Using Action Research To Empower North Carolina Educators A Race to the Top Initiative NC Department of Public Instruction Educator Effectiveness Division

Reading Stinks!: Reversing Reading Negativity in the High School Classroom Alexandra Mays Onslow County Jacksonville High School

What is Action Research? Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools. Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? Main Goals Include: Positively impact student outcomes Identify and promote effective instructional practices Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners Share research results with other educators Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? A systematic research process to: ● Identify an area of focus (critical, challenging issue) ● Develop an action research plan ● Implement action research plan in classroom/school ● Collect, analyze, and interpret data ● Share findings to inform practice Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

Every teacher’s dilemma… -Middle and High school students have negative attitudes toward reading. -Most automatically assume they are poor readers because of their lack of interest. -When reading is assigned, they either do not complete it or use an online resource like Sparknotes.

Problems of Practice Design an activity for your participants to generate or brainstorm lists of problems of practice within their school setting Remember how you generated lists of issues and instructional challenges from your own experiences during summer training This is a good time to get your participants up and talking

Think-Pair-Share-Post What are some of the problems teachers of secondary students face?

What the research shows… -Author studies promote classroom community and discussion (Fox, 2006) -Small group reading encourages ownership over a text (Adams and Bushman, 2006) -Promotes group interdependence as well as individual responsibility (O-Brien, 2007) -Learning is a direct result of social interaction, (Vtgotsky, 1978)

What the research shows (con’t).... -Improved student-teacher relationships, classroom discussions and an appreciation for reading (Piper, Wold and Schwingendor, 2014) -Themes and issues speak directly to their experiences (Mitchell, 2001).

The texts we teach should… Relate to our students Cover themes that are relevant to the 21 st century Promote engaged discussion Encourage relationship building

Owocki and Goodman: Get to know your students “Learning about children’s social and cultural experiences gives insights into their ways of speaking, knowing and thinking” (Owocki 17). –-Student/Parent Surveys –-Spending time with students one-on-one and in small groups “Children learn best when language and experiences are meaningful to them. (Owocki 21)” –-Keywords –-Books relevant to their culture, age, and other sub-groups “Learning in school is purposeful and meaningful when children find the curriculum relevant to their personal and social worlds (Owocki 22)”

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Focus Statement The Root of the Issue: -Only teaching the classics. -Choosing texts that 21st century students cannot relate to. -Reading books we love instead of the books students need The Solution: -Young Adult Novels in the form of author studies

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Purpose of the Study To improve student reading attitudes, levels of participation and classroom relationships through young adult author studies.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Study Participants -10 th grade students in my high school Language Arts classroom. -Like most high school sophomores, these students are honest in their beliefs about reading and were sadly unashamed by their distaste for it. -I chose a group of students who have the intellectual ability to understand and discuss complex texts but whose attitudes toward reading left them without practice. -I wanted to target reluctant readers who have limited exposure to young adult literature to see the difference these types of texts could make.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Research Questions How do author studies of young adult novels impact student discussion in the high school classroom? Do young adult novels promote a deeper understanding of author’s style and technique? How does this deeper understanding of author’s style impact student writing skills? How do young adult novels improve high school students’ outlook on reading?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Step 1: Get to know your students -Pre-reading Survey -KeyWords -KidWatching

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Step 2: Choose an Author -Choose a young adult author with at least three novels. -Must have easy access to novels -It is helpful to choose an author with an informative website. -Students explore the author and get to know more about his or her life to later make connections to the text and the author’s own adolescence.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Step 3: Start Reading -Students spend the first 2-3 weeks reading the first novel as a whole class. Read aloud, read to self in class, read to self at home (if number of books allows). -Complete corresponding packet to explore the protagonist, recurring themes, author’s purpose and character development. -Socratic seminar style discussion to close out first novel -Students write an essay on one particular theme or character; leave the essay topic up to the student.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Step 4: Small Group Novels -Allow students to choose a second novel (from the same author) that they are interest in. -Students should develop a calendar with the people in their small group to coordinate their reading. -Students work with their group of 3-4 to read the second novel and to complete corresponding study (2 weeks) -Socratic seminar to discuss the author’s particular purposes and choices that show up across texts.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Step 5: Author Analysis -Students work as a class to determine what makes the author particularly successful and popular within the young adult community. -Students discuss in small and large groups and fill out corresponding venn diagram and author chart. -Final essays: Students work to write an argumentative essay describing why the author and his/her books should be taught in the high school classroom.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom -Whole class novel: John Green’s Lookingfor Alaska(weeks1-3) -Small group novel: PaperTowns,Will Grayson,Will Grayson, or An Abundance of Katherines (weeks 3-4) -Film Study: The Fault in Our Stars (week 5) -Analysis and concluding seminars (week 6)

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Quote Collection:

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Small Group Reading

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Improved student-teacher and student-student relationships Discussions taught students and teacher more about one another Students had a place to talk about issues that are normally not discussed in class Teacher and students were more engaged

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings More Engaged Discussions From the first discussion to the 2 nd discussion student contributions increased by an average of 2.5.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Promoted positive reading attitudes Students asking for books Excitement over starting/ending books More willing to share in small and large groups about what they are reading

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Improvements in analytical and critical writing Students made more impactful writing choices Essay samples in packet Allow for student choice in reading and writing More personal connections to texts, lead to more personal writing engagements

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Other ways to incorporate relevant texts: 1.Contemporary songs for poetry analysis 2.Book speed date 3.Current events for non-fiction 4.SSR where students choose their own texts 5.Classroom libraries

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Other ways to incorporate relevant texts: 1.Contemporary songs for poetry analysis 2.Book speed date 3.Current events for non-fiction 4.SSR where students choose their own texts 5.Classroom libraries

References Adams, J & Bushman, J.H. (2006). Thematic solutions using young adult literature to increase reading comprehension. Middle School Journal. Vol.37(4), Thematic solutions using young adult literature to increase reading comprehension Alvermann, D. E., & Phelps, S. F. (1998). Content reading and literacy (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Fox, K. (2006). Using author studies in children's literature to explore social issues. The Social Studies, 97(6), Gallagher, K. (2010). Reversing readicide. Reading to Learn. 67(6), Mitchell, D. (2001). The lure of young adult literature. The English Journal, Vol. 90(3), O’Brien, C. (2007). Using collaborative reading groups to accommodate diverse learning and behavior needs in the general education classroom. Beyond Behavior, Vol. 37(4), 7-15.Using collaborative reading groups to accommodate diverse learning and behavior needs in the general education classroom Piper, L., Wold, L. & Schwingendor, K. (2014). Scaffolding high school students’ reading of complex texts using linked text sets. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Vol. 57(7),

Conclusion of Presentation Thank you for your participation. Contact Information: Name: Alexandra Mays School/District: Onslow County Phone: