Reflection:
The experience of conducting Action Research is something that will continue to affect my teaching practices. I may not conduct such an elaborate investigation for every subject, but I think that it is important to identify something that needs to be improved in the classroom and find out how that can best be remedied. Since every classroom is different, not every idea that has come about will remedy the problem, but that can only be found out if that idea is applied in the classroom and the effects are measured. We have had much conversation about the positive impacts of student collaboration. I believe it is equally important for teachers to collaborate so they can learn strategies from each other on how to improve their own teaching. Some aspects may work out wonderfully and others will just be a no, but to improve we must be willing to change things about our classroom and pedagogy if it proves to be for the best. I expect to continue this kind of work throughout my career in education.
Through this particular investigation I learned just how many factors could be a part of what a teacher may think is a singular issue in the classroom. As I conducted this investigation I realized that the type of problem I was asking my students to articulate could have been kept to a single type of problem so as not to change the vocabulary, but at the same time math encompasses so mush more than one single concept, so maybe what I did was correct. However this is not something I factored in before beginning the investigation. This reflects how teaching works most of the time. There is a plan in place, then something occurs that the teacher did not foresee as being an issue or factor. Once it has occurred the teacher must react and continue making adjustments along the way.
The major learning I am taking away from this investigation, and something that has been a constant throughout this experience, is that student learning is not linear. Student progress is not neat and tidy, it is a long road with twists and turns that must be assessed constantly. Teachers need to model for students that when they are faced with something challenging, they must be able to persevere through it and strive for improvement. This striving for improvement and not perfection is what will allow students to learn and grow in a safe and secure environment. The focus should be on learning, not the end product.
The experience of conducting Action Research is something that will continue to affect my teaching practices. I may not conduct such an elaborate investigation for every subject, but I think that it is important to identify something that needs to be improved in the classroom and find out how that can best be remedied. Since every classroom is different, not every idea that has come about will remedy the problem, but that can only be found out if that idea is applied in the classroom and the effects are measured. We have had much conversation about the positive impacts of student collaboration. I believe it is equally important for teachers to collaborate so they can learn strategies from each other on how to improve their own teaching. Some aspects may work out wonderfully and others will just be a no, but to improve we must be willing to change things about our classroom and pedagogy if it proves to be for the best. I expect to continue this kind of work throughout my career in education.
Through this particular investigation I learned just how many factors could be a part of what a teacher may think is a singular issue in the classroom. As I conducted this investigation I realized that the type of problem I was asking my students to articulate could have been kept to a single type of problem so as not to change the vocabulary, but at the same time math encompasses so mush more than one single concept, so maybe what I did was correct. However this is not something I factored in before beginning the investigation. This reflects how teaching works most of the time. There is a plan in place, then something occurs that the teacher did not foresee as being an issue or factor. Once it has occurred the teacher must react and continue making adjustments along the way.
The major learning I am taking away from this investigation, and something that has been a constant throughout this experience, is that student learning is not linear. Student progress is not neat and tidy, it is a long road with twists and turns that must be assessed constantly. Teachers need to model for students that when they are faced with something challenging, they must be able to persevere through it and strive for improvement. This striving for improvement and not perfection is what will allow students to learn and grow in a safe and secure environment. The focus should be on learning, not the end product.