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Identifying a Question . Making Action Research Meaningful. Classroom. Your Classroom & the World Around It. Class size ELL students’ difficulties Poor reading skills Underprepared students Disruptive behavior Gang activity in neighborhood. Lack of funding for materials/equipment
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Identifying a Question Making Action Research Meaningful
Classroom Your Classroom & the World Around It
Class size ELL students’ difficulties Poor reading skills Underprepared students Disruptive behavior Gang activity in neighborhood Lack of funding for materials/equipment Children not getting along Mandated curriculum Lack of parent support Students’ indifference to learning Problems Affecting Learning In Your Classroom
Classroom Where are these problems relative to your classroom?Inside?Outside?Activity 1
Can You Solve the Problems Outside Your Classroom? • ALL questions must originate IN your classroom. • ALL questions must address issues that are within your power to change. • ALL questions must remain connected to your classroom. So, how do you get to your question?
Classroom “Inhabitants” • The Teacher • The Students • The Curriculum
L Where Learning Occurs
Where Questions Reside • That critical intersection of teacher, students, and curriculum (where learning occurs) is where you will find your questions. • They arise from an awareness that something is missing—a gap between what you have and what you want. • They address your need to close that gap.
Formulating a Question • TFQ: Teacher’s First Question • Why don’t my students like writing? • ARV: Action Research Version of the question • How can I change their attitudes? • H/SV: Version of the question when you have a hypothesis and/or strategy. • What happens to student attitudes about writing when I allow free topic choices? View This as a Continuum TFQ ARV H/SV
AIM for the H/SV • H/SV: Version of the question when you have a hypothesis and/or strategy. • What happens to X when I do Y? • X = the problem you want to solve or your goal • Y = your strategy
L Deconstructing the Question What happens to student attitudes about writing when I allow free topic choices? The students’ needs, relative to the curriculum, and the teachers’ challenge to meet those needs are explicit in the question. Activity 2
Additional Guidelines:Your Question Should Be • One that has not already been answered by you or someone else. • A higher level question which gets at explanations, reasons, relationships. • Open ended, not Yes-No. • One that includes you and your teaching practices. • Manageable, concise, do-able. • Written in everyday language, not jargon. • Close to your own practices and under your control. • Related to something you feel passionate about; meaningful to you. • Subject to change as your research progresses. By Gerry Pionessa
L But Most Importantly, Your Question is . . . Centered at the convergence of • teacher • students • curriculum WHERE LEARNING OCCURS