Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Education
"Kiss My Donkey!" Or Raising The Level Of Authentic Communication In My Core French Classroom, Jan Claes
"Kiss My Donkey!" Or Raising The Level Of Authentic Communication In My Core French Classroom, Jan Claes
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
The way I see it, teacher action research found me rather than my finding it. In April of 2002, I attended the Quebec Conference on Teacher Action Research in Montreal as an observer. Having absolutely no prior experience with the concept, I was at first completely overwhelmed by the puzzling new vocabulary and by the obvious passion of the participants. Then, about halfway through the second day, I suddenly understood. It felt as if an internal dam were breaking and I began to engage in conversation after exciting conversation about the phenomenal power of this approach.
What Counts As Legitimate Research?: The Generalizability Of Teacher-Research, Karen L. Lowenstein, James S. Damico
What Counts As Legitimate Research?: The Generalizability Of Teacher-Research, Karen L. Lowenstein, James S. Damico
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Although there are several criteria for considering "what counts as research," we focus on the criterion of generalizability for teacher-research in this essay. We argue that although teacher-researchers conducting research in their own classrooms are more likely to be concerned with deepening local knowledge about immediate practice than asserting what is termed "generalizability" across a larger educational community, this does not preclude the work of teacher-researchers from fulfilling the criterion of generalizability. In other words, we aim to point out that teacher-research is generalizable. To develop this argument, we first briefly define teacher-research, situating it within interpretive research more broadly. …
Exploring The Use Of Collaborative Inquiry In Improving Practice, Panayiotis Angelides
Exploring The Use Of Collaborative Inquiry In Improving Practice, Panayiotis Angelides
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Effective teaching in mixed ability classes has dominated much of the Cyprus government's agenda for educational reform. Since the publication of the UNESCO report (UNESCO, 1997) which pointed out that primary school classes in Cyprus are organized as mixed ability groups with no clear policy about internal grouping, no policy on differentiation in curriculum, methodology or resource utilization, the Ministry of Education and Culture began a campaign for improving teaching in mixed ability classes. Circulars setting out the advantages of this policy were sent to schools and senior officials of the Ministry of Education and Culture organized seminars to suggest …
Learning And Thriving With Questions: A Helpful Resource For Teacher Researchers, Catherine Compton-Lilly
Learning And Thriving With Questions: A Helpful Resource For Teacher Researchers, Catherine Compton-Lilly
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Contemporary educators live is an era of advertised "quick fixes and simple solutions that too often leave us feeling cheated and alone. The acclaimed phonics program, the scripted behavior reinforcement scheme, and the carefully sequenced, research-based scope and sequence all leave us much as they found us - continuing to seek ways to improve instruction for our students. As teacher researchers recognize, no one resource will serve all of our needs and challenges. Collaboration from supportive peers is integral to developing and maintaining exciting, compelling, and productive research projects. However, there are resources that can support us as we embark …
Collaborative Educational Research In Spain, Gordon Wells
Collaborative Educational Research In Spain, Gordon Wells
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Earlier this year, I was privileged to speak with educators in Spain when I was invited to address conferences in Barcelona and Bilbao, organized by the Ministries of Education in Catalonia and the Basque Country, respectively. My hosts during the visit were members of the Center for Social and Educational Research at the University of Barcelona (CREA). They gave me a wonderful welcome and introduced me to some of the attractions of Catalonia, including a tour of Gaudi buildings, a visit to the remains of the Greek and Roman city at Ampurias on the Costa Brava, meals in a variety …
Editorial Introduction, Gordon Wells
Editorial Introduction, Gordon Wells
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
This issue of Networks contains a varied collection of articles, ranging from research in elementary classrooms to investigations carried out by university teacher educators; in all, there is a concern on the part of the authors to improve the ways in which they fulfill their responsibilities and enthuse and challenge the students with whom they work.
Can Computer-Based Instruction Improve Molecular Biology Comprehension Among General Education Students?, Christine A. Genovese
Can Computer-Based Instruction Improve Molecular Biology Comprehension Among General Education Students?, Christine A. Genovese
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
The study compared the efficacy of teaching key concepts of molecular biology using an online study environment with a more traditional, lecture-based approach. Two introductory biology classes were randomly divided and exposed to one of two instructional delivery systems. The traditional group attended class and heard lectures covering DNA structure and replication, RNA transcription and protein synthesis, and had live interaction with the instructor. The remaining students used computer-based instruction exclusively to cover the identical course content. These, so called, online learners had access to web pages with detailed lecture notes that were supplemented with graphics, animations and hyperlinks. They …
Learning To Consult And Collaborate In The High School: A Two-Year Study Of Perceptions From University Student Team Members, Eleanor T. Migliore, Angela Breidenstein
Learning To Consult And Collaborate In The High School: A Two-Year Study Of Perceptions From University Student Team Members, Eleanor T. Migliore, Angela Breidenstein
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Collaboration in the schools is an important intervention for providing services to students and staff members. The majority of studies regarding collaborative consultation between school psychologists and teachers have been conducted at the elementary and middle school levels. Further, little has been written about teaching collaborative consultation at the university level to preservice educators.This article describes a two-year project designed to teach collaboration at the university level to two groups of high school teacher interns and school psychology students enrolled in separate courses. Teacher trainees identified problems within their classrooms with which they needed assistance and school psychology students collaborated …
Researching And Acting: Exploring And Improving The Provision Of Academic Support For Newly Appointed Staff In A Higher Education Institution In Ireland, Roisin Donnelly
Researching And Acting: Exploring And Improving The Provision Of Academic Support For Newly Appointed Staff In A Higher Education Institution In Ireland, Roisin Donnelly
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
My current professional role is as an academic working in a learning and teaching centre supporting other academics in a higher education institution in Ireland. In my attempts to become a more developed self-reflective practitioner, there are times when it helps me to take a time-out from my daily teaching practice and instead put some time and energy into clarifying for myself the kinds of values and commitments I hold as a professional in my practice. Earlier this academic year, I undertook a piece of action research as one such time-out. This paper reports how I decided to take a …
Book Review: Milnes, Joan. (2003). Field Work Savvy: A Handbook For Students In Internship, Co-Operative Education, Service-Learning And Other Forms Of Experiential Education. Wa: Pleasant Word., Gay Roland
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Field Work Savvy by Joan Milnes is a handbook for students preparing to participate in a field based learning experience. It is a user-friendly guide for high school and college level students. Ms. Milnes has researched the whys and hows of making a field experience successful for students and employers. This handbook provides the students' faculty coordinator with a comprehensive preparatory plan to ease the transition from the classroom to the world of work.
Editorial Introduction, Gordon Wells
Editorial Introduction, Gordon Wells
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
It gives me particular pleasure to introduce this special issue by members of the Developing Inquiring Communities in Education Project (DICEP). For eight years, while I was at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, I was a member of DICEP, and even now I still continue my participation - from a distance. Without any doubt, DICEP has been the major influence on the work I have been doing during the last decade.
Science Teaching And Learning: Teachers And Children Plan Together, Zoe Donoahue
Science Teaching And Learning: Teachers And Children Plan Together, Zoe Donoahue
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
When I started teaching, the science curriculum was not prescribed for each grade. We were able to teach topics that we knew were captivating for children of a certain age and to share our particular passions and knowledge with our students. Many a time a whole unit of study would evolve from a "teachable moment". A child bringing in a robin's egg or a rock collection would pique our interest and we would pursue that topic until we had satisfied our curiosity. We were covering the same skills that the curriculum now details, children were learning how to learn about …
Book Review: Wells, Gordon. (Ed.). (2001). Action, Talk, And Text: Learning And Teaching Through Inquiry. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University., Mary Hookey
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
In 1990, Marilyn Cochrane-Smith and Susan Lytle argued that "What is missing from the knowledge base for teaching are the voices of the teachers themselves, the questions teachers ask, the ways teachers use writing and intentional talk in their work lives, and the interpretive frames teachers use to understand and improve their own classroom practices." The ultimate goal for teachers is the enhanced learning of their students.
Creating A Classroom Of Connoisseurs: Grade 7 Students And Their Teacher Investigate Their Growth As Readers, Maria Kowal
Creating A Classroom Of Connoisseurs: Grade 7 Students And Their Teacher Investigate Their Growth As Readers, Maria Kowal
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Maria Pia's poem illustrates the state of mind I was in. It was August and I was preparing for the upcoming school year. My assignment, as it had been for a few years, was Grade 7 home room teacher, responsible for teaching language arts, social studies and math to 12 and 13 year olds. My thoughts were tuned in to my language arts program; the reading component in particular. The purpose of this paper is to show how over the course of a school year, through coinvestigating this aspect of my program with my students, I and they came to …
Reflections On Action Research: Uncovering My Assumptions, Monica Mcglynn-Stewart
Reflections On Action Research: Uncovering My Assumptions, Monica Mcglynn-Stewart
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
I have engaged in action research for several years in different settings and for different purposes. At the elementary level I have used action research to try to understand my students' view of the culture of our classroom, (presentation, OERC, 1996) and to make a geometry unit come alive (International Reading Association, 1996). At the secondary level, I used Action Research to develop a leadership program (Teachers College Press, 2001) and to help my fellow DICEP members and me understand the functioning of our own research group (Orbit, 1998).
Discovering Action Research: The Evolution Of My Research Question, Barbara Bell Angus
Discovering Action Research: The Evolution Of My Research Question, Barbara Bell Angus
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
As a new member of Developing Inquiring Communities in Education Project (DICEP) as well as a rookie action researcher, I feel that my greatest contribution at this time is to chronicle the evolution of my research question through my initial cycle of action research. I hope this article will provide encouragement to other first time action researchers as they wrestle with their initial projects.
Following The Students' Lead: Exploring The Value Of Incentives, Greta Davis
Following The Students' Lead: Exploring The Value Of Incentives, Greta Davis
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
Recently, I decided to focus on how children perceive the learning activities I give them. I believed this would not only help improve my students' metacognitive skills by encouraging them to identify what strategies best helped them to learn but it would also help my practice by understanding how my goals for activities might differ from their goals. I shared this interest with the students at the beginning of the year and asked for their assistance in exploring these issues. I planned to use a means of data collection that my DICEP colleagues had proposed. It involved pausing or "freezing" …
Reflection In Teacher Education: It Starts With Me!, Clare Kosnik
Reflection In Teacher Education: It Starts With Me!, Clare Kosnik
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
In the Mid-Town teacher education program at OISE/UT our broad goals for ourselves and our students are inquiry, integration and community. However, student teachers often enter the program believing they will be systematically taught how to teach mathematics, language arts, science, and so on; acquire fool-proof strategies for classroom management; and be given the names of prescribed curriculum textbooks (Britzman, 1986). As Louisa, a student teacher in this study noted, "I thought teacher education would be sitting in front of a lot of instructors, and you don't have anything to say, because you're going to be told everything that you …
Co-Researching The Researchers: Dicep's Ongoing Self-Reflection, Monica Mcglynn-Stewart
Co-Researching The Researchers: Dicep's Ongoing Self-Reflection, Monica Mcglynn-Stewart
Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research
The self-appointed chronicler of DICEP strikes again! In 1997 I prepared, distributed and analyzed an anonymously completed survey of our collaborative action research group (McGlynn-Stewart, 1998). I felt that there were a lot of issues that needed to be discussed regarding how we functioned as a group, and I wanted to provide a forum for that to happen. In 1999, I facilitated an interactive email conversation among our members for an update on how we were doing with respect to the issues that arose in the earlier survey (McGlynn-Stewart, 2001).