The Action Reflection Process: Supporting All Students in Inquiry-based Science

1. Plan to schedule introductory meetings with school staff that describe the following:

2. Emphasize the flexibility of the process. The strength of the Action Reflection Process is that it can be used to meet a school's goals as long as those goals are clearly stated and the staff chosen for the team have some expertise in that area. In our work, the goal was to help students with disabilities achieve in the science curriculum. Therefore, someone with expertise in special education and someone with expertise in science were present at each meeting. At times, the person with expertise may be a teacher who has taught the unit before, a special educator who has broadened her or his skills in technology, or a teacher who participated in a district program on creating rubrics. The process can be used with any content area subject or with some aspect of the subject area, as long as someone with expertise is present at the meetings. For example, if a school's goal is to improve test scores on open-ended state exams, then looking at student responses to open-ended questions in each subject area will address this goal.

3. Explicitly teach the process. Plan to spend the first few meetings teaching team members how to follow the protocol. We have found that having a team that has learned the protocol demonstrate how the process runs while others watch is particularly effective. If you choose to have people try the process first, the facilitator must be prepared to describe each section of the protocol and to model objective and interpretive statements for participants. It usually takes about four weeks for new teams to begin to use the process efficiently.



			1. Plan to schedule introductory meetings with school staff that describe the following: The focus of the Action Reflection Process How the work aligns with district or school goals (see Alignment Chart) How participation in the process will meet professional development goals for school staff How the process will help teachers meet the needs of students How the process documents student achievement over time The responsibility of school staff to participate, contribute student work, and document the meetings The incentives for participation The measures of accountability 2. Emphasize the flexibility of the process. The strength of the Action Reflection Process is that it can be used to meet a school's goals as long as those goals are clearly stated and the staff chosen for the team have some expertise in that area. In our work, the goal was to help students with disabilities achieve in the science curriculum. Therefore, someone with expertise in special education and someone with expertise in science were present at each meeting. At times, the person with expertise may be a teacher who has taught the unit before, a special educator who has broadened her or his skills in technology, or a teacher who participated in a district program on creating rubrics. The process can be used with any content area subject or with some aspect of the subject area, as long as someone with expertise is present at the meetings. For example, if a school's goal is to improve test scores on open-ended state exams, then looking at student responses to open-ended questions in each subject area will address this goal. 3. Explicitly teach the process. Plan to spend the first few meetings teaching team members how to follow the protocol. We have found that having a team that has learned the protocol demonstrate how the process runs while others watch is particularly effective. If you choose to have people try the process first, the facilitator must be prepared to describe each section of the protocol and to model objective and interpretive statements for participants. It usually takes about four weeks for new teams to begin to use the process efficiently.

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