AED 815: Action Research

My concept map has changed over time. At first, I knew the direction that I wanted to go in with my research but I didn't know how it all fit together. The ideas were scattered and jumbled because they were unattached to a problem that meant anything to me or my teaching. Now that I have taken time to reflect on what I want to change in my teaching, I have a more organized perspective of my work. My problem stems from questions of gender and classroom management. - Do male teachers experience less behavioral issues? - Do my male students respond to me differently than my female students, because of their perception of me as a female?

The field of research from the perspective of an artist is different from most. In her 2011 article Arts-Based Research as Social Justice Activism: Insight, Inquiry, Imagination, Embodiement, Relationality professor Karen Keifer-Boyd explains that it’s foundation lies in the visual, tactile, and kinesthetic nature of art itself (p. 5).  This means that when we conduct research through the arts we do so through all of our senses. With this idea comes the understanding that research is not just the end product of an experience but also the experience itself. This concept is illustrated in the study done by the dance teacher Amy Chavasse in 2015. She identifies the challenge of adapting her teaching strategies to meet the needs of her students. As a teacher-researcher, she looks to answer the question of how she can foster creative agency in her students. In her study she utilizes the methods of constructivism by sharing the problem with her class and making them beco...

This is a Grole. I found it tossed onto the cluttered shelves at the back of the Salvation Army and had no idea what it was. However, it was too much of an interesting piece to put back so I paid my $4 and went home to research. It is made out of wood and the markings suggest that it was hand carved. After a short Google search I learned that the object is local to the Savoy region of France. It has seven spouts and is meant to be drunk out of. In France they normally use it to  serve a hot drink of black coffee and liquor. Traditionally it is passed around a group of people where each person gets their own spout. The drink is sometimes referred to as "cafe de l'amitie" which translates to coffee of friendship.  I believe that my teaching and role as a researcher is reflected in the Grole's carving. As an individual, I want to use the experiences that have left impressions on me to inspire me to search for the circumstances that are leaving impressions on my st...

Research has only ever inspired me to sigh. It brings to mind my beginning of the year meetings with my prinicipal in which we discuss my "Student Learning Objective" and "Guided Goal" These are two activities that I am required by the state to complete every year. As I fill out the documents that will guide my teacher-research I think back to the advice I received from master teachers around me. "It's important to collect numerical data to evaluate student growth but I guess it doesn't really fit your type of teaching..." "I know it's not usually what you do but your goal must be measurable." "Don't set your metric too high, you want to set yourself up to be proficient."  "This is just something we have to do, I never get much out of it." Sometimes I feel that quantitative research is the only method that is accepted by administration. However, Critical Action Research is something that I be...

What keeps you going everyday? Unless you are some sort of supreme being blessed with an eternal spring of endless intrinsic motivation there must be something that coaxes your feet onto the cold hardwood floors at 6AM  everyday. For some, it's the seductive scent of dark roast coffee. For others, it's the curiosity to find out what this new day will bring. Some people just simply do it out of routine. These are the easy reasons we tell ourselves when we find ourselves hitting the snooze button one too many times, two too many days in a row. I am the type of person that likes to dig a little deeper. Under all of the easy reasons I believe that we all wake up everyday because we are all still searching for our purpose in life. We wake up everyday asking ourselves the same question, "Will I feel content today?" As a Femme teacher living in the year 2020 I am sadly not surprised when I find myself answering no to this question over and over again. You could ar...