blog 6

“A Teacher-Research Group in Action”

The idea that a teacher needs “structure” seems kind of silly to me, since there really isn’t anything orderly about teaching. From what I understand, it’s really a very hectic profession. But maybe that’s why these teachers craved structure within the seminar?

“debates they seemed to be carrying on internally” very relatable

I was kind of surprised that the “findings” section spent as much time discussing structure and deadlines as it did. I’m also surprised that the experimenters were surprised. The findings, I thought, were fairly obvious.

 “Until teachers start reading research, doing research, they won’t be a profession. If they’re grounded on lesson plans, that’s where they’re going to stay.” The idea that research enhances the ability to teach makes sense; research (as displayed in this experiment) helps us not only improve our knowledge through the ideas of others, but also helps us learn to think independently about something. Self-reflection, source analysis, critical thinking skills, idea generation—all benefits of research that can (and have been) applied to the classroom, like a guide book.  Meanwhile, non-researchers seem to simply be following a step-by-step instruction manual.

It makes me kind of sad to think these teachers did not feel very confident about the significance of their work, and that it did not count as research. This, I think, says a lot about how we view and value research. That research has a very “prestigious” and “elite” reputation in academia.

“The Teacher as Researcher”

“too tired to plow through jargon, charts and statistics…” It’s nice to know that teachers too often find scholarly/ research works hard (and boring) to navigate. But really, I think the best way to research (and learn in general) is by practicing, by doing. Hands-on experience is always better.

“teachers do not stand back and look…without also suggesting solutions…”

On the section describing the misspelling of “aggressive,” I can’t believe a child would be so trusting of their teacher that they would assume the dictionary was wrong and the teacher was correct. Can you imagine someone believing you to be that all-knowing? I can’t even get my co-workers to believe me when I tell them we’ve run out of something. And then the students tease her about it! I personally think this is hysterical, and it kind of makes me regret not getting my k – 8 teaching cert. But ultimately, I like that her mistake resulted in her letting the students take control and “teach” her some things. This is a really great approach to (1) making/ correcting a mistake, (2) teaching/ encouraging self-reflection within your students and (3) challenging the traditional “student/teacher” roles. I think letting your students take the wheel once in a while is really enlightening for everyone involved—especially when they are younger. It is so important that children retain their autonomy and creativity in classroom settings, lest they lose those qualities in lieu for blind obedience of the instructor (which is honestly my biggest fear for younger generations).

And supporting each other’s annoying habits for the sake of writing? Precious.

I thought this article was super cute and seemed a bit more though provoking than the previous one I read. I also liked how the students were taken into consideration here, although the focus is supposed to be the teacher. I liked that the “research method” was the same between the two.

“Developing a Definition of Teacher Research”

“teacher research is a public endeavor” in that their products benefit the greater good?

I like the idea that teacher researchers bounce ideas off of students as well as co-workers; the idea that we’re all learning from each other seems like what academia was supposed to be.

The versatility of a teacher’s “research context” is so interesting to me, as every student is unique, and every class will be unique because of that and because of that the work produced will always be original and cannot ever be replicated.