EDET 636: Impact of
Technology on Student Learning
Week 3 Blog
Essential
Question: What will you have to know and do to
begin your research?
To begin my
action research in the classroom, I need to first identify the area that I will
conduct my research in. I will try to have the focus to be on technology and
how it impacts students and student learning in a high school Algebra
classroom. Merriam and Tisdell recommend that when selecting a topic you should
seek out what improvements can be made in your every day life or what are you
curious about that would help you in your professional career. (2016) Sagor
points out that this first step is very important because “Considering the
incredible demands on today's classroom teachers, no activity is worth doing unless
it promises to make the central part of a teacher's work more successful and
satisfying.” (2000)
After the
topic is identified, I will need to figure out what the research problem is so
that I can seek clarity and ideas of solutions to the problem through research.
Merriam and Tisdell explains that the area of interest or the topic of interest
is not good enough for action research but rather a problem within that topic
needs to be stated so that the research can recognize the problem and come up
with a solution. (2016) These problems can be shared in a question format and
it might be helpful to have more than one question or problem so that if the
research is successful in answering the question, the research has room to grow
into solving more problems.
Next, the
researcher needs to discover the theoretical framework of the topic. Merriam
and Tisdell define theoretical framework as “the underlying structure, the
scaffolding or frame of your study” that consists of concepts or theories that
will inform the researcher and the reader of the topic so that everyone is on
the same page. (2016) It seems difficult to discover the theoretical framework
but I find it necessary so that the research has a good base to start on. With
this, it is necessary to seek out and discover the research that has already
been conducted on the topic so that time is not wasted within the action
research. If a method has already been found to be more effective than others,
it would be best for the researcher to know this ahead of time so that more
ground can be covered in the research.
Lastly, in
preparation for research in the classroom, is to identify the sample of
students that the research will be conducted on. I have already decided that
this will be done with my Algebra 1 class mainly because I have the most
difficult time with them when it comes to interest of learning mathematics.
Soon I will have the topic I want to look at identified and I will begin my
research into how the problem has been solved in the past by other educators or
researchers.
Resources:
Merriam, S. B.
& Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative
Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. San Franciso, CA. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sagor, R. (2000).
Guiding School Improvement with Action
Research. ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100047/chapters/What-Is-Action-Research%C2%A2.aspx
Mariah,
ReplyDeleteI love that you always include the technology you will need for your lesson plans. I have seen so many teachers that do not incorporate the importance of technology in learning. I also want to be able to find improvements in the classroom, so I agree that student surveys will help drive the way. Great post.
Josie
I just "cut the cord" for cable television this last weekend and it has been liberating. I say this because I have been watching shows I want to watch, not really "what's on". I have been watching quite a few math documentaries and it has been a little eye-opening. There was a series on a few years ago about the history of mathematics and it documented the discoveries and applications of mathematics. It was really nice because it showed that the reason we performed mathematical calculations (in ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia) is to solve real problems of the time. People had a problem, developed math models to solve the problem, and then began using them on a regular basis. Things like area, volume, weights, etc. At one point in the show, the narrator made a striking comment. He was describing how vendors on the streets used balance scales to weight food products by not just putting on a weight on one side and the product on the other side, the product side had weights too, but put on in a predetermined manner. Then the vendor began taking away the different weights to finally determine the weight of the product. He then said we can attribute this sort of real life balancing to the requirement of modern students to solve an equation with variables! (which he jokingly said students don't like) We have ventured so far from why we learn mathematics (solve problems) to the mundane hand calculation methods most people in school still teach. We need to use more technology to improve students' understanding of concepts and how to solve problems they encounter and not just learn how to factor quadratics! Sorry this post is long, but you mention Algebra and I remembered this documentary. Students DON'T see the applications, they mostly learn about the mechanics of math. If we changed our curriculum to make this primary change in math education from the mechanics of math to the problem solving benefits of math, we might make strides in change and attitude in students. But use more technology.
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