Fostering Curriculum Development through

Action Research

Laura ShierCurriculum Development Specialist

Leslie SiebertClassroom Practitioner

Portland State University – Portland, OR

Workshop Overview

Discussion of making changes Problem solve in small groups

our problem; brainstorm possible solutions; discuss resistors

Discuss the benefits of collaborative action research as a framework for facilitating change

Detail how we re-imagined our curriculum using collaborative action research

Brainstorm the design and implementation of action research projects in small groups

Debrief

Re-imagining Curriculum

“It is not necessary to change.  Survival is not mandatory.” 

~W. Edwards Deming

“Any change, even a change for the better, is accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”

~Arnold Bennett

Our Program and Our Problem

Our Program:university ESL programskill-based with six levelsdoubled in size in four years

Our Problem: Some students were not demonstrating knowledge of

target grammar Teachers were worried about students being promoted in

writing without having the grammar skills Teachers felt unclear about to what extent they should hold

Ss accountable for grammar in non-grammar classes

Small Group Work

What ideas do you have about how to solve our problem?

What kinds of resistors might you expect to encounter?

Our Problem: Students were not passing grammar class but passing

writing class Teachers were worried about students being promoted in

writing without having the grammar skills Teachers felt unclear about to what extent they should hold

Ss accountable for grammar in non-grammar classes

Your Ideas

Our Solution

Combine grammar and writing classes…

How?

Resistors to Change

Too hasty Time -need to research it (but who has time?) Exclusion Permanence of change – what if it’s a mistake? Loss of identity

“If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change.  If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change.”

  ~John A. Simone, Sr.

The Action Research Process

Problem-focused Practice-based Reflective in a

structured way Practical in its

outcome Cyclical and

interrelated

Identify Problems/Issues

Ask Questions

ACTION RESEARCH

Collect andInterpret Data

Reflect

Act on Evidence

Collaborative Action Research

encourages instructors and administrators to share common problems and to work cooperatively as a research community

utilizes group-problem solving and harnesses collective pressure as a means to open up policies and practices

collaborative action is empowering and offers a strong framework for program-wide change

Managing Change and Collaborative Action Research Intersect

Managing Change

Focus on the problem

Allow for transitions

Implement change collaboratively

Collaborative Action Research

Identify problems Ask questions Observe and collect

data Reflect and analyze

Make changes and/or adjust the questions for further

research

Collaborative Action Research Fosters Change by:

Focusing on the problem Being inclusive Allowing for greater time in transition Change needn’t be permanent Providing time for major resistors to

redefine/refocus identities

Steps in a Collaborative Action Research Project Identify the Problem

What area are we going to investigate? Why are we engaging in this action research? What is the precise question we are going to ask ourselves within that area? What is the likely outcome of the research, as we intend it?

Gather Data What techniques will we use?

Interpret Data How will we analyze and identify important elements or themes?

Act on Evidence How will we feed back into practice what we interpret and develop? How will we know when the research cycle is finished?

Evaluate Results Will we be able to determine if improvement has occurred? If improvement has occurred, do the data clearly provide the supporting

evidence?

Identifying the Problem: What are we going to investigate?

Grammar and writing classes Initially Beginning through Intermediate levels

“If you want to truly understand something, try to change it.”

~Kurt Lewin

Identifying the Problem: Why are we engaging in this action research?

To improve students’ accuracy of grammar in writing. This includes production of grammatical and syntactical elements appropriate to the task and level of language.

To recognize if the grammar focused on in each level is appropriate to the students’ level of language production, and whether production of the structures is important at that level or the knowledge of it is important at that level for later production.

Identifying the Problem: What is the precise question we are going to ask ourselves within that area?

Will combining grammar and writing courses into an 8-hour class improve students’ production of grammar structures appropriate to the level and writing task?

“After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully.  After five years, look at it with suspicion.  And after ten years, throw it away and start all over.”

~Alfred Edward Perlman, New York Times

Identifying the Problem: What is the likely outcome of the research as we intend it?

Combining grammar and writing courses will result in better alignment of the curriculum objectives for these courses, resulting in more effective pedagogy, resulting in more accuracy in students’ writing and use of grammar.

How we Conducted the Research

Combine grammar and writing courses into an 8-hour course taught by one instructor Phase One: Fall term – all level E grammar and

writing courses would be combined; Phase Two: Winter term – all level E and 2

grammar and writing courses would be combined; Phase Three: Spring Term – all level E, 2, and 3

grammar and writing courses would be combined.

Resources Needed to Conduct the Research

Instructors Students Applied Linguistics – MA TESOL Students and

Professors? Classroom labs for recording .17 release time (money) estimated at:

Phase One (level E)– 3 instructors x .17 FTE =. 5 FTE Phase Two (level 2) – 4 instructors x .17 FTE = .66 FTE Phase Three level 3)– 5 instructors x .17 FTE = .83 FTE

Gathering Data: Our Techniques

Audio and visual recordings (in our lab school)

Audio journals after each recorded class

Written diaries/journals (these were regular dated accounts of activities / events, feelings, reflections, etc.)

Weekly meeting discussions

Surveys (mostly attitudinal responses)

Documents Students’ written work

(scanned to accompany the visual recording)

Lesson plans Classroom materials

Interpreting the Data: Things to Keep in Mind

Through systematic observing and reflecting: patterns or themes emerge from the data statements about the meaning or impact of those

patterns can be made more informed applications of practice are

discovered*Keep in mind that action research is reflexive (it’s

okay to go back and forth)

Refocusing/Fine-Tuning: As we proceed with the research, do we suppose we will have to rethink our original question?

Yes.

Address the issue of aligning the curriculum for production of grammar versus introduction of grammar points

Setting up a Collaborative Action Research Project

Purpose (Why are we engaging in this action research?) Topic (What area are we going to investigate?) Focus (What is the precise question we are going to ask

ourselves within that area?) Product (What is the likely outcome of the research, as we

intend it?) Mode (How are we going to conduct the research?) Resources (What are the resources, both human and material,

that we can call upon to help complete the research?) Refocusing/Fine-tuning (As we proceed with the research, do

we suppose we will have to rethink our original question?)

Taken from Action Research for Language Teachers by Michael J. Wallace, Cambridge University Press