Final Reflection
I began this research process interested in understanding the effectiveness of literature circles in my third grade classroom and am concluding my research with a clearer picture of how they can be used to meet the needs of my students. Throughout this process, my views have been refined but I have seen the effectiveness that literature circles have brought to my classroom through the eyes of my students.
Since this is my first year teaching third grade I knew the entire year would be a challenge and I worried how I would balance everything. When the curriculum was so new, would I really be able to become a researcher as well? It was for this reason that when my job assignment was finalized, I needed to sit down and think about a research question that I could seamlessly incorporate into my classroom. My own love of reading led to an interest in literature circles, while my principal’s smile when I spoke with her helped to validate my reasoning.
Although I hoped my students would progress in their reading levels, I was very interested in what would happen when students were given choice in what they read and the proper time to discuss a book with their peers. I was hoping that with the use of literature circles in my classroom, students’ love of reading would grow. It was my dream to develop life long readers and not just complete this study. With such a strong focus point, it was easy for me to stick to my original research question, “How do literature circles influence the engagement, enjoyment, and achievement of young readers?”
The initial struggle that I faced when I sat down and began to research literature circles was the realization that they were most often used in a middle school and high school classrooms. My immediate concern was that they might be difficult to use with my third graders. There were of course exceptions to this and I was able to find research about elementary teachers using them. Readings from elementary teachers helped me realize the importance of scaffolding the process at the beginning of the year. Looking back, it’s easy to see that without this step literature circles could have quickly fallen apart or faded away all together in my classroom. So much of this idea was a new concept to my students that they really needed this slow approach. There were times that it seemed very slow to me; looking back I realize it’s what they needed.
The research process has impacted me most in giving me the ability to better listen to my students. I have realized that although they are young, asking them what they think about the process and what could better suit them can make a world of difference. It gave them a freedom to express themselves that they had never experienced before in school. After our first cycle, when I asked what they thought we should change their biggest concern was the reflection. They were surprised to see that I had listened and changed it according to their suggestions. Listening to them enabled me to develop a new reflection assignment that would allow me to get to more of the information I was in search of while creating a more kid-friendly format. Having come to this realization, I tried to incorporate their feedback in other aspects of our curriculum as well. We brainstormed ways they could show their learning in different areas and voted on classroom decisions.
It’s very clear to me how listening to my students has changed the work environment but I think it has also helped the kids learn to express themselves better. They are still working to become better communicators and regularly speaking about their thoughts and feelings has made this easier. When settling a recess dispute they seem more able to say how they are feeling or what they think of the situation. I think and hope that this has also resulted in a new form of self-confidence where they feel that their opinions are valued and important.
As I begin to think ahead to next year, it is not a question of whether I will use literature circles again but how I can improve them for next year. I know that we will need to begin the year slowly and very scaffolded but I’d also like to try and improve in a few areas. As we began past year, I wanted to always incorporate projects at the end of each book. Sadly, with other curriculum demands this often did not happen. Talking with my students I realize how much they enjoyed these projects when we did them. Next year, I will make a focused effort to ensure that there is a creative element to end each novel.
Although I think the new Garfield reflection was much improved from the first, I am still not sure if it will fit in for next year. Writing this Garfield reflection I was very focused on my research. As my official role of researcher ends, I plan to look at it more from a teacher perspective and think about how to get the most information out of my students in a way that is appropriate and accessible to them.
One of the biggest struggles I have faced as a teacher researcher is time management both inside and outside of the classroom. It has been difficult to choose exciting and interesting books for the students and guide them in a way they can understand while still trying to collect data. The first couple of weeks of school I really had a hard time trying to fit everything in. I felt like I wasn’t giving my students my undivided attention while I was trying to jot down their quotes in my notebook. The use of a video camera really helped to solve this problem. I was able to sit down and really talk to the kids without worrying about writing anything down. Then when I watched the video after class I’d just make a note of quotes I might like to return to later. With my technical research coming to an end, I hope to continue to critically look at my teaching. I want to continue to design my curriculum around meeting students’ needs in a way that is interesting and engaging to them while making them feel important and valued.
I am sure that literature circles will always play a central role in just about any class I teach but I would also like to continue to develop my knowledge of them. I would like to continue to share and compare notes with my colleagues to learn more about others’ successes. I would like to work with our fourth grade teachers to explain what we have done so they might pick up where we left off. If it were possible to create this continuum for the students, they would grow as readers. I’d also like to look more into and begin incorporating literature circles into our French literacy time. After seeing them in action in English, I can see so many potential benefits in a second language. Our immersion students often find it difficult to express themselves in French and this would give them another opportunity for talk time in a non-threatening environment. In addition to working with teachers at my school, I would also like to work with other elementary teachers in the community to help them understand how to implement literature circles into their classroom. Every situation is unique and working together to solve these problems could be very rewarding.
My action research project has brought to light many elements of my teaching as well as my classroom environment. In my attempt to develop a love of reading in young students, I have gained insights for effective instruction that will benefit me and any other teacher I work with for years to come. I have realized the importance of listening to my students and adapting the classroom to fit their needs. Allowing students choice in what they read and giving them time to discuss their reading with peers has led to many wonderful moments and has helped the students see how enjoyable reading can be. I hope that through my continued research I can work with other elementary teachers to ensure that more children see the beauty of literature. I am now excited to apply and extend what I have learned with a new groups of students in the years to come.
Since this is my first year teaching third grade I knew the entire year would be a challenge and I worried how I would balance everything. When the curriculum was so new, would I really be able to become a researcher as well? It was for this reason that when my job assignment was finalized, I needed to sit down and think about a research question that I could seamlessly incorporate into my classroom. My own love of reading led to an interest in literature circles, while my principal’s smile when I spoke with her helped to validate my reasoning.
Although I hoped my students would progress in their reading levels, I was very interested in what would happen when students were given choice in what they read and the proper time to discuss a book with their peers. I was hoping that with the use of literature circles in my classroom, students’ love of reading would grow. It was my dream to develop life long readers and not just complete this study. With such a strong focus point, it was easy for me to stick to my original research question, “How do literature circles influence the engagement, enjoyment, and achievement of young readers?”
The initial struggle that I faced when I sat down and began to research literature circles was the realization that they were most often used in a middle school and high school classrooms. My immediate concern was that they might be difficult to use with my third graders. There were of course exceptions to this and I was able to find research about elementary teachers using them. Readings from elementary teachers helped me realize the importance of scaffolding the process at the beginning of the year. Looking back, it’s easy to see that without this step literature circles could have quickly fallen apart or faded away all together in my classroom. So much of this idea was a new concept to my students that they really needed this slow approach. There were times that it seemed very slow to me; looking back I realize it’s what they needed.
The research process has impacted me most in giving me the ability to better listen to my students. I have realized that although they are young, asking them what they think about the process and what could better suit them can make a world of difference. It gave them a freedom to express themselves that they had never experienced before in school. After our first cycle, when I asked what they thought we should change their biggest concern was the reflection. They were surprised to see that I had listened and changed it according to their suggestions. Listening to them enabled me to develop a new reflection assignment that would allow me to get to more of the information I was in search of while creating a more kid-friendly format. Having come to this realization, I tried to incorporate their feedback in other aspects of our curriculum as well. We brainstormed ways they could show their learning in different areas and voted on classroom decisions.
It’s very clear to me how listening to my students has changed the work environment but I think it has also helped the kids learn to express themselves better. They are still working to become better communicators and regularly speaking about their thoughts and feelings has made this easier. When settling a recess dispute they seem more able to say how they are feeling or what they think of the situation. I think and hope that this has also resulted in a new form of self-confidence where they feel that their opinions are valued and important.
As I begin to think ahead to next year, it is not a question of whether I will use literature circles again but how I can improve them for next year. I know that we will need to begin the year slowly and very scaffolded but I’d also like to try and improve in a few areas. As we began past year, I wanted to always incorporate projects at the end of each book. Sadly, with other curriculum demands this often did not happen. Talking with my students I realize how much they enjoyed these projects when we did them. Next year, I will make a focused effort to ensure that there is a creative element to end each novel.
Although I think the new Garfield reflection was much improved from the first, I am still not sure if it will fit in for next year. Writing this Garfield reflection I was very focused on my research. As my official role of researcher ends, I plan to look at it more from a teacher perspective and think about how to get the most information out of my students in a way that is appropriate and accessible to them.
One of the biggest struggles I have faced as a teacher researcher is time management both inside and outside of the classroom. It has been difficult to choose exciting and interesting books for the students and guide them in a way they can understand while still trying to collect data. The first couple of weeks of school I really had a hard time trying to fit everything in. I felt like I wasn’t giving my students my undivided attention while I was trying to jot down their quotes in my notebook. The use of a video camera really helped to solve this problem. I was able to sit down and really talk to the kids without worrying about writing anything down. Then when I watched the video after class I’d just make a note of quotes I might like to return to later. With my technical research coming to an end, I hope to continue to critically look at my teaching. I want to continue to design my curriculum around meeting students’ needs in a way that is interesting and engaging to them while making them feel important and valued.
I am sure that literature circles will always play a central role in just about any class I teach but I would also like to continue to develop my knowledge of them. I would like to continue to share and compare notes with my colleagues to learn more about others’ successes. I would like to work with our fourth grade teachers to explain what we have done so they might pick up where we left off. If it were possible to create this continuum for the students, they would grow as readers. I’d also like to look more into and begin incorporating literature circles into our French literacy time. After seeing them in action in English, I can see so many potential benefits in a second language. Our immersion students often find it difficult to express themselves in French and this would give them another opportunity for talk time in a non-threatening environment. In addition to working with teachers at my school, I would also like to work with other elementary teachers in the community to help them understand how to implement literature circles into their classroom. Every situation is unique and working together to solve these problems could be very rewarding.
My action research project has brought to light many elements of my teaching as well as my classroom environment. In my attempt to develop a love of reading in young students, I have gained insights for effective instruction that will benefit me and any other teacher I work with for years to come. I have realized the importance of listening to my students and adapting the classroom to fit their needs. Allowing students choice in what they read and giving them time to discuss their reading with peers has led to many wonderful moments and has helped the students see how enjoyable reading can be. I hope that through my continued research I can work with other elementary teachers to ensure that more children see the beauty of literature. I am now excited to apply and extend what I have learned with a new groups of students in the years to come.
