Finally, a completed newspaper that can go out to the student body! However, this endeavor did present some challenges. As I had previously discussed in other posts, just getting participants to turn in an article was very difficult and I still have not received all articles back. Randy Sprick (1998) is mentioned as stating, "If teaches are unclear about their expectations, the kids learn it's all a crapshoot, so you might as well do whatever you want," (as cited in Knight, 2007, p.143). I have to take part of the blame, this experience taught me to the importance of having consequences for various actions in place; case and point, participants not turning in their articles on time. There should have been a consequence of some sort to this behavior, but because there was not, the previously discussed behaviors followed suite. Pictures and coding of the last two articles to come soon.
LaShanda, I think it is admirable that you acknowledge that the lack of consequences could be impacting student responsibilty. I think with a project like this it is hard to determine the best discipline steps to take since it is out of their normal school setting. It sounds like you have gained some ideas for the future. I am so excited that you finally got a paper ready! It looks great! I also enjoyed reading your script of how the students helped each other revise their pieces. That kind of teamwork is rewarding to see. I can't wait to hear final results from your project!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate it. It's hard to admit one's faults, but that is exactly what is needed for growth to occur. Yes the teachers and principal expressed their excitement for the newsletter :)
ReplyDeleteI love the appearance of the newspaper. I think it is so neat that this is something that the students have developed on their own. I love that everything is written exactly how they wrote it in their papers. I think we all have learned a lot about the research process. I think it would have been hard for you to initially predict that you would have such a hard time getting articles back from the students. I think we all learn from experiences and now you know what you would do differently next time. It all worked out in the end so don’t be too hard on yourself.
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