Robert Croker NUFS Grad School

robertcroker@mac.com

What is action research?

What?

look

think do

What is action research?

What is action research?

LOOK: notice an opportunity or problem, then systematically collect information about your classroom and your students

THINK: reflect about that information - by yourself, or with your students or other teachers

DO: use these new understandings to change your teaching - this is the ACTION

What is action research?

action research

What is action research?

outcomes (to publish)

processes (to improve)

How do you do action research?

How?

look

think do

How do you do action research?

look

think do

What do you look at in the classroom?

What do you look at in the classroom?

Activities Students Students

Students Materials

Teacher

What do you look at in the classroom?

Ways to understand your classroom

ask: 　ask your students to write comments about your class

　give your students a questionnaire

　interview your students

watch:　 observe yourself and make notes / record yourself

　observe your students / record your students

　keep a ‘teaching portfolio’

read: 　get students to keep a ‘learning portfolio’

　give students ‘learning tests’

Ways to understand your classroom

Ask ask: 　ask your students to write comments about your class

　give your students a questionnaire

　interview your students

ask students to write comments about class

reflect on today’s class –or the semester!

ask students to answer a questionnaire

English

or 日本語?

what language should students write in?

interview some of the students

ask some students to do a ‘think-aloud’

Ways to understand your classroom

Watch watch:　 observe yourself and make notes

　observe your students

　record yourself / record your students

observe yourself and make short notes

make notes about your class

Lesson Plans (before class)

Comments (in class)

Reflections (after class)

1.

2.

3.

observe your students

observe some students only …

… or observe the whole class

make notes about your class and students

Lesson Plans / Tasks Notes about the Class Notes about Student 1 Notes about Student 2

1.

2.

3.

make audio or visual recordings

take pictures of your white board

take pictures of your white board

take pictures of your class

take pictures of your class activities

keep a teaching portfolio

Ways to understand your classroom

Read read: 　get students to write a language learning history

　get students to keep a ‘learning portfolio’

　give students ‘learning tests’

ask students to write a learning history

ask students to keep a learning portfolio

give students ‘learning tests’

Ways to understand your classroom

ask: 　ask your students to write comments about your class

　give your students a questionnaire

　interview your students

watch:　 observe yourself and make notes / record yourself

　observe your students / record your students

　keep a ‘teaching portfolio’

read: 　get students to keep a ‘learning portfolio’

　give students ‘learning tests’

Ways to understand your classroom

Triangulation

look

think do

How do you think about your classroom?

Ways to think about your classroom

write: 　reflect about your lesson plans

　write structured and unstructured reflections

　keep a teaching journal

analyze:　analyze the information that you have created

talk: 　talk with a friend or colleague

present:　make presentations here at NUFS or at conferences

　write up your research for the NUFS report

Ways to understand your classroom

Write write: 　reflect about your lesson plans

　reflect about your class – unstructured and structured

　keep a teaching journal

reflect about your lesson plans

Lesson Plans (before class)

Comments (in class)

Reflections (after class)

1.

2.

3.

reflect about your class –unstructured reflection

Note: Just write generally about how your feel the class went, and note any ideas that you have. You could look at your class notes as you do this.

Example: Today’s class went well. I was feeling relaxed, and fully prepared. All of the students had done their homework, so we could start the speaking activity immediately …..

reflect about your class –structured reflection

Note: You could write your answers to a list of questions.

Example questions:

What went well in the class today?

What didn’t go well?

What will I do differently next time?

What did I learn about my students?

What did I learn about my teaching?

reflect about your class –structured reflection

keep a reflective journal

Ways to understand your classroom

Analyze steps:　manage your data

display your data

analyze your data

steps in analyzing your data

manage display analyze

Ways to check and develop your ideas

Talk

talk: 　talk with a friend or colleague

talking helps you to check in with reality!

talk with a friend or colleague

check back with your teaching portfolio

look again at the pictures of your class

Ways to share your ideas and get feedback

Present

present:　make presentations here at NUFS or at conferences

　tell your colleagues what you’re learning

make presentations here at NUFS

write up your action research into a report

Why do action research?

outcomes

processes

look

think do

How do you think about your classroom?

How do you do action research?

not researching ON students …

but researching WITH students …

and researching about YOURSELF

Ways to understand your classroom

Analyze steps:　manage your data

display your data

analyze your data

steps in analyzing your data

manage display analyze

managing your data

write research numbers eg S1Q1, S1Int1

keep different data in separate folders

make photocopies – and store originals

displaying and analyzing numerical data

displaying data: summarize on a master sheet

do quickly as soon as possible

create simple visual graphs

use simple charts to help you understand your data

Pie graph – shows proportions (few groups)

Time in Class

Listening

Reading

Writing

Sleeping

Bar chart –shows many groups of data

0  

10  

20  

30  

40  

50  

60  

70  

80  

90  

1970 1980 1990 2000

Changes in U.S. Family Structure,1970-2000

2 parents

mother

father

no adult

Line graph – shows changes over time

0  

10  

20  

30  

40  

50  

60  

70  

80  

90  

1970 1980 1990 2000

Changes in U.S. Family Structure, 1970-2000

2 parents

mother

father

no adult

displaying and analyzing numerical data

analyzing data: descriptions – describe basic facts

comparisons – compare groups of information

relationships – explain relationships

displaying and analyzing textual data

displaying data:

number each piece of text

cut each piece out, ready for analysis analyzing data:

put data in groups

label each group, and write a description

first cycle: from text to groups

first

step

• grouping the data

second

step

• labeling the groups

third

step

• defining the groups

first step: grouping data

first step: grouping data

• It’s easy!

• Group data together that is similar …

• … and separate data that is different.

second step: labeling groups

• giving each group a label = a ‘code’

• these codes are:

• usually a WORD or A PHRASE

• concrete

• describes the group’s data

• created by the researcher(s), or using words from the data (in vivo coding)

third step: defining groups

• define each group • write one or two sentences to define each

group – to explain what data is in each group (and perhaps what is not!).

• use your own words, but try to include some words or phrases that the participants wrote.

second cycle: from groups to themes

first

step

• putting similar groups together into ‘themes’

second

step

• labeling these themes

third

step

• defining these themes

second cycle: finding patterns

• grouping and labeling • Group similar groups together …

… and separate different groups.

• Label these new, larger groups using words or phrases.

• These labels are usually more abstract, like STUDENT MOTIVATION, LEARNING GOALS.

•  Define them.

• Note: these new groups are called ‘themes’.