Semester 4 Reflection: Educational Research
I have learned how to conduct action research in my classroom. I learned how to collect data, analyze data, and share it in various graphs. There were things would do differently if I were to conduct the same action research again, but I do feel I learned a lot from this experience just by doing it. I enjoyed selecting a topic I was interested in passionate about. What I learned as a result of the research, such as cultivating a growth mindset through my words and the use of the Brainology software, truly helped make me a better teacher. Through this process I learned a great deal about writing a professional paper. I learned the correct format of the paper, how to write an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, and results section, and how to transition between key points. I learned how to site various sources using the APA sixth edition guide. My writing improved as I worked hard to write clearly and communicate effectively. As I reread it, I sometimes am surprised at how well it is written. Proofreading and helping three community members make revisions on their papers also contributed to the growth of my writing abilities. Lastly, I created a visually appealing power point presentation that highlighted my key points that I wanted to share. I gained confidence as I presented to colleagues, my principal, and curriculum coordinator. I have a much deeper understanding of action research and look forward to my next opportunity to conduct it in my classroom.
Reflection: I have grown within the strand of Educational Research as I have worked on writing and revising my literature review and methodology. I became more familiar with the IRB process and what is needed before I could begin the research process. I have conducted action research in my classroom and created materials that triangulate the data. I am in the process of understanding and best displaying my results to share with others. I agreed to share my findings with the company whose materials I used and possibly serve as a case study for them to know what worked well in the educational setting and what could be improved. I have also grown as I have read, reflected, and discussed many educational topics found in magazine articles such as Educational Leadership and Teaching Tolerance. I have learned new information and created personal opinions on topics that play a role in my students' lives and my professional development.
Personal Baseline:
I have not conducted professional, systematic research in my classroom, so this is a new topic. As I read The Power of Questions, I think I have informally researched small ideas without really calling it research as I tried something new in my classroom, studied the results, reflected on the situation, and continued the cycle to try something else. I am looking forward to trying the naturalistic research approach as I dive deeper into a matter that I am interested in learning more about. I am apprehensive about choosing my question, but know that I want to choose something I truly care about and am interested in studying and exploring.
Questions:
What will my overarching question be for my action research?
How can I improve my teaching?
What am I most interested in discovering and understanding?
What am I most passionate about?
