I have started the research on my new Action Research topic. I believe with the basal program last year it was mostly whole group instruction. The problem with a basal is that it is too much of a "one-size-fits-all" way of teaching and that is not true for all of our students. I'm not sure if the entire 1st grade team did the same thing in the same way. I am still collecting information from my team about what they did in the past.
The district moved towards balanced literacy several years ago and encouraged each school to use balanced literacy. Our new principal is the one who pushed for us to get on board with the district! (I believe our previous admin felt as though "if it's not broken, don't fix it", it seemed to be working and we were exemplary. I will compare scores from last year and this year.
Personally, I believe balanced literacy is fun for the students and teachers. Once implemented, it seems easier to manage for teachers (if organized and consistent) and more motivating for students. The philosophy of the workshop is "to live the life of a reader." Teachers make connections with students and teach them that sometimes we read for joy because we want to and sometimes for a purpose--a vehicle to think.
I think since we changed my topic, I do not have a lot of information. But it is a fun topic, I am also a participant since I teach 1st grade. So in the next two weeks I'll have more data. This project will last till May 2012. I will be very interested to see at what level the students are capable of reading by the end of the year.
