If I Could Start All Over....

My first attempt at an action research project would best be described as a rollercoaster. I know. Not very creative, but its true! I looked at this project as a big scary rollercoaster, with flips and turns, passing through dark spots in a tunnel, going upside down, not being able to see what’s in front of you, and wondering when it’s going to end.

Now that I am in the middle of my project, I am kicking myself for not doing a few things “right.” There are quite a few changes I would have made if I could start all over. First, I would have also administered the Garfield Writing Attitude Survey. I gave my students the Reading survey, but since we have incorporated the Dialogue Journals, I am interested to see if students still maintain the same views on writing. Its no surprise that reading and writing are despised among intermediate students and getting them to write a paragraph can be like pulling teeth. However, my three girls can easily cover a whole page in their journal in fifteen minutes. Granted, they have complete control over what they are writing, and I am not critiquing every sentence written. Regardless, I want them to understand that they are WRITING! Now my boys aren’t as eager as my girls are, but again, that’s to be expected. However, all students produce enough writing to contribute to the conversation. I would have liked to compare their perspectives toward writing from the beginning and end of this project. I can almost guarantee their attitudes would have improved.

Next – student work. During my student teaching semester, I practically held onto all copies of student work for evidence. And if I didn’t keep the original, I made a copy. Somewhere in the chaos, I didn’t think so store my students’ work. Bummer. I do have quite a few work samples and pictures to refer to, but I am not satisfied with the amount that I have. If I could start over, I would have saved it all. Okay, maybe not all of it, but more than I have now!

My last change is not a big one, and would probably not make any difference at all, but I still would have liked to do it. I would have liked to provide my students with their journals, explain the role and purpose of their journals, then given them time to personalize them. Again, this would probably not affect the work inside the journal, but it might instill a sense of ownership and encouragement for my kiddos.