What are the benefits of action research? What experiences do you have conducting research that could help you in this process? What questions do you have?
The benefits of action research vary greatly depending on who is conducting the study. Action research could produce benefits for a single classroom teacher, a collaborative group of teachers, a school-wide team, or a district-wide initiative. According to Eileen Ferrance, author of the "Action Research" brochure, the overall purpose of action research is for participants to examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using techniques of research. Some of the benefits I hope to reap as an individual teacher are: improvement of students' reading and writing skills, acquisition of additional strategies and techniques for effective teaching, and an overall sense of accomplishment for both the students and myself.
For the purposes of the EDCS 480 course and my own Action Research Project (which will focus on technology integration) I will work as an individual teacher and focus on a single issue within my classroom. The cycle of action research is key to measuring the success of the project and for promoting a positive change in the learning environment. The constant rotation of the five phases of inquiry: identification of the problem, collection and organization of data, interpretation of data, action based on data, and reflection is an invaluable, ongoing tool that is designed to focus on improvement rather than simply what is "wrong." Ferrance states, "Action research is not about learning why we do certain things, but rather how we can do things better. It is about how we can change our instruction to impact students."
I have not yet had any formal experience with action research. I can say that I have collected a range of data in my classroom, including: journals, checklists, surveys, tests, self-assessments, and lots of samples of student work. I can also say that the method of an action research project reminds me strongly of the purposes of the PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) at our school and the process that we are currently exploring this year. I am looking forward to seeing the changes that will occur in my classroom through my own action research project.
Some of the questions I have about action research are:
1. Would there be a benefit to working with an outside agency as an individual classroom teacher? (For example, we are currently working with Edison Learning in our school.)
2. How long is the action research process? Is there ever a definitive end?
3. Could you have more than one action research project going simultaneously? (Individual project and collaborative project, perhaps?)
Stephen Corey, one of the first to use action research in education summed it up perfectly, "The disposition to study the consequences of our own teaching is more likely to change and improve our practices than is reading about what someone else has discovered of his teaching."
NIce post. I think action research provides teachers with the credibility that the public craves. It is one thing to say that something is true based on a feeling, but it is another thing to have emphatic proof.
ReplyDeleteThanks Noel! I believe you are correct in saying that with action research, teachers can achieve that validation through data that the public demands. I always point out to my students that I don't simply wake up in the morning and say, "Hmmm, I FEEL like teaching poetry today!" The thing that I am most excited about is the fact that I can CHANGE my teaching and see results! I think that sometimes teachers (including myself) become comfortable in teaching something the same way, year after year. It is an eye-opener to realize that as students learning styles change, instruction must change as well! Thanks again for your thoughts. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat questions! I think as teachers we are always questioning and reflecting our practice in may ways. You could have many projects going simultaneously but I would try and focus on one area that would help maximize your learning about your teaching and student learning rather than try and do too many at once:).
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