Action Research Spreading English Knowledge in Ecuador

 

Monique N. Simpson  Ibarra, Ecuador

TODAY'S AGENDA: 

ò Review Steps of Action Research

ò Discuss Potential Topics

ò Group Work – Brainstorming on Topic Ideas

ò Follow-up meeting & Team Support

+

Action Research: How to conduct a study in your own classroom to shape best practices in English Ali Cullerton, Ph.D.

Resources

“Action Research”

The Center for Technology in Education (CTE)

Johns Hopkins University

cte@jhu.edu

What is Action Research?

ò  Action Research is a form of disciplined inquiry that impacts directly on a teacher's practice and empowers them to renew their classrooms and promote instructional improvement. (Glanz, 1991)

ò  Action Research is a form of self-reflective inquiry (Kemmis, 1983)

ò  Action Research is the systematic study of attempts to improve educational practice by groups of participants by means of their own

practical actions and by means of their own reflection upon the effects of those actions. (Ebbutt, 1985)

ò  Action Research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for Action Research is to assist the "actor" in improving and/ or refining his or her actions. (Sagor, 2000)

Action Research , The Center for Technology in Education (CTE), Johns Hopkins University

+What IS Action Research?

Often Qualitative

Intended to assist the “actor” in improving his or her actions

Non experimental

Teachers researching their own classrooms

Relevant to participants

+Goals and Purposes of Teacher Research

Professional engagement of

teachers

It can contribute to improving teaching

or instruction

Helps teacher make informed decisions on how to improve

teaching or instruction

Offers a different, less removed point of

view for research

Building the reflective practitioner

Make progress on school-wide

priorities

Build professional cultures

Benefits for PUCE-SI

Instructors

ò  Help PUCE-SI improve its standing in academia

ò  Receive an extra point in yearly work evaluation

ò  International conference presentations (scholarships)

ò  The start of something bigger (PhD, proper research, book or chapter in a book, teacher trainer, etc.)

ò  ????????

+Phases of Study

Select a focus

Clarify theories

Identify research questions

Literature review Collect data Analyze data

Report results

Take informed

action

A.R. STEPS

ò  Step 1 : Identifying issues and developing questions

ò  Step 2 - Learning more about your issue (Lit Review)

ò  Step 3 - Developing a strategy for your study (Intervention)

ò  Step 4 - Gathering and analyzing data

ò  Step 5 - Taking action and sharing your results

ò  Step 6 - Personal Reflection

Action Research , The Center for Technology in Education (CTE), Johns Hopkins University

How do I begin the Action Research?

Guiding Questions or "Things to think about when beginning an Action Research project "

Guiding Questions

ò  What do you want to LEARN as a result of this activity? 

ò  What ISSUE are you going to explore? 

ò  What do you want to CHANGE? 

ò  What STRATEGY will you use to gather information before and during the

study?

ò  What kind of ANALYSIS will you do to find out if things have changed?

ò  Did anything change as a result of your INTERVENTION?

How do you know?

Action Research , The Center for Technology in Education (CTE), Johns Hopkins University

WHAT ARE SOME PROBLEMS IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM FOR: 1.   EFL TEACHERS 

2.   ECUADORIAN STUDENTS 

DISCUSSION

•  LACK OF MOTIVATION •  RUN-ON SENTENCES/

OVERUSAGE OF COMMAS •  STANDARD ACADEMIC ESSAY  •  CRITICAL THINKING •  SPEAKING TOO MUCH IN

SPANISH

PROBLEMS = RESEARCH

INDIVIDUAL WORK

•  LOOK AT YOUR WORKSHEET,

“Step 1 : Identifying issues

and developing questions”

•  COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET INDIVIDUALLY

•  THEN SHARE YOUR ANSWERS WITH A SMALL GROUP OF AT LEAST THREE (3) PEOPLE

SHARING IS CARING

WHAT WERE SOME COMMON THEMES FROM THE WORKSHEET?

COLLABORATION

MAKE A NOTE OF PEOPLE WHO HAD SIMILAR CONCERNS/IDEAS AS YOU

BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CONDUCT AN ACTION

RESEARCH WITH A PARTNR

+Select a Focus

What element of your practice or what aspect of student learning do

you wish to investigate?

Reflect on identifying a topic that is worthy of

your time.

+Example Problem

! I see my students using the English in the classroom, but I’d like for them to speak more. Also, I’m not sure exactly what purposes they have for speaking and I think if I know the purposes I will be able to better understand how to support oral language in the classroom.

+Identify Research Questions

Once you have clarified your focus,

develop a set of research questions to

guide the inquiry.

RQ must be focused (not too general), informed, clearly

framed and manageable

RQ is significant, the value of the answer obtained is likely to justify the effort and

resources that go into addressing it

RQ must be motivating, or

personally meaningful

+Example Focus

RQ: How do students use oral language in an English language

classroom?

RQ: Why do students use oral language in an English language

classroom?

A Good A.R. Question:

ò  Gets at explanations, reasons, relationships.

ò  "How does....?"

ò  ”What happens when....?"

ò  Is manageable and can be completed.

ò  Provides you an opportunity to stretch.

ò  Provides a deeper understanding of the topic and is meaningful to you.

Action Research , The Center for Technology in Education (CTE), Johns Hopkins University

Sample Research Questions:

ò  How can I make students feel more comfortable working with diverse groupings of classmates?

ò  How can I more effectively facilitate independent writing in my kindergarten classroom?

ò  How does the Writing Workshop approach affect my students' writing and their feelings toward writing?

ò  What classroom strategies are effective in developing student self-evaluation of their learning?

PARTNER WORK

ò  WORK WITH A PARTNER TO CREATE POTENTIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS FROM YOUR “STEP 1” WORKSHEET

ò  IT IS NOT IMPORTANT THAT THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY RESEARCH. YOU WANT TO GET PRACTICE CREATING QUESTIONS.

WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP?

ò  PARTNER: YOU WILL NEED TO FIND A PARTNER TO CONDUCT A RESEARCH WITH

ò  FOLLOW-UP: IN TWO (2) WEEKS, MAFER WANTS US TO MEET-UP AGAIN

ò  TASK:

ò  CREATE A RESEARCH QUESTION WITH A PARTNER

ò  COMPLETE “Action Research Project Planner” WORKSHEET

ò  REVIEW THE ENTIRE PPPT AND DOCUMENT ABOUT CONDUCTING AN ACTION RESEARCH

QUESTIONS?

RESOURCES:

ò  Alexis 'Ali' Cullerton Carella, Ph.D.

English Language Fellow with Georgetown University and the U.S. State Department at Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano in Loja, Ecuador from 2014-2015.

www.alexiscullerton.com

Center For Collaborative Action 

http://ccar.wikispaces.com/Action+Research

PPT available at SlideShare – Monique Senseii