This course has taught me quite a bit about true research. Prior to the start of this course, my impression of “research” was tainted by previous experiences in high school and college in my many hours searching the card catalogs, periodicals, and dusty tomes no one had touched since they were placed on the shelf. I was worried that I would have to compose a research paper over the five weeks of this course, while at the same time starting the year off teaching three different courses. Thankfully, upon learning the ins and outs of action research, these concerns proved to be unfounded.
Research is no longer sitting in a quiet library, compiling information and opinions from “experts”, and regurgitating their ideas into a paper with the hope that one’s compilation will seem unique enough to earn recognition, a good grade, or an opportunity to publish. Ironically, that would make the researcher an “expert” whose ideas would be investigated by future “researchers” who would create a whole new regurgitation mixture. Action research no longer relies solely on previous ideas or publications. We are now encouraged to leave the libraries and move our research into our daily lives, which for me, is the classroom. We are commanded to experiment, try new styles or techniques, record data, and report our ideas. This is something I can easily integrate into my classroom and my life in general. The empowerment and relief this produces is quite palpable. No longer would I have to worry about piling up more work on top of teaching, because my classroom is now a laboratory where my research happens while I teach.
Throughout this course, I have discovered new insights each week into not only research but also the importance of experimentation and its influence on pedagogical change, which is so desperately needed at this time. The weekly interviews between Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Arterbury served to bring me focus on the activities of the week and the expected outcomes, while the reading assignments revealed the practices and procedures of action research. Although both books were useful, I preferred Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Dana. I found that it provided a step-by-step template for any action research project, and it explained most everything very clearly. In the last chapter of the book, part of week five’s reading assignment, she mentions her book on action research for the classroom teacher. I, personally, would have preferred to read that text, simply because my research is happening in the classroom and does not serve an administrative purpose, however I surmise that the information is very similar.
The weekly assignments have been very helpful towards creating an action research plan for my technology internship, and receiving feedback from my site supervisor as well as my classmates on the forum has been most useful. My one concern throughout the process has been “What if I put all this work into this one inquiry, and it goes nowhere?” Based on the week five interview, and the reading throughout the last five weeks, I have come to the conclusion, that even if my project does not reach a fruition with which I would be satisfied, I will learn a lot through the process that will allow for subsequent inquiries, and I am now better prepared to answer them.
Amazingly enough, getting people interested in my wondering is much easier than I thought it would have been, much easier than it would have been just five years ago. The entire education community seems to be much more open to advancements in educational practices through technological means. My most immediate goal is to improve the education for students at my school. However, should my research produce dramatic results, I look forward to sharing the outcomes with the wider community, either through face-to-face meetings, publications, or simply blogging.
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