In an attempt to better fit my context and to better serve my needs for this year I am going to slightly alter and narrow the focus of my teacher inquiry project. The class and context that I work in requires a large support staff. Our instructional assistants take students out into the community daily to job sites, community activities, fact finding lessons , bus training and a variety of other activities designed to help our students grow toward independence. Our students have been diagnosed with a variety of disabilities and their only common thread lays in their behavioral needs. Each students disability manifests in a variety of behaviors that impact their ability to learn at the same rate as their peers.
This conversational blog could be a place to take reader suggestions on how to craft surveys, interviews and observations of my instructional assistant staff. Ultimately, I want to find out how IAs feel about their level of training to work with students with behavioral needs. My goal is to survey IAs in behavioral needs classrooms from around the district, observe and take data on the interactions my IAs have with our students and to interview selected IAs about their experiences and ideas on the topic of professional training.
Your thoughts are welcomed.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
What is good action research?
The author talks about the emancipatory aim of action research. This idea, or at least my version of it, is pointing in he same direction as many of my questions, thoughts and inquiries. I want to work with my staff to better understand what they need in order to feel more valued, appreciated, 'heard', and ultimately discover how they can better serve the students we work with.
Example #3 was useful to help me begin to pair down my big idea into something smaller, more narrow, that I can better study and understand. I often get caught in the trap of thinking that I have to do a comprehensive study and understand every aspect of the work life of an Instructional Assistant. Narrowing my focus seems like cheating in a way but I am starting to realize that the point is to just learn something, maybe just one idea, that will help me in my setting.
The idea of partnership and participation that the author talks about also resonates with me. This is essentially what I am trying to do. I want to better work with my staff and in order to discover how to do this, I need to actively work with and listen to my staff. The partnership and participation can also take the form of talking to and working with other lead teachers who manage large staff. Surveying, interviewing and talking to these colleagues could allow me to see different points of view.
As for publishing... I don't know... but I hope to discover something of value to pass on to my colleagues that will improve their practice.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
50 Questions
50 Questions
L: Why does the school district try to force so many people into the "diploma" or "modified diploma" model?
49: Why do we value wrote skills over social and behavior skills?
48: Who would want their child to be great at integral calculus at the expense of social and emotional skills?
47: If society wants people with special needs to be independent, productive and engaged members of society, why are so few resources spent in this area?
46: Did you know that a new Senate bill passed that will now limit the services that students with special needs who graduate with a modified diploma can receive after high school?
45: The above bill will apply to three of my students, I wonder if they will be grandfathered in or if they will not be able to return to the program once this bill goes into action?
44: I wonder if I overestimate my students sometimes? I find myself challenging and pushing them which is generally good but at times I might be causing some behaviors...
43: What additional training do instructional assistants need?
42: What additional training do instructional assistants want?
41: Do instructional assistants feel prepared to do their jobs?
40: Do IAs feel like they can voice their concerns and needs to their coworkers, the teacher they work with and their supervisor?
39: Where do IAs find the most value or meaning in their jobs?
38: How important is monetary compensation to IAs?
37: Special education takes up vast amounts of resources for the school district, How much more expensive is it to provide an education to a student receiving special educational services as apposed to a student on a general education track?
36: How is the money distributed? (I assume mostly toward support staff)
35: Is the money being used in the most effective way for the benefits of the students?
34: How do I get staff to let students be more independent?
33: How do I get my message/philosophy across to staff in a consumable way?
32: Can you teach old dogs new tricks, so to speak?
31: How do I push students toward a growth mindset?
30: How many students come through our CTP programs and leave with an actual part time job?
29: How can I better connect my students to the service providers that can help them once they leave our program?
28: What service providers are available?
27: How do students qualify for various services?
26: Which services are most crucial for student continued success?
25: My program is part of a district pilot program to assist with a "seamless transition" from high school and CTPs to the services providers and to employment. How do I get some of our students to buy into the value of work beyond our program?
24: Am I setting a good example for staff?
23: How do I handle crisis moments with behaviors?
22: How do my various staff handle crisis?
21: Should I expect them all to do as I do?
20: Can we handle these moments with a variety of roles, responsibilities and skill levels?
19: What are the best ways to debrief with staff after an incident involving students?
18: What are a few good strategies for negotiating conflict between staff?
17: How do I best place staff in areas of their interest and strength while maintaining what is best for the overall program?
16: Am I delegating enough to my staff or is it too much?
15: How would I know the answer to #16?
14: What is the best way to check in with staff about their job, responsibilities, satisfaction etc?
13: How often should I check in?
12: Will some staff require more check ins? Less check ins?
11: What is the best way to continue to do my job and meet my responsibilities while trying to meet the needs of my staff?
10: Am I over thinking the needs of my staff?
9: Are some staff happy to show up, do what their told, get paid and go home?
8: Is that (#9) necessarily a bad thing?
7: How many staff meetings do I need to have per week?
6: Is morning better than afternoon for meetings?
5: Would a meeting agenda help staff be better prepared for the meeting?
4: Could I create a place for staff concerns to be listed and then added to the meeting agenda?
3: Would this increase staffs sense of ownership in the program?
2: How can I gauge staff satisfaction and feelings of team?
1: Are we all working toward the same goal as a team?
45: The above bill will apply to three of my students, I wonder if they will be grandfathered in or if they will not be able to return to the program once this bill goes into action?
44: I wonder if I overestimate my students sometimes? I find myself challenging and pushing them which is generally good but at times I might be causing some behaviors...
43: What additional training do instructional assistants need?
42: What additional training do instructional assistants want?
41: Do instructional assistants feel prepared to do their jobs?
40: Do IAs feel like they can voice their concerns and needs to their coworkers, the teacher they work with and their supervisor?
39: Where do IAs find the most value or meaning in their jobs?
38: How important is monetary compensation to IAs?
37: Special education takes up vast amounts of resources for the school district, How much more expensive is it to provide an education to a student receiving special educational services as apposed to a student on a general education track?
36: How is the money distributed? (I assume mostly toward support staff)
35: Is the money being used in the most effective way for the benefits of the students?
34: How do I get staff to let students be more independent?
33: How do I get my message/philosophy across to staff in a consumable way?
32: Can you teach old dogs new tricks, so to speak?
31: How do I push students toward a growth mindset?
30: How many students come through our CTP programs and leave with an actual part time job?
29: How can I better connect my students to the service providers that can help them once they leave our program?
28: What service providers are available?
27: How do students qualify for various services?
26: Which services are most crucial for student continued success?
25: My program is part of a district pilot program to assist with a "seamless transition" from high school and CTPs to the services providers and to employment. How do I get some of our students to buy into the value of work beyond our program?
24: Am I setting a good example for staff?
23: How do I handle crisis moments with behaviors?
22: How do my various staff handle crisis?
21: Should I expect them all to do as I do?
20: Can we handle these moments with a variety of roles, responsibilities and skill levels?
19: What are the best ways to debrief with staff after an incident involving students?
18: What are a few good strategies for negotiating conflict between staff?
17: How do I best place staff in areas of their interest and strength while maintaining what is best for the overall program?
16: Am I delegating enough to my staff or is it too much?
15: How would I know the answer to #16?
14: What is the best way to check in with staff about their job, responsibilities, satisfaction etc?
13: How often should I check in?
12: Will some staff require more check ins? Less check ins?
11: What is the best way to continue to do my job and meet my responsibilities while trying to meet the needs of my staff?
10: Am I over thinking the needs of my staff?
9: Are some staff happy to show up, do what their told, get paid and go home?
8: Is that (#9) necessarily a bad thing?
7: How many staff meetings do I need to have per week?
6: Is morning better than afternoon for meetings?
5: Would a meeting agenda help staff be better prepared for the meeting?
4: Could I create a place for staff concerns to be listed and then added to the meeting agenda?
3: Would this increase staffs sense of ownership in the program?
2: How can I gauge staff satisfaction and feelings of team?
1: Are we all working toward the same goal as a team?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)