Teaching Action Research: Four Guiding Principles

Kathryn Shafer shares guiding principles that support the design of her action research courses.

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#1. The Teacher/Researcher is a Teacher First

My goal is to help teachers conduct research, not make them into researchers. It is important to make sure a teacher keeps instruction of their students the main priority.  Note that “teacher” comes first in the “teacher/researcher” label. Ensuring that classroom teaching is a priority requires dedication and passion about the topic of study. Sometimes, a teacher will propose a topic that someone else has encouraged them to research. I work hard to ensure that a teacher’s proposal is situated within their teaching practice, is substantial yet achievable, and that they are personally invested in the topic. Three activities: Reflective Interview, Reflective Writing and the Reflective Journal (Sagor, 2016, Chapter 2) are critical in helping teachers explore and then focus on a topic they can study over a two semester course sequence.

As teachers begin to design studies, they can get carried away by planning a study that would make a great dissertation. For example, Patti decided that she would use all the data collection tools we had practiced, including multiple video recordings. We discussed that she would probably not have time to watch, let alone analyze, daily video recordings. Typically, in each cohort one teachers will hold firm on the cover-all-the-bases mega-study. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because dealing with the data overload usually turns into a teachable moment. A discussion about which data is necessary and sufficient pulls the teacher back to their primary role of teaching.

#2. The Academic is both a Guide and a Mentor

Teaching is a highly personalized activity and conducting research is no different. As a mathematics teacher, I follow a constructivist philosophy for teaching and learning. As an academic, my role in guiding a teacher through the action research process can be considered constructivist in nature. While basic information about action research is provided to members of the class (procedural knowledge), each individual teacher will examine and explore an area within their own teaching practice (conceptual knowledge).

As a guide, my job is to help balance the teachers between total dependence and unnecessary floundering. Guiding means stepping in at key points to help refocus and move a teacher to the next phase of their study. A specific characteristic I have learned to watch for is the hard working quiet teacher. This teacher type, does not ask for help and tries to power through. I have learned that requiring one-to-one meetings with each teacher at specific times throughout the year helps identify a teacher who might be struggling. The one-to-one meeting is simply the name I have given to what we typically call office hours.  These meetings take place online or on the phone. I work hard to encourage, challenge and support my teachers.

Over the past nine years I have gotten to know all of my teachers on a personal level. These teachers have trusted me with information about their school and home lives. I tell each teacher that “Life Happens” and that due dates and assignment details are negotiable if they complete quality work. I mentor teachers on the importance of balancing their studies with work, family and personal time.

Still along the lines of communication which was extremely helpful for me was the individual time with the professor. I know Dr. Shafer is very busy with so many projects but she was able to make time to meet with me in Adobe Connect Pro, was able to email me back in a timely manner when I had a question, and had genuine concern about my progress in the courses. She was always there to pick me up when I hadn’t done something right or to give a “virtual high five” when I was right on track in completing a project. When we got into 696 and we were strictly journaling, I loved that Dr. Shafer would journal back to us and again, if I had questions or concerns she was there to help with those in a very fast manner; sometimes the same day or hour that I had written. The communication with the professor aspect was probably the best aspect and most helpful in the course sequence.  THANK YOU!

Angela B.

I really appreciate the way that you always treated us as professionals. You were very understanding and realistic about the types of obstacles we might encounter as working adults, and that made a huge impression on me. Thank you for the flexibility and all of the support. You provided suggestions to us without ever forcing us to agree with your ideas. I really just love the level of independence you gave to us. I am not used to that, and it was an awesome experience!

Heather H.

#3. Cohorts Work

Learning to conduct action research is a process and there are distinct phases. Having teachers work alongside their peers, as a member of a group, has many advantages.  Teaching is often thought of as a lonely profession so fostering peer support and camaraderie is essential. Within each cohort, teachers complete studies on a variety of topics at levels that range from the Kindergarten classroom to the college setting. Similar themes will emerge, like inquiry-based teaching or teaching with technology (or both simultaneously), but the studies are distinct and can not be categorized as collaborations.

As a mathematics teacher, I often use student work as a springboard for class discussions. Throughout my action research courses, I employ this instructional method; the work of one teacher is shared with the class so others teachers benefit from my response. This interaction often sparks a discussion or leads to new questions.

One example, from one of the more exciting class sessions in the fall term, is where I examine and refine research questions. One by one, I revise two or three first drafts using a “think-aloud” technique. I engage a teacher by asking questions while the other teachers listen to the conversation. After revising a few research questions, the teachers become better at spotting areas of concern and they share ideas for modifications in the remaining questions. Note that the research questions are not finalized in this one class session! I continue to work with individual teachers outside of the research question workshops. When my research courses moved to an asynchronous format, I actually created a research question peer review assignment.

At the end of the two courses, teachers often comment on their experiences engaging with critical friends. In my courses, the critical friends groups are charged with these tasks  (a) keep their peers on track through goal setting, (b) provide a sounding-board for new thoughts and ideas, and (c) supply feedback on written work. An unofficial objective is to combat the isolation that teachers face. Critical friends groups typically foster a “we will survive this together” mission as they rally around each other. The concept of critical friends and professional learning communities can be found in the action research literature base.

When talking about my peers, it was helpful that we were split into peer groups to discuss items further. While all of us this year knew each other from other classes, it was still nice to have few peers to discuss with, bounce ideas off of, and to just talk with. I know if the class had been bigger it would have been more difficult to have conversations with all the students in the class so having the peer groups made it easier for me to open up.

Angela B.

#4. Research is a Process

I believe that the goals of the action research courses are much bigger than writing the final research report. While completing a study is required, I remind teachers that an overarching goal is that they can interpret and evaluate research conducted by others and to understand what it means to be a researcher.

The final product-the research paper-is an important artifact of the teacher/researcher’s work, but the components of the study; designing, implementing, analysis and reflecting, are where the intangible take-always reside. As the teachers get frustrated (usually due to high expectations to “do it right”) I remind them they are on a journey and what they are learning along the way is important.

Share a reflection that touches on the mid way point and the end of the journey.

Summary

In many cases, my role as a guide and mentor during the research courses continues as these educators take on new rolls as leaders in their schools, presenters at conferences and published authors. However, upon graduation, I often move to the role of critical friend and collaborator as I partner with a former student in our own cohort. I don’t know what is more satisfying, teaching the research classes or watching what happens after graduation.

Sagor, R. (2016). The Action Research Guidebook: A Four-Stage Process for Educators and School Teams. Corwin: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Feature Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

Kathryn Shafer is a mathematics teacher educator at Ball State University (Muncie, IN). She directs cohorts of graduate students through the development, implementation, analysis and reporting of an action research study (MATH 694 and MATH 696). Kathryn’s main area of teaching and research includes the integration of technology into the K-16 mathematics classroom. Kathryn leads the section of the ARNA STAR ARC related to data collection and analysis.

Please share your experience facilitating teaching action research in your educational setting. What are your guiding principles? What rolls do you take?