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Identify Your Focus or General Idea

This could be a problem, a puzzlement, or just a general idea of something about student learning you want to improve.

  Address these questions:

     What is happening now?
     In what sense is this problematic? OR How can this be improved?
     What are my hunches?
     What can I do about it?

  Starting points…

     I would like to improve the…
     I wonder why…
     This is the idea I would like to try out in my class…
     How can (technology application) be used to …
     I want to learn more about…
     I am really curious about…
     Something I think would really make a difference is…

Describe Your Action (Intervention)

Describe the action strategy (intervention) you intend to use to address the situation, problem, or idea you are concerned about and outlined in #1 above. Be sure to include:

1. Specific description of what you will do-how you will change your current practice
   
2. Rationale (why you need/want to make this change)
   
3. Student Learning Goal ( Expected results from this change? Standard(s) are addressed?)
   
4. Resources required

Individual Technology Professional Development Plan (p.9)
Option 2: Action Research Plan

Formulate Research Question(s)

Research questions should…

• guide your thinking and reflection on what you do and  collect.
  
• be embedded in your question..require more than a yes/no answer.
  
• be concise, manageable, "doable."
  
•  be something you are committed and passionate about.

Create a Data Collection Plan

The purpose of collecting data is to ensure that you have information and impressions for reflection and analysis. You will be collecting data about three things (perspectives):

• Your Actions: What did you do? Was this what you planned?
  
• Consequences of your actions: What happened as a result of what you did? What were the intended effects? What were the unintended (unexpected) effects?
  
• Circumstances of your actions: How did circumstances (or your understanding of them) change during the  process?
  
• Consider the various data collection techniques that will track the information you need. Examples:
  
  
  1. checklists document analysis journals/logs/diaries
  2. videotaping audio-taping student performance
  3. portfolios student work photographs
  4. anecdotal records discussions/interviews questionnaires/surveys
  
  Create a Timeline (grid on next page)

Be realistic about the amount of time required for each step. Plan to complete data collection by the middle or end of March so that you will be able to assemble your portfolio by early May.

Action Research Timeline
Actions/activity Timeframe Observable measurement of success Possible portfolio element Done?