Action Research and Scholarship of Learning and Teaching

c. Neil Haigh, EdQuest

Territory

• Who should I be: excellent teacher, scholarly teacher,

a scholar of teaching?

• Researching Learning and Teaching

• Action Research

• Conceptualizing an Action Research Project

Vla ska

a

Sp o rts Pa rk

Tuska na c Pa rk

C o n cer t & C o n g ress H a ll

R a il S ta tio n

U S C on su la te

C a th ed ra l

Z a g reb U n iv ersity

N a tio n a l T h ea tre

C ro a tia n P a r lia m en t

B o ta n ic G a rd en s Z a g reb S ta d iu m

A rch b ish o p 's P a la ce

N a tu ra l H isto ry M u seu m

M u seu m o f R ev o lu tio n

S to ck E x ch a n g e

A rt P a v illion

N

0

0

500 m

1500 ft I9 9 2 M A G E L L A N G eo g rap h ix S M S an ta B a rba ra , C A (80 0 ) 9 2 9 -4 6 2 7

Z A G R E B

An Excellent Teacher

Engages in practices that experienced and thoughtful teachers know make ‘the odds’ high for successful student learning and have sound knowledge of their discipline, subject, profession.

Relies on knowledge that they have acquired by reflecting on their own experiences and by using similar knowledge developed and shared by their colleagues.

personal practical knowledge

A Scholarly Teacher

Applies thought processes and values associated with scholarship to their teaching (e.g. reflection, evidence-gathering, critique, evaluation, rigour, open-mindedness, intellectual curiosity, scepticism)

and

draws on research based knowledge sourced from literature on learning and teaching.

A Scholar of Teaching and Learning

…. seek to understand teaching by consulting and using the

literature on teaching and learning, by investigating their own

teaching, by reflecting on their teaching from the perspective

of their intention in teaching while seeing it from the students’

position, and by formally communicating their ideas and

practice to their peers. (p164)

Trigwell, K., Martin, E., Benjamin, J., and Prosser, M (1999)

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

(SOTL)

The scholarship of teaching is problem posing about an

issue of teaching or learning, study of the problem

through methods appropriate to disciplinary

epistemologies, application of results to practice,

communication of results, self-reflection and peer review

Carnegie Foundation: Carnegie Teaching Academy

Know the history?

Lawrence Stenhouse (UK)(1975) Teacher as researcher

It is not enough that teachers’ work should be studied: they need to study it themselves.

• commitment to systematic questioning of one's own teaching as a basis for development;

• commitment and the skills to study one's own teaching;• concern to question and to test theory in practice by the use of

those skills;• readiness to allow others to observe your work and to discuss it

with them on an honest, open basis• systematic enquiry made public

Scholarship

For an activity to be designated as scholarship, it should

manifest at least three key characteristics: it should be

public,

susceptible to critical review and evaluation,

and

accessible for exchange and use by other member’s of one’s scholarly community

Shulman, 1998

A Scholar of Teaching – John Scott

• 1988 - 2005• workshops – including student-centred learning,

self-directed student learning, experential learning• observation and assisted reflection • visits, reading, conversations, two major initiatives that

involved engaging in scholarship, • continuing explorations; investigations; sharing, including

through publications

John’s Continuing Innovation, Investigation and (Published) Scholarship

1997 - Teaching Management Science 1997 - How do our students learn?1997 - Reflections on student-centered learning in a large class setting1998 - Independent Learning and Operational Research in the Classroom1998 - Independent learning and operational research in the classroom1999 - Through the education looking glass – a future for OR1999 - Towards understanding student learning in a ‘Management Systems’ environment2000 – How do our students actually learn – how can we find out more?2001 – Education and a future for OR – a viewpoint2002 - Stimulating awareness of actual learning processes

John’s Continuing Innovation, Investigation and (Published) Scholarship

2003 - The use of a special tutorial group to help with course direction

2004 - A spreadsheet based simulator for experential learning in production management

2005 – Reflection as a process: its place and potential in OR/MS education

2006 - Developing the reflective practitioner – Designing an undergraduate class

2007 – Qualitative system dynamics – where have we been; where might we go?

2006 – Determinants of successful vendor managed inventory relationships in oligopoly industries

2005 – Sustaining second-order change initiation: Structured complexity and interface management

Researching Learning and Teaching

• Keep in mind - realities of learning and teaching situations. Factors influencing teacher and student learning

– numerous– simultaneity– complex interactions– often unknown, unpredictable– often uncontrollable– probabilistic relationships (raise or lower the odds)

no certainties – no recipes

• Learning and teaching phenomena are complex – (not just complicated)

But what about…But what about … But …..?

Realities

Our data is saying that it is very difficult to see direct connections …. We know when things go wrong, but it is not necessarily obvious what is happening when things go well. (Action Researcher)

Complexity abounds in teaching and learning situations and it is often a coming together in harmony of many, many aspects and elements that make up the context that results in positive learning and experience outcomes. (Action Researcher)

…the main problem is that individual teachers have limited “elbow room” to make changes in their teaching. The departmental, disciplinary and institutional context constrains practices (Trowler and Bamber, 2005, p.87)

Consider ‘complexity theory’.

Complexity Theory Premises

• instability and non-linearity in relationships

• emergence of unpredictable phenomena

• it is difficult to identify boundaries.

Complexity Theory – cont.

the butterfly effect

My Experience – Yours?

Action Research

You just do something. See how it goes and adapt and change (Lindsay, 2006)

Action research is a term which refers to a practical way of looking at your own work to

check that it is as you would like it to be. Because action research is done by you, the

practitioner, it is often referred to as practitioner based research; and because it

involves you thinking about and reflecting on your work, it can also be called a form of

self-reflective practice. (Jean McNiff, 2002)

Action Research

It's a natural way of acting and researching at the same time.

With the exception of well-practised tasks there is a natural rhythm to the way most of

us behave. We do something. We check if it worked as expected. If it didn't, we

analyse what happened and what we might do differently. If necessary we repeat the

process. (Bob Dick, 2002)

Action Research

• Can be associated with different paradigms – ontology, epistemology, methodology

• Aim may be practical – improve practice + enhance practitioner understanding and development.

• And/or emancipatory – identify factors which impede desirable L&T practices.

• Accommodates research methodologies and methods relevant to the research question.

• Involves succession of cycles - “hunches” are tried & checked out / confirmed – revised / tried & check out

• Concern to maintain authenticity and integrity of the teaching and students’ learning.

Action Research: Resources

Jean McNiff's Handbook on Action Research at http://www.jeanmcniff.com/ar-booklet.asp See examples of Jean’s students’ AR projectshttp://www.jeanmcniff.com/theses.asp

 Comprehensive site on action research is maintained by Bob Dick Southern Cross University, Australiahttp://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arhome.html 

Conceptualizing an Action Research Project

Jean McNiff

• What issue am I interested in researching?• Why do I want to research this issue?• What kind of evidence can I gather to show why I am interested in this issue?• What can I do? What will I do?• What kind of evidence can I gather to show that I am having an influence?• How can I explain that influence?• How can I ensure that any judgements I might make are reasonably fair and accurate?• How will I change my practice in the light of my evaluation?

Conceptualizing an Action Research Project

identifying

a topic

a thesis

a question

and

establishing a case

if case established

designing

doing

reporting