Friday, October 26, 2012

Action Planning Template


 
Action Planning Template
Goal: Lower discipline problems by effective behavior management strategies.
 
Action Steps(s):
Person(s) Responsible:
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
 
Examining the work: Setting the Foundation
 
Let others on campus know that I will be implementing behavior management strategies research to try to find way to lower discipline problems by effective behavior management  strategies
My self
Site supervisor
School staff
 
 
November 2012 to December 2012
The DAEP school I work in and the students assigned
 
Online database, websites, and literature.
Other’s agreement
 
Analyzing data
 
Investigate history, expectations and  discipline of DAEP schools
 
Analyze strategies that are currently being used and their results
My self
December 2012 to February 2013
Online database, websites, and literature. Feedback from principals, other teachers and classmates
Analyze if current strategies are successful by statements in the resources used and by feedback from co-workers
 
Developing deeper understanding
 
Analyze what different discipline strategies can be added, what modifications are needed according to student’s age, how can discipline be upheld through a student’s schooling.
My self
February 2013 to March 2013
Active listening to student’s concerns
 
Have group intervention with students on behavior management strategies
 
Self refection on reasons behind why students have behavior problems
 
 
Feedback from principal, other teachers and classmates from results
 
Engaging in Self-Reflection
 
Implement different strategies
 
Reflect if different strategies being implemented are helping students
  
My self
March 2013 to April 2013
Knowing what triggers student’s
What can be done to help the student gain better self control
 
 See if office referrals and student’s strike card improve.
 
Observation of student’s behavior, teacher feedback
 
Exploring Programmatic Patterns
 
Observe student’s behavior after discipline strategies was implemented
My self
Other teachers
Nov 2012 to May 2013
office referrals and student’s strike card    keep eye out if students show improvement but after a while they repeat the same behavior problem
See if student can self correct
See if office referrals and student’s strike card improve
 
Time between discipline problems arising again.
 
Determining direction
 
Gain feedback from other teachers through staff meeting to see if they recognize a difference in student’s behavior
 
My self
Other teachers
Nov 2012 to May 2013
Feedback from whether or not students discipline problems are being lowered
Counting referral and checking student’s strike card for improve.
 
Taking action for school improvement
 
Continue to Implement different strategies that work.  Document which strategies work for which student.
My self
Other teachers
Nov 2012 to May 2013
Feedback from other teachers
 
Feedback from other teachers
Share information during staff meetings  observation of each student behavior
 
Sustaining improvement
 
Share information gained to other staff members at the end of research
See what can be continued
Pass information to home campus teachers
My self
Other teachers
Nov 2012 to May 2013
Effective communication from other teachers
See what can be applied to the next school year
 

 

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)


Examining the work: Setting the Foundation

Through talks with my site supervisor we discussed the problems of students who come over and over.  There is a need to teach students to make better decisions, control their temper and anger.  The school’s image should of a place where students come to learn behavior management through proper discipline. 

 

Analyzing data

We are an alternative discipline school that addresses behavior.  One way to see if students improve their behavior is by a strike system that is used.  The strike system is a documentation of student’s behavior.  A student having many strikes leads to office referrals and lowering student’s score level.  Another way that is more noticeable is by observation.  When students get upset it shows at that moment.  A student can either get frustrated or self control themselves.

 

Developing deeper understanding

My goal is to investigate different behavior management strategies that can be used by DAEP schools to help lower discipline problems.  To gain a deeper understanding of what a DAEP school is and who it serves I will research the history of DAEP schools and expectations of DAEP schools.    I will start by looking for information about DAEP schools by using, online database, websites, observation and literature.  I will read about discipline strategies that are currently being used and their results.

 

Engaging in Self-Reflection

I am self reflecting on whether behavior problems can be lowered.  We are already a school for second chances but for some reason we have students that get sent more than once in a school year.  Is it possible to teach behavior management to students after a certain age? I am a teacher with my own believes while working with other teacher with their own believes.  Will my information be welcomed by other teachers?

Exploring Programmatic Patterns

The main programmatic pattern we have is students being sent more than once and others preferring to be at a DAEP school.  Many of the students we serve come from families where someone is in jail.  In order to work with students we need to understand their norms.  The programmatic pattern comes from how can we teach behavior management when their family norms are to end up in jail.  One thing we do is bring in outside organizations that help students by counseling then and doing presentations about drugs and abuse.           

 

Determining direction

There are two main priorities at the DAEP I work in.  One is the content of each subject and the other is discipline.  Each teacher teaches their subject but together we all need to teach discipline.  The first step we take as teachers is to get to know the student.  Some of the students we receive have trouble trusting people.  At getting to know the students we gain their trust.  At the same time we let the students know what the expectations are.  When a student does not meet an expectation, determining which direction to take becomes the next step.  As teachers, we can write referrals and the principal can suspended the student.  Suspending a student does not seem to be an answer.  My action research at this point will investigate what directions the school can take instead of relying on office referral and suspending students.                

 

Taking action for school improvement

 

I have thought about what steps will be needed and resources I will need.  Most of my steps and resources will have to depend on the students we have at the time.  Students stay for thirty days and then go back to their home campus.  So we change students every thirty days but not all at the same time.  Sometime the students we get will be harder to teach behavior management than others.  At times there will be one student who is very disruptive and that causes other students to follow.  When this happens results look as if they are taking a downfall.  Strategies need to be changed and discussed.       

 

Sustaining improvement

 

I am aware of the fact that students discipline will always need to change.  Students and parent’s attitude about education is changing contentedly.  Parent support is needed for discipline and it seems to be getting harder to get parent involvement.  Every year I have been hearing about school cut and teacher layoff.  Student to teacher ratio is increasing.  With more students in every class more discipline problems arise.  Continued improvement and continued education on discipline can be taken to sustain improvement. 

6 comments:

  1. Part of my action research project deals with discipline management in relation to tardies. In our school, the consequences that are assigned for tardies are not serving as a deterent to the problem. I am interested in seeing what you discover. I would like to possibly use some of your research in my research as well.

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  2. This is very interesting stuff! I work at a BIC campus, and these young children are behaving in ways I would never dream of. It's unbelievable. Frustrations are high with teachers trying to handle the discipline with these children; especially in relation to how it affects the rest of the children in the room. What do you foresee as being a problem area for sharing your ideas and thoughts with other teachers? What is your plan for dealing with teachers that are not open to your information? I am just curious, because right now at our school, we have teachers that are to the point of asking "How long do we have to sacrifice the whole for the one that is causing the problem?" I am interested to hear what information you have, because I will definitely be sharing!! Good luck!

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  3. Hi Paola! As a special education teacher, I love your topic; however, this can be tricky. Let me suggest that before you implement "effective strategies" you should target a small group of students from a behavioral adjustment class and look at their BIPs (Behavioral Intervention Plans). Teachers and administrators can get into a lot of trouble when they deviate from this plan. Let me also suggest you define in your research what an "effective strategy" is because one may think that an effective strategy eliminates the behavior; however, an effective strategy can reduce the number of instances of a particular behavior. I guess you could say this more than a suggestion, it is actually a law in the state of Texas. I hope this helps.

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  4. I must say that I love your topic of discipline for this is near and dear to my heart. I have been working in Education for five years, and the entire time it has been in an alternative setting. Please before you go any further with your research, take a few moments to look closely at each students BIP. This is going to be key in what strategies you might look to in order to know a key piece about the students you are dealing with. I can't wait to see how things progress with your research.

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  5. Your plan is well thought out. Your resources are very specific. My suggestion would be that you find out what the percentage of referrals is prior to beginning your research. Once your research is finished you can follow up by seeing if discipline referrals were reduced after your findings changed some procedures.

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  6. Interesting topic! An area you can look at as you are conducting this research is the behavior of the students in certain settings. Behaviors will be apparent in classes where the teacher is more structure than in classes where there is less structure. In addition there are classrooms that are structured but the teacher allow students a chance to gather themselve before the next "thing" whatever that may be takes place.As the research is conducted you will have to take into consideration the methos used to discipline students with Behavior Intervention Plans as Ms. Hobbs stated.

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