Action Research Plan Update - 3/27/2013

     Well, my Action Research plan has been going since October.  I had initially planned to begin in September, but once I shared it with the other teachers are school, I decided we needed to get the kids into school and little before we started.  I also wanted to allow time for teachers to adjust to school and to get in the swing of a new school year.  I planned to include all grade levels on my campus. (Pre-K-4^th)  I got the opportunity to attend all PLCs one day with my principal in order to explain the plan to all teachers.  Everyone seemed to be on board at the meeting.  I asked each grade level to come up with specific skills they wanted to work on and give me a list of activities that they were all willing to do daily and/or weekly with their students.  All the grade levels gave me the list.  I also stated that I needed a checklist, or progress report, at the end of each month.  This is where they began to lose their willingness.  After a month of having to remind them, I went to talk to my principal. 

     My principal and I decided that for this year, I needed to focus on 4^th grade only.  This was fine with me because this is the grade I teach and the reason that I came up with the plan to begin with.  4^th grade has implemented the plan.  I made flashcards for all 64 4^th graders at school.  I designed a parent signature page for them to have their parents initial or sign nightly.  All three 4^th grade classrooms have made this a nightly requirement.  It is even required over the weekend.  We all play multiplication games each week.  I make my give me an answer to a multiplication problem as their exit ticket to go to lunch at least one day per week.  We all have multiplication problems posted in our rooms.  I had planned to put them all over school, but when we decided to contain it in 4^th grade, I decided for us to keep the facts within our classrooms.  All 4^th graders are required to get on the FastMath computer program at least two times per week.  We all print off the monthly reports from this program as our documentation.  I have been using it to track progress.  I have been extremely pleased at the results and progress many students have made.

     We have some students that do not regularly do their flashcards and their scores on FastMath are lower.  It has proven that being consistent with multiplication facts has been a positive task for 4^th grade.  It has proven to them that they can learn those facts.  Some of the students that I have that struggle have learned and memorized their multiplication facts because of this research plan. 

     I plan to continue my research plan into next year and add third grade.  I may add second as well, but I will have to talk to my administrator to see what she would like me to do.  I have proven that requiring the students to learn and practice their multiplication facts daily had helped them increase their math skills.  I have been pleased with the results we have gotten.  I was a little disappointed in some of my colleagues that were not very willing to participate, but I still feel that we have made great progress and strides in mastering multiplication facts in 4^th grade!