1.

• Topic 1(6 hrs)

Background and concept of Teacher as researcher (Lecture)

• What it is

• Origin and development

• Professional standards for teachers

Action Research Principles and Practice (Self-learning and collaboration)

Individual v Collaborative Action Research

Action Research for Professional Growth & Development 2. Inquiry-based research conducted by teachers that follows a process of examining existing practices, implementing new practices,and evaluating the results,leading to an improvement cyclethat benefits both students and teachers.Also known as: practitioner research, teacher research, site-based research, and action science.cs3.wnmu.edu/elearning/a404/support/a404b0_50100.htmlAction Research 3.

Professionals studying their own practice in order to improve it.

Applied to teaching, it involves gathering and interpreting "data" to better understand an aspect of your teaching that interests or concerns you.

An alternative to teachers who have been encouraged to look to others, rather than to themselves and their students, for ways to improve their teaching.

Action research is an important recent development in the broad territory of "teachers' professional development."

Tom Russell, Queens University http://educ.queensu.ca/~russellt/howteach/arguide.htm#arwhy ACTION RESEARCH refers to: 4. Action Research Tracing the origins and developmentin Teacher Education

• Kurt Lewin (1940)

• Stephen Corey (1950)

• Lawrence Stenhouse (1970s)

• Carr and Kemmis (1980s to date)

• John Elliot (1990s to date)

• Donald Schon (1980s)

• Jack Whitehead (1970 to date)

• Jean McNiff (1990 to date)

5. Kurt Lewin (1946)

Coined the word Action Research;

Research for social management or social engineering in industrial contexts.

Lewins Action Research Involves a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact-finding about the result of the action 6. Teacher as ResearcherThe teacher is like a gardener who treats different plants differently and not like a large-scale farmer who administers standardized treatments to as-near-as possible standardized plants.Under such conditions variation of treatment gives a better gross yield attempting to maximise the yield of every individual unit; and this is what is required of education. The teacher must diagnose before he prescribes and then vary the prescription. both teachers and pupils are involved in meaningful action and meaningful action cannot be standardised by control or sampled. Lawrence Stenhouse Feb 1979, University of East Anglia, UK In Research as a basis for teaching Readings from Lawrence Stenhouse by Rudduck and Hopkins Lawrence Stenhouse 7. Teacher as researcher: Real classrooms have to be our laboratories, and they are in the command of teachers, not of researchers.This is the characteristic of professional schools: the research act must conform to the obligations of the professional context. This is what we mean by action research. Lawrence Stenhouse Feb 1979, University of East Anglia, UK Lawrence Stenhouse 8. Teacher as researcher: We shall only teach better if we learn intelligently from the experience of shortfall,both in our grasp of the knowledge we offer and of how to offer it. That is the case for research as a basis for teaching. Lawrence Stenhouse Feb 1979, University of East Anglia, UK Lawrence Stenhouse 9. Teacher as researcher: It is teachers who, in the end, will change the world of the school by understanding it. Inscription on Lawrence Stenhouses memorial plaque at University of East Anglia. Lawrence Stenhouse 10. Action researchis simply a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out. Carr & Kemmis, 1986 11.

The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals think in Action (1983)

Educating the Reflective Practitioner (1987)

Donald Schon Philosopher, researcher, professor emeritus (MIT), made significant contributions to the theory and practice of learning. Concerned with professional learning, learning processes in organizations, and with developing critical, self-reflecting practice http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-schon.htm Influential writing: 12. Reflection

• • • • Latin reflectere : To bend back

Involves shuttling back and forth between thinking and action

13. http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-reflect.htm 14. Levels of Reflectivity

Level 1

Involves technical application of knowledge and skills in the classroom setting.

Level 2

Emphasizes examination of assumptions underlying practice.

Level 3

Emphasizes moral and ethical issues of practicality to values and beliefs.

Quality Teaching: Reflection, the heart of Practice by Joelle K. Jay. 2003 15. Knowing in Action

The sorts of knowledge we reveal in our intelligent action publicly observable, physical performances like riding a bicycle and private operations like instant analysis of a balance sheet. In both cases, the knowing is in the action. We reveal it by our spontaneous, skillful execution of the performanceSchon, 1987

Knowing in action: knowing more than we can say, the capacity to do the right thing (tacit knowledge).

http://hci.stanford.edu/other/schon87.htm Donald Schon 16. Reflection in Action

Reflection takes place in the midst of action

Capacity to respond to surprise through improvisation on the spot

Involves a surprise (an unexpected outcome/behaviour that challenges ones knowing in action), a response to surprise conducting an action experiment on the spot by which we seek to solve the new problems we test our new way of seeing the situation, and also try to change that situation for the better.

This is not method but art and a talent.

http://hci.stanford.edu/other/schon87.htm Donald Schon 17. Reflection on action http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-reflect.htm#Schon Pausing after an activity to see how it went what went well, what did not, what could be changed; We develop sets of questions and ideaas about our activities and practice Donald Schon 18. Reflection

Looking back on experience to improve practice

Learning in the midst of practice

Making decisions about what to do

19. Reflection Stop to reflect 20. Rushing around Life becomes a blur 21. Reflection helps us to focus 22. To think and act and think again 23. Reflectionis the bridge betweenthinkingandacting 24. A reflective thinkeris aware of her own knowledge and lack of knowledge and recognizes that there may not be only a single correct solution to a problem or interpretation of a situation. A reflective thinker relies on all available resources to find relevant needed information and opinions in order to come to a personal understanding of a situation, knowing that this understanding may change, as she gains more information and insight into the matter.http://ldt.stanford.edu/ldt1999/Students/cmazow/MajorProject/refThinkLoMain.htm 25. 26.

This methodological approach can then be developed as an action plan, which can take the form:

What is my concern?

Why am I concerned?

What do I think I can do about the situation?

What will I do?

How will I show whether I am influencing the situation for good?

How will I produce evidence of my influence?

How will I ensure that any claims I make are reasonably fair and accurate?

What will I do then?

Jack Whitehead and Jean McNiff

Jack Whitehead at the University of Bath Living Educational Theory 27. Action Research refers to:

A particular way of researching your own learning;

A practical way of looking at your practice in order to check whether it is as you feel it should be;

If you feel that your practice needs attention in some way you will be able to take action to improve it, and then produce evidence to show in what way the practice has improved.

Jean McNiff, 2002 Action Research Principles and Practice Jean McNiff 28.

teacher-initiated

classroominvestigation

which seeks toincrease

the teachers understanding

of classroom teaching and learning ,

and to bring aboutchange

in classroom practices.

Teachers Network (Ministry of Education, Singapore)publication on Learning Circles

Action Research in Singapore (1998) 29. Action Research Process in MOE

Reflect

• Think about what we want to focus on

Plan

• Plan what to do

Act

• Carry out plan, collect evidence

Observe

• Observe, monitor and record

Reflect

• Reflect on what has happened to improve further.

To improve the quality of teaching and learning 30. A professional development framework for teachers in ITE Based on Action Research. Since Feb 2002 EXPLORE PRACTISE PERFORM PLAN QualityTeaching & Learning E nquiry R eflection PEPP&ER Process Product Habits In ITE 31. PEPP&ERprocess - improving the quality of teaching and learning Enquiry Reflection Learning CirclePEPP&ER is founded onAction ResearchPrinciples and practice Action P LANto improve the quality of teaching and learning E XPLOREnew and innovative strategies P RACTICE carry out the plan agreed upon P ERFORM reflect on learning experience and share findings 32.

Teaching effectiveness better understanding, grades, attitude towards learning, teaching materials and acquisition of the key competencies

Classroom management & discipline better student behaviour (punctuality, reduced disruptions in class, better attention span)

Use of information technology - effective use of IT to deliver the content)

Curriculum innovation - interdisciplinary efforts using Pmodel or similar frameworks eg. PBL

Assessment methodologies -use of alternative assessment tools student portfolios, checklists, peer assessment, student reflections

Development of students through CCA -leadership skills, self-esteem, personal development

Reflect on: 33. Products of Action Research: Teachers Professional Knowledge "Action research is the process through which teachers collaborate in evaluating their practice jointly; raise awareness of their personal theory; articulate a shared conception of values; try out new strategies to render the values expressed in their practice more consistent with the educational values they espouse; record their work in a form which is readily available to and understandable by other teachers; and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by researching practice."- John Elliott 34. 35. New role for teachers Students in the KBE need to be adaptable, flexible and creativethere is a need to develop a thinking student

Teachers shouldshare valuable insights and experiences in real classroom situationsabout students learning, about their subjects, about themselves

Teachersshould not work alone should network and talk with other teachers to develop more innovative teaching strategies

Teachers shouldreflect continuallyon what they do and work with colleagues on howto do things better.

RADM Teo Chee Hean at the Teachers Conference 2001 TSLN "Teach Less, learn more" PM Lee Hsien Loong 36.

Who is a Reflective Practitioner;

Who creates professional knowledge;

Who is a lifelong learner;

Who continually improves on

the quality of Teaching and Learning.

The Teacher as a professional 37. Teacher research will force the re-evaluation of current theories and will significantly influence what is known about teaching, learning, and schooling. It has often been said,Teachers leave a mark on their students, but they seldom leave a mark on their profession(Wolf, 1989). Through theprocess andproductsof action research teachers will do both. Beverly Johnson, Teacher-as-Researcher. ERIC Digest. What are the key effects of Action Research on the Professional development of teachers?