Читать книгу 100 Questions (and Answers) About Action Research - Luke Duesbery - Страница 15

Because it’s important, and here’s why. Todd was a public high school social studies teacher in San Francisco, California. It was a challenging school with high student mobility, consistent staff turnover, extremely limited access to resources, a district policy that forced students to go away from their neighborhood school without providing transportation, and oh by the way, statewide test scores were extraordinarily low when compared to other public schools in the city. Todd figured the best way to address these issues was to roll up his sleeves and get to work giving the best education he could to those he served. Of course, you say. That’s what good teachers do. But how do you address these issues? What can you teach that will get kids interested enough to come and stay in school, while raising test scores and not driving you crazy enough to quit in the middle of the year? Sounds daunting, but it’s really not, and action research can help. Fortunately, Todd hung out with a couple of lawyers that were looking for volunteer hours as part of their job. Todd mentioned that the district had a mock trial competition every year, and that would be a nice symbiotic relationship. The lawyers got their volunteer hours, and Todd got the badly needed help. In their first year, students from this high school won the district mock trial championship and traveled to the state championship. It is a good story, but was it really effective? Did it improve the concerning issues of the school?

Here’s where action research came in. Todd noticed an increase in attendance, engagement, and classroom test scores. Coincidence? Not after 4 years of similar outcome patterns. The mock trial built community, increased academic interest, and gave everyone a vested voice. And, yes, statewide test scores increased for those student participants; a nice byproduct. That is the real improvement any teacher worth her or his salt wants: community, engagement, and voice for improvement. Whatever position you hold, or wherever you work, think about something you really want to change, ask a good question, document it, and act.

More questions? See questions 2, 77, and 88.