What obstacles do you see as the most difficult or relevant in your own work as a potential teacher researcher? How may you overcome these obstacles in order to implement a research approach to your work as an educator?
I related pretty well to this article, as I expect most classroom teachers also do. The ideas they present about action research are incredibly true. When I think about an action research project, even my own project proposal, I sometimes think to myself that I could never actually do this in the classroom because it would involve a lot of extra time and effort on my part and take away from student learning as well as take up time that needs to be devoted to meeting standards.
I would say that out of all the "bumps" they listed in this article, I would probably find the "Systematicity and Rigor" bump one of the most difficult obstacles. I think it would be hard some days to stick to a plan of collecting and analyzing data. Going through and taking good notes, looking closely, asking questions, and sharing findings would be initially hard for me, although in the end the only one who would have to benefit is me, since it was my project. I also think that "Dealing with the Unexpected" would be rather difficult for me, especially if it was a case like is staed in the article where a subject moved in the middle of the research. Since I am often one who does not like change or starting over on a project when it is halfway through, I would definitely have a problem if this became an obstacle for me.
I think as an educator and someone who conducts action research I would have to learn to overcome these bumps and obstacles whether I'd like to or not. It is the idea that people sometimes have to take what they are given and I guess if I knew I had come up with something that needed to be changed and I developed a plan that made sense and went over the details as necessary, than I should not have too much to worry about. I would stick to what I had planned, do the best I can with notes, data collection and analysis, and sharing ideas with others although I know things happen and stuff goes wrong all the time. I guess I would probably try to think about obstacles that may arise beforehand and cross these bridges if and when I needed to. It could also be the case that these bumps would help give me a new perspective and a new way of looking at the topic I was focusing on.
Even though we try to create the best made plans, we must always deal with the unexpected.:) I always say that I have a Plan B just in case. Just like you stated, it was dificult for the reseachers to have a subject leave in the middle of a study but teachers have to learn to be flexible. In teaching, there are big bumps and little bumps. As teachers we just have to decide which ones are inportant. As a teacher, I have learned that planning is a big part of teaching.
I believe that my biggest obstacle at this point in my career as a teacher is #1 Knowledge and Skills. I still have so much to learn about cirriculum, student learning, school policies etc., that I have so many inquiring thoughts that I often do not know where to begin. I have lots of questions and find it difficult to condense them into one single question.
Also, there are often answers to a lot of my questions already that I have yet to discover so I feel intimidated to bring up my ideas to fellow co-workers at this point. I think with experience though I will be able to come up with more put together ideas and as I earn the respect of my peers I will feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts with them.
My biggest obstacle to do action research relates to #1 knowledge and skills and #2 Tempus Fugit. I attend many workshops that talk about how taking and presenting data to parents is important, but I still struggle with it because of my lack of experience. I agree with Sarah that I would feel the same with conducting action research because I wouldn’t feel comfortable presenting it to staff and parents. I can also relate to #2 Tempus Fugit. I definitely do not have enough time in the day and staff members to help complete an action research project. I have a 40-minute plan period. By the time I go to the bathroom, make a phone call to a parent, and make a copy, then my time is up! I feel I would have to schedule time block during instruction time to complete the data. I agree with Judy that planning is an important pat of teaching! Researchers are allowed to take in all the information provided where as teachers may have to decide which ones are best for the students. I also agree with Colleen that it would be difficult trying to complete data when behaviors occur or something unexpected happens. Last month I found out my students were going to be part of a play that did not have a specific schedule. I found it difficult to complete data throughout the day because I wasn't sure when we would have practice
“We probably do action research all the time in out classrooms. We just don’t have time to sit down and look at the data.”
Time constraints (Bump #2: Tempus Fugit) will likely be the predominant stumbling block to conducting action research in my own classroom. The above quote sums up my own experience quite well.
By way of analogy: Currently, I collect reams of training data on my twenty or so track and field athletes, with the intention of analyzing it to improve the next season’s workouts. But after three years and six season of coaching, there has rarely been time to sit down and crunch the numbers, let alone modify the training for the next time around. Similarly, come Monday I’ll receive a have dozen peers evaluations of a micro-teaching experience – I’ll be lucky to have written my reflection by then! Formative assessments pose another problem. Suppose my anticipatory set indicates that students need remediation or compensatory instruction. How can one adjust their lesson plan on the fly while still collecting meaningful data on student learning?
I suspect this problem will become less daunting as I becomes more proficient as a teacher. When lesson planning, teaching, and grading become routine procedures, there will be more time for research. Another solution to this quandary might be to limit the scope of the inquiry, and focus on taking smaller amounts of high-quality data, rather than collecting mountains of less than useful information. Collaboration with colleagues would also lighten the load of conducting action research. Teachers in a given department might devote their planning periods to observation of a colleague’s students while that person carries out the day’s lesson, or they could meet with stakeholders and conduct interviews during this time. Finally, quality action research may actually save instruction time in the long run. A more effective and efficient instructional design means that student learn better the first time around, limiting the time that must be spent on compensatory instruction and remediation. (The research on mastery learning indicates that this technique functions in precisely the same manner. While the initial investment of time in terms of student “training’ is greater than conventional approaches, dividends are paid down the road as learning becomes faster and more complete.)
I found that all of the obstacles that are mentioned in the article are relevant. One of the main ones for me is finding the time and people to assist with the data. Time is huge. It is very difficult to take good data if you are the one doing the teaching. I also agree with being able to find the time to review the data and make sense of it. In the normal school day, it is very difficult to find extra time to fit one more job in. Planning time is often filled with student issues that to add one more thing sometimes is not possible.
Action research withing the classroom will have its ups and downs, especially for a first year teacher. I will be trying to learn everything within the classroom and within the school environment itself. So to think that I will be at my best to plan, collect and act on research is a fear. The biggest obstacle for me will be Systematicity and Rigor. This would require me to be on my toes at all times and be prepared for the unexpected...(another obstacle) I will be worried about so many things, reasearch might be put on the weigh side. However what I will need to do is plan. Find a effective and efficant way to collect the data. Then plan a ongoing scheduled time to evaluate the information and make action plans. Jessica, you have been teaching for awhile now and so your words of time managment are taken very seriously. It is scary to think we may not have enough time in the day to do what is best, but as educators we should be bond and determined to find a way. Amy and SM you mention that knowledge and skill are going to be a challange for you. I can see your point with the research proposal i did for this class. By pulling that first article, I learned sooooo much and would never have learned more unless I did additional research for this project. I guess this is what we, as educators will need to do for our own professional development and lesson planning. No one said being a teacher would or should be easy. Judy, expecting the unexpected I believes comes over time, am I right. The more experiences you have the more you learn. Learn from your mistakes right, sometimes they are the most memorable times. Am I right?
I did not get to see the article but I can comment on my own concerns when it comes to action research in the classroom. I used to be worried about finding the time to complete and do research and data in my classroom until I was forced to do it by my school. Now I can say that I am lucky enough to work for a district that requires monthly data meetings where we sit down as a grade level and discuss issues with our students. We pre-test, plan out strategies (using Marzano) and then post-test. It really helps guide my focus as a teacher. I have found that my view is often very subjective about my students and sample work and scores don't always match up. Conducting action research gives me a much cleared picture of what is going on and helps gives me ideas of what I can do as a teacher to help my students. I found myself having time to do it more than one subject because it gave me so much information about my students. I can honestly say that I didn't ever look up prior literature or projects though. That is one area that I think will be a bump for me as far as timing...who has time to sit and read a project conducted by someone else for students that aren't our own? If someone has an answer on how to make that easier, please let me know!
As a potential teacher researcher I agree with Jessica when she says that time is going to play a huge factor. As a teachers we have limited time to do things and research does take a lot of time and dedication. Being able to be flexible and take things as they come one step at a time I believe will make conducting research less stressful.
I found this article to very similar to my own feelings related to research. I see a large obstacle for myself in conducting research is the collaboration piece. My classroom is considered somewhat of an island within the building I am working in due to the fact that I am a cooperative classroom within a district building. I find it difficult to make connections amongst other staff to work to collaborate with. For me to collaborate in research within my own building I would need to rely on the support staff such as Occupational Therapists and Social workers that work with my students for the collaboration to be effective. The difficulty with collaborating with these individuals is that they are only present within my building a limited number of days per week. Which leads to the obstacle of tempus fugit. Because I have limited time to work with these other professionals to collaborate, in order for our collaborations to be effective we would need to create a full-proof schedule to follow. Which as we all know as educators is always changing due to complications with students and others on each person's caseload. In order for research to be effective within my own classroom it would require careful planning and execution with all members involved.
I agree with both Jessica and Ashley time plays a huge factor in conducting and reviewing research. In many cases it is helpful to have an extra person to gather data as you are teaching, if that person has a solid understanding of how to conduct the data. I also feel you to need to plan or make time to review the results with all members involved in conducting the research, with based upon how filled our daily schedule's are can be difficult. As teachers we never feel there is enough time in the day to complete all the things we want to accomplish. In working with administration and other faculty members there may be ways to designate times for these meetings to take place where it does not impact student learning. My district has created a 15 minute early dismissal one day a week where the time is set aside specifically for school improvement. By having this designated time it allows you to plan accordingly to meet with members of your time and discuss issues, concerns, and successes.
I agree also with the issues of time. Along with that goes the obstacle of finding other teachers who are willing to get on board and lend their time. I have come across some great ideas for research, but can't really find others who could lend a hand in that research. It is daunting for one person to do and even if you do you have to be prepared for the possible backlash that I see some teachers get for trying something new. It can and does make other teachers feel inferior because it makes them question their current teaching style/practices. We as teachers do spend so much time already going above and beyond what is required as a teacher because we love what we do so it can be hard to fit in action research and then follow it through until the end.
A common theme throughout these discussions and in the field of education is "what about more time?" We can't produce it so to juggle, multi-task, and working smarter are key. The Bumpy Road is what life is all about. We as educators, or future educators, navigate this bumpy road daily, especially in Special Education. I don't see the problem as much as I see the opportunity to apply action research within my classroom or other classrooms. One gains not only the benefit of interacting and sharing more than one brain to solve a common issue but one's students benefit the most by realizing the outcome of the research applied. With innovation and rearranging time allowed, one can do great things with action research in the classroom. I hope to have the opportunity one day! What is the old saying....ask a busy person!!!
“I feel intimidated to bring up my ideas to fellow co-workers at this point. I think with experience … I will feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts with them.”
Along these same lines, I would feel somewhat hesitant to “rock the boat” with action research until my job is secure, i.e. until I’ve got tenure. I can’t imagine that going in your first year with some research proposal that may very well conclude your colleagues “have been doing it all wrong” would go over very well!
..."assess, develop, or improve his or her own practices." The article started off by definging this as the researcher's goal. This is what I will be doing on a daily basis when I become employed as a teacher. However, it will be done on a much smaller scale. With the use of data collection, CBM's, student input, co-worker ideas and even the adminsitration criticisms, improvements can be made on a daily basis. But, as Max hit on the head, I would be in no place to do anything extreme as action research until I have job security and tenure.
Michelle,the more experiences you have the more you do learn. Teachers have to be open minded. Teaching is an ongoing learning experience not only for your students but for the teacher as well. Teachers have to step back and assess what is working and not working in their classrooms. Once they find out, they have to take action on how to improve their lessons. In order not to stay stagnent, a teacher has to grow and change too. Experience is a good teacher. We tell our students that it is ok to make mistakes so when we make mistakes, we learn too.
Ah, time--friend and enemy! The beauty of action research is that you can adjust your plans based on your preliminary findings, so you don't need to stick to a strict experimental design. Good teaching is flexible and always includes a Plan B!
I related pretty well to this article, as I expect most classroom teachers also do. The ideas they present about action research are incredibly true. When I think about an action research project, even my own project proposal, I sometimes think to myself that I could never actually do this in the classroom because it would involve a lot of extra time and effort on my part and take away from student learning as well as take up time that needs to be devoted to meeting standards.
ReplyDeleteI would say that out of all the "bumps" they listed in this article, I would probably find the "Systematicity and Rigor" bump one of the most difficult obstacles. I think it would be hard some days to stick to a plan of collecting and analyzing data. Going through and taking good notes, looking closely, asking questions, and sharing findings would be initially hard for me, although in the end the only one who would have to benefit is me, since it was my project. I also think that "Dealing with the Unexpected" would be rather difficult for me, especially if it was a case like is staed in the article where a subject moved in the middle of the research. Since I am often one who does not like change or starting over on a project when it is halfway through, I would definitely have a problem if this became an obstacle for me.
I think as an educator and someone who conducts action research I would have to learn to overcome these bumps and obstacles whether I'd like to or not. It is the idea that people sometimes have to take what they are given and I guess if I knew I had come up with something that needed to be changed and I developed a plan that made sense and went over the details as necessary, than I should not have too much to worry about. I would stick to what I had planned, do the best I can with notes, data collection and analysis, and sharing ideas with others although I know things happen and stuff goes wrong all the time. I guess I would probably try to think about obstacles that may arise beforehand and cross these bridges if and when I needed to. It could also be the case that these bumps would help give me a new perspective and a new way of looking at the topic I was focusing on.
Even though we try to create the best made plans, we must always deal with the unexpected.:) I always say that I have a Plan B just in case. Just like you stated, it was dificult for the reseachers to have a subject leave in the middle of a study but teachers have to learn to be flexible. In teaching, there are big bumps and little bumps. As teachers we just have to decide which ones are inportant. As a teacher, I have learned that planning is a big part of teaching.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my biggest obstacle at this point in my career as a teacher is #1 Knowledge and Skills. I still have so much to learn about cirriculum, student learning, school policies etc., that I have so many inquiring thoughts that I often do not know where to begin. I have lots of questions and find it difficult to condense them into one single question.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there are often answers to a lot of my questions already that I have yet to discover so I feel intimidated to bring up my ideas to fellow co-workers at this point. I think with experience though I will be able to come up with more put together ideas and as I earn the respect of my peers I will feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts with them.
My biggest obstacle to do action research relates to #1 knowledge and skills and #2 Tempus Fugit. I attend many workshops that talk about how taking and presenting data to parents is important, but I still struggle with it because of my lack of experience. I agree with Sarah that I would feel the same with conducting action research because I wouldn’t feel comfortable presenting it to staff and parents.
ReplyDeleteI can also relate to #2 Tempus Fugit. I definitely do not have enough time in the day and staff members to help complete an action research project. I have a 40-minute plan period. By the time I go to the bathroom, make a phone call to a parent, and make a copy, then my time is up! I feel I would have to schedule time block during instruction time to complete the data.
I agree with Judy that planning is an important pat of teaching! Researchers are allowed to take in all the information provided where as teachers may have to decide which ones are best for the students.
I also agree with Colleen that it would be difficult trying to complete data when behaviors occur or something unexpected happens. Last month I found out my students were going to be part of a play that did not have a specific schedule. I found it difficult to complete data throughout the day because I wasn't sure when we would have practice
“We probably do action research all the time in out classrooms. We just don’t have time to sit down and look at the data.”
ReplyDeleteTime constraints (Bump #2: Tempus Fugit) will likely be the predominant stumbling block to conducting action research in my own classroom. The above quote sums up my own experience quite well.
By way of analogy: Currently, I collect reams of training data on my twenty or so track and field athletes, with the intention of analyzing it to improve the next season’s workouts. But after three years and six season of coaching, there has rarely been time to sit down and crunch the numbers, let alone modify the training for the next time around. Similarly, come Monday I’ll receive a have dozen peers evaluations of a micro-teaching experience – I’ll be lucky to have written my reflection by then! Formative assessments pose another problem. Suppose my anticipatory set indicates that students need remediation or compensatory instruction. How can one adjust their lesson plan on the fly while still collecting meaningful data on student learning?
I suspect this problem will become less daunting as I becomes more proficient as a teacher. When lesson planning, teaching, and grading become routine procedures, there will be more time for research. Another solution to this quandary might be to limit the scope of the inquiry, and focus on taking smaller amounts of high-quality data, rather than collecting mountains of less than useful information. Collaboration with colleagues would also lighten the load of conducting action research. Teachers in a given department might devote their planning periods to observation of a colleague’s students while that person carries out the day’s lesson, or they could meet with stakeholders and conduct interviews during this time. Finally, quality action research may actually save instruction time in the long run. A more effective and efficient instructional design means that student learn better the first time around, limiting the time that must be spent on compensatory instruction and remediation. (The research on mastery learning indicates that this technique functions in precisely the same manner. While the initial investment of time in terms of student “training’ is greater than conventional approaches, dividends are paid down the road as learning becomes faster and more complete.)
I found that all of the obstacles that are mentioned in the article are relevant. One of the main ones for me is finding the time and people to assist with the data. Time is huge. It is very difficult to take good data if you are the one doing the teaching. I also agree with being able to find the time to review the data and make sense of it. In the normal school day, it is very difficult to find extra time to fit one more job in. Planning time is often filled with student issues that to add one more thing sometimes is not possible.
ReplyDeleteAction research withing the classroom will have its ups and downs, especially for a first year teacher. I will be trying to learn everything within the classroom and within the school environment itself. So to think that I will be at my best to plan, collect and act on research is a fear. The biggest obstacle for me will be Systematicity
ReplyDeleteand Rigor. This would require me to be on my toes at all times and be prepared for the unexpected...(another obstacle) I will be worried about so many things, reasearch might be put on the weigh side. However what I will need to do is plan. Find a effective and efficant way to collect the data. Then plan a ongoing scheduled time to evaluate the information and make action plans. Jessica, you have been teaching for awhile now and so your words of time managment are taken very seriously. It is scary to think we may not have enough time in the day to do what is best, but as educators we should be bond and determined to find a way.
Amy and SM you mention that knowledge and skill are going to be a challange for you. I can see your point with the research proposal i did for this class. By pulling that first article, I learned sooooo much and would never have learned more unless I did additional research for this project. I guess this is what we, as educators will need to do for our own professional development and lesson planning. No one said being a teacher would or should be easy. Judy, expecting the unexpected I believes comes over time, am I right. The more experiences you have the more you learn. Learn from your mistakes right, sometimes they are the most memorable times. Am I right?
I did not get to see the article but I can comment on my own concerns when it comes to action research in the classroom. I used to be worried about finding the time to complete and do research and data in my classroom until I was forced to do it by my school. Now I can say that I am lucky enough to work for a district that requires monthly data meetings where we sit down as a grade level and discuss issues with our students. We pre-test, plan out strategies (using Marzano) and then post-test. It really helps guide my focus as a teacher. I have found that my view is often very subjective about my students and sample work and scores don't always match up. Conducting action research gives me a much cleared picture of what is going on and helps gives me ideas of what I can do as a teacher to help my students. I found myself having time to do it more than one subject because it gave me so much information about my students. I can honestly say that I didn't ever look up prior literature or projects though. That is one area that I think will be a bump for me as far as timing...who has time to sit and read a project conducted by someone else for students that aren't our own? If someone has an answer on how to make that easier, please let me know!
ReplyDeleteAs a potential teacher researcher I agree with Jessica when she says that time is going to play a huge factor. As a teachers we have limited time to do things and research does take a lot of time and dedication. Being able to be flexible and take things as they come one step at a time I believe will make conducting research less stressful.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to very similar to my own feelings related to research. I see a large obstacle for myself in conducting research is the collaboration piece. My classroom is considered somewhat of an island within the building I am working in due to the fact that I am a cooperative classroom within a district building. I find it difficult to make connections amongst other staff to work to collaborate with. For me to collaborate in research within my own building I would need to rely on the support staff such as Occupational Therapists and Social workers that work with my students for the collaboration to be effective. The difficulty with collaborating with these individuals is that they are only present within my building a limited number of days per week. Which leads to the obstacle of tempus fugit. Because I have limited time to work with these other professionals to collaborate, in order for our collaborations to be effective we would need to create a full-proof schedule to follow. Which as we all know as educators is always changing due to complications with students and others on each person's caseload. In order for research to be effective within my own classroom it would require careful planning and execution with all members involved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Jessica and Ashley time plays a huge factor in conducting and reviewing research. In many cases it is helpful to have an extra person to gather data as you are teaching, if that person has a solid understanding of how to conduct the data. I also feel you to need to plan or make time to review the results with all members involved in conducting the research, with based upon how filled our daily schedule's are can be difficult. As teachers we never feel there is enough time in the day to complete all the things we want to accomplish. In working with administration and other faculty members there may be ways to designate times for these meetings to take place where it does not impact student learning. My district has created a 15 minute early dismissal one day a week where the time is set aside specifically for school improvement. By having this designated time it allows you to plan accordingly to meet with members of your time and discuss issues, concerns, and successes.
ReplyDeleteI agree also with the issues of time. Along with that goes the obstacle of finding other teachers who are willing to get on board and lend their time. I have come across some great ideas for research, but can't really find others who could lend a hand in that research. It is daunting for one person to do and even if you do you have to be prepared for the possible backlash that I see some teachers get for trying something new. It can and does make other teachers feel inferior because it makes them question their current teaching style/practices. We as teachers do spend so much time already going above and beyond what is required as a teacher because we love what we do so it can be hard to fit in action research and then follow it through until the end.
ReplyDeleteA common theme throughout these discussions and in the field of education is "what about more time?" We can't produce it so to juggle, multi-task, and working smarter are key. The Bumpy Road is what life is all about. We as educators, or future educators, navigate this bumpy road daily, especially in Special Education. I don't see the problem as much as I see the opportunity to apply action research within my classroom or other classrooms. One gains not only the benefit of interacting and sharing more than one brain to solve a common issue but one's students benefit the most by realizing the outcome of the research applied. With innovation and rearranging time allowed, one can do great things with action research in the classroom. I hope to have the opportunity one day! What is the old saying....ask a busy person!!!
ReplyDelete“I feel intimidated to bring up my ideas to fellow co-workers at this point. I think with experience … I will feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts with them.”
ReplyDeleteAlong these same lines, I would feel somewhat hesitant to “rock the boat” with action research until my job is secure, i.e. until I’ve got tenure. I can’t imagine that going in your first year with some research proposal that may very well conclude your colleagues “have been doing it all wrong” would go over very well!
..."assess, develop, or improve his or her own practices." The article started off by definging this as the researcher's goal. This is what I will be doing on a daily basis when I become employed as a teacher. However, it will be done on a much smaller scale. With the use of data collection, CBM's, student input, co-worker ideas and even the adminsitration criticisms, improvements can be made on a daily basis. But, as Max hit on the head, I would be in no place to do anything extreme as action research until I have job security and tenure.
ReplyDeleteMichelle,the more experiences you have the more you do learn. Teachers have to be open minded. Teaching is an ongoing learning experience not only for your students but for the teacher as well. Teachers have to step back and assess what is working and not working in their classrooms. Once they find out, they have to take action on how to improve their lessons. In order not to stay stagnent, a teacher has to grow and change too. Experience is a good teacher. We tell our students that it is ok to make mistakes so when we make mistakes, we learn too.
ReplyDeleteAh, time--friend and enemy!
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of action research is that you can adjust your plans based on your preliminary findings, so you don't need to stick to a strict experimental design.
Good teaching is flexible and always includes a Plan B!