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Next Steps and Thank you's
Next Steps
My Journey: A Look Back:
I began my Action Research journey at the beginning of my Master’s program wanting to motivate and engage struggling readers by goal setting and finding out more about their reading experience through surveys and interviews with each student. The surveys and interviews lead me to find that more than 80% of students struggled with focus and attention around comprehension retention and actually learning the phonics and language arts instruction. I started to veer my path towards Mindfulness and all of the components that it offered by taking a Mindfulness Schools class to learn more while having a NVUSD professional come in and teach Mindfulness practices to my students. As I learned more and more about my target students I discovered their interests and how much they enjoyed all kinds of games. Anything that was a game or done via technology had a higher engagement and motivational value. Students were learning more content when the “medium is the message” says Marshall McLuhan, was a device. It’s similar to when your mom tells you something and you don’t believe her, and then your friend tells you something and you know it has to be true. In this case the interest is coming from the ways the students learn instead of the content being taught. So I began to experiment with visuals. I compared video media to interactive video game media around ecosystems in Science. Students were asked questions about how they learn and are motivated by learning best. I have learned more than I ever thought possible in just under a year. I am going to take all of what I have learned and tranfer it over to Mac products for my new position as a 4th grade teacher at a new school site with Inquiry Based Learning, PBL and International Baccalaureate. I feel very prepared to take on a new learning chapter with technology by my side and TPACK in my lesson design. |
Research
Design Process
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This educational opportunity has been made possible by NapaLearns. I am forever grateful for the investment that they have made in me and my educational progress. Their supportive community and support continues to educate me through local outreach and technology foundation in our community providing various scholastic opportunities for teachers and students alike.
Touro University of California has provided a convenient, rigorous, and supportive program that has enlightened me as a human being, mother and teacher. I am forever grateful for this experience and for the amazing and talented Cohort 16 that has brought me new friends and colleagues in the greater area.