Your MA Professional Development Plan and Action Research

Ready! S.M.A.R.T.! Action!

MSLA 2014, HyannisConnecting, Creating, Caring:

The School Library As a Third Place:

• Marnie Bolstad, Newton South High School Library Teacher, Newton Public Schools (MA)

marnie_bolstad@newton.k12.ma.us• Jennifer Dimmick, Newton South High School Library Teacher,

Newton Public Schools (MA)jennifer_dimmick@newton.k12.ma.us

• Ethel Downey, Newton South High School Library Teacher, Newton Public Schools (MA)

ethel_downey@newton.k12.ma.us• Chris Swerling (K-12 Library Coordinator) Newton Public Schools

(MA)chris_swerling@newton.k12.ma.us

• Dr. Fran Zilonis (Director) Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science--School Library Teacher Program

mary.zilonis@simmons.edu MSLA 2014 Hyannis

Session Presenters:MSLA 2014 Conference, Hyannis

• Define S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Your Professional Development Plan (Chris)

• Outline Action Research Steps (Fran)• Model the Process in Action: (Ethel,

Jennifer, Marnie)

S.M.A.R.T. Goals + Action Research:

What We Did And What We Learned

Session Goals:

MSLA 2014 Hyannis

• Professional Goal

• Student Goal

• 1-2 year plan

• Requirement

• Opportunity

MA Professional Educator Plan: Components

S.M.A.R.T.

FROM DISTRICT: OPPORTUNITY TO:Specific StrategicMeasureable MeaningfulAchievable Action orientedRealistic ResearchTimed Take a Risk- and Team

How will you improve your practice?What will you do differently as a result?

Be motivated! Engage in Action Research!

“Simply put, action research is ‘studying whatever you are doing’through disciplined inquiry.”

How to Use Action Research in the Self-renewing School. (Emily Calhoun)

The goal is to take action and to improve one’s own practice, based on the deeper understanding

that relevant data can provide.

What is Action Research?

• Target what you would like to improve or what you want to know.

• Problem: Reduction in 4th grade reading• Sample question:

– Will the use of book talks and book trailers motivate fourth grade students to select, read, and complete featured titles?

Taking The First Step:BE REFLECTIVE!

Define why the problem is important to you, to your students, and to your school community.

– What do you know about it?– What don’t you know about it?

Taking The Next Step:

Question Checklist:

• Clear?

• Broad enough to provide information?

• Narrow enough to be manageable?

• Focused enough to inform your practice?

Craft Your Question:

• What can you learn from others ? (review the professional literature)

• What can you learn from past research?

• How similar is the research to your question?

• After reading relevant literature, how has your thinking changed?

• How can this information shape your thinking and your question?

Research Your Question:Review the Literature

• What data do you need?• Qualitative and Quantitative• How and when will you collect data?• How much is enough? – Triangulation of Data• What is your timeline? (2-3 months) • Multiple Perspectives

Define The Data:Data Collection

• Interviews• Anecdotal evidence/stories• Focus groups• Responses to prompts• Recording observations

Define the Data:Qualitative Data

• Pre-and post-attitudinal surveys• Assessment of students• Attendance logs• Evaluation of professional development• Assessment of student products with a rubric• Standardized tests

Define The Data:Quantitative Data:

• Sift through, categorize, and sort• What can you learn from the data?• What patterns, insights, and new understandings

can you find?• What meaning do these patterns, insights, and

new understandings have for your practice and for your students?

• What conclusions can be drawn?

Analyze The Data

• What will you now do differently as a result of your study?

• How will you implement change?

• Develop your Action Plan.

Apply Your Learning:Create An Action Plan

• What will you do differently in your library as a result of this study?

• Create your improvement plan based on facts.• Implement improvements.

Action Planning:

Sample PD Plan:Professional Goal Actions, Timeline and Resources

• Implement the action plan.

• Evaluate it.

• Begin the questioning process again.

Apply Your Learning

• Who is your audience?– Principal, district-wide, professional conferences, journal

article• What is the purpose of the report?

– Decide on format?– Use the data analysis to show participant experiences and

interpretation of events.– How will you write about what you have learned so that

the findings will be useful to you and to others?• How will you share it?

– Give a presentation at a local or national conference

Reporting Results:

In small groups transform this statement:Identify the impact ofresearch resources on

information literacy skillsto a PD Plan S.M.A.R.T. goal and –

Action Research!Be sure to apply the S.M.A.R.T criteria!

You Try It!Greet, Meet and Create A PD Goal

Did working together make

the process easier?

Questions?

Thank You!

Stay tuned for Part II: What this

looked like in action at NSHS Library

How Did You Do?