Action Research Project
First Blog-”The Author’s Chair”
Year number three. I didn’t ask to teach it, I didn’t know anything about it, but here I am. I am in year three, teaching the English side of the third grade Dual Language Immersion Program.
I spent the first year adjusting to having my students in my room for instruction for only two hours and 15 minutes per day. I adjusted to not teaching science and social studies, my Spanish partner teaches that in Spanish. I also adjusted to learning about a culture I thought I knew something about, when in reality knew nothing.
So I teach. I teach math. I teach reading. I teach writing. Writing is personally the one subject I have a passion for. I have ideas, I have concerns, I have stories. My mind spins with the tornado of creativity exploding inside my head. I wanted to believe that somewhere hiding in my classroom were students experiencing the same weather storm. Imagine my disappointment when no one could come up with a topic to write about. Imagine my sadness when students felt their daily lives contained nothing worth writing about, nothing worth telling, nothing worth sharing.
As a reflective teacher, this sadness incited me to think about how I could encourage students to have conviction in their ideas and to connect their daily existence and lives with the ability to tell a story. A story just for them or to share with others. That their stories would be judgment free and they would experience encouragement and friendship from those who listened to their words. I thought about the main concern I had for my young writers and felt if I could help them form ideas and share comfortably, they would grow in self-confidence and be able to use their writing to grow and learn both academically and socially.
With these ideas in mind, I formed the following research question. How does introducing and using the “Author’s Chair” during writing instruction affect an elementary student’s perspective in their choice of writing topics?
My main idea was to have students (ages 8 and 9 J) think about their daily activities, their families and friends, the “favorite” things in their lives and then have the ability to share those stories and feelings, good or bad in their writing. For both of my previous Dual Language teaching years, this was an area where students struggled. Although each new school year presents with a new and unique group of students, I was consistently reminded that finding ideas to write about would be the one thing dousing the flame of joyful writing.
My initial research question would attempt to build on the idea that using an “author’s chair” during writing instruction would help them feel more confident and comfortable making a “list” of writing ideas and use those ideas to put their thoughts to paper. The prospect of sharing in a cook chair would encourage them to write. I painted a chair. School colors. I thought about and planned the enticement piece. Fabric strips that students would tie to the chair and add their own personal touch after each share. This five dollar garage sale piece of furniture would change the way my students felt about writing and they way I taught writing in my room. Enter this year’s students!
Twenty-seven little boys and girls unsure about 3rd grade. Unsure about their new teacher and unsure of what they knew and would potentially learn this school year. My research topic embedded in my mind and my methods of gaining data in place, my writing instruction was ready. I planned on getting to know my students on a deeper level, as deep as you can go for eight and 9 year olds. I surveyed for learning styles and obtained “love letters” from their families about their children. I had a true plan.
What happened next brought my action plan to a direct halt and caused me change all that I had envisioned in the “change” that I would make for these students.
About the second week of school I discovered that these students, for the most part, loved to make idea lists. I had little idea journals for them which only fueled their creativity. Last year not so much. I hadn’t even introduced the author’s chair yet and they had ideas! The sharing part on the other hand seemed to be the part that they were not so sure of and a bit uncomfortable with. Suddenly, I had to reflect and rethink my plan.
I have been reading a variety of books since my project and school year began. Most resources tell how to present the chair and how to help students share comfortable and learn from their peer writers. At this point (at almost the end of the 2nd quarter in the school year) I am monitoring how students continue to write and once they decide to share, how do they grow in their skills and comfort. This year is proving to be an adventure into teaching, not only becoming a better writing teacher, but understanding my student’s fears, excitement and capabilities, some I don’t even think they knew they had. Now I am recreating my research question. How does introducing and using the “Author’s Chair” during writing instruction affect an elementary student’s perspective in their choice of writing topics and improve their confidence in classroom sharing ? Will their topic confidence remain the the same, and how will sharing their writing change them?
