Thursday, April 14, 2011

Teacher Survey

Well, the experience I had with the teacher survey was a good one.  I initially thought no one would complete it, or maybe just a few.  I was surprised how many people completed the survey and how it created some great dialogue.  I had several teachers approach me to tell me they completed the survey, and then proceeded to provide more feedback about the program in person.
I know the PD that I provided, and the handful of teachers that I have worked closely with implementing the program, but you never know for sure who will use it while you are away.  I work at 3 schools and often have team meetings, so I am not always around.  It was great to see that many teachers are using the program and are very happy with the results.  It was also interesting to see how teachers that were provided the same PD used the program in different ways.
I decided to use Survey Monkey to stay consistent with what I have been using for the last two years.  Any time that I needed to collect data or use a small survey I have used Survey Monkey.  I knew teachers would be familiar with the style and format.  I also didn’t want to go over ten questions as I thought the more questions, the less answers I would receive.
My original survey was sent out as a link in an e-mail.  I explained that I just wanted some feedback about the WiggleWorks program, successes and roadblocks, that all answers would be anonymous; their participation/time/feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I know how I usually feel about surveys, well at least up until our last 809 class J  I have learned that communication is very important when administering a survey.  If participants have a better understanding why the information is being collected, they may take more time or be more honest when completing them. 
Here is a copy of the survey; again, the one I passed out to teachers was via e-mail, using Survey Monkey.
1.     Do you use WiggleWorks in your classroom?  (Resources, on the SMARTboard, etc.)
Yes ___       No ___
2.    Do your students use WiggleWorks in the computer lab?
Yes ___       No ___

3.    Do you think there was enough PD provided for WiggleWorks?
Yes ___       No ___

4.    Do you find the resource box helpful?  If so, what do you use?
No ___
Yes ___
Books ___
Audio Books ___
Teacher Plan/Resource binder ___

5.    Is there a reason you are not using WiggleWorks in your classroom or in the computer lab?

6.    If you have been using WiggleWorks, what part do you use most?
Read ___
Read Aloud ___
Write ___
My Book ___
Magnet Board ___

7.     What part of WiggleWorks have your student been using most?
Read ___
Read Aloud ___
Write ___
My Book ___
Magnet Board ___

8.     Do you think WiggleWorks provided student engagement?
Yes ___
No ___
9.     Do you agree with the following statement:
"WiggleWorks combines powerful technology with leveled books and instructional materials to develop reading, writing, and language skills necessary for future reading success. This proven effective program helps teachers scaffold instruction and advance all primary students toward reading independence."

Yes ___
No ___

10.  If you have been using WiggleWorks, will you continue to use it in the future?
N/A ___
Yes ___
No ___
Other than feedback about the program, I was also able to find out that most teachers (or at least the ones who came to talk to me) found the survey ‘short and sweet.’  They said that if it was any longer they may not have completed it, just because time is always an issue.  I also thought it was interesting that most teachers said they would rather explain their problems (especially dealing with technology) to a person and not to have to write it out on a survey.

I know I have gained some valuable knowledge regarding the WiggleWorks program and surveys by doing this assignment.  I also know that even though my initial survey had about 20 questions (almost double!), these 10 questions gave me the information I needed.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you that 10 questions or under for a staff survey is important Lisa. My staff hardly have the time or attention span lately to much more than that.

    My survey was similar to yours on several layers. I also included areas for explanation in many of my yes/no questions that provided staff an opportunity to provide some narrative data too.

    Great job!

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  2. Thanks Lisa :)
    I did revise my survey a bit, just to offer teachers more variety in the questions I was answering. I actually found by changing my questions, I got more information.
    I like how you gave an area for explanation with yes/no questions....great idea!!

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