Challenges Faced

1. Participation and cooperation of teachers: I need to find four enthusiastic teachers that are willing to participate in the action research project. Their part in this project will be quite extensive – they will be required to go to additional technology training, plan a complete lesson that will be taught with two different modes of instruction, teach the lesson strictly adhering to the plan, participate in surveys and interviews, and get parental permission for their students to be surveyed and interviewed. I would like to offer the participating teachers some type of reward, possibly additional Promethean technology for their classroom, to compensate for their time and effort. Also, I would like to bring the teachers in during the school day for training rather than require them to use their personal time. Of course, I will need to talk to my site supervisor about the viability of these proposals since it will require a financial obligation.
2. Validity of research: After I recruit teachers to be part of this research project, my next challenge will be ensuring the validity of the study. The teachers must meticulously follow the procedures outlined in the plan, i.e. use only interactive technology with the experimental group, administer pretest and posttest, limit the effect of other variables. To ensure the validity of the study, I will need to create a detailed plan with step-by-step procedures for the teachers to follow. Also, I need to maintain an active part of the research, meeting with the teachers before, during, and after their lesson. Communication will be key to success!
3. Time to properly implement: A huge challenge is going to be TIME. In order to analyze TAKS scores as part of this study, teachers must complete the lesson prior to TAKS testing in April. To address the time challenge, I will make sure that I do not procrastinate! Once we return from break, I will immediately start to implement the research, recruiting teachers and scheduling a training date. My goal is to have recruiting, training, and planning complete by February 1st. That will leave us a full six weeks before Spring Break to complete the lessons.
4. My demanding work schedule: In the next few months, I have many different training sessions, implementations, and major projects scheduled, as well as a week out of the office for TCEA. I’ll need to make sure I balance this project with my many work duties and personal obligations. I realize I’m taking on a huge action research project…I just hope it’s not too much!