Q.1 As a teacher or a
head teacher which topic can you choose for action research? Why do you think
this should be studies in an action research instead of applied or basic
research? Elaborate on the on the basis of need and scope of the study?
Answer:
Action research is either research initiated to solve
an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led
by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of
practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. There
are two types of action research: participatory and practical. Denscombe (2010,
p. 6) writes that an action research strategy's purpose is to solve a
particular problem and to produce guidelines for best practice. Action research
involves actively participating in a change situation, often via an existing
organization, whilst simultaneously conducting research. Action research can
also be undertaken by larger organizations or institutions, assisted or guided
by professional researchers, with the aim of improving their strategies,
practices and knowledge of the environments within which they practice. As
designers and stakeholders, researchers work with others to propose a new
course of action to help their community improve its work practices.
Kurt Lewin, then a professor at MIT, first coined the
term "action r 2 in 1944. In his 1946 paper "Action Research and
Minority Problems" he described action research as "a comparative
research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and
research leading to social action" that uses "a spiral of steps, each
of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact-finding about the
result of the action". Action research is an interactive inquiry process
that balances problem solving actions implemented in a collaborative context
with data-driven collaborative analysis or research to understand underlying
causes enabling future predictions about personal and organizational change
(Reason & Bradbury, 2001). After six decades of action research
development, many methods have evolved that adjust the balance to focus more on
the actions taken or more 2 on the research that results from the reflective
understanding of the actions. This tension exists between:
1.
those who are
more driven either by the researcher's agenda or by participants;
2.
those who are
motivated primarily by instrumental goal attainment or by the aim of personal,
organizational or societal transformation; and
3.
1st-, to 2nd-, to
3rd-person research, that is, my research on my own action, aimed primarily at
personal change; our research on our group (family/team), aimed primarily at
improving the group; and 'scholarly' research aimed primarily at theoretical
generalization or large-scale change
Action research challenges traditional social science
by moving beyond reflective knowledge created by outside experts sampling
variables, to an active moment-to-moment theorizing, data collecting and
inquiry occurring in the midst of emergent structure. "Knowledge is always
gained through action and for action. From this starting point, to question the
validity of social knowledge is to question, not how to develop a reflective
science about action, but how to develop genuinely well-informed action – how
to conduct an action science". In this sense, performing action research is
the same as performing an experiment, thus it is an empirical process.
What
types of problems are addresses in action research?
Many of the principles enunciated by Baker &
Proudford are principles which are fundamental to the theory and practice of
action research. Three terms in particular are of significance. These are
‘participatory decision making’, ‘collaborative planning’ and ‘reflexive
processes’. All of these are key terms for action research. Kemmis &
McTaggart (1988, p. 5) provide the following definition of action research
which emphasises its participatory, collaborative and self-reflective nature
and firmly locates it as a form of social action oriented towards improvement.
Action research is a form of collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by
participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and
justice of their own social or educational practices, as well as their
understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices
are carried out.
The importance placed upon the improvement of
understanding as well as practice and upon the improvement of the situation in
which the practice takes place as well as the practice itself, points to the
appropriateness of action research as a school improvement strategy. In the
improvement principles enunciated above the importance of schools “identifying
their own problems” and having “knowledge of alternative models” suggests that
changes in knowledge and understanding are as important to school improvement
as are changes in practices. Furthermore, the recognition that “altering the
culture of the school is a critical aspect of the improvement process”
highlights the link between educational improvement and improvement in “the
situations in which [educational] practices are carried out”. While there are
various methods to conducting action research, there are also various types of
action research in the fields of education, including individual action
research, collaborative action research and school-wide action research. For
example:
- Individual action research involves working independently on a
project, such as an elementary school teacher conducting her own, in-class
research project with her students.
- Collaborative action research involves a group of teachers or researchers
working together to explore a problem that might be present beyond a
single classroom, perhaps at the departmental level or an entire grade
level.
- School-wide action research generally focuses on issues present throughout an
entire school or across the district. Teams of staff members would work
together using school-wide action research. As you can see, action
research can be used in many educational settings. We'll explore two
examples of action research being used in the field of education. The
first example discusses observation as the method of choice for collecting
data in the classroom. The second example discusses using surveys as the
method of choice for collecting data. The cycle of action research is
emphasized in each of the examples.
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Q.2
Write down a critical essay on the current science syllabus taught at grade
4-6.
Answer:
Curriculum is typically a phenomenon which includes
many dimensions of learning, including rationale, aims, content, methods,
resources, time, assessment, etc; which refers to various levels of planning
and decision-making on learning (for example, at the supra-, macro-, meso-,
micro- and nano-levels); or, international, national, local, classroom and
individual levels; and which relates to multiple representations of learning
(for example, as already mentioned, ‘intended’, ‘implemented’, ‘attained’,
etc). Curriculum can be understood as the totality of what children learn while
at school – including what they learn through classroom activities; in
interdisciplinary tasks; across the school, for example, in the playground, at
lunch time when eating (civic responsibilities, etc.). This curricular totality
also includes opportunities for wider achievement through sport, music,
debating, and the like. For the purposes of this paper, curriculum is defined
in a holistic, process-oriented way. This definition is based on the belief
that, while curriculum might commonly be perceived as a set of documents, the
quality of those documents is closely connected to the processes used to
develop them and to the means through which they are put into practice. In
other words, judging the quality of the curriculum itself cannot be done in
isolation from the broader processes of curriculum development, implementation
and evaluation.
The syllabus has been structured to cover each of the
three years of Primary 1-3. Each year·s work has been grouped under five
sections or themes (Diversity of matter, Cycles, Systems, Energy and
Interactions of matter). Each of these themes is related to everyday
experiences of the child, and to commonly observed phenomena in the child·s
environment. The main aim is to enable pupils appreciate the links between
different scientific topics and thus help them to integrate scientific ideas in
dealing with phenomena. The sections/themes cover a core of concepts which
provide broad based understanding of the environment upon which the foundation
for further study could be built.
The topics under each theme are not to be looked at as
separate or isolated blocks of knowledge. In general, there are no clear
borders between these themes. There are some topics that are common to
different themes. A conscious effort should therefore be made 5 by the teacher
to let pupils see the link between themes whenever possible. In particular, it
will be noted that Systems, Energy and Interactions of matter are closely
related. Another feature of the syllabus is the Spiral Approach. This is
characterised by revisiting concepts and skills at different levels with
increasing degrees of depth at each stage. The spiral approach has the benefit
of matching scientific concepts and skills to pupils· cognitive development. It
therefore helps pupils to build a gradual mastery of scientific skills.
Diversity
of matter
Pupils should recognize that there is a great variety
of living and non-living things in the world. Humans seek to organise this
great variety to better understand the world in which they live. There are
common threads that connect all living things. There are also unifying factors
in the diversity of nonliving things that scientists use to classify them. The
study of the diversity in the world should also help pupils to appreciate the
importance of life·s diversity and therefore take necessary steps for
maintaining this diversity. Topics covered under Diversity of matter include
the following:
- Variety and characteristics of living things
- Materials
- Classification of organisms and materials
Cycles Pupils should recognise that there are repeated
patterns of change in nature and should seek to understand how these patterns
occur. Examples of cycles are the day and night cycle, life cycles of living
things and the recycling of resources. Studying these cycles helps humans to
understand the Earth as a selfsustaining system and secondly, helps humans to
be able to predict events and processes. Topics included under cycles are as
follows:
- Life cycles of the mosquito
- Water cycle
- Day and night cycles
- Convection and ventilation
- Reproduction in plants and animals
- Land and sea breezes etc.
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Q.3
Explain with examples why do we need assessment schedules as well as peer
support and mentoring?
Answer:
Peer mentoring is a form of mentorship that
usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific
experience (peer mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the peer
mentee). An example would be an experienced student being a peer mentor to a
new student, the peer mentee, in a particular subject, or in a new school. Peer
mentors are also used for health and lifestyle changes. For example, clients,
or patients, with support from peers, may have one-on-one sessions that meet
regularly to help them recover or rehabilitate. Peer mentoring provides individuals
who have suffered from a specific life experience the chance to learn from
those who have recovered, or rehabilitated, following such an experience. Peer
mentors provide education, recreation and support opportunities to individuals.
The peer mentor may challenge the mentee with new ideas, and encourage the
mentee to move beyond the things that are most comfortable. Most peer mentors
are picked for their sensibility, confidence, social skills and reliability.
Critics of peer mentoring insist that little is known
of the nature of peer mentoring relationships and that there are few consistent
studies indicating the outcomes of peer mentoring beyond good feelings among
peers and the development of friendships. Peer mentoring led by senior students
may discourage diversity and prevent critical analysis of the higher education
system.
Program
design characteristics
The frequency with which peer mentors and mentees meet
varies according to the particular mentoring program. Some pairs may make
contact once a month, while others may meet 3-4 times per month or more. It is
usually advised that mentors and mentees meet more often in the beginning of
the relationship in order to establish a good foundation. Mentors and mentees
may maintain contact through email, telephone or inperson meetings. Peer
mentoring organizations may also set up social events for those participating
in the program. These events provide good opportunities for increased social
interaction between mentors and mentees.
The compatibility of mentor and mentee is a factor
that should be taken into consideration when choosing pairs. Mentors and
mentees may benefit from having similar backgrounds, interests and life
experiences. Age, gender, ethnicity, language preferences, and education may be
taken into consideration when pairing mentors with mentees.
The quality of the peer mentoring relationship is
important for mentees to experience positive results. A mentor relationship is
more successful when the mentor cares for the whole person and not just the
academic or career side of a person. Successful mentors tend to be available,
knowledgeable, educated in diversity issues, empathic, personable, encouraging,
supportive, and passionate. Although this is not an exhaustive list of
qualities, they have been shown to be important for successful mentoring
relationships. It is important to keep qualities like this in mind when
recruiting and training mentors.
The objectives of a peer mentoring program should be
well-defined and measurable. The effectiveness of the program should be
monitored to ensure that the objectives are being met. One way to monitor the
effectiveness of a program is to administer evaluations to the mentors and
mentees.
In education Peer mentoring in education was promoted
during the 1960s by educator and theorist Paulo Freire:
"The fundamental task of the mentor is a
liberatory task. It is not to encourage the mentor’s goals and aspirations and
dreams to be reproduced in the mentees, the students, but to give rise to the
possibility that the students become the owners of their own history. This is
how I understand the need that teachers have to transcend their merely
instructive task and to assume the ethical posture of a mentor who truly
believes in the total autonomy, freedom, and development of those he or she
mentors."
Peer mentors appear mainly in secondary schools where
students moving up from primary schools may need assistance in settling into
the new schedule and lifestyle of secondary school life, however peer mentoring
can occur at the grade school level, the undergraduate level, and the graduate
school level. The goals of the program may vary according to the level, the
educational institution or the discipline.
Peer mentors in secondary schools aid in the
transition of younger students from primary school to secondary school. They
may assist mentees with their school work and study skills, peer pressure (such
as pressure to use drugs or have sex), issues with attendance and behavior, and
typical family problems. Youth mentors are persons for children or adolescents
to spend time with, often to compensate for absent family members or an
inadequate home environment. Mentoring programs for youth can be especially
useful for students who are suffering from a lack of social support, and who
therefore may be susceptible to delinquency.
Peer mentors for undergraduates may assist newly
admitted students with time management, study skills, organizational skills,
curriculum planning, administrative issues, test preparation, term paper
preparation, goal setting, and grade monitoring. Additionally, such mentors may
provide other forms of social support for the student, such as friendship,
networking, and aiding the student's adjustment to college life. A peer mentor
at the graduate school level may assist new students in selecting an advisor,
negotiating the advisor/advisee relationship, preparation for major
examinations, publishing articles, searching for jobs, and adjusting to the
rigors of graduate school life.
In
higher education
Peer mentoring in higher education has enjoyed a good
name and is seen favorably by both educational administrators and students.
During the last decade, peer mentoring has expanded and is found in most
colleges and universities, frequently as a means to outreach, retain, and
recruit minority students. Peer mentoring is used extensively in higher
education for several reasons
- Benefits attributed to classical mentoring (when
an older adult mentors a younger person) can translate to peer mentoring
relationships, mainly when the peer mentor and the mentee have similar
backgrounds;
- The lack of role models or volunteers forces
administrators and student leaders to use students as peer mentors of
other students—usually first year students, ethnic minorities, and
women—in order to guide, support, and instruct junior students;
- Because peer mentoring programs require a low
budget for administration and/or development, they become a cheap
alternative to support students perceived as likely to fail.
Advantages
in education
Peer mentoring may help new students adapt to a new
academic environment faster. The relationship between the mentor and mentee
gives the mentee a sense of being connected to the larger community where they
may otherwise feel lost. Mentors are chosen because they are academically successful
and because they possess good communication, social and leadership skills. As a
consequence, mentors serve as positive role models for the students, guiding
them towards academic and social success. Mentors provide support, advice,
encouragement, and even friendship to students. Peer mentoring may improve
student retention rates.
Mentors also stand to benefit from the mentor/mentee
relationship. Mentors develop friendships through their participation in
mentoring programs and usually derive satisfaction from helping a younger
student, and possibly shaping his or her life in a positive way. Mentors may
also be paid, and they may receive other benefits such as prioritized
registration, course credit, and references.
In higher education tutorial settings, the benefits of
peer mentoring programs also extend to class tutors. Using grounded theory
techniques, Outhred and Chester found that five themes underlie their
experiences: role exploration, sharing responsibility, regulation of the
peer-tutored groups, harnessing the peer tutors’ role, and community.
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Q.4
On any of the social media that you use - facebook, twitter or whatsapp, make
group teachers. Initiate a discussion regarding classroom issues and write down
a report of what was the topic. What did different people said what is your
conclusion?
Answer:
I’m a big fan of social media. Facebook, Twitter,
blogging platforms and other ‘web 2.0’ sites offer users the ability to publish
their thoughts and exchange ideas with a global audience. In this article I
will be discussing ways that you can use social media in your classes and
courses.
You can use them in the following ways:
1.
Building a class
blog, where students can take it in turns to write posts on topics of interest.
Other students can then add comments. The teacher will probably need to
moderate, as comment threads can sometimes become heated and if you are
representing an educational institution, this could become a tricky
issue.
2.
Creating lessons
based on blogs. I once devised a reading task taking four types of blog- one academic,
one on the life of an ambulance driver, one personal blog and another on
current affairs. I had students skim read each blog and answer thematic
questions. They then exchanged their opinions on each blog and decided which
one seemed most interesting. We then had a language analysis task, with samples
of text from each blog. Students examined differences in style (i.e.
formality), lexis and tone, before focusing on the personal blog, which used
more colloquial language. After a matching task where some key phrases were
identified, students were set the task of writing a blog entry on something
they had done that week.
3.
Having students
start their own blogs. For this to work, they will probably need support, as
blogging is a habit that has to be kept up consistently and it takes time to
get good at it. Teachers can do this by examining the discourse features of
personal blogs and producing a structured lesson that enables learners to mimic
these features in their own writing. Common discourse features of personal
blogs are:
- Short posts
- Informal or colloquial language
- First person perspective
- Contemporary topics
- Taking on the form of a dialogue with readers
(especially in comment threads)
Twitter
Twitter
is a microblogging site. Microblogging involves writing very short updates on
what you are doing, your ideas, activities, links to interesting sites and so
on. Twitter limits updates to 140 characters, and these updates are known in
the Twitter community as ‘tweets’.
When
you join the site, you can ‘follow’ other users’ tweets, which appear in a kind
of news feed when you sign in. They have the option of following you back.
There is the same culture of regular updates as with regular blogging- and some
users are very prolific, tweeting many times per day, while others are less
active.
The
short length of tweets is linguistically interesting because it forces the
writer to be very concise, and to focus very specifically on the readers’
interests.
Some
ideas for using Twitter in a course:
1.
Twitter
warmer: Focus on a Twitter feed
from a news source such as the BBC or CNN. In small groups, learners can read
one tweet and try to predict the broader details of the story. They can then
exchange ideas with another group before checking fuller details online.
2.
Twitter search
activity: Twitter has a powerful
search tool that allows users to look for specific search items in the
‘twittersphere’. Learners can be given an item of new vocabulary, for example,
and search for authentic examples of use in real time. They can then derive the
meaning from context (with appropriate support from the teacher).
3.
Practice of
short forms- the concise nature
of Twitter lends itself to this 4) Practice of the present continuous- the
immediacy of Twitter suggests the present continuous, e.g. ‘writing an article
on social media in the EFL classroom’
Facebook and other social networking sites
Social
networking sites allow users to make connections and keep in touch with other
users, who become ‘friends’. As there is the possibility to interact via
messaging (both instant and via a form of email service) and status updates
(you say what you are doing), there is the opportunity for language
practice.
Some
sites are more or less ‘serious’ than others. LinkedIn, for example, is a
social networking site for professionals, and has an appearance and
functionality to match. How these sites can be used in class totally depends on
the level to which your class members are willing to interact with each other
in a (relatively) private space, and how suitable that is.
Some
ideas:
1.
Create a class
group on a social networking site. Groups are a form of virtual club. If the
group has a clearly defined purpose, which can be defined in class (perhaps as
a task making use of various language items), this will encourage online
activity. The teacher can act as an administrator, suggesting topics for
discussion and posting links. This can become more exciting if members are
attracted from outside the class by class members inviting their friends to
join.
2.
Your school can
create a profile on the site and students can become friends with the school.
Teachers can then answer students’ questions online and engage in discussions.
This will also have the effect of boosting the school’s profile.
Conclusion
Teachers
must be aware that while it’s easy and exciting to put your thoughts all over
the web, you must be aware of the law in the country you are working in. You
must also be particularly careful if you’re working with minors and ensure that
no sensitive information is revealed online. Remind your learners never to
share addresses or location specific contact details with people online who
they don’t know. You can help protect them by making blogs password protected,
protecting Twitter updates and creating hidden profiles on Facebook. 13 You
should also check terms of use and privacy statements to make sure you know
what the owners of the sites are doing with any information they collect and to
check that the services are suitable for the age group of your class ( Many
don’t allow users below the age of
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Q.5 Write a reflective essay about your B.Ed 1.5
years program via distance education - what were you expectation, how do you
compare this experience from your experience at formal institutions and how
useful is this program for you as a teacher.
Answer:
My
expectations were not only met, they were exceeded. Before this class, I had no
idea what engineers really do. I knew they help make all of modern society
function, but I had no idea in what way. Besides revealing what my future has
in store for me, this class helped me find my true passion in aerospace
engineering. When I applied for school I had no idea why I wanted to be in
aerospace other than it sounded like a challenge. I now realize that I am
studying aerospace because not all the “big questions” in this field have
answers. Space is essentially the last frontier, and I’m the kind of person
that wants to take part in conquering it.
Coming
into this class, I learned of the strict expectations, and was slightly
intimidated. However, once the course began, I relaxed when I realized all the
benefits I would receive from the course. Like we were forewarned, the class
was very time-consuming and challenging. However, it was definitely my favorite
course this semester, and I’m disappointed that I will not have the opportunity
to take another course of this experience until my senior year. Building a
satellite was more than I expected when I came to CU, and I had so much fun
along the way. I might not have slept much, but it was definitely worth it.
Therefore, this course exceeded my expectations.
My
expectations for this class were completely met. I was worried about all the
work at first, but it all paid off and the launch was really great. I had a few
problems of not getting along with team members but it didn't prove to be a
huge problem.
Considering
that I did not really know what to expect coming into this class, I would say
that my expectations were vastly exceeded. I began my freshman year without any
inkling into what was truly in store for me or what Aerospace Engineering was
really about. All I knew of this course was that it was a substitute for
freshmen projects and dealt with space. It was a win-win. However, I did first
believe that this class would be easy due to that fact that it is only worth
two credits.
This
assumption was soon proven to be false as the workload was said to rival that
of a five credit class. Awesome. At first the class did not appear to be too
difficult and I thought that all those stories I heard were exaggerated or possibly
lies to trick us into working harder than was necessary; only a few homework
assignments were initially due and all that had taken place were
lectures.
As
soon as our teams were assigned, however, this all changed. The pace seemed to
increase weekly, as our overall launch deadline inched closer and closer. Many
a nights were spent compiling and revising proposals (I think that Aden Lounge
has actually claimed a good two weeks of my adult life) and stress levels were
always at peak before due dates. I began to see that this class did entail much
work and required some hard-core dedication (if you want to do well, at least).
I didn’t like this part, the whole work super hard for a two credit
class.
But
I would not exchange the experience for anything. Out of all of my classes,
this one has given me the best idea of what a career in Aerospace Engineering
entails and what it requires. I have come to learn that, while it is a rigorous
and demanding discipline, it is also very rewarding. Many of my friends enrolled
in other majors actually came to envy me and my workload because they wished
they were as involved in their majors as I was. No other class thus far has
given me any hands on experience and apparently no class in the future will
until I reach upper division courses as a junior and senior.
Although
I often complained of the difficulty and amount of time this class consumed, I
did enjoy it. And the workload really wasn’t that bad. I was just being a
whiner. If anything, the workload gave me an idea of what is in store for me in
the future, which I can appreciate.
I
came into my freshman year unsure if I wanted to pursue this major, but after
completing this class my doubts have been eliminated (if only temporarily) as I
can actually imagine myself doing this line of work in the future.
Plus,
from what I’ve heard, there’s a huge job demand for Aerospace Engineers and
they make bank. What more could you possibly ask for? Yes, all my expectations
were met. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, expected a lot of hard work, and got
to launch something into space.
Yes,
my expectations were met. Everything on the syllabus and in the first few
classes was done as planned. This really helped me to see where I am going with
this educational pursuit. It has also helped me to determine that I made the
right decision. There are always small changes that can be made to any
class/situation that can make it better, but overall the class is set up well.
The students learn quite a bit about what they should expect in the future, but
it starts them off with something they are capable of completing on their
own.
My
expectations were definitely met. At the beginning of the class, I was unable
to imagine that we would actually be able to construct a working BalloonSat.
Along the way, I also picked up many different skills/pieces of knowledge that
I feel will benefit me as an aerospace engineer. Of course, one of these skills
was the not as fun writing of the proposal and DD revisions. Even though that
process was not as enjoyable as the actual construction, it gave me valuable
insight into how actual aerospace projects progress and showed how many things
evolve throughout the process. Through this class, I felt that I learned much
more about the aerospace industry and what it means to be an aerospace engineer
than I did in Intro to Aerospace Engineering. The guest speakers were very
interesting, and I found myself even more excited about aerospace after each
lecture. I have learned so much through this class, and am truly thankful that
I had the opportunity to take it.
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