Clarity between task and test update

This will be a fairly quick update of the happenings that have been going on in regards to my inquiry. So to top this list off. I have finally go some data!!!!!

Let me repeat that.... I HAVE FINALLY GOT SOME DATA!!!!!

This may seem like something I should have achieved last term or even in term one. Yet I have found there are consistent barriers to collecting data in my community. The list of blockers are as such

  •  Time... Release time is rare and although my school does do it's best to support me through this process, if a single teacher is away it can derail any plans of progress I may have had. This is also in part what we are striking for so hopefully changes will be made.  However after a busy few weeks of ups and downs I have finally had a chance to sit down and nut out the workings of my website prototype. I have managed to get all pages made and I am in the process of finalising some of the technical aspects of explaining the language used in asTTle

  • Getting google forms filled in: Although for some this may seem like a simple task to achieve, for two terms it has been unbelievably hard to get teachers to take 10 minutes out of their time in order to fill in a form that will actually give me some data to back my assumptions up. I have tried every which way to get this to happen, from bribes, to staff meetings, to going to each class to try and get the forms filled in and yet, due to my own incompetency in writing research questions in which I could gather accurate data, I have finally managed to secure a large enough pool of information which now shows my assumption was correct. Students do need some sort of clarity between their test and the tasks they practice with.

  • Parent support. I really wanted to gather data from a parents perspective, and having talked to a few parents I still believe that there is a need for a place where parents can go and learn how they can better support their child with reading strategies at home. I tried setting up forms on open nights and Parent Teacher interviews, however there was still little by in and not enough data collected to make my assumption a reality.

  • Finding resources: This is on going but I am now trying to gather the best resources around in order to teach the reading strategies. I cannot solely rely on Sheena cameron or other such books as although these do work I need to make sure any work that is given will actually have an impact. Therefore this problem is ongoing and I am still finding ways to maximise the potential for the work to be accessed within the site.
That's all there is though. Time is returning. Teacher buy in is getting better. Finding resources is slowly but surely making headway and I am confident that I will have a working site by the end of this year. I am truly looking forward to seeing this tool come to life and be used. I do need to start thinking about how I will maximise this tools use throughout the community as marketing and selling the idea that this tool is useful will be another hurdle I believe will come into play once it is completed.

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