How to Better Prepare for Assessment and Create a More Technologically Advanced Classroom

In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated how to better prepare these students for quizzes and how technology can be used in the classroom. I discovered that there are many different ways to challenge students and help them prepare for assessments. There are also many ways to use technology in the classroom if one has the opportunities to use some of the tools, such as Power Point and Algebra Tiles. As a result of this research, I plan to increase the scores on state standards while also allowing the students to enjoy technology during this process.

How Student Self-Assessment Influences Mastery Of Objectives

In this action research study of my classroom of 7th grade students, enrolled in Pre- Algebra (an 8th grade course), I investigated: rate of homework completion when not taken as part of the academic grade, cognizant self-assessment and its affect on mastery of objectives, and use of self-assessment to guide instruction and re-teaching of classroom objectives. I learned that without sufficient accountability homework completion rates drop with time. Similarly, students can be overconfident in their abilities but unmoved when their summative reports do not match their initial perceived formative benchmarks. Finally, due in part to our society’s reactive nature; students find it more practical to play catch-up rather than staying caught up. As a result of this research, I plan to create, with the help of the students, an accountability statute to help students stay caught up with their understanding of the objectives, as well as allow additional time and energy spent by both student and teacher to react in a timely manner to complete student knowledge within a day or two rather than a week or two later.