Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Action research; math education; first grade; flexible grouping; mathematics (1)
- Art; participatory action research (PAR); education policy; youth research; community-based research (1)
- English Language Learners (1)
- Higher education; action research; physical education; fitness testing (1)
- Inquiry (1)
Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Education
Preparing Teacher Candidates For The Instruction Of English Language Learners, Monica Marie Gonzalez
Preparing Teacher Candidates For The Instruction Of English Language Learners, Monica Marie Gonzalez
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This inquiry utilizes a sheltered instruction approach to lesson planning with the intention of improving teacher candidates’ instruction to English Language Learners (ELLs). In this study a web-based questionnaire and a sheltered instruction lesson plan template were used to facilitate opportunities for teacher candidates to reflect on and practice planning English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction. Data collections used were nine web-based questionnaire responses and thirty sheltered instruction lesson plans. Findings suggest teacher candidates need more experiences with using ELLs’ language proficiency data for instruction and need to learn how to use rubrics when giving ELLs feedback on …
Editorial Introduction, Suzanne Porath
Editorial Introduction, Suzanne Porath
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Action research begins with a question about practice, and this volume of Networks presents a variety of questions teacher educators asked about their work with teacher candidates and graduate students. Several of the studies also highlight the cycles of inquiry that can change practice over time.
“I’M Not So Sure…”: Teacher Educator Action Research Into Uncertainty, Carrie Rogers
“I’M Not So Sure…”: Teacher Educator Action Research Into Uncertainty, Carrie Rogers
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Using a framework of uncertainty that is informed by Hannah Arendt’s philosophy this foursemester action research project describes the creation and analysis of an assignment that allows teacher candidates to explore their own uncertainties in regards to the teaching profession. This action research project examines the assignment and its development over time toward the goal of encouraging teacher candidates to have a disposition that frames uncertainty or doubt as an essential and necessary part of teaching. Findings were mixed. While this study reaffirms the theoretical perspective that action research, for me as a teacher educator, is about taking pedagogical risks …
Developing Effective Physical Fitness Testing Standards For Pre Service Physical Educators, Kory Hill, Roland Thornburg
Developing Effective Physical Fitness Testing Standards For Pre Service Physical Educators, Kory Hill, Roland Thornburg
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Physical educators are often held to a higher standard of physical fitness. The ability to effectively convey the importance of physical fitness may depend upon the ability to appear physically fit. The ability to perform at a minimal level of proficiency on fitness tests was deemed important by the faculty of one physical education teacher education program (PETE). In an action research evaluation, the faculty examined standards presented in the literature, as well as questionnaire responses by students, to develop reasonable passing scores for physical education majors. Results indicated the students are receptive to minimal standards and the initial standards …
Book Review Of Negotiating A Permeable Curriculum, Ted Kesler
Book Review Of Negotiating A Permeable Curriculum, Ted Kesler
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Negotiating a Permeable Curriculum was first published in 1993 in the National Council of Teachers of English Concept Paper Series. Now it is reprinted in book form as part of the Garn Press Women Scholars Series. In the book, the extended essay is framed by an introduction by senior editor, Bobbie Kabuto, and an interview by Kabuto with Anne Haas Dyson. The final section of the book is a bibliography of Dyson’s most recent publications.
“A Close Read Of My Classroom”: Teacher Research And Identity Work, Joy Kammerer Myers
“A Close Read Of My Classroom”: Teacher Research And Identity Work, Joy Kammerer Myers
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
It is not uncommon for classroom teacher researchers to face multiple obstacles, but for the fifth grade teacher in this study, Donna, her administrators did not support her research efforts because they thought it would take away from preparing students for end of grade tests. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways conducting teacher research shaped Donna’s teacher identities and to examine how the context of her school impacted any identity shifts. Data sources included: interviews, observations, and teacher-created artifacts such as annotations of journal articles; her research proposal, paper, and presentation; reflections; and classroom observations. Findings …
Preparing Graduate Students To Teach Math: Engaging With Activities And Viewing Teaching Models, Maria Boeke Mongillo
Preparing Graduate Students To Teach Math: Engaging With Activities And Viewing Teaching Models, Maria Boeke Mongillo
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Teacher self-efficacy is the belief a teacher holds that he or she can make a difference in student achievement, even when the student is difficult or unmotivated (Guskey & Passaro, 1994). It has been linked to positive teacher practices and student outcomes. This mixed methods study of preservice elementary and early childhood math teachers explored how having students engage in hands-on activities and view video teaching models in a graduate mathematics methods course influenced their teacher selfefficacy for math. The study took place in two phases, with course modifications made between the two. Statistical analyses of pre- and post-test scores …
Mixed Classes, Mixed Methods: Writing Students’ Attitudes About Collaborative And Intercultural Learning, D. Michael Keleher
Mixed Classes, Mixed Methods: Writing Students’ Attitudes About Collaborative And Intercultural Learning, D. Michael Keleher
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This article describes a two-semester study of mixed (native and non-native speaking) writing groups in developmental college writing classes. The teacher assigned and observed writing activities and collected survey and interview data to determine the impact on the students’ perceived writing abilities and attitudes toward paired and small group work. The findings suggest that the benefits of collaborative learning are dependent on the degree of peer accountability and the teacher’s care in designing the activities. With mixed language background English classes becoming the norm, teachers might consider the possibilities for collaborative learning as a means for providing further emersion for …
The Effect Of Flexible Small Groups On Math Achievement In First Grade, David Benders, Tracy Craft
The Effect Of Flexible Small Groups On Math Achievement In First Grade, David Benders, Tracy Craft
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This action research study explores the Guided Math Approach to improving math scores for first grade students. Previous MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) scores were used to measure proficiency and students were placed in separate categories for appropriate instruction. This study reviewed math achievement scores on MAP test from a First grade classroom in a rural area of southern Kentucky. The results from this study reflect an improvement in student mathematical knowledge and achievement of eleven below level students in the Math concept “Telling Time to the Hour and Half-hour” as required by Common Core Standard. All students received instruction …
Sponsorshaping: How A Teacher Used Sponsors Of Literacy For Pedagogical Purposes, Ryan Dippre
Sponsorshaping: How A Teacher Used Sponsors Of Literacy For Pedagogical Purposes, Ryan Dippre
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Historically, the actions of classroom teachers have had a massive impact on the implementation of top-down reform efforts. However, a pedagogically-friendly construct for considering this impact has been lacking in studies of teacher practice. In this article, I draw on Deborah Brandt’s concept of sponsors of literacy to build a construct for thinking about teacher actions with, against, and through the social and historical forces that work their way into the classroom: sponsorshaping. Through a grounded theory analysis of six different types of documents used in an Advanced English 11 writing classroom, I show how sponsors of literacy were “shaped” …
Teaching About Neoliberalism And Education De/Reforms In Teacher Education Courses, Kristan A. Morrison
Teaching About Neoliberalism And Education De/Reforms In Teacher Education Courses, Kristan A. Morrison
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Few pre-and in-service teachers understand the various educational laws and policies currently at work in our schools (e.g. charters, vouchers, etc.). How can these concepts be taught in a one-semester course with students who have minimal prior knowledge and are saturated with neoliberal discourse which tells them that choice and the quest for one’s own private good are the best we can hope for in education reform? And how are teacher educators to teach their students in ways that do not indoctrinate them with a simplistic counter-message to the neoliberal discourse? This article details an action research study by a …
Editorial Introduction, Suzanne Porath
Editorial Introduction, Suzanne Porath
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Action research comes in various forms such as teacher inquiry, participatory action research, practitioner research, and cooperative inquiry. But, as Bradbury’s introduction to the third edition of the SAGE Handbook of Action Research highlights, “It brings together action and reflection, theory and practice, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern.” The articles in this eighteenth volume of Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research illustrate the unique combination of action and reflection, theory and practice that leads to increased knowledge and understanding of educator practice across grade levels and subject areas.
Developing As Teachers And As Researchers: Emerging Professionals’ Experiences With Cooperative Inquiry, Laura Bower-Phipps, Maria Cruz, Cristina Albaladejo, Arlette Johnson, Thomas Homa
Developing As Teachers And As Researchers: Emerging Professionals’ Experiences With Cooperative Inquiry, Laura Bower-Phipps, Maria Cruz, Cristina Albaladejo, Arlette Johnson, Thomas Homa
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This article details the second cycle of cooperative inquiry undertaken by emerging educators who self-identify as “other” because of gender, language, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation. The current cycle focuses on the impact participation in cooperative inquiry had on researchers’ teaching practices. Data sources include transcripts of group discussions and reflective writing completed six months, eighteen months, and two years after the completion of the first cycle of cooperative inquiry. Findings suggest that as a result of engagement in cooperative inquiry, the teacher/researchers established practices to decrease isolation, build unity, and understand students’ backgrounds. Teacher/researchers viewed themselves as advocates for diversity …
Poetics Of Justice: Using Art As Action And Analysis In Participatory Action Research, Jennifer Ayala, Mayida Zaal
Poetics Of Justice: Using Art As Action And Analysis In Participatory Action Research, Jennifer Ayala, Mayida Zaal
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This article explores the use of art as a form of communication and meaning-making in participatory action research (PAR). The authors, researchers and educators, contemplate this concept through a pedagogical lens, and consider the role that visual and performing arts can play in social action. Based on the work of a youth-adult participatory action research collective, the authors reflect on the pedagogical process used to analyze research findings, take actions, and affect local change. Created to investigate opportunity to learn issues, the youth members of the collective created spoken word poetry, post-cards, film shorts, and speak-outs to engage multiple audiences …
Researching And Reshaping Literacy Learning: Three Urban K-6 Teachers’ Ongoing Transformations Through Everyday Action Research, Kristin Nicole Rainville, Grace Enriquez
Researching And Reshaping Literacy Learning: Three Urban K-6 Teachers’ Ongoing Transformations Through Everyday Action Research, Kristin Nicole Rainville, Grace Enriquez
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Given the vast range of diversity among children’s backgrounds and needs, literacy educators must consider multiple ways in which children learn and interact with texts. Moreover, policies that increasingly require frequent assessments of children’s literacy achievement place pressure on educators to find immediate ways to impact children’s learning. This qualitative inquiry explores three graduate students’ yearlong engagement in literacy-related action research within ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, urban K-6 classrooms. Grounded in a social practice perspective on literacy and a sociocultural perspective on literacy learning, we examined participants’ constructions of action research as they developed research questions, entered various research sites, …
Book Review - Engaging In Action Research: A Practical Guide To Teacher-Conducted Research For Educators & School Leaders, Mark Dziedzic
Book Review - Engaging In Action Research: A Practical Guide To Teacher-Conducted Research For Educators & School Leaders, Mark Dziedzic
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
As might be expected, Networks regularly features reviews of books related to action research in educational settings. In a previous review (Networks, 15/1), Hartlep described Voices from the Classroom (Sargent, 2009) as a useful text for supporting educators interested in conducting action research, particularly teacher researchers who focus on improving classroom instruction. Hartlep suggested that the book might not have sufficient scholarly emphasis for those pursuing action research in order to contribute to scholarly literature. In this review, I argue that Parson, Hewson, Adrian, and Day’s Engaging in Action Research: A Practical Guide to Teacher-Conducted Research for Educators …