Body
for
LIFE
Emily
Bonnemort
EDUC 612
July, 2010
Introduction
Ten years ago I decided to transform my life. One day I looked in the mirror
and realized my appearance was affecting my confidence. I decided to set off on a
journey toward a healthier me. I am going to compare my journey as a learner,
teacher, and teacher researcher to my weight loss experience. Both are never ending
journeys that require reflection, dedication, and action.
Roadmap
My Professional Journey
My Journey toward a healthy lifestyle
Myself as a Learner
Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles
help me acquire new knowledge.
My learning experiences in college helped
me build my teaching foundation.
Multiple approaches for healthy eating and
exercise help me acquire my fitness goals.
Body for Life helped me build my
healthy lifestyle foundation.
Myself as a Teacher
My lifelong desire to become a teacher
inspired me to pursue my dream.
My lifelong desire to lose weight inspired me
to achieve my fitness and weight loss goals.
Student teaching gave me the opportunity
to practice and apply the strategies and
knowledge I acquired in my education
courses.
My first 12 weeks of training gave me the
opportunity to practice and apply the
strategies and knowledge I learned from
reading Body for Life.
My first years of teaching were challenging. My first few months of changing my lifestyle
were challenging.
My Professional Journey
My Journey toward a healthy lifestyle
Myself as a Teacher
Hitting plateaus on my teaching journey
helped me reflect and take drastic actions
to improve my teaching practice.
My new school, Timber Lane Elementary,
served as my support system to help me
grow professionally.
My literacy coach empowered me to push
my teaching to higher levels.
Hitting plateaus on my weight loss
journey helped me to reflect and take
drastic actions to continue my progress.
Weight Watchers served as my support
system to help me continue toward my
goals.
My personal trainer (coach) empowered
me to push my physical fitness to higher
levels.
Myself as a Teacher Researcher
Teacher research begins with reflection.
Making lifestyle changes beings with
reflection.
This cycle parallels my ongoing journey of maintaining
a healthy lifestyle with my ongoing learning journey as a
teacher and teacher researcher.
Researcher
Learner
Teacher
Realizing I am
complacent and need
to set new goals to
begin a new journey.
Beginning my weight
loss journey.
Reaching my goal
weight…
Belief Statements
My beliefs guide my day to day work with my children. I try to be
intentional, thoughtful, and reflective about the decisions I make.
I believe:
ASSESSMENT
· Formative, ongoing assessment informs and guides my teaching.
INFLUENCE
· I cannot underestimate the power of my influence. What I
choose to do and say in the classroom profoundly affects the ways children
view me, themselves, and each other (Miller, 2008)
INTENTIONAL
· Children learn best when the lessons I design are purposeful,
interactive, engaging, and relate to their lives.
STEADY
· The gradual release of responsibility instructional
model, integrated into a workshop format, best guides children toward
understanding and independence (Pearson and Gallegher, 1983).
MOTIVATIONAL
· I am responsible to motivate students so that all
have the opportunity to learn in an atmosphere conductive to their
learning style.
CONFIDENCE
· High expectations create an environment which can produce high
achievers.
ONGOING
· Ongoing professional development and continual self-evaluation and
reflection improve teaching.
Myself as a
Learner
Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles
Strengths and Weaknesses—(that can become strengths! )
Multiple intelligences and learning styles
help me acquire new knowledge.
I have stronger and weaker intelligences and
learning styles. It is my responsibility to
strengthen my weaknesses and utilize my
strengths. I flex and adapt my learning
preferences to fit various contexts.
Similarly, multiple approaches for
healthy eating and exercise help me
acquire my fitness goals. Different
programs have been more or less
effective. I flex and adapt my
approaches, depending on the
circumstances in my life.
Myself as a Learner
My Multiple Intelligence and Learning Styles
Howard Gardner proposed the theory of multiple intelligences by suggesting that intelligence can
be exhibited in many ways. He defined eight distinct types of intelligences: verbal linguistic, logicalmathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist (Silver,
Strong, & Perini, 2000). I completed a multiple intelligence self diagnostic tool to identify my
intelligences. I discovered my strongest type of intelligence is interpersonal. My high score indicates I
am very comfortable with this type of intelligence. I am comfortable with spatial and intrapersonal
intelligence and moderately comfortable with bodily-kinesthetic, verbal linguistic, and musical
intelligence. I have little comfort with logical-mathematical or naturalist intelligence.
I feel the results of this inventory match my interests and talents. My greatest strength and joy is
working with people. I have the ability to be in tune with other people’s feelings and personalities. I
have chosen a profession that fulfills my most dominant intelligence. Next year I will apply to be a
reading specialist/coach. I look forward to working with adults and children on a regular basis. I am not
surprised by my comfort with spatial intelligence. I love creating my ideas visually, which explains my
skill for interior and wedding floral design. I play the piano and appreciate music but don’t enjoy singing
or creating music, which justifies my moderate comfort with musical intelligence. The self diagnosis
indicated I wasn’t as comfortable with verbal linguistic or bodily kinesthetic intelligence, which explains
why I am most insecure with my writing skills and ability to play sports. I was surprised that I scored so
low in logical-mathematical intelligence. I am certainly no mathematician, but I do enjoy solving logical
problems. I wasn’t shocked my weakest intelligence is naturalist. I enjoy a hike or camping trip now and
again but I am not passionate about spending much time outdoors observing living things.
Continued on next page…
Individuals have different learning styles and process information
in different ways. Silver and Hansen (as cited in Silver et al., 2000,
p.105). designed a learning style inventory to create a spectrum of
four learning styles: sensing-thinking(mastery), intuitive-thinking
(understanding), sensing-feeling (interpersonal), and intuitive-feeling
(self-expressive). The inventory indicated my dominant learning style
is sensing-feeling (interpersonal), which is also my strongest
intelligence. Following closely behind is self intuitive-feeling
(expressive). My weaker learning styles are intuitive-thinking
(understanding) and sensing-thinking (mastery).
Before taking these inventories, I recognized a few of my learning
strengths and weakness but didn’t know there was research to
categorize and describe them. By discovering my own dominant
learning style, I understand more about myself and how I learn. For
example, I always recognized that I enjoy cooperative learning and am
motivated by receiving attention and encouragement, but didn’t know
this was indicative of an actual learning style.
For years, I have been convinced I have attention deficit disorder
because I detest working alone for long periods of time and have to
take frequent breaks. Now I realize interpersonal learners dislike long
periods of working alone silently, which explains my behavior.
Interpersonal learners also dislike emphasis on detail or demanding
routines. Before taking this learning style inventory, I truly thought I
just had a poor memory for details. Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy are
seriously my worst enemies! Now I realize I probably choose not to
store the details in my memory but prefer thinking about themes and
relating information to myself.
Sensing –Feeling/Interpersonal
PREFERS TO LEARN BY:
•Studying about things that directly affect
people’s lives rather than impersonal facts or
theories
•Receiving personal attention and
encouragement from teachers
•Being part of a team
•Activities that help her learn about herself
and how she feels about things
LEARNS BEST FROM:
•Group experiences and projects
•Loving attention
•Personal expression and encounters
•Role playing
LIKES
•Receiving personal attention and
encouragement
•Opportunities to be helpful in class
•Personal feedback
•Sharing personal feelings and experiences
with others
DISLIKES
•Long periods of working alone silently
•Emphasis on factual detail
•Highly competitive games where someone
loses
•Detailed and demanding routines
Continued on the next page…
Myself as a Learner
Building a Foundation
My learning experiences in
college helped me build my
teaching foundation.
Similarly, Body for Life
helped me build my
healthy lifestyle
foundation.
Body for LIFE: My Foundation for a
Healthy Lifestyle
One day, near the end of my freshman year of college, I
stood in front of the mirror and just stared at myself for quite a
while. I whispered “How did I let myself get this overweight?” At
that moment I decided I had to do something to change my life. I
borrowed Body for Life, by Bill Phillips. I devoured the entire book
in one evening. The book outlines a 12 week program that
promises amazing results. Body for Life encompasses weight
training, aerobic exercise and balanced nutrition. The most
inspiring to me, were the shocking before-and-after photos of
regular people that followed the program. The photos helped me
come to the realization that I could actually look different, which
until that point, had honestly never occurred to me. This book
motivated me to change my lifestyle and get moving toward a
healthier me!
“No matter who you are, no
matter what you do, you
absolutely, positively do have
the power to change.”
-Bill Phillips
College: My Foundation for my
Teaching Practice
My first two years of college were probably pretty typical. A lot of lectures. A lot of
reading. A lot of exams. I made it through my generals but thought of my classes as obligatory
stepping stones to get to the classes I would really care about- my elementary education core. During
those first years, I don’t recall a single class or professor that catered to my interpersonal learning style.
It’s not that I didn’t find my classes interesting, I just didn’t see how they related to my future career as
an educator.
I came to life when I started the education core. For the first time, I was learning about
things I was passionate about. I didn’t have to sit through many lectures- and the ones I did, I soaked
in every word, because I thought it was relevant information. I participated in hands-on activities,
cooperative learning, role-playing, and peer teaching. My homework consisted of some traditional
reading and writing but I spent the majority of my time putting together presentations, lessons, and
units.
My education classes truly help me build a foundation for teaching. I learned basic
teaching strategies, lesson planning, classroom management strategies, and assessment techniques. I
also learned methods to teach social studies, science, physical education, and music. I built a basic
knowledge base in mathematics, reading, and special education.
Myself as a
Teacher
Myself as a Teacher
Lifelong Desire
Whenever I asked my mom what my future would hold, she sang
the song “Que Sera Sera. ” Then she would assure me that I
would become whatever I wanted to be.
My lifelong desire
to become a
teacher inspired
me to pursue my
dream.
My lifelong desire to lose weight
inspired me to achieve my fitness
and weight loss goals.
Desire: My Motivation to Lose Weight
I have been on a lifelong
journey to lose weight. Growing
up, I was a “chubby” kid. All
through my childhood and
adolescence I wanted so badly
to be one of the thin girls.
Although it was my heart’s
desire to lose weight, I didn’t
know how to choose a healthier
path. I honestly didn’t realize I
had a choice in the matter.
Desire: My Motivation to Become a Teacher
I have also had a lifelong
desire to teach. Unlike weight loss, I
understood the path I needed to
take to reach this goal. My journey
began the moment I started school.
I fell in love with Miss Anderson, my
first grade teacher. Like most little
girls, I dreamed of becoming a
teacher when I grew up. Unlike most
other children, I never grew out of
that dream. I spent countless hours
in the basement setting up elaborate
classrooms and “teaching” my
pretend students. During my early
teens, I practiced “teaching” by
babysitting. I was a highly sought
after babysitter in my neighborhood.
Children begged their parents to call
me because I always came prepared
with a craft tote, games, and
activities. In high school I spent time
volunteering in classrooms at the
local elementary school. I observed
and assisted teachers, tutored small
groups and individual students, and
even taught a few art lessons. In
college I knew I was destined to
become an elementary school
teacher. I didn’t really choose a
major, I just continued on my
journey.
A letter I wrote about getting my degree in
Elementary Education
I am teaching my little sister
how to do her math.
Student Teaching: Getting Started
Student teaching gave me the
opportunity to practice and
apply the strategies and
knowledge I acquired in my
education courses.
My first 12 weeks of training gave
me the opportunity to practice
and apply the strategies and
knowledge I learned from reading
Body for Life.
Both experiences were challenging and rewarding.
Myself as a Teacher: The journey begins!
I student taught sixth grade at Kainalu Elementary in Kailua, Hawaii. My
cooperating teacher, Kathy Saito gave me total autonomy. She trusted me completely
and basically handed me the semester’s learning standards and left the room for the rest
of the year. Her hands-off mentoring was the best way for me to learn. I consulted her
when I had major problems or questions, but I solved most issues by myself, or by talking
to classmates. Although student teaching was exhausting, it gave me the opportunity to
apply all of the strategies I was learning in my program. I truly enjoyed planning thematic
units, trying new strategies, and practicing management techniques. When I finished
student teaching, I couldn’t wait to have my own classroom!
My First Year: A Challenge
My first year of teaching
was a challenge- to put it
mildly. I felt
overwhelmed and
stressed most of the
time… Most days I fought
for a positive attitude
and confidence.
Similarly, my first few months
of changing my lifestyle was a
challenge. I had to force myself
to fight food cravings and focus
on portion control.
“Unless You Puke, Faint or
Die, Keep Going!”
– Jillian Michaels
My First Year Teaching: A Challenge
My journey as a professional teacher began in Ogden, Utah. I was hired at
Lakeview Elementary, a Title One School. I shared a fifth grade class with Sarah
Etherington and taught every other day. That year was a challenging experience, to
put it mildly. It was extremely difficult to job share. It was tough to present a unified
front to parents and students and I struggled to keep my partner’s pace, since I was
trying to learn the curriculum. Classroom management was a nightmare. I basically
followed my partner’s lead and tried to use her classroom management system,
which didn’t fit my philosophy or style. I spend most of the year feeling frustrated
and lost in the curriculum. I frequently had anxiety in the morning as I drove to work.
Although Sarah and I had different teaching styles, she taught me an important
lesson. She encouraged me to balance work and my personal life. She made me
realize that if I was tired and burned out, my teaching and personal life would suffer.
Brookfield (1995) echoed Sarah by stating, “Critically reflective teachers can stand
outside their practice and see what they do in a wider perspective. They are able to
distinguish between a justifiable and necessary dedication to students’ well-being
and a self destructive workaholism (p.16) My colleagues still have to remind me of
this fact when they drive past the school at night and see my car in the lot.
Experiencing Plateau
Hitting plateaus on my teaching journey
helped me reflect and take drastic actions to
improve my teaching practice.
I decided to consult professional literature
and learn from the “experts.”
“Eye of the Tiger” by
Survivor, is my go to
song when I need
motivation in any
area of my life.
Similarly, Hitting plateaus on my weight loss journey
helped me to reflect and take drastic actions to continue
my progress. To solve my problem, I consulted
professional literature to learn new strategies. I changed
my exercise routines, adjusted my diet, and continued to
work toward my goals.
“There are only 2 choices;
make progress or make
excuses.”
– Ellen Mikesell
B001IGO
From 5th grade to 1st
After my horrible first year I wanted a full time position. The only opening was in first grade! I had
never even considered teaching a primary grade when my principal asked me to move down. Before
accepting the job, I traveled to Idaho to observe my aunt Judy, a veteran first grade teacher. After a day in
her class I felt confident I could handle younger children and I accepted the job the next day. In preparation, I
spent the summer reading my teacher manuals and preparing materials. My first few months were quite an
adjustment. It was difficult to map new curriculum and plan daily lessons while trying to figure out what first
graders were capable of developmentally. I didn’t realize they couldn’t follow 3 step directions, copy text from
the board, or independently work! For a while I called Aunt Judy every few days to survive.
As I became more familiar with first grade learning standards, I realized the way I was doing things
wasn’t addressing all my students needed to learn. My teammates weren’t really interested in collaborating
so over the next two years, I consulted a variety of professional literature. I started reading Guided Reading:
Good First Teaching for all Children, and Phonics Lessons: Letters, Words, and How They Work both by Gay
Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas. I also read Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and
Spelling Instruction by Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, and Johnston.
Continued on next page…
As I continued to read professional literature and reflect on my teaching, I realized my
teammates and I were not implementing research based practice. I was excited to share my
knowledge. Unfortunately they were not interested in reading the books or working together.
Their idea of sharing and collaborating was pulling out file folders and exchanging
worksheets.
I felt alone and frustrated in my quest to improve my teaching practice. Brookfield
(1995) explained my situation by affirming,
“Being critically reflective may well bring us into direct conflict with organizational
priorities and hierarchies of power. As we start to suggest alternative, more democratic ways
of constructing curricula, we are threatening a way of living and thinking that is comfortable
for many of our colleagues. This threat might be feared because of its ideological nature. Or
it might simply be that what we are proposing represents a shaking up of familiar routines” (p.
41).
So, feeling unsupported and isolated, I devoured professional books and used those
authors as mentors to guide my teaching practice. The first year I focused on learning how to
implement guided reading, phonics, and word work. My second year I realized I didn’t know
strategies for teaching comprehension or writing so that summer I read “Units of Study for
Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum by Lucy Calkins and Reading with Meaning, by
Debbie Miller. I fell in love with their philosophies and added reading and writing workshop
the next year.
Myself as a Teacher:
My Support System
My new school, Timber Lane Elementary, served as my
support system to help me grow professionally.
My teammates, professional development classes, and
coaching sessions helped me set and achieve goals.
Weight Watchers served as my support system to
help me achieve my goals.
When I finished Body for LIFE, the 12 week
program, I joined Weight Watchers. Weekly
classes provided me with new information and
strategies. My class members served as mentors,
cheerleaders, and partners.
Timber Lane Elementary: My support
system for continual professional growth
My feeling of isolation drove me to move across the county. I knew if I was
going to grow professionally, I needed to be part of a professional learning
community. I wanted to teach with teammates who would teach me and push me to
become better. I headed to Northern Virginia to try to get a job in any of the
prominent school counties. Within a few weeks, I was hired at Timber Lane
Elementary, a Title One School in Fairfax County. When I started the job, I felt fairly
prepared to teach balanced literacy, but I soon realized I had much to learn.
Fortunately my school is a Literacy Collaborative Site, where we
implement a research based balanced literacy framework. I had the opportunity to
attend regular professional development classes and receive coaching sessions
from the teacher. My first grade team was filled with dedicated, knowledgeable
teachers. We met regularly-formally, and informally to plan, discuss teaching
practices, student progress, and problems. Timber Lane Elementary also
introduced me to Professional Learning Communities. I appreciated an
environment that promoted working collaboratively and interdependently to change
classroom practice and achieve common goals linked to student learning.
My Coaches
My coaches empower my success personally and professionally . Each help me accomplish goals
and encourage me to set higher ones.
PERSONAL TRAINER: Mindy Madsen
LITERACY COACH: Kathy Kee
My coaches:
•Motivate and push me that extra step
•Model and teach me how to use new strategies
•Empower me with confidence
•Help me build a foundation so I can guide myself
•Show me how to implement research based methods
•Teach me to modify instruction/goals based on need
Continued on next page…
Ongoing Journey
The next two years, I continued to grow
professionally. Kathy didn’t team teach with me in the
mornings any more, but she still coached and mentored me.
I frequently ran to her office to discuss literacy. I continued
to refine my practice by attending professional development
classes, asking questions, reflecting, researching,
collaborating, and working with my coach.
Still, I had so many unanswered questions about
literacy instruction. Some of the research based teaching
methods for Literacy Collaborative weren’t meshing with
other research I was exploring. I felt like I was blindly
teaching literacy the way I was supposed to, without really
understanding the reasoning behind the methods I was
using. Brookfield (1995) states, “A critically reflective
teacher works from a position of informed commitment.
She knows why she does what she does, and why she
thinks what she thinks” (p. 23).
I knew I needed to go back to school to gain a
better understanding of literacy. I decided to pursue a
Literacy Specialist Master’s degree at George Mason
University.
Myself as a Teacher: Currently
I currently team teach a first grade inclusion class at Timber Lane Elementary. I absolutely
love planning and teaching with my partner Karen. We learn a great deal from each other in our
cohesive partnership. We work hard to build a safe, positive learning environment. My
students and I have a high level of respect for each other.
I have high expectations for my students, both behaviorally and academically. I try to push
my children as far as I possibly can—still working in their zone of proximal development, of
course.  I believe my six and seven year olds are extremely capable and they never cease to
amaze me. Sometimes my colleagues think I am crazy when I teach my little ones how to
conduct research, take notes, and write nonfiction reports. I believe anything is possible, as
long as it is developmentally appropriate, thoughtfully planned, and well scaffolded.
I constantly try to think of new ways to make the curriculum relevant and exciting. I’ll do
anything to ignite passion for learning. I dress up, sing, plan hand-on actives, or use technology
to get my kids involved. I consider the needs of all my students when I plan instruction.
Formative assessments drive my mini-lessons, small group instruction, and individual student
conferences.
I constantly reflect on my teaching practice and choose areas to improve. This year I am
going to focus on improving reading and writing workshop “share time.” As a starting point, I
am reading Don't Forget to Share: The Crucial Last Step in the Writing Workshop by Leah
Mermelstein. I am also going to improve my interactive read-alouds. I learned a little bit about
developing text sets and plan to conduct further research to figure out how to integrate
interactive read-alouds with writing workshop.
“The big secret in life is that
there is no big secret.
Whatever your goal, you can
get there if you’re willing to
work.”
– Oprah Winfrey
Myself as a
Teacher
Researcher
Myself as a Teacher Researcher:
Power of Reflection
Teacher research begins with reflection.
When I begin asking questions about my
students and teaching practice, I am
driven to seek answers and conduct
action research.
Similarly, making lifestyle changes
beings with reflection. Reflecting on
my appearance, eating habits, and
fitness level helped me make a plan.
Myself as a Teacher Researcher
Teacher Research begins with reflective thinking. My Education Core Classes have
taught me the importance of reflective thinking. One of Dewey’s criteria for reflection is it
must be a “systematic, rigorous, disciplined way of thinking, with its roots in scientific
inquiry” (as cited in Rogers, 2002). I am discovering that the majority of my reflections
aren’t critical reflections, rather a “stream of consciousness or uncontrolled coursing of
ideas running through my head,” as Dewey described. I have always been a teacher
researcher—informally. I constantly question why I do certain things and look for ways to
improve. I am never satisfied with my methods. In regards to critical reflection, Fecho
(2004) believes “best practice” doesn’t exist. Teachers should never be complacent and
should always inquire and find ways to reach their students (p. 4).
I never want to stagnate in my teaching practice. I try to ensure I am not doing things
because it’s what has always been done or because it’s what my grade level, school, or
district expects me to do. I like to question, research, apply my findings-then repeat the
process over and over. I really connected with Hole and McEntee’s (1999) Guided Reflection
Protocol. They recommend to; collect stories, ask what happened, consider why it
happened, think about what it means, and decide what the implications for practice are (p.
36). I sometimes go through some of the phases of reflection but don’t always follow
through with all steps. I blame my busy schedule and lack of time but I realize I need to
critically reflect more often.
“You will never find time
for anything. If you want
time, you must make it.”
– Charles Buxton
Continued on next page…
My Research
This past semester I had the opportunity to learn how to conduct action research. I
considered many questions but narrowed it down to a topic that was meaningful to me.
Falk and Blumenreich (2005) believe, “The pursuit of personally important questions is what
leads to new discoveries, creations, or realizations” (p. 1). With this in mind, I chose to
research “Interactive Notebooks,” a topic I have been mulling over for years.
Three years ago, I transferred from a small school district in Utah to teach first grade in
Fairfax County. As I began to plan curriculum for Social Studies and Science, my teammates
informed me that our school and school district strongly recommended the use of
interactive notebooks. Overwhelmed with planning all subjects, I blindly incorporated
interactive notebooks into my classroom for the first few months. At my grade level,
interactive notebooks appeared to be a composition notebook where students collected
teacher notes and inserted a concept sort. I didn’t really see the advantages of the
interactive notebooks and didn’t take the time to research, so I abandoned interactive
notebooks by midyear.
I was interested in revisiting the ideas of incorporating interactive notebooks into my
classroom. Before making a decision, I needed to make an effort to understand the research
that supports or negates their use. The first step of my research was to consult professional
literature. The literature review helped me define interactive notebooks, determine the
reasons for their use, and explore the advantages and disadvantages. Then, I wanted to see
how they were being used in my school across the grade levels. I have included my findings.
Methodology
Researchers interviewed nine teachers from elementary and middle school. Two teachers
were from primary grades, two from upper level elementary grades, and five from middle school.
Middle school teachers teach a variety of subjects including: U.S. History 7, Math 8, Civics, and English 8.
Researchers asked four questions regarding interactive notebooks to determine their use and
effectiveness (see Appendix A).
Researchers coded interview data into three different categories: what goes into the interactive
notebooks, and how interactive notebooks are used to support instruction, and why teachers believe
interactive notebooks are effective or ineffective. After all interviews were coded, they were entered
into a chart to show trends (see Appendix C).
Researchers also collected sample notebooks to verify what teachers said about use of interactive
notebooks. Examples are included in Appendix D.
Data
Analysis


Commonalities and differences among
answers were marked with colored pens.

Areas of interest to the researchers include:


Collected data is qualitative and based on
semi-structured interviews. Interviews were
conducted via email or in the form of a
written questionnaire (Appendix A).
Interviewees were chosen on a volunteer
basis. Identities are confidential.
Data was collected by interviewing 9 teachers:
2 from primary grades, 2 from upper
elementary grades, and 5 from middle school
grades.
Samples of student notebooks were collected

o
How notebooks are assessed
o
How often INBs are used in class
o
What types of activities are used?
Interactive notebook qualities were studied
to verify commonalities between teacher
responses and pages
Analysis of Preliminary Data
As researchers were color-coding interview data, they noted many common trends.
Commonalities were listed and put into chart form. Researchers noted an overlap in interview
data. The categories of effectiveness and use were grouped into one chart. Researchers chose
to create only two charts; what goes into an interactive notebook in one chart and how they
are used to support instruction into another chart (see second chart in Appendix D).
The first chart shows what goes into an interactive notebook. It indicates that all but
two teachers use interactive notebooks for class notes and student interactions. Most teachers
include graphic organizers in their notebooks. Two use notebooks for student reflections. A few
activities were unique to individual teachers such as foldables and warm-ups. The kindergarten
teacher differentiates notes using shared writing.
The second chart shows how interactive notebooks are used to support instruction.
This chart indicates that all but two teachers mentioned using the interactive notebooks for
organization, a record of learning/review, and for student interactions to facilitate higher level
thinking. In addition, three teachers believed notebooks foster a sense of student ownership
and accomplishment. Two teachers use notebooks as personal textbooks to support standards
of learning in lieu of a traditional textbook. Two teachers use it as a tool to communicate with
parents.
Across the grade levels, researchers did not notice trends specific to certain grade
levels. Commonalities were noted among all grade levels with the exception of the
kindergarten teacher.
Next Steps
We were satisfied with the interview data collected regarding our research question
(how are interactive notebooks being used?) but feel that further questioning is needed to
address teacher reasoning for use of interactive notebooks and knowledge of their purposes.
Our literature review indicated that there was little to no research done showing a direct
correlation between interactive notebook use and student achievement. Now that we have a
general sense of how they are being used across grade levels, we are curious as to what further
studies could be conducted to support their use. We noticed many teachers used interactive
notebooks for organization and student interactions. Research could be conducted to determine
whether or not these purposes affect student achievement.
For future research, additional questions could be added to the interview to probe
further for teacher knowledge of the history of interactive notebooks and the purposes for their
use. In addition, it would be beneficial to understand motivation behind teacher use of interactive
notebooks. Are teachers being trained properly to use interactive notebooks as an effective
means of instruction? It seems that most teachers interviewed lacked knowledge about the
origins and true purposes of interactive notebooks. In our review of the literature, we found that
traditionally a true interactive notebook utilizes right-side pages for teacher input such as: notes,
lectures, etc. While left-side activities, or output, are intended for student interactions that lead to
higher level thinking, for example: cartoons, Venn diagrams, creative writing, illustrations, etc. In
addition, these left-side activities are designed flexibly to give students choice in their
interactions. In our research, however, we found that most teachers were utilizing a two-sided
format but were providing many of the output activities—preventing students from making their
own choices in their interactions.
Future Research
Writing workshop is a daily component of my language arts block. After the mini-lesson, I spend
each work period conferring with individual students. As I have been reflecting on how I conduct these
individual writing conferences, I realize this is an area of weakness. I don’t always feel like I am getting
the most out of the few minutes I spend with my students. I leave questioning my instructional moves
and wonder if I helped my writers at all. Writing conferences are supposed to be the most valuable part
of the workshop, so this is an area I really need to improve…
I will begin my study by consulting with “experts” in the field of writing instruction:
One to One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers by Lucy Calkins, Amanda Harman, & Zoe White
How’s it Going? by Carl Anderson
Big Lessons from Small Writers (DVD) by Lucy Calkins
Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston
Boy Writers by Ralph Fletcher
I want to focus on improving my teacher language and instructional prompts. I am considering the
question, “What happens when teachers engage first grade students in individual writing conferences?” I
hope this question is framed in a way in which qualitative data sources will be appropriate. Throughout
my research, I will use various forms of data collection including: writing conference notes, student
writing samples, analysis of student writing, personal teaching journal, audio-taped sessions of writing
conferences, and reflections of audio taped conferences. I will analyze my data to help me understand
how I use teacher language/moves. I hope my action research will help me improve writing conferences.
This research will only be conducted in my classroom for the purpose of improving my teaching
practice. I don’t think I will need to notify my school district or get permission from parents for this
research study. I will meet with my principal so he is aware of my research.
Concluding Reflections
As I reflected on myself as a learner, teacher, and teacher researcher, I began
realizing the three are closely connected. Realizing I had certain learning styles and
intelligences caused me to consider how my preferences and strengths affect my teaching
practice. I am now aware that I need to emphasize learning styles and intelligences that
aren’t necessarily in my zone of comfort. I recognize that teacher research is also part of
who I am as a teacher and learner. I constantly ask questions, reflect, and research to
improve my practice and help my students. I am an interpersonal learner, so I constantly
collaborate with my colleagues and coach. I also enjoy researching and studying, because I
am choosing the topic, which is always of interest to me, and usually connected to my
classroom.
Learning about my learning styles also caused me to reflect on my prior learning
experiences. This new understanding explained some assumptions I’ve always made about
myself as a learner. Most importantly, it motivated me to strive to push myself in some of my
weaker areas. I need to do a few more cross-word puzzles, try a new sport, or discover a
new talent by taking classes at the community center.
Reflecting about my teaching philosophy was a good experience. I haven’t taken
the time to actually write my belief statements down for quite a while, which doesn’t make
me proud. My beliefs are what drive my practice. I always have them in mind, but now I will
have them posted as a constant reminder of who I am as a teacher. It is easy to get caught
up in the “nitty gritty” details of teaching, but I need to always remember my beliefs,
because they are my foundation- the very reason I show up to work every day.
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