then in*uire to resole the common pro"lem o! implementing and
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH >
e.amining the implementation o! an initiatie that would !urther our learning o! T-YPAR as a
concept$ %n this wor#, we were "oth e*ually yo#ed, and highly success!ul$
)ur wor# "egan with the selection o! the social action initiatie pay it !orward$ Though
not entirely a traditional start to T-YPAR it was an e!!icient "eginning nonetheless; we did not
start with an in-depth analysis o! a pro"lem that we all shared as suggested "y Pine (200&) as a
traditional way o! coming to a !ocus, "ut rather we "egan with a pac#aged program$ 4e each !elt
that we would "e e*uipped to ma#e P%2 wor# !or us in our respectie school sites, een gien the
ariation in our roles within the school$ Thus, Pittenger agreed to wor# with the counselor to
implement P%2 as promoted through the program, Tamasi agreed to use the program as a "ase to
tal# to his !irst grade students a"out "eing #ind and monitor #indness in his classroom, and 4alls
agreed to use the tenants o! pay it !orward to continue with a T-YPAR respect pro3ect that she
was already implementing with !i!th grade students in her school$ +ltimately, eeryone was on
"oard with the initiatie$
%nitially, we agreed to communicate digitally, using email as the primary point o! contact$
4hile this was the agreement, we !ound challenges with this initial process in that we did not
communicate as regularly as we might hae$ Time was o! a ma3or issue, and caring out time to
share progress in particular$ This challenge o! time is supported "y the wor# outlined in Pine
(2011)$ 5peci!ically, he states, 'one o! the most !ormida"le di!!iculties teachers encounter in
doing action research is !inding the time to colla"orate, plan, dialogue, schedule and conduct
team meetings, analy0e data, and write' (p$ 1-&)$ These words rang true !or us, howeer, we
were a"le to oercome this initial road"loc# "y simply chec#ing-in "rie!ly with each other during
and a!ter class$ Thus, a!ter a slow start and a !ew short wee#s, our initial challenges were
oercome and our wor# together !inally yielded a !ocus$ 4e all wor#ed at our own sites,
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH ?
regularly shared progress, and came together in the end to analy0e and synthesi0e the results$
+ltimately, we !ound that while colla"oratie research can "e challenging due to time
constraints, it can also sere as a power!ul way to trans!orm the way teachers approach research,
teaching, and learning$ Though there are limitations i! space and time to engage in this wor# is
not clearly cared out and made aaila"le, we "eliee that our process was a positie one$ )ur
indiidual processes are shared in the section that !ollows$
Te T@YPAR Proce%%
-all%8 Proce%%
I)e$ti0#i$+ te Proble/ a$) Co@Partici"a$t%
,y process "egan with the *uote a"out T-YPAR !rom Powers and Allaman (2012) in
mind, 'YPAR is an e!!ectie ersatile tool !or increasing youth inolement in social organi0ing,
and also shows great promise !or e.panding commonly accepted models o! 'e.pertise' as it
pertains to research a"out 3ustice issues$' Thus, % "egan implementing the principles o! YPAR in
particular, and T-YPAR speci!ically, during the 2012-201- school year, and as a response to the
increased "ullying that was occurring within the school$ (ecause students were reporting issues
o! "ullying to the school counselor at an increased rate, % decided to colla"orate with the
counselor and a !ourth grade teacher to engage students in !inding a solution to the pro"lem$ )ur
wor# included a three tiered process that would ultimately lead to a solution conceptuali0ed "y
students and teachers wor#ing in tangent6 (a) engage students in dialogue to unpac# the pro"lem,
(") educate students a"out the dangers o! "ullying "y haing them participate in a classroom
literature "oo# study using the te.t Te B!ll# "y Paul <angan, and (c) create a digital, student
and teacher-"ased pro!essional learning community to empower students and teachers to wor#
together to !ind solutions to the pro"lem$ As a result o! this wor#, we deeloped a "ullying
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 3
pu"lic announcement that was used to promote anti-"ullying throughout the school$ The
participating teachers also led students in deeloping a "ully "uster clu" on campus$ The wor#
o! this initiatie continued in our present school year and has !ormed the !oundation !or my wor#
with the T-YPAR pro3ect presented in this paper$
I/"le/e$ti$+ te "la$
+pon learning that the group would select P%2 as the !ocus o! the T-YPAR initiatie, %
decided to merge this !ocus with the wor# she was already doing at school$ The !i!th grade
students !rom the "ully pro3ect had recently re-conceptuali0ed their "ully pro3ect into a pro3ect to
teach students a"out respect$ Their theory was that i! students could learn to show respect, they
would also learn how not to "ully$ At the onset o! the school year, students as#ed me to help
guide their wor# !or the respect pro3ect, and upon 3oining the P%2 group, % !elt "oth would "e a
per!ect match$ Thus, % decided to teach students a"out YPAR and the (oo#er Respect Pro3ect T-
YPAR initiatie was "orn$ Though it is still in the early stages, % am pleased with the groups=
process$ 5o !ar, students hae conducted readings and internet searches to learn a"out re%"ect
and YPAR concurrently$ They hae also learned how to record their o"serations and hae "een
"usy o"sering the "ehaiors o! students and teachers throughout the school$ Their goal in
o"sering is to address one o! their research *uestions6 '4hat do teachers and students thin#
a"out respect and how do they show respect within the school setting>' %n order to help answer
this *uestion, students hae also "een "usy deeloping interiew *uestions so that they can
conduct interiews with selected administration, teachers, sta!!, and students$ % meet with
students !our times a wee# !or thirty-minute sessions$ (ecause time with students is limited, %
hae also incorporated a technology component to help manage the pro3ect$ 5tudents are
mem"ers o! an ?dmodo pro!essional learning community where they are a"le to participate in
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 14
dialogue and share updates, een "eyond school hours$ % hae also set up a we"site where
students can access in!ormation so that they are not constrained to this wor# only during the
thirty-minute sessions that % am allotted$ +ltimately, % am committed to ensuring that the T-
YPAR e!!ort underta#en with students incorporates Pine1s (200&) analytical process to
documentation and o"seration$ (ecause o! this commitment, % use it to record my own
re!lections "ut % hae also taught the students to maintain a re!lectie note"oo# to record their
own !indings as well$ The plan !or this process is wor#ing out well thus !ar, and outside o!
limited time with students, the wor# is moing !orward with success$ The T-YPAR initiatie is
not complete as o! yet and will pro"a"ly ta#e the entire year to do so, "ut the students and % are
pleased with the process thus !ar$
ReAectio$% a$) Lear$i$+%
%n Teacer Actio$ Re%earc, Pine says, 're!lection !or action is a way o! !raming an
anticipated pro"lem, considering possi"le alternaties, !ormulating a course o! action to "e
tested, and thin#ing a"out the outcomes that may emerge !rom planned actions$' % hae learned
that this couldn1t "e truer in my wor# as a teacher action researcher wor#ing side-"y-side with
students$ 4e use re!lection daily to guide our wor#, and while % hae no idea where this wor#
will lead us, % am con!ident that we are moing !orward per!ectly$ % #now this "ecause students
are engaged, they hae ta#en ownership oer the process, % am simply a !acilitator guiding the
ship, and we all are learning so much !rom our e!!orts$ %n my part o! the -YPAR pro3ect process,
% purposely re3ected "eginning with the program 1Pay it 2orward1$ % wanted my wor# with
student to really em"ody the *uote shared a"oe; % wanted it to "e organic and to "egin with a
pro"lem that was shared "ecause we, the students, and %, came to it together$ % also wanted
students to hae more oice in !ormulating an action to sole the pro"lem$ %n short, % wanted
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 11
them to em"ody the in*uiry process$ %n the end, % suspect that they may come to a solution that
is similar to the 1Pay it 2orward1 !ormat; howeer, % am com!orta"le and con!ident with that
reali0ation "ecause % will also #now that in the end, it will "e the result o! their authentic process
and re!lection$ %t will truly em"ody T-YPAR !or social action@
Pitte$+er8% Proce%%
,y school has "een a A(e BindC school !or the past two years$ This year my school
counselor decided to add an element o! (e Bind called Pay %t 2orward$ 4here (e Bind is
random acts o! #indness, Pay it 2orward is intentional acts o! #indness$ Pay %t 2orward !ollows
the moie where it "eliees that i! you do something nice to someone, it will "e passed on
e.ponentially$ %n the primary setting, the school counselor read a "oo# called, )rdinary ,ary
and the ?.traordinary 8eeds "y ?mily Pearson$ %n the story a little girls does a good deed that
spreads to si. million good deeds$ The counselor ended the lesson with the students thin#ing o!
good deeds they could do !or others$ %n the intermediate setting the counselor had a discussion
and wanted the students to ma#e a goal, (e$g$ % want to pic# up litter in my neigh"orhood, etc$)$
2or the month o! 5eptem"er and parts o! )cto"er % waited !or the Dth grade to Pay it 2orward$ %
had no idea that a -rd grade class was in the planning process o! thin#ing o! a way to raise
money !or our "eloed P? aide whose 1& year old daughter had "een in a coma since Eune$ % had
to scram"le to catch up with the teacher and students$ The teacher thought it would "e a great
learning e.perience !or the students and a way to show to how to gie "ac#$ The teacher got the
idea !rom the A(ooC gi!ts that were "eing passed around the !aculty lounge$ The teacher and the
students decided the (oo grams should "e ghost lollipops and the lollipops should "e tootsie
pops$ The third grade students donated the materials !or the (oo grams and een o!!ered to
ma#e the ghost lollipops a!ter school and at home$ 8uring the setting up stages, the P? aide=s
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 17
daughter passed away$ A letter went home to the school letting eeryone #now a"out the (oo
grams and where the proceeds would go$ The last two wee#s o! )cto"er, with the help o! teacher
olunteers, the students sold the (oo grams "e!ore school and during lunch$ A4e could not
ma#e the (oo grams !ast enough@C said the teacher$ At the end o! the two wee#s the students
raised F1,-00$ The third grade teacher and the students were not !inished with Pay it 2orward$
They decided to challenge the !aculty to match the !unds, which they did$ A%t !elt good to help
out Gthe P? AideH$ 5he helps me in P? and now % can help her "ac#,C said one third grader$
4hen % as#ed the class "y show o! hands i! they were loo#ing !or more Pay it 2orward pro3ects,
all hands went up$ % as#ed the students i! this was something they could do on their own, or i!
they needed a teacher, this lead to a discussion a"out when an adult was needed$ % hae to say
that when the third graders were wor#ing on the (oo Irams, they were wal#ing taller, tal#ing
more con!identially, and during my o"serations they were wor#ing colla"oratiely$ % as#ed the
third grade teacher how "ehaior was during their pro3ect and she said !or the most part they
wor#ed well together, een the time when they were not ma#ing or selling the (oo Irams$
% thin# !or Pay it 2orward to wor# in an elementary setting a teacher has to wor# with
students to set it up$ The -
rd
grade teacher helped the students eery step o! the way$ The D
th

grade students need also needed this$ The trou"le is, our school counselor is split "etween two
schools and her time is limited$ %! the counselor wants this to wor#, she needs to wor# with
teachers to get this going and constantly remind students a"out this otherwise it will soon "e
!orgotten$
To/a%i8% Proce%%
)n 5eptem"er 0D, 2009, one month !rom his thirteenth "irthday Eosh 5teens lost his li!e in a
tragic accident$ %t "ecame eident at his memorial serice that Eosh was no ordinary "oy$
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 1;
/undreds oer!lowed the serice to say their good"yes and share stories o! Eosh, many wearing
sports 3erseys to honor him$ 5tories o! Eosh=s #ind acts grew in the wa#e o! his tragic death$
According to The Eosh 5teens 2oundation (201-) a story at the memorial read A% was new to
school and Eosh as#ed me to play !oot"all and % neer played "e!ore "ut Eosh insisted and then he
threw me a touchdown pass and that is the "est that % hae eer !elt$C((e Bind, 201-)$ Eosh was
o!ten seen opening doors, !illing grocery carts, and lending a helping hand to a struggling peer$
According to The Eosh 5teens 2oundation (201-) Eosh=s mission was to Jrescue nerds=$ /e
would go out o! his way to encourage or help #ids that were getting pic#ed on or ignored$ %t was
somewhat common !or Eosh to !inish his cell phone calls with J%=e gotta go rescue a nerd=$ Ko
"ig dealC ((e Bind, 201-)$
The (e Bind li#e Eosh program was created to honor his li!e and the e.ample he set !or us all to
!ollow$ According to Eosh 5teens 2oundation (201-) Asince 200&, the Eosh 5teens 2oundation
has enlisted more than -00 schools in L states reaching thousands o! children, teachers, school
administrators and other mem"ers o! the community in our (e BindM li#e Eosh initiatieC ((e
Bind, 201-)$ The goal o! the program and the #indness card is to remind indiiduals that there is
a whole wide world in need o! more acts o! #indness$ %t is a simple way to let children #now that
their genuine #indness can change the world$
2or many o! my 1st grade students at %ra E ?lementary it is their !irst time in a !ormal classroom
and creating and managing social relationships can "e a ery challenging tas#$ According to
4i#ipedia (201-) ATeachers, counselors and parents can play an important role in !acilitating
5?<$ To "egin, learning social and emotional s#ills are similar to learning other academic s#ills$
%mplementing a preention program in schools can help to increase competence and learning in
students which may "e applied to more comple. situations in the !utureC (5ocial ?motional,
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
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201-)$ %t *uic#ly "ecame eident to me that my students !ound it much easier to sole their
pro"lems with aggression rather than #indness$ 5eemingly easy tas#s such as selecting a partner,
sharing classroom material, and waiting !or a turn caused great con!usion and !rustration
amongst the students$ % !elt it was imperatie to introduce the students in my 1st grade classroom
to Eosh=s uni*ue "rand o! #indness and concepts o! #indness to help them cope and adapt in
di!!icult situations$
/earing o! Eosh=s acts o! #indness would seemingly inspire some to 3ust turn a page and change,
"ut !or a group o! 1st graders, a story will not suddenly unloc# wisdom$ % 3umped on the internet
!or well needed assistance and was surprised to !ind hundreds o! ideas on implementing #indness
programs into the classroom$ % instantly !ell in loe with the concept o! "uc#et !illing$ %t is "ased
on the "oo#s /ae You 2illed a (uc#et Today "y :arol ,c:loud and 8aid ,essing and /ow
2ull is Your (uc#et "y Tom Rath, ,ary Rec#meyer, and ,aurie E ,anning$ The stories coney
that the way we treat others has a pro!ound e!!ect on eery aspect o! our lies, "oth positie and
negatie$ Through interactie actiities and discussions students "egan to learn that acts o!
#indness, compassion, and respect can create positie change in their classroom, their school,
and their neigh"orhood$
Prior to introducing The (e Bind li#e Eosh program and "uc#et !illing to my 1st grade students %
was addressing each indiidual pro"lem priately and was *uic#ly running out o! patience and
time$ The power o! picture "oo#s "ecame clearly eident as % read /ae You 2illed a (uc#et
Today$ ,y students were a"le to piece together my preious words o! adice to real li!e
situations$ They "egan to share their e.perience, "oth negatie and positie$ They engaged in
discussion on which "ehaiors were "uc#et !illers and "uc#et dippers$ ?ngaging in meaning!ul
conersation with my students opened the door !or change$ They hae a li!etime o! learning to
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 1=
do on this topic and e.periences to lie, "ut as a class we are laying the !oundation to "uild upon$
As they progress through the 1st grade % can now see them ta#ing a moment to thin# "e!ore
reacting to pro"lems$ They now 3ump at the chance to help around the classroom or to o!!er a
hug to a peer who is !eeling upset$ 5ome may !eel these acts are insigni!icant, "ut to me they are
positiely impacting the school and most importantly themseles$
Eosh passed at an early age, "ut he would "e e.tremely pleased with the message o! The (e Bind
program and the impact it is haing on children, not only in Keada, "ut around the world$
Through creatie actiities and meaning!ul discussion my 1st graders are "eginning to
understand the true alue o! #indness and the positie results in can hae on them$ % hope to
continue rein!orcing #indness throughout the school year, as this is 3ust the "eginning$
Co$cl!%io$
%ri0arry (2011) proposes that 'YPAR can "e used as a pedagogical strategy to wor# with
youth to deelop and re!ine the academic and interpersonal s#ills necessary !or academic success
as well as actie participation in a democracy' (p$ 200)$ )ur wor# with the P%2 initiatie a!!irms
"oth o! these notions$ Through this wor# in implementing P%2 as a T-YPAR initiatie, we hae
come to understand that there is something power!ul a"out teachers wor#ing in tangent with
students to actiely engage in an in*uiry process that leads to social action !or and with the
school community$ At each o! our sites, our students were, and still are, actiely engaged in
ma#ing the school a "etter place to teach, learn, and grow as an indiidual$ The teaching and
learning process does not hae to remain disconnected !rom the "roader school community, as
well as the concept o! character and social deelopment, nor hae do students to maintain a
secondary role in the teaching aspect o! teaching these *ualities to each other$ 4e, as teachers,
and through T-YPAR, hae the power to engage our students in a process that eleates them as
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 12
teachers and leaders !or actie change$ 4e can do so with pro3ects li#e P%2, and through
processes that includes action research$ 4ith that in mind, we can conclude that initiaties li#e
P%2, o!!er promise, hope, and support !or Pine1s (200&) theory o! action research in general, and
T-YPAR "roadly, as a power!ul agent o! change in closing the gap "etween research and practice
in the world o! education$ %t also o!!ers hope !or us as a team as we continue to e.plore action
research as a ia"le process !or colla"oration in the !ield$
RUNNING HEADER: COLLABORATIVE TEACHER YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH 1>
Re0ere$ce%
Powers, :$ and Allaman, ?$ (2012), /ow Participatory Action Research :an Promote 5ocial
:hange and /elp Youth 8eelopment$
http677cy"er$law$harard$edu7sites7cy"er$law$harard$edu7!iles7B(4ParticipatoryActionResearch2
012$pd!
%ri0arry, E$ I$ (2011)$ The <atini0ation o! +$5$ 5chools 5uccess!ul Teaching and <earning in
5hi!ting :ultural :onte.ts$ <ondon6 Paradigm Pu"lishers$
Pine, I$ (200&)$ Teacher action research$ Thousand )a#s, :A6 5AI? Pu"lications <td$
(n$d) retrieed 1212201-, !rom Pay %t 2orward 4e" 5ite6
http677www$payit!orward!oundation$org7education7
Eosh steens !oundation$ (201-)$ Retrieed Koem"er 11, 201-, !rom
http6773oshsteens!oundation$org7the-!oundation7
5ocial emotional learning$ (201-)$ Retrieed Koem"er &, 201-, !rom
http677!indyoureducation$net7social-emotional-learning7