This week a huge milestone was hit; I finalized and submitted my paperwork for the Connected Learning Symposium, which is a big deal at Lasell, and is where I’ll be showcasing my findings and my experience as a research assistant. Professor and I also decided on a title that isn’t far from my original title, but more accurately represents what I’m trying to showcase and what this series is a part of; “Diary of Research Assistant: Thoughts and Findings From An Urban Educational Case Study” (look out for my presentation in December!). We then discussed some of the highlights of the interview she had me listen to this week by the school’s principal and one of the best teachers there.
I was amazed at all the tools the teachers discussed that were at their disposal to help with integrating Universal Design for Learning and reaching all student abilities, but how they still talked about so many issues and problems they faced. This certainly wasn’t because they weren’t using these tools properly or at all, but mostly because they were things like behavior or access to the curriculum, that couldn’t be solved with a computer program. Another thing they talked about that I could connect to was the fact that a lot of teachers choose not to deal with students with behavioral problems in their general education classroom, and instead default responsibility to the special education teacher or aid, or they just sit the kid in the back of the classroom with an iPad or other irrelevant material. This is something I’ve seen in a lot of the classrooms I’ve had experience in, and is something that needs to be seriously dealt with, which I believe starts with providing special education training to all educators.
The other thing Professor and I discussed was the software we planned to use to analyze the data, which I had explored a bit the week before. I was a bit overwhelmed when I first looked around it because there is a lot of information they give you on categories of the data, means of analysis, notes, charts, and graphs. It brought up a feeling I’ve come to terms with this week, that I’m never going to understand this research and information to the extent that my professor will, and that I need to stop putting that pressure on myself because it’s hindering my energy and giving be a bit of anxiety. I have to focus on what I’m capable of, ask questions to understand things, but also remember that it’s important for me to have my own interpretation of the information to bring a new perspective to the study, as that’s a huge part of the reason I’m involved.