Action Research Project: Enhancing Involvement

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Action Research Project Enhancing Involvement

• Network Group
• Jane Morgan Craigcefnparc Primary
• Julie McElroy Glyncollen Primary
• Alison Evans Manselton Primary

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Gender Differences

• Aim To look at gender differences
• teacher led activities
• child initiated activities

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Background to my school

• Small, rural school.
• 83 on roll including Nursery
• Year 1 / 2 class 15 morning (4 Y2, 11 Y1)
• Reception join in the afternoon (23 total)
• Throughout the school there is a higher ratio of
  boys so we are aware of gender issues.
• In my class there is more even split (7 girls, 8
  boys).

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Why I chose to research gender difference.

• The school has a higher ratio of boys to girls.
• I had observed that the boys had highly
  stereotypical roles in class.
• Boys engaged mainly in construction and computer
  activities to the exclusion of other learning
  areas.
• Boys generally needed more encouragement to stay
  on tasks.

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Background to motivation for research choice.

• On Wednesday afternoons children have free choice
  they are able to do whatever they want within
  reason in the areas within the classroom (eg
  creative, roleplay, computers, carpet area,
  construction).
• I observed that during these free choice sessions
  that boys were mainly choosing computers and
  construction.
• I observed that during free choice sessions the
  girls were mainly choosing roleplay and creative
  areas.
• There was very little interaction between girls
  and boys during the free choice sessions.

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Plan for child initiated activities

• Observe children during free choice sessions.
• Make changes.
• Observe children.
• Reflect.
• Refine and improve on earlier changes.

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What I did.

• Reorganised range of activities in free choice
  sessions. Removed activities previously favoured
  by boys to encourage more interaction with other
  creative areas.
• The girls were able to choose between the
  computers and table top activities.

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Observations

• Children used the more directed choice of
  activities but were reluctant.
• The levels of involvement were lower than before
  when they had free choice of all activities.
• Motivation decreased and they were less
  enthusiastic about this session.

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Teacher Led Activities

• I observed them during Numeracy sessions.
• The boys showed more involvement during the
  mental maths warm up sessions which included the
  quick fire round questions. The girls were less
  involved and more reticent to participate.
• Girls and boys like hands on activities using
  equipment such as multiblocks, the whiteboards,
  number fans and the interactive whiteboard.
• Girls were more inclined to answer when using the
  practical equipment.

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The way forward.

• To increase the level of involvement during
• Teacher Led - I intend to always use some form of
  practical equipment during the mental maths warm
  up.
• Child Initiated I intend to allow children to
  choose any activity during free choice sessions.

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Enhancing Involvement in a Nursery Class

• Nursery class - 31 children (13 girls / 18 boys)
  aged 4 years (moving to Reception next Sept).
  Teacher in second year of teaching. Setting
  still very much under development (moving towards
  Foundation Phase).
• Initial motivation stemmed from an explosion of
  daily fighting games influenced by films and TV
  programmes (especially Power Rangers).
  Observations showed the game was played mainly by
  core group of 6 boys but game sometimes involved
  more children including one or two girls too.
• Small guns were being made from the construction
  toys (lego and sticklebricks). Observed chasing,
  aggression and enactment of shooting people.
  Little language used. Some children upset by
  pretend violence especially those not playing and
  getting caught up in it. Games resulted in lots
  of daily accidents also spilling over into
  squabbles and real fighting! A parent approached
  me with concern that one child was reluctant to
  come to school due to a fighting game (the
  child was a player of the fighting games).

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• Discussed with Nursery team (3 TAs). Spent many
  weeks using different tactics in effort to
  discourage the games (whole class discussions,
  circle time discussions, reward system for not
  playing, game spotters encouraged to tell on
  players, taking away of construction gun toys,
  talked to parents about watching of the programme
  all said their child did not watch).
• Some children got clever, started to pretend to
  be playing other nicer games and that the
  guns were flowers even though it was the same
  game in reality!
• Something had to be done! Looked at what was
  happening and where. Observations showed that my
  continuous provision areas were being used for
  other purposes (to play the fighting game!). Used
  the Laevers Scale to observe activity in my areas
  on a daily basis over a week. Other adults also
  recorded their observations on post-its in an
  observation book. Results showed that
  involvement observed my areas was around Level 2
  and 3 (frequently interrupted activity and mainly
  continuous activity) with some Level 4 on times
  (continuous activity with intense moments).
  Decided my areas needed some change.

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Plan of Action

• Identify two areas currently not working to
  engage children.
• Observe children in these areas using the Ferre
  Leavers Involvement Scale to assess
  effectiveness.
• Ask the children about the areas (likes, wishes).
  
• Reflect on what I have found.
• Reorganise the areas with aims i) to enable
  children to become more engaged with area, and
  ii) in time be able to access area independently.
• Observe, reflect, make any changes.
• With time repeat whole process with all
  continuous provision areas.

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Then I asked the children

• What do you enjoy most in the Nursery?
• Top Five
• 1. Bikes 5 girls / 4 boys
• 2. Art, Craft, creative 4 girls
• 3. Sand, water 4 boys / 1 girl
• 4. Roleplay areas 3 girls / 1 boy
• Train Track 2 boys
• Reflection
• Boys not using/enjoying the Roleplay area (house
  with usual domestic items). Must make more
  appealing to them.
• Boys not enjoying/using the creative area
  (painting, junk modelling, cut and paste)
  preferring instead the sand and water.
• Both boys and girls love the bikes and outdoor
  play.

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2. What would you like in the Nursery?

• Top Five Wishes
• More dolls 4 girls
• A trampoline 1 girl /2 boys (fighter)
• Power rangers toys - 3 boys (fighters)
• Change house roleplay areas - 3 girls
• More outdoors equipment (slides, balls, hula
  hoop) 2 girls / 1 boy
• Reflection
• Roleplay areas not inspiring high level of
  independent play or learning.
• Roleplay areas need regular change, more than one
  area to meet all interests of both boys and girls
  and to include more challenging equipment and
  materials.
• 3 boys really love Power Rangers!
• Girls really love playing dolls!
• Need to think about enhancing/changing outdoor
  play buying some new equipment and introducing
  some new activities.

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The old creative area
uninviting uninspiring
unorganised children not using independently
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The new creative area
All materials made more accessible to children at
all times and changed regularly. Projects
have included making a wall for Humpty, a
Beanstalk, models of vehicles and a giant (all
were optional to join in and all activities in
the area attracted the fighters). Observations
show involvement of Levels 4/5 on Leavers Scale.
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Our old House area Now Glyncollen Travel
Agency(inspired by the children talking about
journeys).
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• Amazingly all the fighting boys love it (were the
  first to play!). The children now
• Roleplay the customer select a brochure and
  choose the holiday, provide the travel agent with
  their holiday information (what holiday, where
  going, when going, how travelling, who going),
  pay for the holiday with a credit card including
  typing in their pin number, plan what they are
  packing in their suitcase etc.
• Roleplay the travel agent ask the customer
  questions as above and type that information into
  the computer, book the plane seat(s) on the
  computer, phone the hotel to check availability,
  give the customer the price, take the payment via
  credit card, give the customer a receipt and
  tickets, even use appropriate language (hi how
  can I help you! etc).
• All observations indicate involvement is higher
  at Levels 4/5 on the Laevers Scale.

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• The children wanted to visit a travel agency but
  it was felt that the class of 31 children might
  be too big so we asked a local travel agent to
  visit us and give a talk about what happens there.

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Next The old construction area

• Uninspiring, under used.
• children not using independently
• Area currently being developed by the children
  (they want a Bob the Builder Fix It Shop). They
  have chosen what goes in the Fix It Shop.
• Girls are using the tools from the Fix It Shop
  to fix bikes and scooters.
• 3 previous fighters love this area!
• Level 4/5 on Leavers involvement scale observed
  plus much singing of the Bob the Builder song!

• Observed children taking/making phone calls to
  customers re broken toys and
• phoning for more helpers to fix the toys.

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Overall Reflections

• Boys were particularly attracted to the new areas
  (these included all the boys who liked to play
  the fighting games). Revisited roleplay areas
  each day.
• Observations showed that in one week the fighting
  games were only played by (the same) 2 boys on a
  regular basis.
• Observations showed that the children are playing
  and using the areas independently every day (once
  shown their way around it).
• Plan to carry out the same process with all
  continuous provision areas in Nursery (observe,
  ask children, reflect, implement change etc).
• Also very keen to do something with measuring /
  improving wellbeing too (probably September 08).

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Action Research into the levels of involvement.

• Aim To monitor the levels of involvement during
  
• Teacher led activities
• Child initiated activities - through the use of
  the choice board

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Action research InvolvementBackground

• Year 2 class
• 30 children in the class 21 boys and 9 girls
• 1 child with a statement
• 1 B Band and 4 A band children
• Range of ability
• Very small classroom on the second floor of the
  school limited room for learning areas
• Lively, enthusiastic class

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Action Research InvolvementReasons for choice
of monitoring

• We were already using the choice board in the
  class
• As a class they generally needed encouragement to
  stay on task during activities
• I wanted to monitor the extended involvement of
  certain members of the class
• I also wanted to monitor the involvement of the
  class during a range of different activities.

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What happened

• Teacher initiated activities
• Philosophy lesson
• Making worry dolls following EI work in Circle
  Time
• Drawing own fairy tale characters relating to
  story Once upon a Time

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What happened

• Child initiated activities
• Creating resources for a new role play area
• Promoting a book for Book Week
• My Body / Myself

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Action Research FindingsChild initiated
activities

• The overall theme was given to the children and
  they came up with things they would like to do
  relating to this.
• The choices were then written on the individual
  boards, with a number indicating how many could
  reasonably partake in each activity.
• The children then placed their name cards on the
  activity they want to participate in.
• Although the children had choice they were
  still restricted to limited space thus limited
  resources. They also could not include outdoor
  activities as there was no supervision

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Plan for the Action Research

• Focus on three children
• Child A Statement visual, speech and language,
  physical and general learning needs 11 support
  20 hours a week
• Child B capable pupil, came from another school,
  difficulty listening on the carpet, constantly
  fidgeting, easily distracted,
• Child C EAL pupil, some learning needs, requires
  instructions repeating, finds it difficult to
  maintain concentration during class work
• These children will be observed during 6 separate
  sessions 3 teacher led and 3 child initiated.
• Each childs involvement will be observed over
  the session and more intensely for a shorter
  period of time.
• Involvement scales will be used from the course.

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Overall findings focus group
Pupil Teacher Led Activity 1 Teacher Led Activity 2 Teacher Led Activity 3 Child Initiated Activity 1 Child Initiated Activity 2 Child Initiated Activity 3
Child A 2 4 4 4 2 3/4
Child B 3/4 4 2 2 3 4/5
Child C 2/3 4 3/4 4 4 3/4
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Overall findings focus group

• Looking at the scales for involvement the scales
  of involvement are very similar
• The type of activity is very important to the
  involvement
• The teacher led activities I chose to use
  involved lots of key skills and an element of
  creativity, if I had chosen more mundane
  activities these results might have been very
  different.
• All focus group children scored relatively
  highly on both teacher led and child initiated,
  higher scores than they would have with certain
  activities during the school day.
• The creative activities were more successful,
  each child showed high levels of engagement
• The choice board was very successful in engaging
  the children and they certainly responded to the
  element of choice and autonomy.

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Overall findings with class involvement

• What did I learn?
• As a class the child initiated activities were
  more successful in engaging the children.
• The children worked more collaboratively during
  child initiated activities
• How inventive and creative my class were when
  give the chance
• How the size of the classroom can hinder the
  success of child initiated activities
• Childrens disposition and motivation is greater
  when they have an input and say into what they
  are doing
• Resources and adult support is needed for more
  purposeful learning
• Children will remain on task for longer when they
  have a say in what they do
• Teacher led activities can be very positive
  regarding child involvement depending on the
  task.

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Where do I go from here!

• Continue to use the choice board with the
  children deciding the activities
• Develop the use of the choice board next year.
  Use it every day with a mixture of teacher led
  and child initiated activities
• Make a greater effort to bring a more creative
  element into activities.
• Make a concerted effort to increase the
  childrens involvement in more activities during
  the school day
• Get a bigger classroom!

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Network Group Findings

• In all research the level of involvement was
  higher in the majority of children when they were
  given a greater element of choice.
• Boys and girls prefer certain activities
  according to their gender (both Nursery and
  Yr1/2).
• However, this was not so prevalent when the
  children were working out of doors (eg Forest
  Schools). Not only was the level of involvement
  high but girls and boys had higher interaction
  together.
• The greater the element of creativity the greater
  the involvement (in both teacher led and child
  initiated activities).
• The younger children responded well to more
  parameters during roleplay.

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Network Group Conclusions

• Challenges to childrens involvement
• effective learning areas depends on size of
  classroom,
• regular change of focus in learning areas,
• resources, time, LSA support,
• effectively incorporating the philosophy of the
  Foundation Phase and the restrictions of the
  National Curriculum in YR1/2.
• Positives
• The fact that we are able to have the freedom to
  carry out a small scale piece of research on
  childrens dispositions to learning and
  involvement, and have time to discuss and reflect
  with others from completely different schools has
  been extremely beneficial.
• Spotlight is now on childrens learning (rather
  than on teachers teaching) and this emphasis is
  a crucial factor in increasing the wellbeing and
  involvement and future success of every child.