I have been working hard to prepare for data collection and analysis this week. First off, I have been pouring over my new Brain Gym teacher’s edition book and I have been working hard to select the activities that will improve the focus and engagement if students. In addition to preparation for implementation, I also spent this week recording my students to collect comparison data. I have five engagement percentages for my students in the 10 minute period I will be collecting data for over the next few weeks after we begin doing Brain Gym activities. This practice has not only been helpful for comparison purposes, but I have also gotten used to the method I will be using to observe my students and to collect data. I have been recording each day’s observations on an individual observation data form. Additionally, my students have become used to seeing my computer recording them, and don’t really questions its presence anymore.
I have all my data collecting forms ready, the observation sheets, the surveys, and the focus group questions ready. I have become familiar with my data collection methods and I am prepared to begin Brain Gym implementation on Monday. I have already gotten my research proposal approved and I am ready to get my project going!
burns12 
Way to go on getting some baseline data! You sound so ready to go. I’m a little worried about not having enough days (with our Spring Break smack dab in the middle of data collection) and I was really hoping to have time to take a week of baseline data. But I just got my proposal approved and the timeline just doesn’t work for any baseline data. And good for you for getting the practice of taking data all the way. I plan on recording my lessons, both to do some detailed observations and as a backup in case I miss something during my “in the moment” data collection. It seems like there’s always something that comes up, right?
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There usually is! Yeah, I had to take my baseline data outside of the data collecting window because of timing issues. I really wanted to have baseline data to compare to, and I just began taking it early, hoping that my proposal got approved, which it did thankfully!
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I am glad that your computer has become “invisible” making your data collection that more authentic. I have been recording my students on my iPhone, and at first they are very conscience of it and give quick, short answers. Thankfully within minutes they usually forget it is there, and babble away!
You seem very well prepared and ready to go! Good job!
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Kids are good that way!
Thanks!
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I really like that you started taking baseline data and have gotten the students used to the recording process. It gets the quirks out of the way. That was a great idea.
I really like the way that you and several others are recording so that you don’t miss anything. I am hoping that I will not miss anything, because recording in my class just did not seem like an option to me.
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Yeah recording can be good so you don’t miss anything, but it does add more work and complicate things too. Good for you for figuring out way to collect data while you teach!
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It is great that you have such a good reference to help guide your research! I think that it is very wise of you to record daily observations already, so that the students are not distracted by what you are doing, and just focusing on the activity at hand. Great job having all of your data collection forms ready to go =) I am looking forward to seeing the data you collect!
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That’s great that you’ve gotten your students used to the video recording and they seem settled in to its presence. Here we go!!
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