Action Research

An action research/divisional implementation team from every Manitoba school division, participated in action research starting in 2005-06 and supported implementation in their school division.

Teams were composed of at least one early years teacher, one middle years teacher and one school leader. Many teams also included consultants, additional teachers, teacher-librarians and school leaders. Each team would engage in action research to build capacity for their role as members of their own school division’s implementation team and to explore the following inquiry questions:

What are the most meaningful ways that ICT can be infused into learning environments to extend critical and creative thinking?
How can teachers use the LwICT continuum to plan and shape classroom learning experiences that enhance literacy with ICT?
How can teachers use the continuum to portray an accurate image of each student’s literacy with ICT?
How can students self-assess and show evidence of their literacy with ICT?
In what ways do parents need/want to be informed of their child’s literacy with ICT?
In what ways can Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum be implemented by each Manitoba school division?

The 2005-06 year of action research was organized and guided by Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning. During this time, the Department

collected feedback to improve the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT and associated assessment and reporting strategies
collected classroom-based samples of student work for teachers to examine as they implement Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum
developed snapshots of how students of all ages are literate with ICT
designed professional learning strategies and tested them face-to-face and online with teachers
developed an online, interactive representation of the continuum
set up networks of action research teams connected throughout the province
supported all school divisions as they built local capacity for the implementation of Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum

Teachers participating in the action research used the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT to plan learning experiences that would challenge students to develop and extend their critical and creative thinking skills while using ICT ethically and responsibly as they progressed through the continuum.

These teachers

participated in six days of face-to-face professional learning
engaged their students in learning experiences that develop literacy with ICT
created and shared their own strategies for developing student literacy with ICT
participated in the Literacy with ICT online learning community
helped students assemble evidence of their literacy with ICT in a portfolio of learning
used the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT to create profiles that show how individual students demonstrate their literacy with ICT
assessed and reported on student literacy with ICT
built capacity as members of their school division’s implementation team for Literacy with ICT