Action Research Full Discussion
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Genesis of Action Research
Subject:[ProfessionalDevelopment 555] Genesis of Action Research
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Mon Oct 2 10:14:17 EDT 2006
PD List Colleagues:
I hope you had an enjoyable weekend! We are fortunate this week to have
teacher researchers and university researchers from the District of
Columbia as guests, to share with us their experiences with action
research as professional development (AR as PD). As you know, one of the
purposes of this list is to share promising practices in professional
development, and it is my hope that by sharing our AR experiences - both
guests and subscribers -- that we will surface best practices for PD
throughout the week.
For background about the Action Research Project, visit: http://tinyurl.com/krah5 <http://tinyurl.com/krah5>
These questions are for our guests:
Teacher Researcher Questions
- 1. Would you please tell us about your experience in making the decision to do action research? Briefly, what was the catalyst that led you to your desire for change? What intrigued you?
- 2. How did you identify problems that you wanted to address in your classrooms? What were some of the sources you used to identify areas for inquiry?
- 3. After you identified the problems you wanted to address, how did you arrive at the strategies (or interventions) you wanted to use to address the problem?
- 4. What was your research question? What concerns did you have about generating your question?
University Researcher Questions
- 1. How did you become involved in the Action Research Project with the University of the District of Columbia and the State Education Agency?
- 2. What is the nature of the partnership that supports this work?
- 3. What is it that you value about your work with the Action Research Project?
- 4. Please share with us the definition of action research you use in your work, and why.
Best wishes,
Jackie Taylor
Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator,
jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 557] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Mon Oct 2 16:19:18 EDT 2006
Dear Colleagues,
To start off our discussion, will the Action Research Team members
please introduce yourselves, and tell us a little bit about why you
became involved - and continue to be involved - with action research?
Why do you think action research is important? How does it help teachers
improve their practice? What are your thoughts on any of the questions
below?
I invite list subscribers to raise questions of our guests based upon
their introductions and responses to any of the questions.
Thanks so much! Best, Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 559] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Shifferraw, Maigenet mshifferraw at udc.edu
Date: Mon Oct 2 17:59:43 EDT 2006
Hello Jackie and all:
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our experiences of the Action Research Project in adult basic education in the District of Columbia with practitioners and researchers in the field. I will respond (tell my experiences) to the four questions you asked the university researchers and I look forward to questions or feedback from list serve subscribers. My other colleagues in the team will also respond to the questions and tell their experiences.
I am an Associate Professor in adult education at the Department of Education of the University of the District of Columbia and I coordinate the Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education. The State Education Agency, Adult Education (SEA) funds the Certificate Program. Because of this relationship, the UDC Department of Education and the SEA have collaborations and I work closely with SEA director and staff. I am the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Action Research Project.
- 1. My involvement in the project
My own involvement in the research project was from the beginning, or I should say from the initial inception of the project. My colleagues from SEA, the late Melva Abdullha, Dr. Lawrence Bussey (a consultant to SEA) and I wanted to study and identify promising instructional practices in adult basic education that are being practiced by teachers in the District of Columbia. Our goal was to identify successful strategies/interventions and encourage adult educators to use the identified practices to improve adult learners’ outcomes in adult basic education in the District of Columbia.
Instead of doing the research ourselves (studying what strategies are being used by teachers), we decided to use Action Research method and to involve the teachers in the field to do the actual research. This, we thought, will also contribute to the professional development efforts that SEA provides to adult educators in the District of Columbia. We established a research team that consist an additional SEA staff (Stacey Downey), Professor George Spicely (an adjunct professor at the Graduate Certificate Program) and two adult education teachers (Michelle Johnson and Delores Armistead) from two adult education programs in the District of Columbia. Later, Dr. Janet Burton, from the UDC Social Work program joined the team. Each of us has different roles in the project; however, members of the team contribute as equal partners in the research process.
- 2. Questions on the partnership that support this work
The State Education Agency (SEA) has been funding the project for the last three years. The partnership between SEA and UDC Department of Education in the project is not only with funding, but also with the whole process of the project. The teacher-researchers are working at SEA funded projects and as stated above, the research team consists both university professors and SEA staff. We also collaborate with the UDC Social Work Program and as discussed above, one of our team member, Dr. Burton, is from that department. The different adult education programs where the teacher-researchers work are also partners in the project.
- 3. How I value this project -- I value this project and my work with the project greatly. As a Principal Investigator of the project, I have responsibility for the oversight of the project. I make relevant decisions on behalf of the research team. I follow the teacher-researchers’ experiences closely and give them feedback on their questions. In addition, I am interested in the outcome of the research because of its relevance to the Graduate Certificate Program. This research helps me and other professors in the program to bring research-based information to our courses.
- 4. Define Action Research -- Action research is a systematic way of examining one’s own practice and identifying strategies or interventions to improve it. Its cyclical nature requires continuous reflection and taking actions or making changes to improve one's practice.
I have encouraged teacher-researchers to use the following simple procedures in conducting their research
Reflect on your practice and identify issues or problems that you want to address or you want to make changes in order to improve your practice. Then, design strategies/interventions that you want to implement to improve the condition. Develop a research question (s). Implement the planned action. Collect data on your total experience. Analyze the data, reflect on their outcome, and write your total experiences (your story) to share with others. Revise the plan if necessary and implement.
The above procedure is not steps that teachers follow without interruption. It is important to understand that Action Research process is systematic and dynamic. For example, through the whole process, documenting your experience and reflecting on each step is very important.
Since almost all of us have come from the traditional school of thought and beliefs that researchers need to maintain their objectivity (neutrality) and distance themselves from the research, it takes time to convince teachers to value their research as much as they value the research done by others (researchers). Through the process, however, teachers have become reflective practitioners. It also makes research relevant to their practice. In fact, it has an empowering effect to teachers and learners as well.
The above are few points that can be explored in depth through questions and requests for clarifications.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Maigenet Shifferraw, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Coordinator of the
Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education
Department of Education
University of the District of Columbia
Telephone: 202-274-5333
Email: mshifferraw at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 560] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: GSpicely at aol.com GSpicely at aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 2 22:10:33 EDT 2006
Dear Colleagues,
I am George Spicely, Adjunct Professor in the UDC Department of Education in
the Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education, and an education
consultant. I am also a part of the close working relationship between the State
Education Agency, Adult Education and the UDC Department of Education described by
Dr. Shifferraw in her opening statement. The Action Research Project is the
key link between them for me. I am Project Coordinator and help bring
together support and resources from the SEA and University collaboration for our
teacher-researchers in their action research activities. Although challenging,
the Project Team does this in an effective way because of members' early
involvement and commitment, I believe.
Interestingly, when I was asked to join the Project I thought it was a
natural for me having worked in the Adult Education Division of the U. S. Department
of Education where several of us worked closely with the establishment of
PRO-NET, a national professional development project. Two components of the
project were frameworks for teacher inquiry and promoting teacher communications
and networking to promote professional development. So, I did not hesitate to
become a part of the UDC/SEA Action Research Project to encourage and support
local teachers in designing and conducting their research to develop
strategies to improve their own instruction. In this, it was an opportunity to become
closer to the classroom and adult learners.
I suppose near the top in what I value in this Project is the experience of
seeing teachers with early skepticism about becoming researchers learn about
the process of teacher inquiry, become confident "experts" in their topic area,
and derive obvious pleasure out of sharing their results with others.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 561] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Patricia DeFerrari patricia at aohdc.org
Date: Tue Oct 3 07:52:32 EDT 2006
Greetings, colleagues:
My name is Patricia DeFerrari, and I am Program Manager at Academy of Hope, an adult literacy program in D.C. funded in part by the State Education Agency, Adult Education (SEA). As with several other professional development opportunities, I became involved with action research through an invitation by the SEA to participate in the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education's action research project. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the initial group of teacher researchers three years ago.
I decided to focus my research on the problem of poor attendance, a very common problem in adult education and a critical component to learners' success or lack thereof. The lead article in the September 2003 issue of Focus on Basics: Connecting Research and Practice, published by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), was on the impact of using authentic materials in adult literacy classes. That article prompted me to ask the question whether learners' active collaboration in building a curriculum using real-life materials would have a positive impact on their attendance.
In collaboration with my co-workers at Academy of Hope, I identified our basic level afternoon reading class as the the focus of my research project. Dr. Shifferraw and the other members of UDC's Action Research Project helped me develop and refine the design for my project.
The biggest concern I had in taking on this project was one of time. Would I be able to give the project the time it deserved? How would Academy of Hope most effectively use the results of my research to improve our programs?
What I found was that I did not have the time I thought the project deserved but I was able to find enough time to implement the key components of the project and to reap benefits from it. Our staff at Academy of Hope is small so it was very easy to share every step of the journey with them.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 562] (no subject)
From: Micki Greer mickiflips at hotmail.com
Date: Tue Oct 3 12:56:36 EDT 2006
Hi all:
I am quite interested in action research and have had the opportunity in the past to participate in various action research projects. As an adult education/GED teacher, I was encouraged by my supervisor to participate. All of the projects helped me to expand my horizons, try new teaching strategies, and develop my teaching skills.
Some of the projects were to help students who were on government assistance to gain workforce readiness/career skills. I remember my concern at the time that these projects might "take away" from basic skills (reading, math, GED skills)....However, during the projects, my students actually improved academically and were exposed to important life skills and new experiences (job shadowing, job interviews, resume' writing, etc.). I found that the students were quite motivated when given the opportunity to choose places of business to job shadow...
Before being allowed to job shadow, students had to complete prerequisites: classroom videos/discussion on job interviews, career paths, etc. Next, students job shadowed at our learning center. I had guest speakers to visit our classes and bring job interview clothing. A local business person came to our class and conducted mock job interviews. These interviews were filmed for the students' review. Grant money provided means to purchase videos, materials, and clothing for the students. (We shopped at a local consignment shop.)
The students who participated requested more homework and became more focused on obtaining their GEDs. One lady was hired (after her GED) by one of the businesses she shadowed. She stayed employed at that particular business for several years and is now buying a home...
Class attendance was excellent...
I think action research is a very valuable tool!
Micki Greer Jaggars
'Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 565] Re: Who's doing Action Research?
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Tue Oct 3 19:33:08 EDT 2006
Micki, and All, Hello!
Micki, I'm glad to see you join in this discussion, and thank you for
sharing your work about your action research project from Tennessee. I
hope others outside of the D.C. area will follow your lead and share
their experiences. To All: Micki's work can be found in the Idea Book
2000: http://www.cls.utk.edu/2000_idea_book.html (under Micki Hendrix).
Micki, perhaps you might share with us other AR-generated resources from
other projects in which you participated?
To others on the list: whether you are a teacher researcher,
professional development professional, university researcher, or adult
learner who has benefited from action research:
Please tell us about your experiences with action research work: what
are others doing in action research in your program, state, or province?
What states or provinces support practitioner inquiry projects, and why
did you choose an action research approach for this type of professional
development?
Don't forget, let the list know where you're from, and provide your
contact information. Not only is this an opportunity to discuss our
experiences with action research, but also a chance to begin developing
our own network of support for teacher researchers and others who have
worked with action research.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you! Best, Jackie Taylor, jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 565] Re: Who's doing Action Research?
From: Shifferraw, Maigenet mshifferraw at udc.edu
Date: Tue Oct 3 20:20:56 EDT 2006
Hello Ms Greer:
I am very interested in your research especially the one with students
who are on government assistant to gain workforce readiness/career
skills. I understand the concern you had about the relationship between
life skills and GED subjects. I am a professor in adult education and
many of my graduate students (who are adult basic education teachers)
express fear of not teaching to the test. We usually have engaging
discussions whether life skills would be relevant to passing the GED
test. I think your work is very relevant to show teachers that they can
prepare their learners to pass the GED by making the GED material
relevant to the lives of the learners.
I am looking forward for our teacher-researchers to share their
experiences. One teacher, Kris Garvin, had a project related to GED and
the relevance of the GED materials to the adult learners.
Thanks for sharing you work with us.
Maigenet Shifferraw, Ph.D.
Department of Education
University of the District of Columbia
Telephone: 202-274-5333
Email: mshifferraw at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 564] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Tue Oct 3 19:34:03 EDT 2006
Patricia, hello!
I second Cesar's cheers and welcome to the list! Thanks for being the
first to "take the plunge" as a teacher researcher in the discussion.
Several things you mention are of interest to me, and I'd like to come
back to your concerns in a moment. But before I do, I'm wondering if
you'd tell us a bit more. I'd also like to hear from other D.C. teacher
researchers, and I hope they will jump in on one or more of these
questions:
- 1. Please tell me more about your research. What exactly do you feel is key to getting started with action research?
- 2. How do teachers get from having a problem or concern in their practice to 'doing' action research?
- 3. Is there anything more you'd like to add about your experience getting started? Do you have any advice for other teachers who would like to get started with AR?
Thanks! Best..Jackie Taylor
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 566] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Patricia DeFerrari patricia at aohdc.org
Date: Wed Oct 4 08:57:02 EDT 2006
Hi, Jackie
The way I see things action research formalizes a natural process of continuing improvement that effective teachers and program administrators regularly undertake: begin with assessment (of skills and goals, i.e., where we are and where we want to go), develop a plan (objectives, materials, teaching/learning strategies), implement the plan, assess progress, analyze and evaluate outcomes, revise plan, and repeat.
Action research deepens the analysis part of this process by adding research, both formal (reading articles, books, Internet research, etc) and informal (conversations with other teachers on staff or at other institutions), and documentation (what you do, how you do, what you use, outcomes).
In other words, teachers are always asking how they can do things better, how they can be more effective. These questions are the start of action research.
What helped me most was a broad network of support. I talked with other staff at Academy of Hope who helped me identify the problem and encouraged me in taking on the project. I also had the support of the Action Research team at UDC. Dr. Shifferaw and the others on the team helped me develop and refine my research design. Meetings with them and with other action research teachers helped keep me on track with the project and helped me analyze the results. The SEA and UDC have continued to provide me with opportunities to share the results of my research and to continue to learn from it.
I think successful action research depends on this kind of broad support, especially for first-time action researchers. Even if a teacher does not have access to university-level support, s/he can find support in other teachers and in professional colleagues or personal friends in other related fields who are familiar with doing research. Of course, it also helps if you have a writing buddy, someone to encourage you in your writing when you get to that point and to give you feedback.
Patricia DeFerrari, Program Manager
Academy of Hope
1501 Columbia Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 328-2029 x14
patricia at aohdc.org
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 567] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Micki Greer mickiflips at hotmail.com
Date: Wed Oct 4 09:52:21 EDT 2006
I second Patricia's comments about support. While participating in action research, it was extremely helpful to have other teachers with which to confer during the process.
<P>The teachers who were selected to participate met several times during the course of the research projects to compare notes and discuss the progress of the projects. The projects concluded with final meetings, documentation, and presentation at regional or statewide teacher conferences.
The Center for Literacy Studies in Knoxville (http://www.cls.utk.edu/) produced books containing the teachers' reports and outcomes of the projects. The action research experiences sparked a desire in me to continuously look for ways to ignite students' interest in worthwhile endeavors.
Micki Greer Jaggars
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 569] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Eduardo Honold ehonol at sisd.net
Date: Wed Oct 4 13:03:14 EDT 2006
Hello,
I've been following the discussion on action research with great
interest, and wondering if the follow ups we require for our PD
academies (I coordinate PD in the Far West region of Texas) comes close
to the definition of AR. Typically, we require teachers to identify an
area of their practice they would like to work on, use some of the
strategies suggested in the workshops in the academy that address that
issue, evaluate the results, and share these results with peers. The
weakest link in our system, and one of the reasons I would hesitate to
refer this model as AR, is that our teachers have not developed very
systematic ways of collecting and analyzing classroom data. Not
surprisingly, the actual results of this "research" vary wildly in
quality and scope. Evidence typically boils down to a teacher's
self-assessment of whether some classroom intervention worked or not.
In some cases teachers have given in-class tests or evaluations, but
rarely is there pre-intervention data. In a recent ESL Master Teacher
Academy led by Heide Spruck-Wrigley, we tried getting around this by
instituting peer observations of an intervention (in this case, a highly
structured ESL lesson plan). Teachers received feedback from one of
their peers and me based on an observation rubric, but I would hesitate
to call this data "research" data. We are working on a new model for an
ABE/GED Master Teacher Academy that is more explicit about the AR
component, particularly on the question of tying their AR to prior
research in the field and collecting and evaluating systematic data. I
worry, however, about spending so much time on research methodology, and
creating unrealistic expectations in terms of a teacher's ability (time
being a major constraint) to carry out systematic research. Does
anybody have any ideas on how to balance these competing demands in AR?
By the way, you are welcome to see some examples of our follow ups to
our academies at http://www.farwestgreat.org/page6.html Choose an
academy and click on the links for "Follow up Assignment" and "Work
Completed" in each. The New Teacher Academy has a neat Learning Project
Plan form that proved quite useful.
Best,
Eduardo Honold
Coordinator, Far West Project GREAT
ehonol at sisd.net
(915) 937-1703
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 570] Introduction of UDC Action Team Member
From: Burton, Janet jburton at udc.edu
Date: Wed Oct 4 15:43:27 EDT 2006
Hello Everyone:
I am a professor and Director of the Social Work Program at the
University of the District of Columbia. I am pleased to share my
experiences as a member of the UDC Action Research Team. It has been an
excellent three year experience to participate as a partner with
colleagues who are committed to improvement in student learning in adult
basic education (ABE) programs in the District of Columbia. Though my
field is not adult basic education, I am interested in understanding
internal and external factors (social, psychological, political, and
economic, etc.) which challenge or support persons in their efforts to
complete ABE programs.
My involvement in the UDC Action Research Team began prior to the
selection of the first group of teacher-researchers. The principal
investigator, Dr. Maigenet Shifferaw, was interested in having persons
from other disciplines participate in the project. I was pleased to
join the group because of my interest in understanding factors that
promote successful ABE program outcomes.
My role with the project has evolved since its inception three years
ago. It has ranged from one of consultant to serving as lead person on
a research project related to examining social factors that impact
student participation in ABE programs. Students in my Social Work
Practice advocacy class became involved and conducted a focus group with
the teacher-researchers to obtain information on the impact of social
factors. The teacher's experiences indicate that the ABE educational
process can be interrupted temporarily or permanently for a number of
reasons ranging from family, to employment. to health matters as
examples. Teachers are concerned and will try to help but time and
resources may be a barrier. It appears that ABE programs may need
ongoing access to social work professionals who provide culturally
competent holistic services.
The above are tentative findings from this project. I look forward to
any questions or points that may be raised or to hear of experiences of
others.
Janet Burton, DSW
Professor and Director
Social Work Program
Urban Affairs, Social Sciences, and Social Work Department
College of Arts and Sciences
University of the District of Columbia
Telephone: 202-274-5719
Email: jburton@@udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 571] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Shifferraw, Maigenet mshifferraw at udc.edu
Date: Wed Oct 4 16:12:53 EDT 2006
I read with interest Eduardo Hanold's discussion of his experiences in professional development for adult educators. He raised an important question when he wrote:
“ Typically, we require teachers to identify an area of their practice they would like to work on, use some of the strategies suggested in the workshops in the academy that address that issue, evaluate the results, and share these results with peers. The weakest link in our system, and one of the reasons I would hesitate to refer this model as AR, is that our teachers have not developed very systematic ways of collecting and analyzing classroom data.”
I think the major element that identifies AR from other type of professional development is that in AR teachers collect data systematically, analyze the data collected, reflect on the outcome, and take action and so on. The whole process requires continuous reflection and action and systematic documentation of the experiences. The teacher is doing this to improve her/his profession and that is why AR is also part of a professional development endeavor.
Do teachers have time (since especially most adult education teachers are on a part-time basis) to do what AR requires? This is a relevant question that needs to be discussed here. As Patricia indicated, most of our teacher-researchers also raised the issue of time. I hope teachers who have gone through the process of doing AR will tell us the strategies they used.
Best,
Maigenet Shifferraw
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 572] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Kris Garvin krisgarvin at hotmail.com
Date: Wed Oct 4 16:34:28 EDT 2006
Hello all. Sorry I am late to the discussion, but I have been sick for the
past couple of days.
I would like to start by addressing the initial questions.
- 1. Would you please tell us about your experience in making the decision to do action research? Briefly, what was the catalyst that led you to your desire for change? What intrigued you?
What intrigued me about action research was the opportunity to perform
research as I was teaching--and most specifically, to view my teaching as
the research. Instead of combing through journals or setting up experimental
settings with control groups and accurate samplings, I was both
participating in and observing personal experiences that had the ability to
alter my teaching practices.
- 2. How did you identify problems that you wanted to address in your classrooms? What were some of the sources you used to identify areas for inquiry?
A year ago, I was teaching my first GED class. I was teaching reading, writing, and social studies. I noticed that many of my learners, despite their best efforts, were having problems coming up with the answers to many of the questions in their books. They also struggled with maps and charts. But above all, I found that the GED textbooks made a great deal of assumptions about their knowledge base and skill level--expecting learners to know the difference between state and federal government or that "Reconstruction" was a period following the Civil War.
I began asking them questions about their background knowledge and
participation in social studies types of activities--watching the news,
reading the paper, voting, using maps, etc.--and I found that few of them
participated in these activities. So I began including more "authentic"
materials in my social studies class to augment the lessons--news
broadcasts, articles, books, maps of DC, and I found that this helped
interest and involve the learners.
- 3. After you identified the problems you wanted to address, how did you arrive at the strategies (or interventions) you wanted to use to address the problem?
I knew I needed to impart a great deal of social studies knowledge, but I
wanted to make it fun and interactive. In that way, I knew it was important
to relate social studies issues to learners' lives, so we studied current
events, local issues, and some local history. But the learners were also
open to studying more expansive historical subjects, like Native American
history for instance. They enjoyed many of the historical films and
documentaries and had no problem discussing them. We also took a trip to the
National Museum of American History.
- 4. What was your research question? What concerns did you have about generating your question?
My research question was, "Will teaching social studies by providing
authentic materials designed to involve learners in social studies
activities, build vocabulary and geography skills, and provide historical
background information, lead to a better understanding of social studies?"
Even though I hoped the intervention would lead to higher GED social studies
scores, it was important to me to emphasize the improvement of social
studies skills. I wanted these learners to be able to pass a test, but I
also wanted them to be able to use a map, understand a newspaper, and
navigate the voter registration system.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 573] from Heide, Challenges of Action Research
From: Heide Spruck Wrigley
Date: Wed Oct 4 17:20:44 EDT 2006
Hi, all - I've asked Jackie to post this for me - since I'm not able to
be a regular participant in this session.
I've read Eduardo's comments with interest especially since they also
support my experience with in-service teachers in other projects. Many
of the part time teachers that we work with don't have a strong academic
background in second language acquisition, reading, or literacy
development (most come from related fields) and for them implementing
action research projects that link research, observation, classroom
"intervention", data analysis, and reflection prove to be quite
challenging. In many cases, thinking about other (more direct) ways of
helping teachers make changes in their teaching are worth exploring
(hence our recent emphasis on "lesson studies" tied to discussions of
what we know about how people - adult and kids learn and how the brain
processes information).
What makes action research so challenging for our field? I've seen
wonderful projects by teachers who are in graduate programs and are in
full reading/thinking/reflecting/writing mode. But this is only a small
number. Many of the questions that "regular" teachers have (e.g.,
"Should I teach phonics to my adult students who have trouble reading?"
or "How can I help my ESL students get rid or their accents") are not
easily answered and require quite a bit of discussion to sort out issues
and unpack various notions (what is "accent elimination", is it
possible? and even if it were, should it be one of our goals?).
While there is of course a great deal of academic research on many of
these subtopics (although most are smaller studies and only few are done
with adults), not much of it speaks directly to classroom issues that
our teachers face and asking them to read articles that don't suggest
solutions that can be implemented in the classroom is inviting
frustration. I also found that asking teachers to do individual
research only goes so far - we've had much richer discussions when we
all explore the same topic, try to make changes in the classroom (such
as integrating visual and text-based literacy) and then discuss what
worked, how and why.
Having said that, I think working with teachers to help them understand
what we (i.e., the field) know about teaching and learning and inviting
them to take a critical look at their classrooms (perhaps focusing on a
few students who seem to have trouble) is extremely worthwhile, as is
asking teachers to think about what is working for them and what is not
and suggesting research that speaks to these issues. As is teacher
reflection.
But I think it's worthwhile rethinking the conventional notion of Action
Research to consider what kind of approach might give us the most bang
for the effort for teachers who want to experiment with new ways of
teaching, ways that are grounded in what we know from research and
experience but are a bit more flexible. Right now, much of what teachers
do (or what we PD folks are asking them to do) is labeled Action
Research by the funders, so Action Research is what we call it. Perhaps
it's time for a new term for inviting teachers to read, think, explore
new approaches and reflect on practice so that we/they don't have to
feel guilty about not *really* doing action research.
All the best
Heide Spruck Wrigley
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 574] Action Research
From: Cheryl Jackson cejackson68 at yahoo.com
Date: Wed Oct 4 21:01:38 EDT 2006
Greetings Colleagues,
My name is Cheryl Jackson. I participated in the Action Research project 3 years ago in the group with Patricia. At that I was an Adult Education Consultant working in a Workplace Literacy Project which was collaboration between the Academy of Hope and Literacy Volunteers of America of the National Capital Area and funded by the State Education Agency (SEA). Presently, I work as an Adult Education Consultant with the District Department of Transportation teaching workplace education classes. Although this was my first time participating in action research, I had previously conducted qualitative research projects dealing with women and poverty issues.
My research took place in a workplace education setting with Adult Basic Education students most of whom read below the 5th grade level. The students selected for my action research project worked with the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Water and Sewer Authority (WASA). The classes met two days per week for 2 hours each day. Classroom instruction was provided on one day with the second day being devoted to individual computer-assisted instruction on the mobile technology unit provided by the State Education Agency.
I was interested in teaching strategies using technology that would help the employees with their word recognition and reading comprehension skills while working at their own pace. My research question was: How can computer technology be used to improve reading comprehension and word recognition skills for low-level readers?
Although, there was some level of frustration as they progressed through the software, interviews and observations revealed that the students felt comfortable using the computers and believed that their reading skills had improved.
I liked the idea of conducting action research, but I found it very time consuming. I liked meeting with the other teachers and hearing about what they were doing. Participating in the project helped me to think of other instructional strategies to use with my students to help them to improve their word recognition and comprehension skills. Also, I learned a lot from doing the literature review, which I would not have done had I not been participating in this project.
I didn’t like the stress involved in trying to complete the project which was compounded by the mobile unit being out of service for two months. Also, there was insufficient time during class to administer the one-on-one LVA Reading Evaluation Adult Diagnosis and no time to administer it outside of class. An additional problem was the lack of research related to adult literacy reading instruction
If I were to participate in another action research project, I would take a more structured approach. I would concentrate more on the different phases of the research and try to be organized, so that the process would be more enjoyable as it should be and less stressful.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 575] Action Research
From: Carol Simmons simm415 at bellsouth.net
Date: Wed Oct 4 21:30:55 EDT 2006
I have participated in several action research projects since I started teaching adult education/GED classes several years ago. Every research project I have worked with has enhanced my teaching in ways I didn’t even realize I needed improvement in prior to my involvement in the action research.
The first action research project I participated in was on learning disabilities. This research project has helped me more with my teaching methods and strategies than any education course I had in college. I have had students tell me that if only he or she had known to use this or that accommodation while in school it would have made learning so much easier and dropping out of school might never have happened.
The action research project made it possible for me to not only learn the methods and techniques for helping students with learning disabilities, but to be able to use them effectively. It also made it possible to better identify my own strengths and weaknesses.
On every research project I have participated on I have worked alone but was in close contact with other educators in the group. I think this is the main reason action research projects have worked so well for me. I don’t know how well it work if I was totally alone with a project.
It is my belief that action research aids us in getting out of the “rut” we tend to fall into at times and enables us to become better educators.
Carol Simmons
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 576] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: GSpicely at aol.com GSpicely at aol.com
Date: Thu Oct 5 08:55:40 EDT 2006
Hello colleagues,
In my introductory statement about my experience with the Action Research
Project here in Washington, DC, I mentioned that typically there was some
skepticism among those considering participating as teacher-researchers, and those
who applied and were selected, about their willingness and capacity to take on
the requirements to do research. Clearly, the view was that the regular
preparation and conduct of their teaching were already demanding and time-consuming
enough without adding another project. So, one of the initial challenges for
us was to engage our new teacher-researchers in thinking about what action
research is and what are its benefits for them as teachers. Initially, some
viewed it as separate from their teaching, a sort of interesting add-on to what
they were already doing.
I appreciate interest here in action research under the Professional
Development listserv because of the recognition of the related importance of
improving teacher knowledge as well as teaching practices. First, we try to
encourage among teachers the idea that to be 'professional' is to be knowledgeable
and to continue to find ways to improve their effectiveness as teachers.
Increasingly, under "No Child Left Behind" and adult education standards in the
National Reporting System, there is wider awareness of the need to improve
learner outcomes at all levels. So, teachers, I believe, are feeling more
accountable in how well their learners are performing and meeting their goals as
well as goals for the programs where they are employed or volunteer.
In preparation for newly selected teacher-researchers' participation in the
first in a series of Project Workshops on action research, we ask them to find
opportunities to engage their students and program colleagues in considering
a class or subject topic (s) where there is a need for improvement in learner
results and change in related approaches to instruction. And we ask them to
begin formulating related questions that will narrow and guide their inquiry
or research. In these initial steps, we attempt to build the idea that the
teachers' individual action research projects emerge from their own programs,
classrooms, students, teachers need to improve instruction and results for
learners.
So, I think that improving understanding of action research in the context of
individual classroom instructional goals and teaching practices help justify
its wider use. I believe that teachers think differently about time commited
to action research when they better appreciate the benefits and their
ownership of this inquiry process.
George Spicely
[ProfessionalDevelopment 577] Re: Genesis of Action Research
David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Thu Oct 5 06:59:30 EDT 2006
Hello Kris, and other action research teachers,
Can you tell us what the answer was to your research question, Kris?
What did you learn about using authentic social studies resources?
Did students' scores improve compared with other GED social studies
students you had taught? Did they have more knowledge and skills in
social studies? Did they like this way of learning?
Kirs and others: w hat did you do differently because you were
involved in an action research project, that you might not have done
in the regular course of teaching? Did you do some things more
systematically? If so, what? Did you learn more about how to do
research? Did you produce an article or write a report or do a
presentation for others involved in action research? Would you
suggest to colleagues on this list that they get involved in action
research? Why or why not?
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 578] Re: Introduction of UDC Action Team Member
From: David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Thu Oct 5 07:34:39 EDT 2006
Hello Janet,
On Oct 4, 2006, at 3:43 PM, Burton, Janet wrote:
- My role with the project has evolved since its inception three years ago. It has ranged from one of consultant to serving as lead person on a research project related to examining social factors that impact student participation in ABE programs. Students in my Social Work Practice advocacy class became involved and conducted a focus group with the teacher-researchers to obtain information on the impact of social factors. The teacher’s experiences indicate that the ABE educational process can be interrupted temporarily or permanently for a number of reasons ranging from family, to employment. to health matters as examples. Teachers are concerned and will try to help but time and resources may be a barrier. It appears that ABE programs may need ongoing access to social work professionals who provide culturally competent holistic services.
- The above are tentative findings from this project. I look forward to any questions or points that may be raised or to hear of experiences of others.
Research by Comings and Parella (Persistence), and Reder and Strawn
(Longitudinal Study of Adult learning) -- available at http://
www.ncsall.net , also shows that the adult basic education
(including ESOL) process is often interrupted temporarily or
permanently for the reasons you cite and others. In addition to
support services such as you describe, these researchers suggest that
programs need to be designed differently so that students may stay
enrolled during some of these challenges in their lives, so that they
could have reduced class hours, classes at more convenient times
(weekends for example) and learning online. In other words, instead
of looking at students who cannot attend class any longer as drop
outs (once again) design programs to adjust to (some of the)
challenges they face in their lives. And I know that in the District
of Columbia there is interest in looking at these kinds of solutions.
I mention this research, however, because the observations made by
the teachers in this project, that you summarized, are consistent
with observations of some of the most extensive and best-respected
research in our field. Where there is a congruence of findings --
from multiple studies -- and where practitioners and researchers'
find the same phenomena in a variety of locations and circumstances,
then this may be of great importance, a problem that our field needs
to pay more attention to, and for which we need carefully crafted
experimental research to help us determine what the best solutions
might be. For example, suppose we experimented with three treatments
and a control group, if the treatments were:1) full access to social
services as you describe, 2) online and saturday class options, and
3) both of these, and suppose we looked at the persistence rate of
the students enrolled to see which produced the best results. This
would be a way of building on action research findings, taking them
to a higher step on the hierarchy of research.
I wonder if anyone is trying to systematically look at the findings
from adult literacy action research to see if any of them point to
areas where it would be worthwhile to do some more controlled and
more costly research.
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 585] Re: Introduction of UDC Action TeamMember
From: Burton, Janet jburton at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 15:22:53 EDT 2006
Thanks so much for the information. I wonder if any one is conducting
the kind of experimental research that you describe. If so, I hope they
will share their experience. As the UDC Action Research Team begins the
4th year I will have the points you raised placed on our agenda for
discussion.
Janet Burton
jburton at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 579] The AR process and the "bottom line"
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 10:07:25 EDT 2006
Hello Kris, Patricia, Cheryl and Action Researchers,
I'd like to add on to David's question about the "bottom line". Earlier
this week, you told us about the beginning of the process of action
research, so I'd like to hear "what happens in between" getting started
and the end results. In fact, your experiences throughout the process
may be helping other practitioners make a more informed decision as to
whether or not AR is for them.
1. Plan of Action
How did you arrive at your 'plan of action'? To what extent were
adult learners involved in this process?
2. Determining Your Measures
What were your measures you used to evaluate what you
were doing? Did you create a documented comparison of the results
(before/after the intervention)? What are some examples of criteria you
used? In other words, how did you determine a "successful outcome?" Did
you meet the level of effectiveness you were hoping to see the first
time around?
3. Implementation
What was the experience like to implement your plan?
4. Evaluate and Reflect
What did you find? What did you change as a result about what
you do? (See David's questions below) Did - or will - this lead to new
cycles of action research for you?
5. How might this entire process of Action Research differ from
trial-and-error approaches to improvement? Did you experience any
instances where your research may have countered intuition?
To others on this list: Here is a resource on the process of Action Research that you might find of interest: http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0200-08.htm
I also have found Allan Quigley and Gary Kuhne's article "Understanding
and Using Action Research in Practice Settings" found in #73 of the "New
Directions" series, invaluable in understanding the AR process. They use
examples from Allan's own teaching practice to illustrate the steps in
the process.
http://www.nald.ca/litweb/province/nb/nald-nb/english/prodev/booklist/cr
eatprc/contents.htm (or try: http://tinyurl.com/hnffp)
Unfortunately, I don't think the articles are available online, unless,
Allan or others on this list know differently and would share the link
with us.
Thanks, all, for the enriching discussions! Best, Jackie
Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 580] Action research is the most refreshing addition to literacy in years
From: Allan Quigley aquigley at stfx.ca
Date: Thu Oct 5 10:07:33 EDT 2006
HI, I’ve been reading the contributions to this discussion on action research with a lot of interest and thought I’d add my few cents. I’ve become a great believer in action research for adult literacy. Here’s my story:
I first got involved when I was teaching at Penn State University in about ’89 I think it was. We started a group called the Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PAARN). With state funding (then known as 353) and 5 grad’ students, we broke down Western PA into areas, each on the team had an area—Pittsburgh area, Erie, Harrisburg, etc. We conducted a short “training” seminar for literacy practitioners volunteering to conduct a research project in their workplace. . The groups met regularly (weekly-monthly) and received travel allowances as well as $300 for a finished monograph. Do to a criticism that the projects were not “rigorous,” we ultimately had all project proposals go to an expert panel that made suggestions before the projects began. The results are on the PAARN Website (see below).
The follow up studies of the success of these projects convinced me this was a refreshing and important addition to practice and for building research capacity in the field.
Now, I am extremely sensitive to “promoting” publications here or anywhere but don’t know how else to tell of my experiences with action research without saying that, with Gary Kuhne and many of the participants, including Drucie Weirauch (both at PSU today), we brought out a book on our activities called “Creating Practical Knowledge Through Action Research: {Posing Problems, Solving Problems, and Improving Daily Practice” (Jossey-Bass) that described the projects we did and it gives a description of how to do a project. I also have been involved in action research projects with literacy in KY, LA, KS and in Canada, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and here in Nova Scotia.
Now back home in Canada, I have a new book just out entitled Building Professional Pride in Literacy (Krieger). The ideas were pilot-test by practitioners in the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans (pre and post Katrina, actually). In it, there is a list of some of the major Websites I could find that report findings and action research activities (see below) and my best shot at a step-by-step description of how to conduct a project (last chapter of the book). Sorry, I am not meaning to promote publications, as I said, but I do want to say that some folks from this Listserv had input to that book a couple of years ago and I want to thank them personally for their input.
And maybe some want to check out these Websites on action research in various countries (not an exhaustive list for sure…….) :
LITERACY RESEARCH WEBSITES AT LITERACY PROGRAMS & INSTITUTES
Australia
Adult Literacy and Numeracy Research Consortium (ALNARC) www.staff.vu.edu.au/alnarc
National Center for English Language Teaching & Research (NCELTR) www.nceltr.mq.edu.au/amep/index.html <http://www.nceltr.mq.edu,au/amep/index.html>
Canada
Adult Literacy Research in Ontario
www.research.alphaplus.ca/
Festival of Literacies, Ontario
www.literaciesoise.ca <http://www.literaciesoise.ca/>
National Adult Literacy Database
www.nald.ca <http://www.nald.ca/>
Research-in-Practice in Adult Literacy
www.nald.ca/ripal
The Directory of Canadian Adult Literacy Research in English
www.nald.ca/crd
Festival of Literacies, Ontario
www.literaciesoise.ca <http://www.literaciesoise.ca/>
England
Research & Practice in Adult Literacy
www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal
Lancaster Literacy Research Centre
http://www.literacy.lancaster.ac.uk/what/teachers.htm
USA
Kentucky Practitioner Inquiry Projects
www.workforce.ky.gov/
National Centre for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/index.html
Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN)
www.learningfrompractice/org/palpin/default.htm
Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PAARN)
www.learningfrompractice/org/paarn/default.htm
Project Idea, Texas
http://slincs.coe.utk.edu/research.htm
Virginia Adult Education Research Network (VAERN)
www.aelweb.vcu.edu/resguide/resguide1
Women Expanding / Literacy Education Action Resource Network
http://www.litwomen.org/welearn.html
B. Allan Quigley, EdD
Professor of Adult Education
Department of Adult Education
Xavier Hall
St. Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Canada,
B2G 2W5
e-mail: aquigley at stfx.ca
website: www.stfx.ca/academic/adulted
phone: 902-867-3244
fax: 902-867-3765
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 581] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Jones, Adrienne Adrienne.Jones at ccs-dc.org
Date: Thu Oct 5 10:42:02 EDT 2006
Hello everyone,
My name is Adrienne Jones; I am the Education Coordinator for Catholic
Community Services.
Many of my students were shelter residents. On the daily basis, I saw
gifted adults who were not familiar with their own abilities and had no
plan for the many unstructured hours at their disposal. This situation
sparked my interest.
I implemented computer-based learning as the primary teaching tool for a
twelve-week session. All lessons were tailored to the learners reading
level. Each learner completed skills at his or her own pace. One great
benefit of using computers was the privacy that it offered. The computer
software that we used provided immediate and detailed explanations to
incorrect answers, age-appropriate scenarios, and an audio-read feature
which read the information on the screen aloud as the learner interacted
with the computer.
I watched as the learners grew autonomous and confident.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 582] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Johnson, Julia M. jmjohnson at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 12:15:34 EDT 2006
Hello everyone:
My name is Michelle Johnson and I'm the Director of Professional Development and Policy at the UDC State Education Agency, Adult Education & Family Literacy. I have served as a teacher representative for the Action Research Project for the past three years. It is an exciting project!!! In fact, as part of my graduate studies, I wrote a research paper on our Action Research Project. I conducted a survey and asked teacher researchers to identify what they had learned about themselves and their students as a result of participating in the AR project. Some of their comments included:
- Understanding the value of focusing on the "whole student" in the classroom;
- becoming more aware of students' behaviors, attitudes and feelings as they relate to student learning;
- realizing a greate ability to adapt to varying situations;
- realizing that teachers an be more effective when they allow themselves time to research and reflect on the larger context of learning;
- realizing that adult learners have a clear sense of their learning needs and have ideas about how to improve their skills;
- learning that different strategies are preferred and work best for different learners;
- recognizing that students maybe resistent to certain methodologies intially, but eventually become eager to share and learn with each other once they understand how cooperative learning works;
- realizing that adult learners have remarkable tenancity of spirit and the ability to persevere through extraordinary trying circumstances; and
- understanding the impact of recognizing student accomplishments as a motivator for students to achieve their goals.
I also engaged in three Peer Mentoring/Teacher Observation Sessions with three of the teacher-researchers. It was a wonderful and enlightening experience. Adrianne Jones is a remarkable faciltator of a blended learning model (using classroom instruction and online learning) to facilitate student learning. Chenniah Randolph is a skilled in the art of helping students to understand the relevance of every aspect of the content they learn in class to their real life experiences. Kris Garven is patient and thoughtful in framing question that help students to develop and cultivate good critical thinking skills. These three experiences were so wonderful that this year, as part of Professional Development and to build upon our Peer Agency Review Process, we will be offering incentives to agencies and teachers to participate in Peer Mentoring/Teacher Observation Sessions.
I'm excited as you can see, because I learned so much as a result of being a teacher representative, writing a research paper on our Action Research Project and participating in the Peer Mentoring/Teacher Observations.
Michelle Johnson
Director of Professional Development and Policy
UDC State Education Agency
Adult Education & Family Literacy
(202) 274-6680
jmjohnson at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 590] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Kris Garvin krisgarvin at hotmail.com
Date: Thu Oct 5 17:11:37 EDT 2006
To answer the questions asked by Dr. Rosen (see original questions below):
The outcome of my research was at first difficult to ascertain, because many
of my students stopped coming before the research project officially ended.
I had originally used a GED pre-test found in one of the Steck-Vaughn books
as baseline data, as well as a questionnaire that I designed. However, my
students all left before the summer began--before I had had a chance to
administer a post-test and exit questionnaire. (The students all left for
various reasons--some got jobs, some had personal emergencies, etc. Most
assured me they weren't "burned out" on school and sincerely wanted to
continue.)
However, two-thirds of the way through the project, my center had
administered an official GED practice test with a social studies component.
I continually administered questionnaires throughout the research project,
so I was able to look at these data--both quantitative and qualitative--and
assess the research project. I came to the conclusion that the intervention
had been successful. There was a marked increase in GED practice test
scores, and on their questionnaires, students demonstrated that they knew
more about social studies and were more interested in current events. For
instance, on the baseline questionnaire, only one student had been able to
answer the question, "Why was the Civil War fought?" but towards the end,
all but one student could provide an accurate answer to this question. On
the baseline questionnaire, most couldn't name a current event that
interested them. However, on a later questionnaire, many indicated that they
were definitely interested in current events, and several named "the war in
Iraq" as the country's most pressing issue.
There were other smaller differences as well. One of my former students, who
is now in another class, came to me the other day with a political
advertisement she'd picked up outside of a metro station. She wanted to know
what I thought of it.
The entire project reinforced what I believed: that teaching current events
in adult social studies classes is extremely important. Many of my learners
said they were not initially interested in social studies or current events,
but once they were presented with materials and were given a forum in which
to discuss their opinions of everything from the current president to the
current mayor, they really had a lot to say.
Kris Garvin
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 593] from Tom, Action Research
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 18:16:52 EDT 2006
Hello All,
Please see the message from Tom Sticht below. Thanks to Tom for sharing
these resources! Best, Jackie Taylor
Original Message-----
From: tsticht at znet.com at znet.com
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 12:21 PM
To: Taylor, Jackie
Subject: Action Research
Jackie: Maybe your PD list members will find this of interest. Action
research does not always mean teachers as researchers, though colleagues
and I did direct projects along this line in the mid-to late 1990s (see
a summary below, if anyone wants a copy of the full report email me at
tsticht at aznet.net and I'll attach it to an email and send it along).
Researchers as Teachers
In the first half of the 1970s I directed action research involving
researchers as teachers. In this my research team of mostly Ph. D and
M.A.
psychologists took over the Army's literacy program in Monterey,
California and the researchers became adult literacy teachers. For over
three years the researcher-teachers worked alongside, learned from, and
taught new information from cognitive science to the regular adult
literacy teachers.
This type of research is conducive to humility in researchers and we
spent many an hour around our team meeting table at the end of each week
asking ourselves, "If we're so smart, why are so many of our students
not learning well?" Still, we went on to develop a new approach to
literacy instruction that was based on scientifically sound research
data and which subsequently replaced all Army literacy training
programs. Our work was later referred to by researchers for the SCANS
Commission as the basis for the workplace literacy movement in the U.S.
Students as Researchers
In Passports to Paradise, the reference to which you posted on this list
a while back, we employed students as researchers on a number of
occasions.
Students conducted interviews in their communities using native
languages that we as researchers could not speak nor understand.
Students studied reasons why adults in their neighborhoods did not
participate in ABE, what adults need to know and be able to do to
fulfill their roles as workers, family members, and citizens, and other
projects. Generally, the findings by students were consistent with the
findings of professional researchers who study participation issues in
ABE. Students can serve well as researchers for a number of issues and
problems important to adult literacy education.
Teachers As Researchers
This report describes the first, exploratory phase of research to
improve the effectiveness of adult workforce education and lifelong
learning (WELL) programs through the use of teacher inquiry as staff
development.
The Teacher as Researcher Project. The Teacher Researchers were
selected from four Continuing Education sites within the San Diego
Community College District, including the Centre City Skills Center,
Cesar Chavez Center, Educational Cultural Complex, and Mid-City Center.
Eleven Teacher Researchers conducted ten research projects in the
various areas of adult workforce education and lifelong learning (WELL)
in which they taught, including English as a Second Language (ESL),
Vocational ESL, Adult Basic and Secondary Education, and Greater Avenues
for Independence (GAIN), California's welfare-to-work program.
Findings. Workable procedures were developed for implementing Teacher as
Researcher projects as an approach to staff development within an
institutional context.
The Teacher as Researcher projects included over 230 of the most
economically and educationally disadvantaged youth and adults in San
Diego.
The projects differed in methods and objectives, yet all reported
findings related to three broad categories of student outcomes:
(1) participation in adult education, including the retention of
students in class.
(2) achievement, ways to improve learning or to provide instruction in
areas of greater relevance to students, or to transfer learning outside
the classroom.
(3) prevention of future educational problems of the adults' children.
Recommendations. Teacher as Researcher projects can be orchestrated to provide information about student outcomes in participation, achievement and/or prevention in adult education. Yet, the need exists to demonstrate that large numbers of teachers can be engaged in research and that this research will, indeed, lead to beneficial outcomes for adult students. Further, there is the need to determine the cost-effectiveness of Teacher as Researcher staff development activities for improving services for adults compared to other, more traditional types of staff development (researcher-based seminars, mentoring, teacher workshops, conferences, teleconferences, newspapers, etc.). As a part of this larger need to better understand the relative benefits of staff development activities, the Teacher as Researcher method of staff development merits further exploration and evaluation as an approach for improving and delivering WELL.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 595] Re: Action research is the mostrefreshing addition to literacy in years
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 08:02:28 EDT 2006
Allan, what a fabulous list of resources from your new book, thanks so
much for sharing! And regarding your concern about promoting
publications: Resources and references to products posted by list
subscribers to the National Institute for Literacy lists are permitted
if they relate to the topics of the list. I find what you shared very
germane to this discussion, so I definitely appreciate your sharing it.
In fact...I noticed that your first chapter is on "Professionalism." I
seem to remember a while back you conducted a survey on this list
(NIFL-AALPD) on professionalism for this publication. Is that part of
the input to which you referred? I don't want to take the list off of
the topic of AR at this time, but perhaps you and I could email about
the most appropriate ways to follow up from that survey on this list,
maybe a discussion of your chapter and/or the results? If subscribers
like that idea, please email me off-list at: jataylor at utk.edu
Besides, I don't think it's actually all that different than what we're
discussing about AR. It could be a great follow up to this Action
Research Discussion.
Best, Jackie
Jackie Taylor, Moderator, Adult Literacy Professional Development List, jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 596] Re: Action research is themostrefreshing addition to literacy in years
From: Downey, Stacey sdowney at udc.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 09:54:21 EDT 2006
Professor Quigley:
Thank you for all of these wonderful resources. We will definitely use
these to strengthen the wiki as well as to add to the resources on our
Blackboard course.
You will be thrilled to hear that the Pennsylvania Action Research
Network (PAARN) monographs are still going to good use here in DC!
George Spicely first brought these monographs to the attention of our research team, and the PAARN monographs are a staple in our Blackboard course. We link to the monographs to show models to our teachers for their final reports. These monographs are a terrific model. http://www.learningfrompractice.org/paarn/monos97/Johnston97.htm
And how neat for us here in DC to meet someone behind a project we so
frequently refer to in our own work.
Thank you for sharing your book resources as well.
Stacey Downey
State Education Agency, Adult Education & Family Liiteracy
Washington, DC
sdowney at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 597] Re: Action research is themostrefreshing addition to literacy in years
From: Allan Quigley aquigley at stfx.ca
Date: Fri Oct 6 09:58:35 EDT 2006
HI Jackie. Thanks for the really nice note. I'd love to correspond with
you and/or the Listserv on professionalism at some point. Yes, that's
the survey I referred to. Actually, a few who responded to me gave me
permission to add their names to the Acknowledgements section, and they
are in the book. I have tried to correspond to them and am sending them
a coupon (sounds funny put this way).
I think this field needs a break, and I believe it can come from within
with a healthy discussion on professionalism, professionalization, and
acting professionally (not the same things). We have spent far too much
time worrying about the external agencies, public images, etc. and it
has lead nowhere.We have no memory and no sense of our own historical
successes. I say begin the discussion among ourselves and let's take
some pride in this very important field. Chapter 2 discusses heroes and
heroines of literacy. Let's learn about our successes and build on them
for a change informed by the literature on professionalism.
That's my speech for today. Must run and let me know if you want a new
topic around this at some point.
Allan
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 598] technology and collaboration
From: Jones, Adrienne Adrienne.Jones at ccs-dc.org
Date: Fri Oct 6 10:06:56 EDT 2006
Hello all,
I used software which provided personal certificates and stars upon
mastery of a skill set. The level of engagement was dramatic! By the end
of the first month, I heard more yes yeses (usually accompanied by
raised fists) than oh no's. I took digital pictures of learners posing
with their online accomplishments. Whenever someone earned a star or
certificate, the others left their seats to congratulate, affirm, and
support. Many asked to read their certificates aloud; others requested
printed copies. They were always eager to complete their assignments and
see the score.
Class attendance was consistent with two students working throughout the summer break. The deep level of social interaction was an expected but greatly appreciated added gift.
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 605] Re: Genesis of Action Research
From: Chenniah Randolph cr0792a at american.edu
Date: Sun Oct 8 10:10:58 EDT 2006
Teacher Researcher Questions
Would you please tell us about your experience in making the decision to do action research? Briefly, what was the catalyst that led you to your desire for change? What intrigued you?
- I actually did action research because someone suggested it to me.
How did you identify problems that you wanted to address in your classrooms? What were some of the sources you used to identify areas for inquiry?
- In short, funders are interested in two things grade level progression as indicated by CASAS pre and post test assessments and GED graduates. The problem is that the CASAS does not accurately assess what students have learned in Pre-GED and GED classes. For example, a teacher can spend weeks on US History, chemistry and reading poems of which are NOT on the CASAS. The problem is that the CASAS and GED instructional materials have nothing in common yet we are required to use the CASAS, show increase in CASAS score and produce a GED graduate.
After you identified the problems you wanted to address, how did you arrive at the strategies (or interventions) you wanted to use to address the problem?
- I studied all five books of the official GED practice exam and books 35/36 C of the CASAS assessment. I realized (what I already knew) was that it takes a different set of reading skills to answer questions on the CASAS than on the GED instructional materials. I identified all the reading strategies/skills needed to be successful on both and decided to teach only READING SKILLS and show students that one skill can be used to read different types of materials, meaning real life text (as on the CASAS) and academic text (as on the GED). My goal was to create one lesson that address the reading needs of both CASAS and GED.
What was your research question? What concerns did you have about generating your question?
- I just wanted to know was it possible to teach one lesson that would help students increase CASAS reading scores and improve reading comprehension for GED instructional materials. I was mostly concerned with students not sticking around long enough to be post-tested and attend enough classes to learn the different reading skills.
Supports and Barriers to Participaton in Action Research
[ProfessionalDevelopment 568] Supports and barriers to participation in action research
Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Wed Oct 4 12:15:41 EDT 2006
Hello All:
Patricia and Micki, thank you for raising some of the critical issues
for teachers who are -- or may be considering -- conducting action
research. Two things in particular stand out to me, and I'd like to hear
from both guests and subscribers on these points:
A) Support
Patricia wrote: "I think successful action research depends on this kind
of broad support, especially for first-time action researchers. Even if
a teacher does not have access to university-level support, s/he can
find support in other teachers and in professional colleagues or
personal friends in other related fields who are familiar with doing
research. Of course, it also helps if you have a writing buddy, someone
to encourage you in your writing when you get to that point and to give
you feedback." And Micki alluded to a hybrid PD approach to supporting
teacher researchers.
Questions about Support:
1) If you are a teacher researcher or university researcher, what
supports do you need or have you found most effective in sustaining your
collaborations? Or if you are PD staff, what supports have you provided or do you need to provide?
Consider areas such as:
- Staying connected with university researchers and other teacher researchers?
- Face-to-face support?
- Support at-a-distance?
- Administrative support?
- Other?
2) (Similar to the previous question) What are effective sustained (or
hybrid) professional development models for supporting teacher
researchers unique needs?
B) Time
Patricia, you noted earlier this week about time constraints: "The
biggest concern I had in taking on this project was one of time. Would I
be able to give the project the time it deserved?"
Question about Time and Other Constraints:
1) Given the part-time nature of much of the adult education instruction
for teachers and adult learners, what barriers are there for their
active participation in action research? What incentives can be used
to encourage participation in these research activities?
Thanks! Jackie Taylor, jataylor at utk.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 583] Re: Supports and barriers toparticipation in action research
From: Downey, Stacey sdowney at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 12:39:23 EDT 2006
All,
As a member of the DC Action Research Team, I wanted to respond to the
question on the table now about support and share some of our
strategies.
1. ONLINE FORUM
In addition to the face to face workshops, the Teacher-Researchers and
the Team kept in touch online in a Blackboard course developed for this
purpose. This gave us a place to post resources, have discussions, and
share insights and materials. Because the DC State Ed. Agency is based
at the University of the District of Columbia, we are very fortunate to
have access to this platform.
2. TEACHER REPRESENTATIVES
In each year of the project, Teacher Representatives have been included
in the design team. The Teacher Representatives often facilitated
discussions with the Teacher-Researchers, and were available for peer
mentoring sessions.
3. RESOURCES
At each workshop, we gave Teacher-Researchers materials, resources,
incentives, and encouragement.
4. The State Ed. Agency provided a $500 incentive to each program
that hosted a Teacher-Researcher to thank the program for the teacher's release time.
Would the field, and the Teacher-Researchers out there tell us what else
might have been helpful.
Stacey Downey
Literacy Resources Director
State Education Agency, Adult Education & Family Literacy
Washington, DC
sdowney at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 586] Re: Supports and barrierstoparticipation in action research
From: Shifferraw, Maigenet mshifferraw at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 15:52:14 EDT 2006
Hello all:
In addition to what Stacey has mentioned regarding the support that the
teachers have from SEA and the research team, the teacher-researchers
had opportunities to share their work with their colleagues in the
field.
The first group of researchers presented their findings at a symposium
organized by UDC Department of Education and SEA that was held here at
the university. Many adult education teachers and university professors
attended the symposium. The second group had a workshop at an adult
teachers' conference that was organized by SEA. In addition, two
teachers from the second group presented their findings at an adult
education conference in New York. The teachers in the third group are
in the process of completing their final reports and they will have
opportunity to discuss their findings at a panel discussion or forum to
be organized this fall.
Above all, the discussions we are having on this listserv are extremely
beneficial to all of us. Those who have not joined us so far, from the
listserv and our teacher-researchers, please do so. We have few more
days left.
Best to all,
Maigenet
Origin of Action Research
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 584] Re: Origin of Action Research
From: Downey, Stacey sdowney at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 12:41:33 EDT 2006
Hello, All:
In following the discussion this week, I realize that no matter what we
call it -- practitioner inquiry, action research, shop talk, in-service
days, conferences - all are ways that practitioners carve out time to
reflect on their practice, and I am struck by how consistently these
encounters elicit insights.
As noted on this listserv, reflection requires time. Yet we know that
teachers' precious reflection time is often lost to meetings,
administrative tasks, or work-arounds because of a down printer,
computer, etc.
So, might it be useful to harken back to the notion of participatory
action research, and wonder how we can redistribute the work, and in
doing so, re-balance the learning, by sharing tasks with adult learners.
As David Rosen mentioned in an earlier post, the field is also examining
how technology can help with this.
Remember, action research has its roots in social psychology. The term
action research was coined by Kurt Lewin and based on Paulo Freire's
principles with learners actively engaged in the research and change.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_research How can we as educators
shift our role from teacher to facilitator?
Adrienne Jones, a DC Teacher-Researcher, has posted about how she used
technology in a downtown adult ed. center serving the homeless.
Contrary to what one might expect with learners working independently in
a computer lab, she found that there was increased collaboration and
camaraderie. Adrienne, you may want to say more about this.
Stacey Downey
Literacy Resources Director
State Education Agency, Adult Ed. & Family Literacy
Washington, DC
sdowney at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 591] Re: Origin of Action Research
From: Sandy Wagner sandy_wagner at sbcglobal.net
Date: Thu Oct 5 17:24:31 EDT 2006
Hello, All:
I thought I would first start by introducing myself and appreciate the opportunity to add comments based on my experiences working with technology as a collaborative and extremely effective teaching tool.
My name is Sandy Wagner and I am currently Assistant Professor, Faculty Development for the Defense Language Institute, Department of Defense Center, Monterey Bay and have previously worked with adult ESL and ABE students in Broward County School District, Florida. My advanced degree is in Technology Education and I have designed online courses for second language acquisition. I preface my response with this background because research and experiential learning (my own) have proven the extensive benefits of online discussion and the online learning environment.
As related to implementinig PD and action research, while caveats exist, they cannot supercede the benefits afforded by collaborating with colleagues from all over the world with similar interests and expertise. Online collaboration additionally provides hours of collaboration that coincide with overloaded schedules and communications that allow for incorporation of content rich resources, document sharing and time to reflect before posting. We have available through technology collaboration through blogs, discussion groups (yahoo, google etc.) secure wikis and other resources.
In our workshops, we promote experiential learning, the power of group dynamics, and collegial sharing in conjunction with the precepts of constructivism. Participatory and collaborative action research would be a worthwhile pursuit and and a project worhy of putting into action.
Sandy
Teacher Retention
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 587] Re: Teacher Retention
From: Downey, Stacey sdowney at udc.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 16:23:24 EDT 2006
Michelle Johnson's post, and her beautiful and apt assessments of three
of the Teacher-Researchers and their strengths, makes me wonder about
another possible benefit of practitioner inquiry. The field, including
adult learners, and colleagues, benefit greatly from these enriched
educators. How does that get rewarded? By whom?
In a field where we know that teachers are part-time and underpaid, and
lack benefits and paid prep time, do projects like these increase
teacher retention?
Is there a measurable PD outcome here? Do teachers stay in the field
longer when their local community is one that values practitioner
inquiry and best practices, and trusts in their expertise to identify
promising practices? Is there any way to reward teachers, even
modestly, who engage in this kind of work to acknowledge that teachers
who take the time to do this work increase their value as teachers.
To return to Eduardo Honold's thoughtful questions, is there a way to do
this kind of work that better fits into the time and purview constraints
of adult educators? Did the idea that you mentioned, Eduardo, of
having many teachers working on one question, make the process easier
for teachers and staff to manage? Was it more "efficient" to deliver PD
this way?
Stacey Downey
State Education Agency, Adult Ed. & Family Literacy
Washington, DC
sdowney at udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 588] Re: Teacher Retention
From: Janet Isserlis Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu
Date: Thu Oct 5 16:54:16 EDT 2006
All
An anecdotal / impressionistic response to Stacey¹s question. Given the
participation of RI adult educators in inquiry work, I¹d say it is an
important factor in teacher retention. Reports written by teachers
undertaking a range of projects over the course of several years (multiple
program-year projects, but a number of teachers undertook different
questions/projects over the course of one, two or more years) are online at
http://www.brown.edu/lrri/inquiry.html.
Many of those teachers (whose reports are online) are still working in adult
ed.
How/is this measurable? I¹d suggest in multiple ways.
Janet Isserlis
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 589] Re: Teacher Retention
From: David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Thu Oct 5 17:02:21 EDT 2006
Hello Stacey,
In Massachusetts, when we did practitioner research at the Adult
Literacy Resource Institute (ALRI), two things helped teachers to
participate:
- 1. Every full-time teacher in a program funded by the state department of education is paid for participation in 50 professional development hours per year. This is pro-rated for part-time teachers.
- 2. The ALRI paid the teachers stipends for participating _and_ for writing an article, which we published in our journal, _Connections_. (This also solved a problem for_ us_ , how to get local practitioners to write good articles for our journal!)
Sample journal issues:
http://tech.worlded.org/docs/connections/tableofcontents.htm
http://tech.worlded.org/docs/connections/
Teachers doing practitioner research always commented that this
allowed them to carve out a space in their extremely busy teaching
lives -- the only space where they could be reflective in a focused
way, and that the reflection was an important ingredient in enabling
them to change their practice.
David
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 592] Re: Teacher Retention
From: Corley, Mary Ann MCorley at air.org
Date: Thu Oct 5 17:40:47 EDT 2006
Hi, list members:
Over the past year in California, we hosted a Field-based Research
Initiative on the topic of learner persistence. Teachers applied to
participate in training sessions and to conduct inquiry on whether a
specific intervention would have an effect on learner persistence.
CALPRO invited Dr. Alisa Belzer from Rutgers to provide the training on
practitioner inquiry. We accepted eight teachers to participate in the
training and included their immediate supervisors in the first round of
training because we wanted to ensure that teachers had administrative
support while they were engaged in this project.
We held five days of training--two initial days in December to provide
an overview and to help participants frame their questions, a conference
call in early March, a one-day follow-up meeting at the end of march at
which teacher researchers discussed their projects and any challenges
they faced, and a final two-day meeting in May at which each teacher
researcher presented a draft paper and all participants responded/asked
questions to clarify, etc. Alisa Belzer was available by phone
throughout the project's duration to provide guidance to the teacher
researchers. Topics ranged from using distance learning methods, to
trying out a new intake and orientation process, to helping learners
with clear and meaningful goal-setting. Participating teachers all rated
the experience as highly valuable to them. CALPRO is in the process of
editing and preparing the papers for publication. Copies of the
publication will be available at the Meeting of the Minds II Symposium
in Sacramento, November 30-December 2, 2006. In addition, Dr. Belzer and
some of the participating teacher researchers will conduct a session at
the Symposium on this experience.
I believe that practitioner inquiry is a highly effective form of
professional development for participating teachers. There are inherent
challenges in the process, e.g., (1) it is expensive [CALPRO provided
honoraria of $1,500 to each participating teacher for time spent on this
project and also covered travel expenses to the three training events,
and CALPRO hired a consultant to prepare and deliver the training and
follow-up support]; (2) it requires agency administrative commitment and
support, which is not always available; (3) it is not easy to get
teachers to narrow their focus and ask manageable questions; and (4) it
reaches only a small segment of available teachers. However, in the long
run, practitioner inquiry contributes richly to the professional
development of teachers who, by the very process of self-reflection,
have learned and have improved their practice.
This was just our first year in hosting a field-based research
initiative. Thanks for all your psotings to this list--they have been
helpful to us as we think through next steps for California.
Best wishes,
-Mary Ann Corley
CALPRO Director/Principal Research Analyst
American Institutes for Research
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 594] Re: Teacher Retention
From: Eduardo Honold ehonol at sisd.net
Date: Thu Oct 5 18:42:08 EDT 2006
Hello, Stacey:
In Texas, some PD centers have provided small stipends to teachers to
participate in long-term PD with a research to practice component, but
probably not as generous as MA. We try to make it easier for teachers
by offering a limited menu of classroom research projects they can try
out, evaluate and share with peers. This makes it less daunting (more
efficient?) for most teachers than starting AR from scratch. Maybe the
ideal model is for teachers to get their feet wet on guided or directed
classroom research and graduate to more independent efforts such as
those found in the Connections journal.
Eduardo Honold
Coordinator, Far West Project GREAT
ehonol at sisd.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 599] Re: Teacher Retention
From: Harriet Smith hsmith at coe.tamu.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 14:14:51 EDT 2006
A year ago, Texas' Literacy Links newsletter featured an article
titled "Teacher Retention in Adult Literacy Programs: Uncharted
Territory - or Something We Already Know How to Achieve?"
http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/newsletr/oct05/oct05a.htm
In that article, we tried to get a grip on the extent of the problem,
as well as considering the following questions:
What are the unique challenges for teacher retention in adult literacy?
What program practices seem to improve teacher retention?
Many in the field here in Texas see new teacher induction and
mentoring as especially critical. The kind of long-term PD with with
a research to practice component mentioned by Eduardo Honold seems to
have been successful to the extent that it has been done in our
state. A goodly proportion of our state's current leadership in the
field, particularly those involved in professional development, were
teacher participants in Texas' Project IDEA Teacher Action Research
model in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Harriet Vardiman Smith
Clearinghouse Project Director
Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning
www-tcall.tamu.edu
Questions for Practitioner-based Inquiry
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 606] Re: Practitioner-based inquiry
From: Chenniah Randolph cr0792a at american.edu
Date: Sun Oct 8 10:34:19 EDT 2006
Jackie Taylor wrote:
- Whether you are a teacher or professional development professional, our experiences with participating in practitioner inquiry are as important as our experiences in supporting action research projects as teacher professional development. Drawing on your classroom, program, or professional development experience, please take a moment to reflect on your practice, and brainstorm a list of the things that you wonder about in your classroom, program, or in the professional development arena. Using scratch-paper, jot down at least ten things in an uncensored list, even discuss them with those near you if you wish. Please tell us:
- What are some examples of questions you wrote down?
- What are some of your concerns in addressing some of the problems?
- What are some ideas for action research projects?
I've just attended the ProLiteracy Conference and the need for more effective and on-going professional development was restated in just about every workshop I attended. It's interesting because it is a nation wide need regardless of the students are ESL, ABE, GED or living in a city, farm or whatever. However, who you serve does impact the type of professional development that is needed and too often the training is geared to be a one size fits all resolution when that's rarely the case. Also, many programs exist off of volunteers but they don't have the time, materials or experience to properly train them. Then the few professional development workshops/seminars that are offered either 1) difficult to implentment in already existing lesson plans, or 2) doesn't always directly address the real needs of the teachers or students or 3) offered at times when people can't make the professional development (Again this is what I learned from the ProLiteracy conference and is not limited to DC.)
A great action research project would be if someone could survey the adult education tutors, volunteers, and instructors to see what they are in need of, collaborate with each other in focus groups on adult education best practices, then begin creating materials for professional development, pilot the materials and move forward from there.
Chenniah Randolph
ABE Program Director
M/DALC - Washington, DC
Reflections from Action Research Discussion
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 600] Reflections
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 16:38:45 EDT 2006
PD List Colleagues:
We've had an energizing week of list discussions. I know many of you
travel, and your plates are full with work. I intentionally built-in the
weekend as an option available to you for discussion so that if you'd
like, you could read and reflect on the messages posted this week, and
still contribute to the discussions. I feel it is important that we all
have the opportunity to contribute to the dialogue in our field.
Question: What thoughts did this week's discussion raise for you about
our field, about adult literacy professional development, or about the
supports practitioners need to do their jobs well? What has stirred your
reflections? What is prompting you to action? I encourage you to post
any reflections to this list through Monday, October 9th, after which we
will officially end the discussion.
As for my own speech today: As the world speeds up, don't sacrifice our
wonderful, human capacity for conversation. Claim the time to
contribute to the dialogue in our field.
Best wishes for a long and restful holiday weekend, Jackie
Jackie Taylor, List Moderator, Adult Literacy Professional Development,
jataylor at utk.edu
"Nobody will give you time to think about what you want to change..You
will have to claim it for yourself. Noone will give it to you because
thinking is dangerous to the status quo. Those benefiting from the
present system have no interest in new ideas."
-- Margaret Wheatley
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 602] Re: Implications for Action Research
From: Shifferraw, Maigenet mshifferraw at udc.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 16:19:42 EDT 2006
Thank you, Jackie, for giving us this opportunity to reflect on the benefits of this research to the university, to university researchers and other implications.
First, the University of the District of Columbia is a land-grant urban institution that has the function of teaching, research and public service to the urban Washington, DC community. About 37% of DC adult residents have low-level literacy (are not functionally literate). The State Education Agency, Adult Education (SEA) and the different adult education programs are engaged in a challenging but rewarding work to improve the literacy level of adult residents in DC. Through this AR project, the university is involved in working with SEA and the adult education community in improving literacy level of adult learners in the DC.
Second, the Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education is benefiting from this research by getting research-based information about learners’ acquisition of literacy skills, issues in participation in adult basic education, different strategies and techniques that teachers use in adult basic education classes.
Personally, in the last three years, I had the opportunity to observe teachers increase their interest in research and improve their own practices through the reflection and action process.
There were some issues that were raised in this discussion – whether we should call what the teachers are doing AR or something else. I am comfortable to call what we do in DC as Action Research. It is a university guided action research since we, at the university, assist teacher-researchers in understanding the fundamental elements of research in general and Action Research in particular. As Patricia indicated earlier, we also help them focus their research and we visit them at their workplaces to give them feedback if they have questions. We provide several workshops on the different aspects of action research (from framing research question to writing the final report). The teachers are the actual researchers. They document every step of the process they used and gather data and analyze the data they collected and share their experiences. For too long, teachers and practitioners are often far removed from the research done about them and “for” them. Using the AR process, they can have the ownership of the research they are doing in their own classrooms or other settings.
To have a wider ramification of the action research done so far, we are encouraging other teachers in DC to use some of the promising practices identified by our teacher-researchers. Dr. Burton’s work on participation should be interesting to all of us.
Through our discussion this week, we also discussed the issue of time and support for teachers. We need to explore these issues further and continue sharing our ideas and experiences. We will be writing our experiences in guiding action research and will share our work with you in the field who might be interested.
Overall, this was an exciting week for all of us here. I thank Jackie for moderating this discussion. She did an excellent job. I also thank Stacey (our team member) for arranging this online discussion with Jackie. I want to thank our teacher-researchers for participating in the discussion.
For all of you who are in the PD listserv and who participated in the discussion, I am grateful for taking your time and sharing your experiences. We will keep you informed on our continuous work with AR in the District of Columbia. Please contact us if you need further information or want to continue to share your experiences.
Best to all,
Maigenet
Maigenet Shifferraw, P.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Education
University of the District of Columbia
Telephone: 202-274-5333
Email: mshifferraw@udc.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 601] FW: What changes adult literacy education?
From: Taylor, Jackie jataylor at utk.edu
Date: Fri Oct 6 16:43:59 EDT 2006
PD List Colleagues:
Tom Sticht has posted the following reflection to the AAACE-NLA List,
and with his permission I am cross-posting it here.
Your comments, please. Best, Jackie Taylor
Aaace-nla Colleagues: On the NIFL Professional Development list there is
a discussion about action research as a means of professional
development to change (improve?) adult literacy education. Allan Quigley
has said that he thinks that this is a means of changing adult literacy
from within. This led me to wonder what has changed this field of
practice and how much comes from within and how much from outside the
field. Here are some things I thought of: Technology: Computers,
Internet, Overhead Projectors & Screens all of which came from outside
the field, not within. Also, the National Reporting System has brought
about considerable change in the field in the U.S. and this results from
acts of Congress with accountability demands coming from outside the
field and makes extensive demands for standardized testing which again
is a technology coming from outside the field. The contemporary
approaches to workplace literacy, stimulated by the National Workplace
Literacy Program came from outside the field. The Even Start program of
family literacy came from Congress (Congressman Goodling) informed by
statistics and ideas about the intergenerational transfer of literacy
from parents to children that came (mostly) from outside the field. The
current push for content standards came from the standards movement in
education which was outside the field.
Any ideas about how the field has been changed from within? Or just what
this might mean?
Tom Sticht
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 607] Re: What changes adult literacy education?
From: Chenniah Randolph cr0792a at american.edu
Date: Sun Oct 8 12:20:33 EDT 2006
Again, I have been away at the ProLiteracy Conference and I agree that change is needed on a national, state and local level. Interesting enough, there was a state that did the same research that I did with comparing the CASAS with the GED practice test. Even though their project cost more money and took more people, we both came to the same conclusion which was the CASAS and GED practice test and instructional materials assess different types of reading skills. In short, about 60% of the CASAS questions are look and find types of items, where as the GED questions were 60% inferences, main idea and summarizing. Therefore, on a nation wide level there needs to be a pre and post test assessment instrument specifically geared toward the GED test taking population. TABE and CASAS are great tools of assessment for ABE and ESL students but not for GED. The GED practice test assess more on content of a subject matter but not really "reading skills"
The research at the conference was not action research, and students were not included in their overall outcomes. The benefit of action research is that I could ID the problem better and begin creating solutions for them. This made me realize that if all this research is being conducted, on any level, students and teachers and volunteers all need to be a part of it so we can really find productive solutions to many of our issues and concerns.
Also, there is so much research on adult education throughout the nation. BUT - once the research is completed something much is done with it. WHY - because that takes more money. There is so much great research out there already than can help everyone be better at what we do but limited funding impedes the sharing of this research and developing next steps to put the outcome of the data into good use. I don't want us to do research just of the sake of research. I want to see dynamic change and shifts in this field as a result of all the hard work, great ideas and excellent research we have done.
Here's my wish list
- 1) professional development for volunteers, tutors and instructors that meets the needs of the students and teachers
- 2) funders that actually know what's going on in adult education and standards that work for and not against the students and our programs
- 3) for the results of our research to be used for change in our field in the near future
- 4) more diversified assessment tests to measure students' progress and areas they'll need improvement (appropriate mateiral that lends itself to helping students with those trouble areas)
Thanks!
Chenniah Randolph
ABE Program Director
M/DALC
Washington DC
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 609] Re: What changes adult literacy education?
From: Patricia DeFerrari patricia at aohdc.org
Date: Mon Oct 9 16:30:05 EDT 2006
As we discuss standards and performance measurements in adult education, I think it important to recognize that adults often make educational gains and achieve educational goals in time periods that extend well beyond the fiscal year, not uncommonly to years. In both of our most recent graduations (September 2006 and November 2005), we counted among our graduates students who spent six years studying to earn their high school credentials. Every term we welcome back students who attended Academy of Hope in a previous term or year or even decade. If we extended our time-frame for measuring educational gain to two or three years, we might gain a better perspective on successes in the field.
Patricia DeFerrari
Academy of Hope
patricia at aohdc.org
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 614] Re: What changes adult literacy education?
From: David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Tue Oct 10 18:29:19 EDT 2006
Patricia and others,
If we had to pick a period of time during which to measure student
achievement, I think almost no one would pick one year. Some would
pick six-nine months (September to June), some would pick annually
over three-five years, and some might pick annually over ten years.
We have one year performance measurements because that is the way
Congress -- and states -- appropriate funds, a year at a time.
But if, as you suggest, one year is not enough time to measure
progress for adult learners, if as a field we agree that this is the
wrong timeframe, I believe we could unhitch assessment from one-year
funding cycles, just as K-12 and higher education do. I believe we
could persuade Congress -- and could then re-design the NRS to
capture a student's learning over multiple years. After all, that
would provide greater, not less accountability. However, then we
would have a new set of problems: follow-up.
This may not be the forum to discuss this, but I wanted to say that I
think that you have put your finger on an extremely important
problem. I'll cross post this to the AAACE-NLA discussion list to
see if anyone is interested in discussing it there -- those who are
interested here can log-in over there to see what happens. [Go to
aaace.org and select AAACE-NLA )
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
Action Research Resources
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 610] Re: Action research resources
From: Kaye Beall kabeall at comcast.net
Date: Mon Oct 9 18:21:20 EDT 2006
I've been enjoying the action research discussion and am delighted to know
more about the projects in the Washington, DC area. The National Center for
the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) was mentioned as a
resource, and I wanted to provide an update on our work and Web links.
NCSALL partnered with adult education in Minnesota to launch practitioner
research focused on reading several years ago. Minnesota has continued the
projects and are starting another year in 2006-07. You are invited to
investigate the training guide they are using, as well as the teacher's
reports at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=967.
You'll notice that this link also mentions the Northwest Practitioner
Knowledge Institute that Bonnita Solberg mentioned in her posts. It was
exciting for both the practitioners and the researchers to be a part of the
institute. The researchers were fascinated with the teachers' reports and
how the practitioners were coming to the same findings as the researchers
around pair work.
Thanks again for the discussion,
Kaye
Kaye Beall
Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project
World Education
4401 S. Madison St.
Muncie, IN 47302
Tel: 765-717-3942
Fax: 208-694-8262
kaye_beall at worlded.org
