Level 3 Inquiry Reflection & Findings

Using the formative and summative assessment data you collected during the enactment of
your plan and the data you collected when analyzing your video for the outcomes related to
your wondering, respond thoroughly to the following questions. *Include as an appendix the
chart or graph you created to communicate your assessment results (FEAP 4f).

#1 Analysis of your formative & summative assessment data:

 What were the results of your assessment? The result of my assessment was that
students were able to write at least two complete sentences stating things they
were thankful for. Students used capitals and periods in their sentences. I
observed that there were some students who were more creative with the
sentences they wrote, while others relied heavily on the examples written on the
whiteboard. Overall out of my 18 students, 17 wrote complete, grammatically
correct sentences. I only had one student who did not write in complete
sentences.
 Which students achieved the learning objective(s) and which did not? All my
students achieved the learning objective (write in complete sentences, using
capitalization and periods) except for H.L.. H.L. struggles with fine motor skills so
his handwriting is illegible. It appeared that he used a capital at the beginning of
his sentence and period at the end, but he did not form legible complete
sentences.
 Which of the following helped or hindered your students’ learning – teaching
methods, activities, instructional materials, planned differentiation strategies?
The teaching methods I used helped my students’ learning. It helped my students
to see non-examples of sentences that they had to correct. This was an engaging
activity that engaged students in really thinking about and identifying mistakes in
a sentence and how to fix them. The ‘Thankful Turkey’ also helped my students’
learning because they were excited to complete this activity. I observed that it
was not difficult to motivate students to want to write for this activity.
 If your assessment(s) did not adequately provide the information you needed
relative to your learning objective(s), how would you change the assessment(s)
you used to gain more appropriate information? If your assessment(s) did
provide adequate data relative to your learning objective(s), what would your
next instructional steps be – what would you do for students who met your
objectives and what would you do for those who did not? From my assessment I
observed that almost all my students have mastered the learning objective of
writing in complete sentences and using capitalization and periods correctly.
However, my students were able to do this with the help/guidance of the example
sentences written on the board. In order to provide a more relevant example of
my students’ ability to master this objective, I would change the assessment by
not providing the example sentences on the whiteboard. If I did this I would
probably have to provide some students (N.R and H.L) with a sentence stem to
help them get started, but I would still be able to gather insight in terms of these
 students’ ability to write a complete sentence on their own.

#2 Planning for the success of ELL students: Explicitly describe the instruction and
assessment you planned to meet the needs of ELL students. If you enacted your plan with ELL
students, what were the outcomes for those students? Did these students meet the learning
objective(s)?

I do not have any ELL students in my classroom, however if I did I would modify the
assessment through giving these students an alternate activity where they would draw a
picture of what they’re thankful for instead of writing two sentences. ELLs that are at Speech
Emergence proficiency level would only need to write one sentence and would be provided
with examples and/or a sentence stem to help them.

#3 Findings from Data Analysis: After looking across/analyzing all of the data collected and
actions taken, what learning statements/claims might you make (minimum of 3 statements)?
For each learning statement, describe the data or evidence that you used to develop that
claim, including proper citations if literature/course connections served as evidence.

In order to have effective classroom management skills, a teacher must fully know his/her
students.
This semester I really wanted to focus on improving my classroom management skills. I
collected data on my students behaviors/assets/interest/etc. Through collecting this data I
was able to better understand which students may need a more intensive classroom
management plan. It was because I knew my students well that I was able to plan and
implement effective strategies to help minimize challenging behaviors. I learned that the
better you know your students, the more accurately you are able to predict certain behaviors
occurring and put preventative strategies in place (Stichter et al., 2009). In order to do this a
teacher must be actively involved in planning and instruction because this creates more
structure in the classroom.

A classroom can be managed effectively through the use of positive behavior reinforcement
and supportive redirection.
I believe that challenging behaviors such as talking and excessive playing shouldn’t be
addressed through public scolding because this leads to humiliation and damages
student/teacher relationships. Throughout my time in the classroom this semester I have
tried incorporating strategies from the Good Behavior Game into my classroom management
strategies. The Good Behavior Game highlights the importance and value of using positive
reinforcement through rewarding it in the classroom (Education Week, 2014). I believe in this
strategy because it recognizes the students who are displaying positive, on-task behavior,
and encourages other students to self-reflect and modify their own behavior because they
want to be recognized as well. I have observed that whenever I use a strategy from the Good
Behavior Game, all my students will also try to work together as a team to earn a class point.
I love how this strategy boosts the sense of teamwork and community in a classroom. This
strategy was effective as a form of redirection for my focus students that displayed
challenging behaviors. Whenever I incorporated positive reinforcement, verbal praise, and
rewards, my focus students were more apt to adjust their own behavior to achieve the
reward.

Preventative strategies are effective in minimizing challenging behaviors.

Many of the challenging behaviors I observe in my classroom are excessive talking, playing,
and getting off-task/distracted. Preventative strategies are strategies put in place to prevent
these behaviors from occurring, and example of this is opportunities to respond (Stichter et
al., 2009). Through including multiple opportunities for students to respond and be actively
involved in learning, teachers eliminate opportunities for students to become off-task and
distracted (Stichter et al., 2009). Whenever I incorporate more opportunities to respond into
my lessons I notice that as a whole my students appear much more engaged and I can better
assess individual learning through listening to students’ responses.

Classroom Management: "Effects of the Good Behavior Game on Challenging Behaviors in

School Settings". (2014). Education Week, 33(36), 5

Stichter, J. P., Lewis, T. J., Whittaker, T. A., Richter, M., Johnson, N. W., & Trussell, R. P.
(2009).  Assessing Teacher Use of Opportunities to Respond and Effective Classroom
Management Strategies: Comparisons Among High- and Low-Risk Elementary Schools.
Journal of   Positive Behavior Interventions, 11(2), 68–81.

#4 Conclusion/Final Reflection: Reflect upon your inquiry work as a whole. Thoroughly

address the following questions -
 What did you learn about yourself as a teacher? I learned that I have a very calm and
soft-spoken teaching disposition. I used to feel like I was too timid and my naturally
quiet demeanor were ‘weaknesses’ for a teacher to have, however I learned that as I
become more comfortable teaching, these traits can really be beneficial and help me
form positive relationships with my students. I don’t feel the need to yell at my
students or be overly harsh, I’ve really learned how to more calmly but boldly redirect
student behavior.
 What were the most powerful adjustments you made during the planning process?
What do you believe would be the most beneficial changes you could make next to
improve student learning? Overall I feel as though planning with individual students
and their needs in mind helped me feel more prepared and better equip to deliver the
lesson. While planning I imagined myself teaching each part of the lesson, which
helped me predict the needs and reactions of my individual students. I believe the
most beneficial change I could make in the future to improve student learning would
be to provide students with an exit ticket where they edited an incorrect/incomplete
sentence. This would allow me to see students’ ability to recognize what makes a
sentence incorrect/incomplete as well as their ability to include the proper edits.
  What have you learned about using data as a part of your teaching? What did you
learn by evaluating data with your teaching peers (CT, cohort, resource teachers? I
learned that using data to inform instruction is very important in order to meet
students’ needs. Using data allows teachers to identify what subjects/topics are a
challenge for specific students and make plans for how to properly teach these
materials. Formative assessment is a very important tool for teachers to use because
it assess student learning without the pressure of always being graded. Formative
assessments provide insight into which students have mastered certain concepts and
which students still need more practice with the concept.
 What new wonderings do you have?
How can I design formative assessments that accurately assess student
understanding?

Appendix

Students who used period at end of Students who did not use period at end of
sentence sentence
18 0

Students who used Capital Letters at Students who did not use Capital Letters at
beginning of sentence beginning of sentence
18 0

Students who wrote in complete sentences Students who did not write in complete
sentences
17 1

Examples of Student Work