Ch 3 & 4 ( Entry 6)

Narrowing your topic is one of the most important parts of Action Research. I think I have mine. However, as I proceed I may need to narrow the tpoic down more. Chapter 3 outlines the inital steps in a Action Research.1-Narrowing the topic.2-Gathering preliminary information.3-Literture Reveiw on the topic. The activity at the end of the chapter is also helpful in thinking through the process.Chapter 4 was more in-depth than Chapter 3. I am glad that the focus was explaining qualitative research. After the explanation in the chapter I understand more about how to question and gather information. I feel that this process is becoming clearing with the help of our text.

Researching ( Entry 5)

I decided to start my research by a trip to the library. I met with Michael last week during the snow days :) He was able to show me some searching methods that I was unaware of. I also taught him about action research :) After I had my refresher course I felt better about doing the actual looking for articles to use. I found four articles that I feel will be helpful to me throughout this process. It was harder for me to find a traditional article. Maybe I am tunneling on Action Research Now. I realized that the issue that I am focusing on is more common than I thought. There was an abundance of articles that were action research on reading motivation. I feel more confident about doing the action research after finding articles on the subject. These articles allowed me to view this issue as a problem that many teachers have, instead of just my problem. I look forward to designing my actual research and finding answers that will help my students.

Journals ( Entry 4)

In our reading of chapter 2, the Author discussed Field Notes. I felt that this would help me keep up with what was going on during the Action Research Plan. After reading the article on Journals , I have learned more information on journaling. Our blog is a type of journal where we are keeping our thoughts, feelings, and our understandings. I did not view scrapbooks, blogging, or even portfolios as types of journals. I learned that the type of journal that I would be keeping would be called a learning journal. The learning journal focuses on my feelings and opinions about what is occurring during the Action Research that I would be conducting. I also would not think about the ethical aspects of keeping an journal, so I will have to keep that in mind. Reading this article helped me better understand that portion of my project.

Ch 2 ( Entry 3)

At this point limiting the topic has been the hardest part for me. After completing the staging plan I felt better about my actually topic choice. Getting to write out what your concerns are helps a lot. Reading Chapter 2 was very eye opening ,once again. One part that I thought was insightful is the fact that you need to reflect after each stage and not wait until you are over with something. Another section that helped me clear up some of my questions was Step 5. Knowing what exactly is considered data collection helps me feel that this is something that I can do. One data collection method that I had not thought about on my own was the field notes. I think that it will be helpful for me to have a journal to find details about what actually numerical data can not find.Action Research is a never-ending process, but something that you can continually build on. This speaks the same as for the art of teaching. Many teachers get comfortable with a set of lesson plans and ideas. They want to teach the same thing, the same way. The Action Research methods reminds us that we must continually grow our understandings, methods, and information. To ensure that we are teaching our students to the best of our abilities we must never settle for the easy route. We must strive to learn for ourselves, so that our students will achieve. One area that I am still confused about is the developing stage. I thought you created a plan to try and that was what you collected data on. I will need more clarification with that from my professor, or classmate. Referring to question 2, on page 41, I feel that Action Research would be more feasible to conduct in small groups. If a group of teachers meet together and tried to correct an issue together I think would be more beneficial. More ideas could be brainstormed to find a solution. More people's inputs could find an answer soon and more efficiently. Overall, I feel that Action Research is a wonderful tool for in-service teachers to professionally grow.

CH 1- (Entry 2)

As I said in my last post, I am kind of weary of the term research. Learning that Action Research was geared towards education and benefits the actual classroom was helpful. As I read chapter 1, I became more aware what we were actually going to do this semester. Action research takes teaching to a higher level. It allows you to review on your teaching, the student’s learning, and what you can do to improve both. Using the scientific method, we will conduct research in our own class setting. Then with the data that we collect we improve on the area that we focused the study. As it stated in our text, there are many outsiders pointing to ways for us (teachers) to improve our classrooms. However, as each class is different the solution will be different. At my school we are currently developing curriculum maps. Although I feel that they will be helpful, I don’t think that the maps will fix all of the intended problems. Action Research would be most helpful if a certain problem was noted. If all second grade teachers would focus on one area and them compare notes on the data that we find, I feel that more decisive actions could take place. Another aspect that the Author pointed out that I found helpful was of the pre-service teacher. Since I have only been teaching for one and half years, I feel that there is a lot that I can still learn to improve my teaching. Focusing on one of my areas of concern and finding a solution will help me feel more confident in my teaching. Now that I have a better understanding of what we are to do, I will try to come up with a list of ideas to improve in my own classroom.

My past experiences with research ( Entry #1 )

Although my college career wasn't that long ago, it kind of seems so. Research was something I never felt comfortable with. Was I doing it right ? I am glad that I am going to have an opportunity to fully understand the concept of research. I hope to learn skills to help my students strengthen their proficiencies . I hope my interests spark theirs as well. I am mostly interested in reading education at this point in my career because it seems to be the road block for so many young students. I hope that I will be able to find answers for the questions I seek. Back to the research topic, I feel that this will be a challenge for me. However, I see it as a way to develop my knowledge as an educator to help students. Action research seems to be the best fit for educators. We are hands-on with our students all the time. I hope that I will be able to pick a research topic that is most feasible for my current studentsand actually improve that area. After tonight's class I feel a little differnt about the "R" term . Since this type of research is geared towards educators ,I feel like this is something I can do. Here's to research and learning !