School Improvement Network

Video Summary

Segment 3: The What of Action Research

From The Program Action Research
School Improvement Network, the leader in online professional development for educators, provides you with instant access to thousands of training videos through PD 360, the companys premiere PD platform. The following is an excerpt from a PD 360 video:
The what of action research addresses the principles and characteristics of action research, and the nature of the research that takes place. Action research is research IN practice, not research ON practice. I just think the whole idea of action research values what we do in the classroom, says Lynn Hallie Najem, a music and drama teacher. I think so often research is from the outside looking in. Thats why we feel like we can share with each other because were all teachers. Most researchers do not do research in practice, says Mary Klehr. Teachers do it in practice. Thats completely different. Ken Zeichner is a professor and Associate Dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has done extensive research that validates the effectiveness of action research. A lot of professional development doesnt recognize things that teachers bring to the professional development process, he says. It sort of comes in and treats them as blank slates. This is whatever it is, the latest innovation. Teachers often times feel insulted that their experience is not honored and theyre willing to learn new things. There is an important characteristic that differentiates action research from traditional research. But they want to be acknowledged for what they know already. You need to come in and respect teachers, Zeichner continues. First of all, recognize what they bring. And this process of action research is something that, if the teachers are in control, they begin to build on what they already know. In action research, educators examine their own practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research. Theres a sort of tension about action research versus traditional academic research, claims Dr. Lynette Russell. Sometimes this comes from different camps you hear people talking about what one contributes versus what the other contributesand I think the important thing to remember, just like what we say in classrooms with instruction with kids, is that there is no one single approach thats gonna give us all of the answers. In order to differentiate it from traditional research it is necessary to consider what action research is not. Action research goes beyond the usual things that people do when they think about their teaching, says Cathy Caro-Bruce. Action Research is systematic and involves collecting evidence on which to base rigorous reflection. At this time Ive collected the data myself with my journal, explains Anette Saxton. Student observations and student conversations, and more importantly the students work. When we push people to be rigorous in their thinking, says Caro-Bruce, somebody makes a statement, and somebody can follow up and say, tell me a little bit more about why you came to that conclusion, or what do you think parents would say about that same idea? We keep digging in and going deeper, were becoming more rigorous. Its not just problem solving its about problem posing. It is motivated by a quest to improve and understand the world by changing it. Peoples questions cover the range, explains Caro-Bruce, from a problem that they have that they want to look at, to something theyre just curious about. Its not research on other people; its research by people. And it doesnt treat people as objects out there. It includes their stories, their histories, and their experiences, into what they can learn

School Improvement Network

Video Summary

Segment 3: The What of Action Research

From The Program Action Research
about their particular question. Its not the scientific method applied to teaching. Action research is not just about hypothesis testing or about using data to come to conclusions. It is concerned with changing situations. Its not that you start out with, hey, Ive got this idea, now Im gonna collect this data, and heres what Ive learned, says Caro-Bruce. Actually its very messy. People might have a question, they say, Heres what my question is, and Im gonna collect some data about that. And then they come out of that and they say, You know what, thats not really my question, my question really is this, because I learned something else, or, my question was much too broad, let me go back and refine that, and collect some new data. Okay, now Im gonna reflect on that data. Wow, now I have another new question. It is important to remember that action research is not driven by a specific formula and it is never disconnected from educational practice. Action research redefines knowledge by challenging the view that theory is nonpractical and practice is non-theoretical. As theory comes to reflect the complex nature of teaching and teacher knowledge, teachers in their pedagogical practice will embrace and embody theory, as Cathy Caro-Bruce explains. We really try to help people understand that what were doing is about a different kind of research that serves a different purpose, she says. And so we talk people through a process where they do have a question, and they are collecting their data, and they are analyzing their data and theyre taking actions on what theyve learned. But were not trying to replicate something that is traditional research. Dr. Lynette Russell emphasizes the importance of research. The more that we can provide a richness with the research that we look at, the better were going to be able to address the issues that are out in education, she says. True action research is centered around educators choosing, developing, and refining questions based on their own teaching concerns. There are a lot of programs around the country, some of them in which teachers are required to participate in say this school-based action research movement, the schoolwide action research movement, Ken Zeichner claims. Everybody is told that well now be doing action research and well come up with our question, one question in the school, and then people go through this process. The lack of teacher control is connected to a lack of commitment. And it ends up like a lot of professional development for teachers, as just another one of those things that theyre making me do thats not worth that much in terms of my own professional development. Get the video on PD 360 by signing up for a free 30-day trial. Would you like weekly strategy updates? Sign up for Strategy of the Week for fresh ideas sent straight to your email inbox. Segment length: 6:04