Phase 1 Implementations
Getting Started
The first step of implementing my action research was talking with students individually about goal setting. As written in my action plan I knew what I wanted each of my students, who were setting goals, to work on. However, instead of just telling students the goals that I would like them to work on, I asked them if they had any ideas in mind so I could gauge their understanding of goal setting and self-awareness. If students seemed at a loss for developing a goal, I used a chart that I made after my initial goal setting discussion with the class, (note beginning of action plan) to guide their thinking.
I started each conversation by asking if the student remembered discussing goals. Then I asked the students if they would like to set a goal with me. All but one student, Maya, wanted to set goals. I wanted the students to be interested in working on their goal so I did not force her to do it. Looking back, I should have asked why she was not interested in setting goals but I did not think of it at the time. I will make sure that for phase two I will work with students to figure out why they are making the choices they make.
I started each conversation by asking if the student remembered discussing goals. Then I asked the students if they would like to set a goal with me. All but one student, Maya, wanted to set goals. I wanted the students to be interested in working on their goal so I did not force her to do it. Looking back, I should have asked why she was not interested in setting goals but I did not think of it at the time. I will make sure that for phase two I will work with students to figure out why they are making the choices they make.
Week 1- Setting Goals
As soon as I asked Angel if he remembered talking about goals, he said, “yes” in a very confident way. He also replied “yes,” excitedly when I asked if he wanted to set a goal with me. When I asked if he had any ideas in mind of a goal, he immediately told me he wanted to work on controlling his body. Antonio, also knew what goal he wanted to work on. He wanted to work on not talking so much. I modified the wording to choose the right times to talk so he would work on deciding when to talk, not just choose not to talk to friends. I wanted this to be a learning experience not a force new behavior kind of experience. I let these boys set their own goals because they were key things that the two boys did need to work on and the goals were along the lines of the goals I had originally wanted them to work on.
Lailah wanted to work on learning, which is a very broad goal. Since she was only thinking of learning goals I explained and gave examples of the kinds of goals I wanted them to set. When I suggested that she work on freezing and listening to directions when asked she smiled and nodded. Other than that there was not much dialog. I tried asking some questions but it was very simple she set her goal understood it and was going to work on it.
When I talked to Tiffany about remembering to wear her glasses she easily was able to come up with why this was a beneficial goal. She knew it would help her focus on learning and be less distracting to the class if she did not have to get up to get her glasses in the middle of lessons. She did very well remembering to wear her glasses. Some students I talked with did not have goals in mind, so I went over the chart of goals one by one and asked the students, “does this sound like something you need to work on?” Some students said yes to think they did not need to work on.
For example Lucy claimed she needed to work on sharing her ideas. She always participates and shares her ideas. I should have asked her why she thinks she needs to work on this instead of just asking, “do you really think you need to work on this?” She could have explained her thinking behind why this thought and could have either told me she does not understand why we are setting goals, how to set a goal or explained why she thinks she needs to work on this. Lucy also seemed nervous when trying to set her goals, she covered her face a lot and giggled. After a few minutes she began to look disappointed, so I explained that everyone sets goal and it doesn't mean your bad it just helps us to be better people. When I explained that I would like her to work on “THINK[ing]” before she tells on someone or tells someone what to do, she was not quite sure at first that she agreed with the goal. After talking for a while she was able to explain the goal to me and why the goal would end up working for her. Unfortunately Lucy was absent most of the week so I was not able to track her progress or her thoughts on goal setting.
Demetrius did not quite understand the idea of setting goals. After explaining goal setting to him, he wanted to work on sentences. Although this is a good goal I wanted the students to focus on things that was more focus on behavior choices than learning goals. I then moved on to explain that I think he is super smart but he forget how smart he is and does not try to do his work before he asks for help. I explain that he should work on that. We repeated his goal together then I asked him what he is working on. He replied, “goal.” After going over his goal again I explained how he was going to rate his goal setting each day. He wanted to rate himself now and said he is trying hard. I said I am happy he wanted to rate himself right away but he had not even started working on his goal yet. It was clear from this information, that despite his excitement, he did not fully understand goal setting.
Some students were cognizant of their behaviors and able to choose fitting goals, while other could either not think of a goal or thought of goals that were not congruent with things they needed to work on. For phase two I know I want to: do more teaching on goal setting, being self aware, help kids to under that they are responsible for their own choices.
By the second day I wanted my students to have a physical reminded of what their goal was, so I wrote it down on a note card for them because their goal sheet was too large for their desk. Some students put it at their desk while others, like Antionio, kept it with him all day. He looked proud to have it and kept it tightly in his hands or pocket all day.
Lailah wanted to work on learning, which is a very broad goal. Since she was only thinking of learning goals I explained and gave examples of the kinds of goals I wanted them to set. When I suggested that she work on freezing and listening to directions when asked she smiled and nodded. Other than that there was not much dialog. I tried asking some questions but it was very simple she set her goal understood it and was going to work on it.
When I talked to Tiffany about remembering to wear her glasses she easily was able to come up with why this was a beneficial goal. She knew it would help her focus on learning and be less distracting to the class if she did not have to get up to get her glasses in the middle of lessons. She did very well remembering to wear her glasses. Some students I talked with did not have goals in mind, so I went over the chart of goals one by one and asked the students, “does this sound like something you need to work on?” Some students said yes to think they did not need to work on.
For example Lucy claimed she needed to work on sharing her ideas. She always participates and shares her ideas. I should have asked her why she thinks she needs to work on this instead of just asking, “do you really think you need to work on this?” She could have explained her thinking behind why this thought and could have either told me she does not understand why we are setting goals, how to set a goal or explained why she thinks she needs to work on this. Lucy also seemed nervous when trying to set her goals, she covered her face a lot and giggled. After a few minutes she began to look disappointed, so I explained that everyone sets goal and it doesn't mean your bad it just helps us to be better people. When I explained that I would like her to work on “THINK[ing]” before she tells on someone or tells someone what to do, she was not quite sure at first that she agreed with the goal. After talking for a while she was able to explain the goal to me and why the goal would end up working for her. Unfortunately Lucy was absent most of the week so I was not able to track her progress or her thoughts on goal setting.
Demetrius did not quite understand the idea of setting goals. After explaining goal setting to him, he wanted to work on sentences. Although this is a good goal I wanted the students to focus on things that was more focus on behavior choices than learning goals. I then moved on to explain that I think he is super smart but he forget how smart he is and does not try to do his work before he asks for help. I explain that he should work on that. We repeated his goal together then I asked him what he is working on. He replied, “goal.” After going over his goal again I explained how he was going to rate his goal setting each day. He wanted to rate himself now and said he is trying hard. I said I am happy he wanted to rate himself right away but he had not even started working on his goal yet. It was clear from this information, that despite his excitement, he did not fully understand goal setting.
Some students were cognizant of their behaviors and able to choose fitting goals, while other could either not think of a goal or thought of goals that were not congruent with things they needed to work on. For phase two I know I want to: do more teaching on goal setting, being self aware, help kids to under that they are responsible for their own choices.
By the second day I wanted my students to have a physical reminded of what their goal was, so I wrote it down on a note card for them because their goal sheet was too large for their desk. Some students put it at their desk while others, like Antionio, kept it with him all day. He looked proud to have it and kept it tightly in his hands or pocket all day.
Week 1- Daily Self-Assessment
I know students were aware of their goals because in the morning I asked them what their goals were and they could tell me. I also know students remembered their goal based on some of their reactions at the end of the day. Antonio was surprisingly focused on his goal and very honest. Tuesday, he told me/ reported that he forgot his goal completely. Antonio was absent Thursday but reported on Wednesday and Friday, that although he remembered his goal he did not achieve it. Based on his excitement to have a goal, yet a lack of follow through on his behavior each day, I agreed with his self-evaluation.
When I asked Angel about his progress on his goal at the end of each day he seemed confused and would pause for a while. After explaining the rating scale, he would think then tell me he thinks he “did the second one.” Meaning he thinks he remembered his goal but didn’t do great. I think Angel was just trying to come up with an answer. Based on his behaviors, focus, and responses at the end of the day- Angel did not seem to care about goal setting. I should have inquired more about why his behavior and choices indicate his lack of caring about goal setting. I feel that Lailah is in the same boat as Angel. She gave herself two stars all week and didn’t seem to have an opinion on her progress at the end of the day.
At the end of each day Demetrius was very excited to tell me that he thought he should get three stars and he did perfectly all day. There was no change in the entire week with how frequently he tried before asking for help. Looking back I should have worked more one on one to talk about this with him. However, at the time I wanted to have their views for the week of goal setting without my interference.
Qatranada expressed that she forgot her goal Tuesday, did great on Wednesday and Friday and tried but did not do great on Thursday. It was clear from my observations that she was really working toward her goal. I saw her stop herself from calling out many times and raise her hand instead of calling out
Tiffany also varied between whether she thought she remembered but didn’t accomplish her goal and did really well. Through the process I only had to remind her about 2 times in the week. She was doing very well on remembering her goal. It was clear however that she now needed to work on not playing with her glasses. Read about phase one’s week two to find out what happens.
When I asked Angel about his progress on his goal at the end of each day he seemed confused and would pause for a while. After explaining the rating scale, he would think then tell me he thinks he “did the second one.” Meaning he thinks he remembered his goal but didn’t do great. I think Angel was just trying to come up with an answer. Based on his behaviors, focus, and responses at the end of the day- Angel did not seem to care about goal setting. I should have inquired more about why his behavior and choices indicate his lack of caring about goal setting. I feel that Lailah is in the same boat as Angel. She gave herself two stars all week and didn’t seem to have an opinion on her progress at the end of the day.
At the end of each day Demetrius was very excited to tell me that he thought he should get three stars and he did perfectly all day. There was no change in the entire week with how frequently he tried before asking for help. Looking back I should have worked more one on one to talk about this with him. However, at the time I wanted to have their views for the week of goal setting without my interference.
Qatranada expressed that she forgot her goal Tuesday, did great on Wednesday and Friday and tried but did not do great on Thursday. It was clear from my observations that she was really working toward her goal. I saw her stop herself from calling out many times and raise her hand instead of calling out
Tiffany also varied between whether she thought she remembered but didn’t accomplish her goal and did really well. Through the process I only had to remind her about 2 times in the week. She was doing very well on remembering her goal. It was clear however that she now needed to work on not playing with her glasses. Read about phase one’s week two to find out what happens.
End of Week 1 Discussions and Reflections
On Friday, I met with each student to go over his or her overall progress with their goal from the week and to discuss what they think their goal should be for the rest of the week. I had very different conversations with each student. Some students like Antonio said that they did try but did not accomplish their goal. Antonio said, “No I did not accomplish my goal but I tried! I tried not to play on the carpet.” It did not matter that much to me that he did not accomplish his goal because he learned during this process. He not only remembered and cared about his goal but he became more self-aware. He thought that he should keep the same goal for next week.
Angel also said that he tried [to accomplish his goal] but that it was difficult. When I asked him if he wanted to keep the same goal and work on it next week , he looked at me half confused and half asking for approval and said, “uh yes?” I explained more to him about his goal and he became confident in working on it for next week. We worked the goal a little differently so it was more conducive to his behavior choices.
On the other hand, when I asked Lailah how she thought she did overall on her goal she said, “I don’t know.” So I continued with more specific question asking if she remember to freeze most of the time and she responded, “um ya.” It was a difficult getting a conversation going with her, I had to eventually resort to yes or no questions, which I did not want to do. Finally when discussing next weeks goal I said, “do you think you should keep the same goal? I do.” I know that this is completely the incorrect way to ask questions and get an honest answer out of kids. So this would be another area I would fix for phase two.
Even though Tiffany did very well on her goal throughout the week, and I only had to remind her to wear her glasses twice, she thought she did not do well on her goal. When I asked why she thought this she responded, “ I tried but I didn’t do good because I forgot my glasses but then I got them when you weren't looking.” I showed her my tally record of how many times she remembered to wear her glasses and how many time she forgot so she could see how well she really did. Despite thinking she did not do well on her goal she did not continue to work on it. She could not come up with a reason for why she did not want to keep the goal for the next week. So I asked if she would be willing to have a similar goal of remembering to wear her glasses AND not play with them. She laughed and agreed to this goal.
Despite thinking he did a perfect job on his goal everyday, when I asked how he thought he did the whole week he said, “I guess good” in a nonchalant way. I tried to ask him a few questions regarding goal setting and how the week went but he did not seem to really understand the question and would go umm… So I moved on and asked if he wanted to set a new goal for the next week or keep the same on. He said, “I guess I’ll keep the same one.” There was a lack of self-awareness in Demetrius.
Qatranda also struggled with self-awareness. I know that she really worked at her goal but just because one tries really hard to accomplish their goal, does not mean that they accomplished it. I think this may also be where my students are confused. Its wonderful to work towards a goal and absolutely okay if you do not achieve your goal. But working toward your goal does not mean you are achieve it, and I do not think my students know this. At the end of the week she said that she accomplished her goal and only thought she messed up “like once.” When I asked if she wanted to keep the same goal or come up with a new one, she said she wanted a new one because, “I don't want the same goal every day.” However, after I showed her my tallies for the week and asked her if she thought she should keep the same goal, she quickly wanted to keep working on her goal.
So that was week one. Students worked on setting goals, rated their daily progress, then met with me to discuss next week’s goal. Looking back now I realize I should do things very differently, however at the time I only made a few small changes. I did not want to completely change my action research after only a week of implementation.
Angel also said that he tried [to accomplish his goal] but that it was difficult. When I asked him if he wanted to keep the same goal and work on it next week , he looked at me half confused and half asking for approval and said, “uh yes?” I explained more to him about his goal and he became confident in working on it for next week. We worked the goal a little differently so it was more conducive to his behavior choices.
On the other hand, when I asked Lailah how she thought she did overall on her goal she said, “I don’t know.” So I continued with more specific question asking if she remember to freeze most of the time and she responded, “um ya.” It was a difficult getting a conversation going with her, I had to eventually resort to yes or no questions, which I did not want to do. Finally when discussing next weeks goal I said, “do you think you should keep the same goal? I do.” I know that this is completely the incorrect way to ask questions and get an honest answer out of kids. So this would be another area I would fix for phase two.
Even though Tiffany did very well on her goal throughout the week, and I only had to remind her to wear her glasses twice, she thought she did not do well on her goal. When I asked why she thought this she responded, “ I tried but I didn’t do good because I forgot my glasses but then I got them when you weren't looking.” I showed her my tally record of how many times she remembered to wear her glasses and how many time she forgot so she could see how well she really did. Despite thinking she did not do well on her goal she did not continue to work on it. She could not come up with a reason for why she did not want to keep the goal for the next week. So I asked if she would be willing to have a similar goal of remembering to wear her glasses AND not play with them. She laughed and agreed to this goal.
Despite thinking he did a perfect job on his goal everyday, when I asked how he thought he did the whole week he said, “I guess good” in a nonchalant way. I tried to ask him a few questions regarding goal setting and how the week went but he did not seem to really understand the question and would go umm… So I moved on and asked if he wanted to set a new goal for the next week or keep the same on. He said, “I guess I’ll keep the same one.” There was a lack of self-awareness in Demetrius.
Qatranda also struggled with self-awareness. I know that she really worked at her goal but just because one tries really hard to accomplish their goal, does not mean that they accomplished it. I think this may also be where my students are confused. Its wonderful to work towards a goal and absolutely okay if you do not achieve your goal. But working toward your goal does not mean you are achieve it, and I do not think my students know this. At the end of the week she said that she accomplished her goal and only thought she messed up “like once.” When I asked if she wanted to keep the same goal or come up with a new one, she said she wanted a new one because, “I don't want the same goal every day.” However, after I showed her my tallies for the week and asked her if she thought she should keep the same goal, she quickly wanted to keep working on her goal.
So that was week one. Students worked on setting goals, rated their daily progress, then met with me to discuss next week’s goal. Looking back now I realize I should do things very differently, however at the time I only made a few small changes. I did not want to completely change my action research after only a week of implementation.
Week 1 Goal Sheets
Click arrows to view all students' goal sheets
Week 1 Tally Sheet
Modifications for Week 2
Since students’ goal sheets in the first week were a full 8½ X 11 piece of paper, it was too big to keep at their desk and would be too cumbersome to keep in a folder in their cuby; so I held on to it and quickly asked them to rate their behavior at the end of the day. I thought and still think that in order for to have students become more aware of their actions, they needed more time to reflect on their goal at the end of the day. I also wanted their goal-planning sheet to be more accessible for them. Therefore, for week two I kept the same goal sheet but turned it into a half page that was back and front, put it in a slip cover and taped it to the students’ desk. (Picture). ON the front I had their goal and a space to rate their daily goal setting behavior. Instead of circling a one, two or three, I had them give stars. I thought drawing stars would be more rewarding than circling a number that corresponds to performance. On the back I had their goal and the purpose for setting it. Finally I had an end of week reflection section that was similar to this week’s but more “user friendly.” I had planned to have students circle whether they wanted to keep, modify or completely change their goal for the week then explain why.
Additionally, for week two I added another student to the goal setting group. Valeria had been asking if she could set a goal all during the first week. She was excited and would constantly tell me she wanted to set a goal or that she had a goal in mind. I never want to stifle a child’s enthusiasm especially when it comes to goal setting and self awareness, so I made sure to include her in the second week. Valeria wanted to work on a few academic things but again; I wanted the focus to be on the classroom community. She participates, remains on task, chooses the right times to talk and does not cause any distractions in the classroom. However, as I tell my students, “everyone can make themselves better.” So, finally after reviewing the goal chart, we decided that she should work on raising her hand to share her ideas. Valeria is very good at sharing her ideas but often forgets to raise her hand. With her calling out, many kids either just repeat her answer or choose not to share.
The other student I decide to add to the goal-setting group is Jeneese. She is one of the quietest students I have ever met. She used to not speak at all, however now she will whisper things. My master teacher and I have tried everything to get her talking. I decided that goal setting might be the perfect opportunity to have her work on talking. Her goal was to share loud enough to be heard once a day.
Additionally, for week two I added another student to the goal setting group. Valeria had been asking if she could set a goal all during the first week. She was excited and would constantly tell me she wanted to set a goal or that she had a goal in mind. I never want to stifle a child’s enthusiasm especially when it comes to goal setting and self awareness, so I made sure to include her in the second week. Valeria wanted to work on a few academic things but again; I wanted the focus to be on the classroom community. She participates, remains on task, chooses the right times to talk and does not cause any distractions in the classroom. However, as I tell my students, “everyone can make themselves better.” So, finally after reviewing the goal chart, we decided that she should work on raising her hand to share her ideas. Valeria is very good at sharing her ideas but often forgets to raise her hand. With her calling out, many kids either just repeat her answer or choose not to share.
The other student I decide to add to the goal-setting group is Jeneese. She is one of the quietest students I have ever met. She used to not speak at all, however now she will whisper things. My master teacher and I have tried everything to get her talking. I decided that goal setting might be the perfect opportunity to have her work on talking. Her goal was to share loud enough to be heard once a day.
Week 2
For the second week of phase one, I was not able to review goal setting for the week until Wednesday of next week. Considering it was six days past the end of the week, students did not remember their progress through the week as well as if I had talked to them immediately at the end of the week. Additionally there was no school Monday of week two.
Valeria and Jeneese gave themselves three stars everyday, even though we had no school Monday. Based on my observations and field notes, Valeria seemed to be making an effort to raise her hand before calling out, however she still had times when she was calling out.
Jeneese did alright with her goal through the week. On three of the five days she did speak loud enough to be hear once a day without us asking her to speak up. On the other two days, there was no communication that was audible, yet she still gave herself three stars that day. Students are either not understanding the rating system, unaware of their own behavior, viewing their choices differently than me, just wanting to get stars, or giving themselves stars so they feel like they accomplished their goals. I have to figure out what is missing or going wrong here.
Tiffany also gave herself three stars everyday even though she was absent Wednesday through Friday. I questioned her about giving herself stars on days she wasn’t there and she got nervous and smiled. So I asked her if she wanted to work on her goal or get stars. We talked for a while about it and, she really wanted to accomplish her goal not just get stars. Looking back I wonder if she thought that by giving herself stars she was really accomplishing her goals. I should have asked this.
Demetrius gave himself three stars for Tuesday through Thursday and was absent Friday. As mentioned in week one, he does not seem to understand the self-reflection of goal setting. When I ask him about his behavior at the end of the day he gets a big smile and tells me he does great, even if he did not try one assignment before asking for help.
Angel’s behavior was very exciting on Wednesday. He did fantastic during shared reading, making positive choices and not talking to friends on the rug. After shared reading he went back to focusing more on talking to friends than learning. I see here that he was able to work toward his goal right after the morning reminder but did not keep it up through the day. Maybe Angel just needs a more constant reminder.
Lucy exhibited no behaviors against her goal of thinking before telling on someone or telling someone what to do. It was also unclear whether she was about to do some of those things and did not because she thought about her goal. Based on the fact that she did not tell on people all week, I think she was aware of her goal. She gave herself two twos and two threes for the week. Again since the discussion was so late it was unclear if she gave herself these ratings based on her behavior choices or at random.
Antonio gave himself two stars Tuesday through Thursday and three on Friday. Lailah also gave herself two stars everyday except Thursday where she gave herself one star. Because I did not get to talk to either of them until a while after the week, it was unclear whether they were genuinely evaluating their behavior or just went middle of the line because they did not know what to put on their goal sheet.
Qatranada was actively trying to work toward her goal this week as well. However, we did not have school Monday and she was absent Thursday and Friday so she really only had two days of goal setting.
Reflecting on week one while reviewing this information from week two, I see that the students do not really remember their behavior at the end of the day. To be honest, if it was not for my tallies I would not remember their specific actions through the whole day either. I think having goal checks during the day or after specific lessons may be beneficial. Students would know they were going to check their goal soon and therefore be more aware of their behavior during lessons. Additionally, they would be reviewing their behavior over a short time, instead of the whole day. This may work better to help student more accurately understand their progress toward their goal.
Valeria and Jeneese gave themselves three stars everyday, even though we had no school Monday. Based on my observations and field notes, Valeria seemed to be making an effort to raise her hand before calling out, however she still had times when she was calling out.
Jeneese did alright with her goal through the week. On three of the five days she did speak loud enough to be hear once a day without us asking her to speak up. On the other two days, there was no communication that was audible, yet she still gave herself three stars that day. Students are either not understanding the rating system, unaware of their own behavior, viewing their choices differently than me, just wanting to get stars, or giving themselves stars so they feel like they accomplished their goals. I have to figure out what is missing or going wrong here.
Tiffany also gave herself three stars everyday even though she was absent Wednesday through Friday. I questioned her about giving herself stars on days she wasn’t there and she got nervous and smiled. So I asked her if she wanted to work on her goal or get stars. We talked for a while about it and, she really wanted to accomplish her goal not just get stars. Looking back I wonder if she thought that by giving herself stars she was really accomplishing her goals. I should have asked this.
Demetrius gave himself three stars for Tuesday through Thursday and was absent Friday. As mentioned in week one, he does not seem to understand the self-reflection of goal setting. When I ask him about his behavior at the end of the day he gets a big smile and tells me he does great, even if he did not try one assignment before asking for help.
Angel’s behavior was very exciting on Wednesday. He did fantastic during shared reading, making positive choices and not talking to friends on the rug. After shared reading he went back to focusing more on talking to friends than learning. I see here that he was able to work toward his goal right after the morning reminder but did not keep it up through the day. Maybe Angel just needs a more constant reminder.
Lucy exhibited no behaviors against her goal of thinking before telling on someone or telling someone what to do. It was also unclear whether she was about to do some of those things and did not because she thought about her goal. Based on the fact that she did not tell on people all week, I think she was aware of her goal. She gave herself two twos and two threes for the week. Again since the discussion was so late it was unclear if she gave herself these ratings based on her behavior choices or at random.
Antonio gave himself two stars Tuesday through Thursday and three on Friday. Lailah also gave herself two stars everyday except Thursday where she gave herself one star. Because I did not get to talk to either of them until a while after the week, it was unclear whether they were genuinely evaluating their behavior or just went middle of the line because they did not know what to put on their goal sheet.
Qatranada was actively trying to work toward her goal this week as well. However, we did not have school Monday and she was absent Thursday and Friday so she really only had two days of goal setting.
Reflecting on week one while reviewing this information from week two, I see that the students do not really remember their behavior at the end of the day. To be honest, if it was not for my tallies I would not remember their specific actions through the whole day either. I think having goal checks during the day or after specific lessons may be beneficial. Students would know they were going to check their goal soon and therefore be more aware of their behavior during lessons. Additionally, they would be reviewing their behavior over a short time, instead of the whole day. This may work better to help student more accurately understand their progress toward their goal.
Week 2 Goal Sheets
Click arrows to view all students' goal sheets
Week 2 Tally Sheet
Chaos of Week 3
Week three was a bit chaotic and did not follow my intended plan at all. However it provided me with very strong insights. I left early on Friday, missed Monday and had collaboration with the grade level on Tuesday, so I did not see my students until Wednesday. Based on notes from the substitute, many of my students had not followed through with goals. I had not reviewed last weeks goal and modified or worked to set new goals for week three, so students had to remember their goal and work on it completely on their own, without a goal sheet. Also there was a change to their environment, and many students behave differently with substitute. Finally by the time I was able to observe them it was Wednesday, a half day and the rest of the week remained just as crazy. This week was a good view into how setting goals would affect student behavior and choices when I was not there to remind them of their goals or reinforce self-reflection.
Tiffany, who was doing really well remembering her glasses told the sub she did not need them. Then Wednesday I had to remind her to put them on and stop playing with them at least once during every lesson. Antonio, who was really trying to work toward his goals on previous days was even more active and talkative on the rug; possibly because things ran differently the previous two days. Jeneese would occasionally share loud enough to be heard during week two. Now she would not even mouth the spelling words when we recited them as a class. The other students’ in the goal setting group had no change in behavior compared to their behavior prior to phase one implementations. It felt like all my effort had been lost, but then I realized this gives me so much information about what works and what does not work for my students.
Tiffany, who was doing really well remembering her glasses told the sub she did not need them. Then Wednesday I had to remind her to put them on and stop playing with them at least once during every lesson. Antonio, who was really trying to work toward his goals on previous days was even more active and talkative on the rug; possibly because things ran differently the previous two days. Jeneese would occasionally share loud enough to be heard during week two. Now she would not even mouth the spelling words when we recited them as a class. The other students’ in the goal setting group had no change in behavior compared to their behavior prior to phase one implementations. It felt like all my effort had been lost, but then I realized this gives me so much information about what works and what does not work for my students.