St.+Andrew,+Drexel+Hill

//**Saint Andrew School in Drexel Hill is teaching the 21st Century Learner!**//
Helen McLean serves as Principal and PLP Community Leader Administrator.

Karen Tomasetti teaches 6th and 7th grades.

Marijo Tomasetti teaches first grade.

Kathy Huff is the pre-school and technology teacher for grades K-3 and will act as team leader for our group.

Stefanie Wetzel teaches 5th, 7th, and 8th grades.

**Action Research Project - Template**
//We want to be able to share and post your Action Research Projects on the PLP website so that others may learn from you. We want to brag on you! We will be making web pages from these projects, so to make the projects a little more uniform and easier to flip through we are asking that you fill out this form. Don't worry - it's not nearly as daunting as it looks. This is meant to be a snapshot of your project with artifacts and links should a reader wish to dig deeper into your research.//

//For your convenience we have copied and pasted this information into your school's team page. Please delete the directions that are *in asterisks* once you are finished.//

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**Team Members: Karen Tomasetti, Marijo Tomasetti, Stefanie Wetzel, Kathy Huff** =====

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**Abstract: How does the teacher's emotional intelligence affect classroom atmosphere increasing positive student behavior and performance?** =====

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The results of our 2009-2010 academic year's "We Teach We Learn" surveys prompted us to explore the issue of emotional intelligence in the classroom. Survey responses strongly indicated a disconnect between what the faculty and students perceived relating to relationship (faculty awareness of the "whole" child, i.e., students' interests, activities, etc.). Additionally, the need for professional development //re:// personal evaluation and possible strategies to deal with an increasingly diverse student body has become evident. As a result, we chose to launch an ongoing professional emotional intelligence development project with the long-term objective of evaluating and improving the relationships between faculty and students, among the faculty, and fostering increased student achievement and positive behavior.=====

**Problem, Issue, or Possibility**

 * Problem**: The effect of a teacher's emotional intelligence on student achievement and behavior.
 * Issue**: The identified need to improve classroom relations and boost achievement by improving faculty emotional intelligence.
 * Possibility**: Long-term benefits to include: increased faculty awareness of self and how they deal with emotionally-charged situations; increased individual discussion between administration and faculty; more pro-social interactions in the classroom; higher student achievement.

**Objectives and Assessment**
By increasing faculty emotional intelligence, we hope to model more pro-social behavior for students, foster their developing self-esteem, and ultimately decrease bullying issues among peers. Each trimester, anonymous student surveys will be used to assess these issues. The faculty will respond to reflective questions posted in a Ning by administration to spark conversations and utilize Web 2.0 technology. Moreover, the surveys will be used as an ongoing discussion/professional development tool between administration and individual faculty members.

**Implementation Plan**

 * Faculty presentation in June - Pecha Kucha
 * Required faculty goal setting and a second viewing of Pecha Kucha in August
 * Faculty support/outside sources/training/partnering
 * Student surveys conducted each trimester
 * Ongoing professional discussion via GoogleDocs and Ning

**Evaluation and Results**
This project will be launched in June, 2011 and fully implemented throughout the 2011-2012 academic year.

**Artifacts and Documentation**
 * Pecha Kucha and student surveys will be available for review on the Wiki
 * A Wiki hyperlink will be added to this location in the near future