Collaborative Professional Enquiry Regarding Lack Of Social Skills Essay Example

to a student who assists younger peers in academic and social learning situations, as defined by our schools. This type of support is considered cross-age "peer assisting," where older students help younger ones. The term "peer assisting" encompasses various forms of peer tutoring in small groups, as well as one-to-one mentoring situations (Miller, 2002).and considers "buddying" to be an "overlap" of these two activities. Our S4 scholars will be "assisting" the class instructor with a small group of S1 scholars in class. They will have a specific mentorship role. During less formal times such as break and lunchtime, they will be assigned tasks to help their younger peers in the social setting. Within the school and for the purposes of this study, they will be referred to as "brothers". The reason for conducting this study is that in a previous investigation, cross-age peer-assisted learning with S3 students mentoring S1 scholars in physical education demonstrated a significant improvement in the learning outcomes of the S1 students. Throughout the study, it was observed in my Learning Journal that several staff members noticed positive behavioral traits exhibited by the S3 students in both formal and informal school settings (Riach, 2008-09). This led me to question whether there were any social benefits for the S3 students in being mentors. This inquiry is the motivation for the subsequent investigation. The problem being addressed is related to social skills and behavior. There is a recognized issue with behavior in our school, as stated in the School Development Plan for 2009-10. Evidence of this problem can be seen through the use of "Behavior Sheets" and "Behavior Points". Behavior Sheets are written by

staff members when negative incidents occur at school, and Behavior Points are awarded to students who demonstrate good academic and/or social achievements.The discipline report from the authorities, titled "Better Behaviour - Better Learning: Report of the Discipline Task Group" (Scots Executive, 2001), states that students with behavioral issues are often the least understood and liked among those with special educational needs. The report emphasizes that children who either act out or withdraw may have barriers to learning that need to be addressed (Scots Executive, 2001). Our school's records show that some of our students exhibit behavior that leads to a decrease in Behavioral Points and an increase in Behavioral Sheets. However, there are also students who exhibit withdrawn behavior and receive full points or minimal Behavioral Sheets. Our school supports the findings of the Task Group and is committed to implementing the recommendations of "Personal Support for Pupils in Scots Schools" (HMIE, 2004). These recommendations highlight the importance of promoting positive behavior in students and recognizing it as an individual achievement that reflects the overall ethos of the school (School Development Plan, 2009-10; Cluster Improvement Plan 2008-10).The commitment to improving scholars' behavior is evident in our School Development Plan (2009-10), where we discuss various methods such as implementing programs to enhance social skills in relevant curricular areas and establishing a formal peer support system. Additionally, we aim to further develop and support peer mentoring, providing opportunities for collaborative work among students (School Development Plan, 2009-10: 21). These actions align with Topping's belief that simply addressing disruptive behavior leads only to short-term improvements (Topping, 1983: 111). We strongly believe that scholars with behavioral issues require specific

social skills training, which should be reinforced within the school environment in order to achieve long-term behavioral changes. We agree that by doing so, we will also witness improvements in other aspects of our scholars' lives, leading to lasting transformations (Frostad and Pijl, 2007; Topping, 1983). As Spence (2003: 84) acknowledges, many emotional and behavioral problems stem from deficits in social skills. Our school's mission statement is centered around aiding young individuals in developing confidence, respect, and lifelong skills (School Development Plan, 2009-10).When discussing our mission statement, it became evident that we recognized the connection between societal achievements and proper behavior as an important life skill for our students. This aligns with the principles of the "Curriculum for Excellence" (CfE), which promotes the four capacities: Responsible Citizen, Successful Learner, Confident Individual, and Effective Contributor. These capacities indicate that cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of learning are essential for an effective curriculum that allows students to participate in society effectively (Scots Government, 2008). The CfE supports the notion that each student is entitled to receive education in what it terms "pre-vocational skills." The vision is for these skills to be integrated throughout the curriculum, particularly within the "Health and Wellbeing" experiences and outcomes, which also include Guidance (Scots Government, 2008).

When reviewing the approaches and effectiveness of Guidance systems in Scottish schools, it was found that "peer counseling" was one of the methods adopted to support the social and emotional development of students (Scots Government, 2005). One specific strategy under this umbrella was the implementation of "Buddy Schemes." It was discovered that 85% of local authorities had schools engaging in these programs.The overall evaluation suggested that

there should be further assessment of the results to determine the effectiveness of the strategies within each school (Scots Government, 2005). Recently, schools have been provided with literature to assist in the development of Peer Support systems, which aim to create a positive school atmosphere and reduce bullying in Scottish schools (Hendry and Mellor, 2005). However, based on the literature reviewed, it is evident that the existing peer programs in Scottish schools are mostly integrated into the mainstream system, involving cross-age mainstream students or mainstream students supporting those with disabilities (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010; Health Promoting Schools, 2010). No research has been found specifically focusing on cross-age peer programs exclusively within a specific school setting in Scotland. However, Dennison (2000) implemented her "Large Buddies" program in a school in the USA to support the "at-risk" or "school drop-out" segment of her school's community.In Dennison's literature review, Diver-Stamnes (1991) points out that peer assisting plans have also benefited the assistant. Additionally, Diver-Stamnes recognizes that peer mentors and coaches experienced increased self-esteem and improved academic outcomes after participating in buddy programs. The literature also revealed that mentors became more interested in the needs of others after receiving training and engaging in buddying. Although this example is not directly related to the acquisition of social skills in students, it seems reasonable to assume that the behavioral and attitudinal changes achieved by Dennison's program could support the intervention we are planning. After considering the literature and the perceived needs of our students, it is proposed that we can advance the learning of social skills by S4 students. The success of the intervention will be evaluated through reflections from

colleagues and students involved, as well as through the examination of behavioral changes in S4 students (Burton and Bartlett, 2005). In terms of ethical values, it is crucial to practice good ethical standards when conducting research. Therefore, the team has been informed about the BERA Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (BERA, 2004). The head teacher has previously given verbal consent for the inquiry to proceed.Before proceeding with the pilot intervention, I explained the purpose and methods of the inquiry to the students in a language appropriate for them. The students had the option to not have their work or comments used if they chose. A letter was also sent to the parents/caregivers of the students, informing them of the pilot intervention and giving them the choice to withdraw work, comments, or results, as well as inviting any questions or concerns they had, while guaranteeing the anonymity of their children. It was also important to obtain consent from my colleagues in the collaborative group and explain the same rights to them before engaging in the inquiry.

For the main question, a feasibility study was conducted in the form of a pilot intervention. This was part of the cyclical process for the inquiry, involving a 9-week pilot intervention (3 weeks of buddy training; 6 weeks of buddying) to assess any recommended changes within this "action-reflection cycle" (McNiff and Whitehead, 2002; Bell, 1999). The collaborative group considered the possibilities and limitations that may arise and reflected on necessary adaptations before committing to methods and assessments for the main question (McNiff and Whitehead, 2002).The Buddy Training Classroom Training Lessons started with preparing the S4 brothers, adapting the program from

a mainstream example. The original program was worksheet-based, which didn't meet the needs of our students. We realized that since this was an intervention aimed at improving social skills, we should incorporate the social process from the beginning. Learning was contextualized, cooperative, and self-assessed. Based on our understanding of the S4 class, we decided that within this cooperative learning structure, role play should be the main learning strategy. This allowed for active learning, where students had time to reflect on their learning. This strategy was successful as it provided learner feedback for further development of the training program in collaboration with teachers and learning assistants.
The Playground Training Lessons for the S4s were also based on real-life situations.During the intervention, I observed in my reflective diary that in our twice weekly Buddy Guidance sessions, the S4s expressed their belief that the S1s should have been included in the playground preparation. The S4s mentioned that they found it challenging to maintain the attention of the S1s, who only had classroom preparation, due to the lack of teacher supervision in the playground (Riach, 2009-10). We have agreed with the S4s and will make adjustments for the future. The S1s will now be included in the Playground Training to enhance their knowledge of the available activities and hopefully encourage their participation. After careful consideration, it was decided that in future, the Active Schools' coordinators will collaborate with a member of the teaching staff to share knowledge (Pollard, 2006). Buddy Partnerships - S4 Partners: Each S4 student was assigned a partner to develop and work with during the next 9 weeks of the intervention. We used our professional judgment to

assess their social and behavioral needs (Brewer et al., 2003). Some of the S4s initially did not get along with their partner, but as they grew as a team, their relationship transformed (Exceeding and Ehly, 1998). As I reflected in my Learning Journal (Riach, 2009-10; 12/2/10), "they have learned to tolerate each other and collaborate, which was not evident earlier in the session."The group found that allowing S4s to choose their S1 brothers as buddies, based on the work of Byra and Marks (1993) in Ward and Lee (2005), was a sustainable method of buddy choice for future use. This decision was made to avoid any unnecessary discord that could be harmful for S1 scholars at the start of the session (Topping and Ehly, 1998).

After attending a CPD opportunity on Cooperative Learning, the group utilized their professional knowledge of the S4 class to develop a brother training program based on cooperative learning strategies. The program was created in close collaboration with the S4 class's guidance teacher. The program covered subjects such as face-to-face interaction, individual accountability, positive interdependence, collaborative/social skills, and processing (Craigen and Ward, 2009: 10).My goal in presenting the lesson was for my co-worker to gain a deeper understanding of concerted acquisition techniques and use them in her own teaching or during the buddy training program. Additionally, I learned from my co-worker's experience working with her students on role-play situations. The classroom sessions went well and no changes were necessary to their structure. Each student and teacher knew in advance which social skill the students were focusing on, and the S4 brother tasks were assigned accordingly. Visual prompts were successfully used to reinforce

the social skills over the two-week period. The idea was to place the card in front of the S4 while they buddied, as a non-verbal way to aid their understanding without disrupting the class or drawing unwanted attention to the S4. In terms of data collection, quantitative information such as behavior points and sheets are recorded by the school, making it easy to access.During the pilot study, along with reflective information, it proved valuable in determining if there was an improvement in behavior from the most "openly" challenging S4 scholars. However, it did not show a change in behavior from the more "withdrawn" scholars (Scots Executive, 2001). To ensure the validity of results, teacher/LA reflective information is needed in conjunction with summational data to provide reliability to this evidence (Burton and Bartlett, 2005; McNiff, 2002).

Before the pilot intervention began, each staff member was asked to complete a questionnaire that reflected the behavior of the entire S4 class. Upon reflection and through feedback from the staff group, it was determined that this was not a reliable way to assess the social skills of each student. For the next intervention, a sample will be taken from the S4 group and questionnaires will be issued with responses collected from individuals within this sample group (Bell, 1999; Burton and Bartlett, 2005).

Based on the pilot study, we have identified the need for two changes within this assessment.Initially, it was decided that Goldstein's acronym TOAD (Talking out of bend, Out of place, Attention, and Disrupting others) would be used to measure the societal accomplishments we were focusing on. However, we later realized that these consequences were invalid and unreliable as they

did not measure specific societal accomplishments. For the next intervention, we will adjust the behavior to be assessed to directly relate to our intended outcomes, increasing their validity and reliability. The baseline assessment will be performed by a psychology graduate who is a LA. However, based on the LA's reflections and the results, it became apparent that the behavior of the S4s changed. They were suspicious of this "alien" observing them from the back of their class. In the future, the LA assigned to the class will conduct this assessment in a less obvious and less influential manner, ensuring that the results are more valid and reliable. To gather reliable data, I discussed the analysis process with the LA and provided written instructions. I also arranged for practice sessions before recording S4 data to address any issues that arose during those sessions.The teacher used a prepared tick sheet and a "star and a wish" from the instructor for each S4 scholar attending the lesson to appraise the classroom. This appraisal method provided focus for the lesson and gave formative feedback to the students, setting goals for future lessons. The feedback was discussed during Friday counseling sessions, determining the focus for the following week. This appraisal also provided evidence of changes in social skills and showed improvement or lack thereof when compared to other data. The collaborative group meetings included discussions on this appraisal. Some colleagues who were not familiar with "A star and a wish" had the opportunity to practice and reflect on their experience through this pilot program. This reflection would then influence the intervention through feedback to the group. Upon reflection, it was

found that collecting data from peer and self-assessment was successful only if effective questioning was used by the assigned learning assistant in collecting this information.The group discussed the progress of the acquisition helper ( LA ) during the intercession and found that she became more confident and skilled, reinforcing the value of the pilot intercession in collecting valid and reliable information. We discussed appropriate questioning techniques at our meetings and I observed the LA during her initial assessment sessions to ensure thorough questioning of the learners. Due to the learners' literacy problems, the LA had to write down their remarks. Initially, we used symbols for writing, but through group discussion, we realized that this did not provide much insight into what the learner truly thought. In the future, we will use a sample of learners to gather comments from, and the LA will continue to write them down. Reflecting on our experiences through reflective diaries, we have found this to be an effective method of collecting data. It has allowed us to analyze our experiences and find ways to deal with different aspects of the intervention based on our professional judgment and the knowledge we have gained from our careers. (Coghlan and Brannick, 2010; Pollard, 2006; Sachs, 2004; Tripp, 2006).This brooding procedure will be used in conjunction with quantitative information to assist ensure consistent and valid appraisal results (Burton and Bartlett, 2005). Development of Collaborative Professional Enquiry: The school staff had limited understanding of collaboration prior to this pilot intervention. This was attributed to the school culture (Drew et al, in Reeves and Fox, 2008; MacGregor, in Bennett and Anderson: 2003). Our school had a

hierarchical leadership structure where teacher-initiated collaborative learning had little opportunity. We viewed leadership as a role designated to promoted staff members (MacGregor, in Bennett and Anderson: 2003). My colleagues and I have participated in "Teacher Working Groups" before, where a member of the management team led the group and teachers were simply group members (Hulme et al, 2009). Changing this culture within our school has been a lengthy process, contrasting with Troen and Boles' opinion (1992, in Harris and Muijs, 2005) that teachers do not subscribe to leadership positions within the organizational hierarchy.Reading current educational thought suggests that school-based professional development should prioritize collaboration for the benefit of the entire school community (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2009). Lacey (1996: 68) emphasizes the need to actively develop teachers' collaborative skills, as it is not something that naturally occurs. Collaborative working involves a set of skills and concepts that must be learned. I agree with this viewpoint, as it is often assumed that schools will automatically achieve a collaborative environment due to government directives. However, I have yet to witness professional development programs that effectively address this area. Recognizing this, the pilot program aimed to move us further along the continuum of what Wenger (1998 in Hughes, 2010) referred to as a "social process." This involved providing our group members with the opportunity to develop their individual identities within the group while still contributing as team players. To enhance our understanding of collaboration, I provided my group with short readings on establishing a community of practice.The purpose of including and their contents is to preserve the formatting of the original text.

The goal was to encourage informal

treatment and facilitate the understanding that this was not just a question for my M. Ed, but also a CPD opportunity that would benefit the school and ultimately the students (Duncombe and Armour, 2004). However, I still felt that the group was cooperating with me rather than collaborating, and I realized that sharing a few readings was just the first step in establishing effective collaborative relationships (Duncombe and Armour, 2004).

Group meetings play a crucial role in the collaborative process, but it was challenging to gather everyone together (Harris and Muijs, 2005). Initially, there were some individuals who were unwilling to attend. I approached our headteacher and she agreed to count time spent attending collaborative group meetings as part of CPD (Harris and Muijs, 2005).

This agreement allowed us to progress in developing our "group culture" and move beyond the "forming" and "storming" stages, working towards the "norming" stage of our development (Harris and Muijs, 2005; Tuckman, 1965). It was at this point that we began to demonstrate a sense of working towards a common goal, which was not always evident in the early stages of the pilot. The group now recognized that they were learning something through their collaboration, and the school would benefit from the intervention.Issues in the day-to-day operations of the school can cause problems for collaboration. School life is unpredictable, especially in a school for students with extra support needs, where daily schedules can change frequently. This can lead to delays in baseline testing and hinder students' participation in collaborative activities. The group acknowledges this and knows it will impact collaborative meetings from time to time (Street and Temperley, 2005). To overcome this,

we establish a mutually agreed-upon date for the next meeting at the end of each meeting. Minutes are taken and shared with the group, outlining agreed action points. This ensures that everyone is clear on any concerns, developments, or future plans for the intervention. The meetings have helped strengthen relationships within the group, and as the intervention progresses, I noted in my Learning Journal (Riach, 2009-10: 12/3/10) that constructive comments were made during today's meeting. We are now recognizing problems and discussing them. We have gained more experience with the S4s in our class and are also working together. I am really pleased with the atmosphere.I recognized the importance of capitalizing on this advancement by ensuring that teachers acknowledge their responsibilities and share their roles (Darling-Hammond, 1994 and Nicholls, 1997 in Duncombe and Armour, 2004:159). We could encourage each other to share our thoughts. However, the entire group did not feel the same way. Lack of trust and impartiality in the intervention caused one teacher to feel isolated from the rest of the members. Unfortunately, I was unable to resolve this issue and had to transfer a student from the teacher's class to mine. The lack of commitment was evident, and I noticed that this teacher's dissatisfaction with her professional life was negatively affecting the progress of the students and the group's cohesion (Duncombe and Armour, 2004; Jacques, 2001). Maintaining a friendly and relaxed atmosphere among the remaining group members, I believe I have fostered a positive "participation pattern," along with promoting a democratic leadership style. This approach encourages enthusiastic group discussions and ensures that the group functions in a professional and disciplined manner (Jacques,

2000).We shared our thoughts and improved our methods together, resulting in the improvement of our intervention's quality (Coghlan and Brannick, 2010). Ultimately, I believe that we all have mutual respect for one another and even though this is a new experience for all of us, the group trusts me and each other enough to contribute to the collaborative question and dedicate their time to fostering partnerships within our school. Section 3: Professional Actions. This section pertains to the following Professional Actions from "The Standard for Chartered Teacher" (Scots Government, 2009). Education and social values (PA 4.1.1): Connects practice to broader school objectives and societal values. Collaboration with and influence on colleagues (PA 4.4.1): Contributes to enhancing the educational experience provided by the school and the broader professional teaching context.This will be connected to the following Professional Values and Commitments: 1.1: Educational and social values (PVPC 1.1) 1.4: Collaboration and influence (PVPC 1.1). In this section, I will summarize what I have learned about exercising "actions" and my next steps in developing my practice. Collaboration has been challenging in setting up a collaborative team. As I will illustrate my experiences, I agree with Munn (2008: 428) when she states that collaboration requires time, effort, good communication systems, and considerable tact and diplomacy. While I initially received a positive response when asking colleagues to support the collaborative inquiry, it became apparent that there was naivety about what it meant to be a member.