Inquiry and Reflection

Field Study Proposal

 

Name: Jenny Hughes

Date: February 14th, 2014

(The deadline could have been five years from now, and I still would have waited until the last moment)

 

 

Inquiry Question:

My Inquiry question is one that I have been thinking about for a long time.  I see the world through two different lenses; one is quite matter of fact, while the other is derived from a more raw and emotional point of view.  The very definition of these two lenses, of which I view the world, too many might seem contradictive or somewhat opposite.  Nevertheless, I think that I would designate myself with a similar classification.  I see people, for who they are, with frank emotion. My question is this:

 

“ Can I incorporate Proactive Plan B into my daily practice, and will I observe any change in my student of focus after integrating this Collaborative Problem Solving method?”

 

Subquestions:

 

“Will being involved in the online Plan B community and the professional book club provide any insights on upcoming hurdles or challenges?”

 

“Will the Plan B paperwork and data collection pages fit into my daily routine or will I need to make adjustments?”

 

Educational purposes and rationale:

I teach at Reconnect Alternative Program in Squamish. Most of my days are spent with the most sensitive young people, who have lived through diverse and sometimes traumatic experiences.  I want to model personal growth, the joy of learning, and perseverance to my students.

 

Our school has students from grade nine through to grade twelve and we also have a number of Adult Dogwood students who attend our school. These are students who are above the age of eighteen and will complete five senior level courses for a general graduation diploma. I currently teach Math 8-11, Foods, Tourism 11/12, Photography & Yearbook, Art, Physical Education, Outdoor Leadership and I have a few co-teaching support blocks. 

 

In the alternative school setting, I have come across many students who have preconceived notions about “not being a good student.” Having grown up in Squamish and going through the school system here, I really believe in being a positive role model for Sea to Sky students.

 

Readings & Resources:

• Ross Green “Lost at School” 

This is a book that I purchased after completing the three day advanced training with Ross Green.  I knew that this was something I wanted to put into action when working with my students. I purchased enough copies for everyone on my staff because I had a goal of starting a professional book club to help support my learning.  Two other staff members completed the training at the same time, so it was a natural progression to collaborate with our whole team and start the process together.   

 

• Ross Green “Kid’s do well if they can”

This is an article, written by Ross Green, and the title is the philosophy that hooked me to his CPS frameworks. I know that challenging children are not challenging all of the time, and I do believe that it’s because everyone wants to do their best, if they can pull it off. It is very obvious that most of my students are lacking skills. These kids come to my school usually pretty defeated, and I believe that it’s my job as a caring adult, to initiate conversation that breaks down what is difficult for the student and then start the work!

 

• Ross Green “Calling all Frequent flyers”

The frequent flyers of the world need to have a new approach. One that is with comes with thought, purpose and love.

 

• Larry K. Brendtro “Adults who are crazy about kids”

This article is based on the work and theories of world-renowned child psychologist Urie Bronfenhrenner. His thinking is parallel to the way I work with children. I think that creating a consistent attachment with a caring and healthy adult is crucial in a developing young persons life.  I had done extensive Neufeld training and this article follows a similar thinking with a few additional insights.

 

 

Technology/Other resources:

Ross Green has a web-based radio program titled Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students, which is located on his website.  I can tune into this radio program, once a month, to learn with other educators who are in either the implementation stages of Plan B or fluent with Proactive Plan B and CPS in their practice.  The website is very interactive and allows educators to connect, collaborate, and consult other people who've been implementing this model.

Capacities and Themes

I have challenged myself to consider each of the course capacities and question the significance these capacities have on my inquiry question and how I can integrate them into my field study.  I have decided the three capacities I would like to focus on:

 

• ENGAGE in innovative practice, encourage risk-taking and support learning communities in local and global contexts.

• SITUATE the student at the centre in co-learning, co-planning, and co- teaching pedagogical pathways.

• COLLABORATE purposefully with students, colleagues, parents and other educational partners

 

 

“ Can I incorporate Proactive Plan B into my daily practice, and will I observe any change in my student of focus after integrating this Collaborative Problem Solving method?”

 

I think that my inquiry question requires me take a risk.  The idea and theory behind Plan B may not be revolutionary, but if a student and I are able to learn how to pinpoint a lagging skill and work together to find a viable solution, it will be groundbreaking! The criteria SITUATE and COLLABORATE are both essential for Proactive Plan B.  The shift in my practice will be to use the relationship and attachments I have developed with students’ but to then purposefully work with the student to develop the lagging skill.  I think that far too often teachers are “mind readers” and have theories to that the difficulty could be, and then we start implementing solutions. If we as teachers hope to teach proficiency in things such as judgment, patience, social responsibility, flexibility and adaptability, then we must teach these skills directly and indirectly. 

 

Inquiry activities:

I will be doing the ALSUP (Assessment for lagging skills and Unsolved Problems) with my staff at our SBT meeting.  The ALSUP is a discussion guide and not just a checklist. After the ALSUP, I will start Plan B. I will be focusing on three students to start.  Each child is an individual and therefore if my subject changes it will be fluid in the study. I am not comparing children to other children, but rather pinpointing where the student is and tracking their growth. 

 

The actions that the teacher student team will take cannot be decided at this time, because I do not yet know the Unsolved Problem! I have a very flexible schedule, staff and Principal.  I can use my 45 minutes in the morning to meet with students, support blocks, lunch, breaks, PBL block or during field work days. I will have an opportunity to check back in with my support team each week. We have our book club Wednesday mornings and this is always a great time to share, collaborate, or give/receive feedback about how my field study is developing.

 

Strategies for documentation:

The Proactive Plan B method has built in data documentation. I will use the ALSUP (Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems) in combination with the Unsolved Problem flowchart.  I also would like to record a few of the “Empathy Step” conversations with students.  This will depend on the student, the unsolved problem, and the situation.  I hope that re-listening to a conversation will allow for reflection, deeper understanding or perhaps as a teachable moment during my journey.

 

Support system

My support system will include:

• The two colleagues I completed the Plan B training with.

• My professional book club that includes teaching staff, youth workers, and the District Psychologist.

• Other colleagues in program are people I go to for advice in both my personal and professional lives and I plan to continue these relationships.

• My supportive friend (My mother)- She is also a teacher, and I know that she will always provide me with positivity and understanding. She has completed the Sea to Sky Inquiry cohort and completed this program.

• My “Grandmother” friend will be my boyfriend. He does not have a “teacher” viewpoint, but always provides me with insight on myself.  This course is about self reflection and transformation, and I think Jd will be a good person to check in with during the process.

 

Representing / Sharing Strategies:

I would like to represent my field study findings through Prezi because technology is very present at our school. I have made a few Prezi’s, but I feel that I need to challenge myself to learn and utilize all of the functions that Prezi technology allows. I will be able to include photos, possible recordings of conversations, and clips of our SBT team ALSUP meetings.

 

We also use the circle process daily as whole school community, during smaller, classes, when a traumatic event has occurred or as a restorative process to bring a student back into the school community if they have broken school norms. I would like to run a circle as part of presentation on learning at the end of the field study and use this as time for reflection, feedback and questions.

 

 

 

I am learning to:

 

identify and pursue questions that guide thoughtful inquiry

 

document, describe, analyze and critically reflect on what I have learned through the inquiry process

 

discuss how this learning will influence my future work as an educator

 

provide carefully selected evidence of learning in a well-organized and personally meaningful portfolio snapshot

 

evaluate growth in relation to identified program capacities.