Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Action Reseach: What is it?

As teachers we need to continuously reflect so as to improve our practice. Action research is one tool used by teachers to do just that, reflect and improve. What do you understand action research to be and do you believe this is a tool you would use in the future? Prof. Lopez

14 comments:

  1. Action research is a tool that gives the teacher the opportunity to improve their own practice. I believe action research to be an inquiry based process in the classroom where the educator’s main goal is to improve the quality of their performance. Action research involves following a continuous cycle in order to fully enhance teaching in the classroom. The teacher must first identify or diagnose the issue at hand (what is it that they want to resolve and achieve in the classroom) to then move onto planning what courses of action they will take (how is it that they can help their students effectively, what resources are needed, who is the audience they are targeting). They will then take action and soon after evaluate the consequences of the specific action they performed. Finally, they will specify learning to identify their general findings. Action research permits teachers to grow professionally and enhance their teaching in so many ways. It also gives them the opportunity to research and evaluate new methods and ideas and at the same time determine how effective they were for their students.

    After reading more on action research, I can conclude that as a future teacher I would definitely use this tool. As teachers people expect us to know everything and they think that we are powerful human beings that never make mistakes. However, this is not the case. Teachers are not perfect human beings that comprehend everything that goes down in the classroom. Teachers make mistakes just like anybody else and there are times that they are stumped into how to solve certain issues presented to them. As a future teacher myself, I know that I will make a lot of mistakes and that is perfectly fine. By using action research, I will be able to improve as an educator and enhance every aspect of my teaching so that I can give my all to my students. As teachers there is always room for improvement and it is our job to use all the tools available in order to improve.

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    1. "As teachers people expect us to know everything and they think that we are powerful human beings that never make mistakes." I felt like quoting this because it is true. Every person in society, just because we have the name of "a teacher", believe we have to know everything. Even though it is our responsibility to not make mistakes as models for students, we sometimes make them. The only thing to do from these mistakes is learn. Consequently, the students should notice that it is fine to make mistakes as long as you can correct them.

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  2. Action research is an important and necessary tool for an ongoing professional development. In our case, as future teachers we must be aware of it importance and how it can be beneficial to us. Action Research requires certain steps in order to be properly carried out, these steps are important because they will guide us through the problem solving and research findings.
    During my teacher practice I was required to carry out an action research about my students learning. This was a tedious process, it required many steps and issues to consider. But, after the whole process was carried out I felt that it was rewarding. I had a group of students which I taught them skills and to see the results of their progress was great. Therefore for me Action research could be a little “too much” and tedious, but if we follow the required steps we are going to see the change we were part of.

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    1. I totally agree. Action research is very tedious and the teacher must put a lot of time and effort when using this tool. But as you said, if we follow the steps correctly and give are all the results will forever be in our favor. As teachers it is extremely important to use this tool in order to improve in many areas that we may be lacking. By using this tool we will become the best teachers we can be.

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    2. I agree with you because I, as well, believe that these 5 stages must be managed with importance. If we do not apply them into the classroom, the lesson cannot the completed. The student will not have an efficient learning experience and the educator will not improve on his/her teaching skill.
      -Paola Tubéns

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  3. To me, action research equals to improvement. It’s a method, an opportunity you have to better yourself at what you do. Action research is identifying a specific problem, carrying out an investigation to assess that problem, followed by action based on the observations and data collected. For us teachers, I see it as an opportunity for improvement. It is a process every educator should experience for both personal and professional development and growth. I would definitely like to use it eventually to identify which areas I am lacking, which are my weaknesses and strengths as well so I can work on them. Using action research does not necessarily mean that you are not doing your job well but it means that you are willing to modify your teaching methods in order to improve on them for the benefit of your students. We as teachers need to offer our students the best educative experience that we can and we must be the best at what we do. This is why it is important to have a method to assess our education practices. After all, even life is about that. Life is about change, progress, experience, falling down but getting back up even stronger than before. We must adapt to an ever changing world as normal humans that we are but also as educators of this world.

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    1. I completely agree with you on offering our students the best educative experience possible. As teachers it is our job to provide them with diverse tools that they can use to enhance their knowledge and gain an unlimited number of skills. As you said, it is important to have a method to assess our education practices because we make mistakes just like any other person. We just have to find the appropriate tools to help us improve as teachers and prevent us from making the same mistakes in the future.

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    2. I agree with you, action research makes the teacher improve her methods and find new ways to give a class. If we are going to be future educators,we should put our best efforts to give the students a great learning experience. Sadly, there are lots of teachers who lack the motivation and passion to try and improve their way of teaching, and that's why so many students don't learn or leave with the worst memories. We should always have the student as our priority and provide them as much as we can.

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  4. Action Research is a five stage process in which the educator should rely on when giving a class. It should be practiced since the primary level, so it can beneficial for the student as well. Educators have to start first with finding the problem. If they start from another level, they will be lost throughout the entire class. Also, this process can be of help for the student; therefore, they could start doing it by themselves in a no-school environment. It does not matter if the educators are expert or just started with their practice, they should use this process in order to improve their teaching. Furthermore, on each stage they should choose different types of assessment. Once they have figured out which assessment to hand in to the students, they will be prepared and ready for the next level.
    I would definitely use this tool for my future teaching and my practice. It will help me lead the classroom into a well-prepared learning experience. My future students will be acknowledged of the importance of every stage. And lastly, depending on the level they are, they will be aware of what actions to take into account to get through any level.
    -Paola Tubéns

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    1. I agree with you, I think that its important to follow the five stage process. If the educator follows this process, it will be a lot easier for him/her to identify the issue and try to have a solution for it. Also, it is important for the teacher to follow the process step by step from the first level to the last one. If the stages are not followed according to their sequence then it will not be effective and it will just confuse him/her.

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    2. I agree with Paola, it is indeed very important to use the different tools available for us as future teachers. We may think this is too much and that its a lot of work. That I can not find how to teach this class. But if we use the action research we may find how to solve our problems and share our findings and help other teachers along the way. Definitely the steps are important. Also in secondary level it would be good to try and integrate our students and engage them using this technique.

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  5. Action research is the perfect tool for growth and enhancement. Is not easy to give and class and realize that there are so many things that you can change. In other words, is a work in progress, the educator must constantly search and find new techniques and ideas to apply in the classroom. Action research is a perfect way for the teacher to detect when students are not learning effectively and it gives the opportunity to find new methods and recognize if they are being efficient or not. This will not only help the student but will also help the teacher develop and improve. As a future educator, I will be doing a lot of action research, because I know that I can’t just settle with what I have or do. I want to provide the best I can to my students. I want to be able to have different methods and strategies, therefore making the class in a comprehensible and attractive form.

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    1. "I will be doing a lot of action research, because I know that I can’t just settle with what I have or do..." (Zuleika)- That is the perfect attitude for a teacher these days. Long gone are the days in which every teacher gave the same classes each year and the students bore to death and they had tons of doubts because the teacher could not address their individual needs. I believe that teachers these days must be researchers more than before and always try to engage students academically. It is not an easy task, but with dedication and Action Research it can be done.

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  6. Teaching and learning is a long life process and one cannot stop to think that everything is done and known. There is always something that can be changed, something that you can improve upon either for your benefit or the benefit of others. And that’s when action research comes in the picture, when you want change and improvement.
    Action research to me is a useful tool or mechanism that its purpose is aimed at trying to bring some sort of change to teachers teaching, student learning or both. It is done with the sole purpose of improving as an educator, one’s own teaching methods and assessing any new theory that may be focused on improving student’s efficiency in the classroom. Action research can be also use in a way, to resolve an arising problem in a specific situation or somewhat improve a given set of circumstances. It should be aimed at bringing some sort of change. It is helpful in teacher and student growth alike. It focuses on always improving and pushing to be better at what you do. Teachers are continually observing students, collecting data and changing practices to improve student learning and the classroom and school environment. To a teacher there is no greater joy than seeing their student strive, and that is what doing action research bring's, a continues improvement and change all for the benefit of the students.

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