Standard+9

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The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
 * Standard 9: Teachers are able to evaluate themselves.**


 * Evidence: [[file:LaBonteK_EDT657finalpaper.doc]]**


 * Rationale:** After much reflection on my teaching strategies and the learning environment of my students I decided to look at the effect that the SmartBoard has had on my students academic success and motivation in my class. So for my action research I looked at SmartBoards vs. conventional white boards in the Math classroom. As many schools are purchasing SmartBoards there is really no research out there to say that they are better at conventional boards at improving student learning. Many teachers will vouch that the SmartBoard is an amazing tool that makes teaching much more convenient and my goal was to back this claim up with research.

This action research has helped my development as a teacher because it gave me the opportunity to reflect on my teaching and to research what teaching strategies and tools are working for other educators. After reflecting on my research I have come up with some positives and negatives about my results. Student motivation and engagement was definitely increased with the SmartBoard however, student scores did not show a significant increase when they were taught with the SmartBoard in place of the conventional white board. Although the results did not show significant improvement with the use of the SmartBoard I still learned through observation and student surveys that the SmartBoard does increase student engagement.


 * KSD:**

Part of my action research involved completing a literature review. I was able to look at other professional research that has been done regarding SmartBoards. During this process I gained very valuable insight that I will use as a I continue my career as a teacher.
 * 9.K.3 The teacher is aware of major areas of research on teaching and other resources for professional learning (e.g. professional literature, colleagues, professional associations, professional development activities).**

For my research I used classroom observation and student input when I looked at student engagement and motivation when using the SmartBoard. I used this feedback to revise how I teach and what tools I use to teach my students. I think observation and student input are two of the most important aspects that teachers must use to reflect and improve their teaching strategies.
 * 9.S.2 The teacher used classroom observation, information about students, cultural, social, and philosophical frameworks, and research as sources for evaluating the outcomes of teaching and learning and as a basis for reflecting on and revising practice.**

A big part of the action research process is constant reflection on teaching strategies and what can be done to improve student learning. As I did my action research I was always reflecting on my own classroom and tools and techniques that would help improve student motivation and as a result improve student performance. I had to assess myself as a teacher and what I needed to improve to help my students learn. After doing my action research I realize that learning is an ongoing process and I will continue to reflect and assess myself as a teacher to help improve student learning in my classroom.
 * 9.D.2 The teacher is committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process.**