Action Research in Practice: Enhancing Student Learning

by Mrs. Viola Buck

At GESM, we are proud to support our teachers who are continuing their professional growth through further studies. As part of their coursework, some are conducting Action Research, a process similar to the IB’s Program Development Planning (PDP), which is an important aspect of the IB Evaluation Visit.

Currently, three of our teachers are engaged in this endeavor:

• Mr. Jonas Mathiessen - bringing in modem approaches to teaching and learning in DaF Primary

• Ms. Christina Bartges – enhancing our DaF (German as a Foreign Language) program by developing a PYP linked Scope and Sequence

• Ms. Rebecca Gillen – focusing on strategies to strengthen our Math program through understanding short-term and working memory

Recently, Ms. Gillen led a professional development session for the English Primary team, where she shared insights on how student learning can be improved through consistent drills and practice. She used a relatable analogy: imagine placing your car keys in a different spot each time you arrive home, the chances of misplacing them are far greater than if you regularly put them in the same place. In the same way, with regular routines and repetition, students can more easily strengthen their memory, master essential skills, and consistently “find” the right answers, just as one would always know where to locate their keys.

Her research will specifically explore ways to enhance our students’ proficiency in the four basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. With data collection underway, we look forward to seeing how this program will positively impact student learning.

We wish our teachers all the best as they lead this important work, and we thank all our teachers who continue to grow as learners themselves for the benefit of our students.