CARE Model

Hey guys! It has been a great week so far. I have really enjoyed collaborating with each of you throughout this process! You have each taught me so much about action research, and I am grateful for all of the help you guys have given me in this course. Below, I have included the CARE Model and how it relates to my action research project. Please take a look and let me know what you think!!! Thanks!

Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, Julie Combs

Tool 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool

Identify Concerns that must change (look to the future)

(Assign points to concerns from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Rigor in the social studies classroom: As the old social studies TEKS were replaced with new more rigorous student expectations and the TAKS test was replaced by the more difficult STAAR/EOC test, I am finding that social studies teachers across our region are in dire need of increasing the rigor of their classroom instruction. If we do not alter our instruction to meet the level of thinking found in our new standards, our students will surely continue to struggle with the new test. By increasing collaboration among social studies teachers in our region, my hope is that teachers will be able to communicate with one another on ways of moving their instruction into a more rigorous direction.
2. Vertical teaming and vertical alignment among social studies teachers: Throughout this year, I have talked with multiple administrators and curriculum leaders who have expressed their concerns and needs in the area of vertical alignment among their social studies teachers. These administrators have hosted vertical alignment meetings for each subject area, but have found that social studies teachers have the hardest time communicating with one another. They have also described these meetings as being uncomfortable and unproductive. Because of the nature of the social studies standards, the content itself does not vertically align as well as the other subject areas. I hope that by increasing the level of collaboration and communication among social studies teachers in our region, teachers will see the value of working together to achieve their goals. Also, I want the teachers to realize that even though their content doesn’t necessarily vertically align, the process skills developed through social studies instruction does. By vertically aligning these process skills, the teachers will be able to more effectively teach their content.
3. Instructional practices in the social studies classroom: As I have been conducting classroom walkthroughs and evaluations of teacher performance and student engagement across our region, I have noticed a severe lack in best teaching practices among social studies instruction. I am still seeing a great deal of textbook, worksheet, and lecture use among a lot of these classrooms. Research tells us that this form of instruction is the least effective and practical for today’s students. As a result, I am finding a host of bored, uninterested students who hate social studies. Through collaborating with myself and other fabulous teachers, I want those using above mentioned types of instruction to see the value of engaging students in the study of social studies. It will be incredibly helpful for these types of teachers to see that student engagement is a huge step in the direction of increasing student performance on classroom assignments as well as standardized tests.

Identify Affirmations that must be sustained (look to the present)

(Assign points to affirmations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Maintain the use of the CSCOPE curriculum: Our region has been employing the use of the CSCOPE curriculum for the past few years. It is a viable, rigorous curriculum that is expressly aligned to the TEKS. Many of my CSCOPE teachers have remarked that CSCOPE has aided in increasing the rigor and engagement within their classrooms. Likewise, after viewing test data from teachers using CSCOPE and those who are not, the data shows that students in a CSCOPE classroom did much better on the STAAR/EOC test than those students in classrooms not using the CSCOPE curriculum. CSCOPE has also aided teachers in better understanding the standards placed on them and their students in the social studies classroom. By increasing collaboration among social studies teachers in our region, teachers who are successfully using the CSCOPE curriculum can share their ideas with others about how to most effectively integrate CSCOPE into their classrooms, as well as share their data regarding their positive experiences with using this curriculum.
2. Email communication: Beginning in September of this year, when I first started working for Region 5, I made it my mission to contact my social studies listserv through email at least once a week. Whether it was to share valuable teaching resources or just to spread a word of encouragement, I have maintained this form of communication throughout the year so far. This process has been very well-received, and I have been told that the resources and encouragement has aided our region’s teachers in effectively teaching our students. I have gotten a great deal of positive feedback from teachers in that they describe the enjoyment they get from my weekly emails. Also, as this year has progressed, several teachers have begun to share tools they are using in the classroom with me and asked that I share the tools with the rests of the region. This affirmation will directly align with my action research plan because the feedback above shows me that the teachers have a desire for more communication and collaboration. As a result, I will be adding collaboration activities to those already in place.
3. Classroom walkthroughs and observations: As this year has progressed I have gained a great deal of information through classroom walkthroughs and observations of social studies teachers in our region. I have had the opportunity to gather valid data from these classroom visits, and as a result, I have a better grasp of the needs of our region’s social studies teachers. Likewise, I have begun to build strong relationships and trust with these teachers, so that I may better serve them. With the information I gain from the classroom visits, I can share the great things I am seeing across the region in order to encourage others in improving classroom instruction. This is a valuable form of collaboration between myself and individual classroom teachers in that I am able to discuss their specific needs, while also examining their strengths and weaknesses.    

SMART Recommendations that must be implemented:

(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)

(Assign points to recommendations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important recommendations to implement.)

1. Conduct workshops for social studies teachers: In order to address teachers in the areas of concern, I will plan and conduct a multitude of workshops for my social studies teachers. I have already scheduled the following workshops: “Operation Collaboration,” “Extreme Makeover Social Studies Edition,” and “Get Geeky: Using Technology in the Social Studies Classroom,” “What in the World is Rigor Anyway?” By conducting the above workshops, social studies teachers and I will collaboratively determine ways to improve social studies instruction.
2. Create Region 5 Social Studies Advisory Council: It is no secret that of all content areas, social studies has always been placed on the back burner so to speak. In fact, I am the first full-time Social Studies Program Coordinator to be employed at Region 5. As a result there has been very little to choose from in regard to workshops and other professional development at our service center. When I taught social studies and sought professional development, I usually went to other regions to meet my needs. In order to best serve this region and meet the needs of my teachers, I will create an advisory council that will help to advise me in all of my decision-making endeavors. For example, I will ask their opinion when determining which workshops to conduct. I will also seek their advice when determining best methods of collaboration among our teachers.   
3. Create Region 5 Social Studies Facebook Group: In looking at the concerns surrounding social studies in our region, I wanted to choose an action research project that would somehow address each of those concerns. For this reason, I settled on increasing collaboration among social studies teachers. If teachers are working together and sharing ideas, they can better address rigor in the classroom, vertical alignment, and best teaching practices. Based on these ideas I will create and monitor the Region 5 Social Studies Facebook Page. On this page, teachers and administrators alike can share tools, ideas, and success stories with one another. They can also voice concerns they are having in their own classrooms and seek advice from others who might have gone through similar trouble.

EVALUATE – Specifically and Often

(Identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations.)

1. Surveys/interviews/evaluations: Throughout this process, I will be conducting a host of surveys and interviews of social studies teachers in the region. Because “level of satisfaction” is not something that is easily evaluated, these surveys and interviews will serve as a way for me to gather data on current collaboration practices and to determine areas of highest need in our region. I will survey teachers before and after I conduct the action research to analyze the beliefs and ideas of the teachers in the region. I will also extensively interview the individuals participating in the advisory council to better understand what they need from me as a service center representative. Finally, after every workshop I conduct, I will send out an evaluation form so that the people who participate in the workshop can evaluate both the training and my presentation of the material.  
2. Monitoring/observations/note-taking: A lot of the evaluations I will conduct in my action research project will come in the form of monitoring and observing various aspects of the process and taking detailed notes. I will begin by taking detailed notes during our advisory council meetings to analyze the conversations that take place and the collaboration process in general. I will also monitor the Facebook page to see the amount of information and ideas shared amongst teachers in our region. I evaluate the amount of posts that occur at the beginning and at the end of the process. Finally, I will conduct a multitude of classroom observations between the beginning and the end of the research process to determine areas of teacher growth. I will take detailed notes about the process by which I conduct these classroom observations and teacher conferences: pre-observation conference, observation, and post-observation conference.