Hi Catherine
I had a comment for your recent post but for some unknown reason I lost it so I have decided to post and comment on some of your questions. I think that there is a large part of research which is motivated by politics and money. I also think that data can be manipulated and skewed and is often misrepresented and interpreted. I think of our Provincial Assessment data and the PISA results. It seems to me that the public seems to prefer to read about how bad our province is performing and how we lag behind the rest of the country. I was disappointed this year because our district performed as the top district on the Grade 3 Provincial Assessment but since the scores were not being reported due to it being a pilot year nothing was made of our achievement at the district level. Actually, many schools were not even told how well we did!
I am not sure if you have had the opportunity to read the latest MacLean's article about Math homework and how 2 professors from Manitoba are fuming about the "new math" curriculum. While reading the article I kept thinking...if you asked parents about their math experiences they would say that they struggled in math. So, why wouldn't we change the way we teach math if it was working...why would we keep teaching kids rote memorization that does not lead to understanding?
Many of my colleagues have commented on how research is collected from participants either formally or informally. I agree with your comment that as researchers we must be ever so careful to keep our values and judgements separate from the data collection and I too recognize the challenge with this.
When I visited the REB I seemed to get caught up in the Animal Care section. Well maybe not caught up, but very intrigued with how animals are used in research. Dr. Cranton was able to put some of my concerns to rest and once I started to think about it I could think of many positive ways that animals are used in care homes, classrooms, with physically disabled and the list goes on. I think originally I could only think of rats in sterile lab environments and dissections that I refused to do in Grade 11 Biology!
I would be interested to hear about any discussions your section may be having with respect to ethical issues. In my Curriculum Theory course Ann (Lab Tech) is getting her Masters in Adult Education. She was discussing that Henry Heimlich was performing experiments on humans that were unethical and now we no longer supposed to call it the Heimlich maneuver rather simply the abdominal thrust. I had no clue about this name change. After some research I am glad to support the change!
Hope we can see each other soon - have you registered for your intersession courses? Let me know...
Sheila
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Friday, 23 March 2012
Ethics in Research
Hi Sheila,
This week's topic has great implications to consider whenever one is engaged in research, even for us as educators. One idea I found particularly interesting came up with Dr. Cranton's question regarding groups with a vested interest in a specific type of research providing the money, or some of it, for the project. What really caught my attention is the fact that these groups or organizations can determine what information they choose to release to the public and what information they do not release. I am somewhat naive and tend to believe things I read or am told and I had not thought about this before. It has made me realize that one must view the research with some skepticism and not take it as the complete truth.
Chapter 10 of the text also divulged some concepts of interest for me. Although, I believe I was aware of many of them seeing them written certainly confirmed my expectations. The first is the amount of control the researcher has when collecting data by deciding the type of design to use, the relationship between the researcher and participants, how much information the participants receive, deception, etc. and how easily unethical practices can happen, intentional or not. Also, the idea of whether or not the researcher should intervene while being involved in some way with a situation that appears to be unethical. Merriam and Simpson (2000) indicate that "failure to act is itself 'an ethical and political choice' that researchers must come to terms with". This is certainly not a situation I would want to place myself in. Finally, in relation to this, it is the responsibility of the researcher to minimize the possibility of error to the best of their ability by checking all data and any conclusions drawn from it. Phew, what a huge responsibility, but these standards give the researcher something to abide by as well as a responsibility to the public.
I also think the following points taken from the text are of utmost importance and a good way to finalize this post. They are as follows, from page 205:
1. research should be undertaken only after careful consideration of its plausible consequences
2. results should be presented in a way that promises the least potential for distortion and the greatest opportunity for social gains, and
3. special care should be taken, when publicizing the research, to state conditions pertinent to the usefulness of the research in applied contexts.
I am looking forward to hearing from you and getting your opinions and insight about the information from this chapter. Although it was a short read, it has presented innumerable ideas that must be considered when doing research.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family.
Catherine
This week's topic has great implications to consider whenever one is engaged in research, even for us as educators. One idea I found particularly interesting came up with Dr. Cranton's question regarding groups with a vested interest in a specific type of research providing the money, or some of it, for the project. What really caught my attention is the fact that these groups or organizations can determine what information they choose to release to the public and what information they do not release. I am somewhat naive and tend to believe things I read or am told and I had not thought about this before. It has made me realize that one must view the research with some skepticism and not take it as the complete truth.
Chapter 10 of the text also divulged some concepts of interest for me. Although, I believe I was aware of many of them seeing them written certainly confirmed my expectations. The first is the amount of control the researcher has when collecting data by deciding the type of design to use, the relationship between the researcher and participants, how much information the participants receive, deception, etc. and how easily unethical practices can happen, intentional or not. Also, the idea of whether or not the researcher should intervene while being involved in some way with a situation that appears to be unethical. Merriam and Simpson (2000) indicate that "failure to act is itself 'an ethical and political choice' that researchers must come to terms with". This is certainly not a situation I would want to place myself in. Finally, in relation to this, it is the responsibility of the researcher to minimize the possibility of error to the best of their ability by checking all data and any conclusions drawn from it. Phew, what a huge responsibility, but these standards give the researcher something to abide by as well as a responsibility to the public.
I also think the following points taken from the text are of utmost importance and a good way to finalize this post. They are as follows, from page 205:
1. research should be undertaken only after careful consideration of its plausible consequences
2. results should be presented in a way that promises the least potential for distortion and the greatest opportunity for social gains, and
3. special care should be taken, when publicizing the research, to state conditions pertinent to the usefulness of the research in applied contexts.
I am looking forward to hearing from you and getting your opinions and insight about the information from this chapter. Although it was a short read, it has presented innumerable ideas that must be considered when doing research.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family.
Catherine
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Survey Snapshot
Hi Catherine,
I am just finishing up Chapter 10 on research ethics so I will make my post by the weekend but I wanted to give you a little snapshot of my survey results. I created a 10 questions survey related to Lunch Bunch and how students felt about it and added 2 open ended questions at the end. Overall, the students responded very favourably to the questions and I had 57 respondents. The next time I design a survey I will use either agree or disagree or yes or no. I had a middle number which I termed neutral and I think this may have skewed my data a little.
I have noticed a slight drop in attendance this week as a result of the beautiful weather and the students wanting to get outdoors. The regulars still continued to come on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The students want to have Lunch Bunch continue next year. One piece of data that I found to be encouraging was that 55% of the students like to come school more because of lunch bunch.
My favorite part of the data collection was reading their responses to the open questions. Children are very insightful and honest. Many commented that they enjoy the time to just hang out with their friends. They enjoy making new friends, everyone gets along, the games are fun. They also love the teacher who supervises so this is helpful. Several students indicated that more technology would be beneficial. Others commented that a bigger room with more space would make lunch bunch better. I agree with this as they are somewhat cramped together.
I was chatting with Matt, from your school, last week about what you do at lunch time at your school. I would love to hear more about the different clubs you have for students.
I hope you are getting through the pile of work you are most likely facing. Have you registered for any courses for intersession? If so, please let me know and hopefully we might be in one together. I am enrolled in 2...yes I know I am completely insane!
Enjoy the beauty of the day,
Sheila
I am just finishing up Chapter 10 on research ethics so I will make my post by the weekend but I wanted to give you a little snapshot of my survey results. I created a 10 questions survey related to Lunch Bunch and how students felt about it and added 2 open ended questions at the end. Overall, the students responded very favourably to the questions and I had 57 respondents. The next time I design a survey I will use either agree or disagree or yes or no. I had a middle number which I termed neutral and I think this may have skewed my data a little.
I have noticed a slight drop in attendance this week as a result of the beautiful weather and the students wanting to get outdoors. The regulars still continued to come on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The students want to have Lunch Bunch continue next year. One piece of data that I found to be encouraging was that 55% of the students like to come school more because of lunch bunch.
My favorite part of the data collection was reading their responses to the open questions. Children are very insightful and honest. Many commented that they enjoy the time to just hang out with their friends. They enjoy making new friends, everyone gets along, the games are fun. They also love the teacher who supervises so this is helpful. Several students indicated that more technology would be beneficial. Others commented that a bigger room with more space would make lunch bunch better. I agree with this as they are somewhat cramped together.
I was chatting with Matt, from your school, last week about what you do at lunch time at your school. I would love to hear more about the different clubs you have for students.
I hope you are getting through the pile of work you are most likely facing. Have you registered for any courses for intersession? If so, please let me know and hopefully we might be in one together. I am enrolled in 2...yes I know I am completely insane!
Enjoy the beauty of the day,
Sheila
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Collecing Data Can Have Valuable Implications to One's Practice
Hello again, my friend,
Well, what a week it has been! As much as I love getting away to a warmer climate on March Break, it can be rather difficult to get back into the swing of things. I have been busy doing lots of catching up and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the work I have to do before the end of the term. I can imagine you are feeling it, too.
This week's topic for reading and discussion is great. It is lots of fun to be able to apply things we are learning in this course into our practice. The ideas around the procedures and techniques of collecting data can have so many applications in what we do especially in assisting in determining where gaps may be. I decided to use my critical research question, "How can I improve parental support of struggling students with their home reading program?" to create a survey for the parents of my students. The problem is I am not in the classroom at the moment and am therefore not sure how I can get some feedback. I think I will ask members of the class who may have children in primary grades to take my survey. What do you think? Any ideas to help me in this area? I would appreciate it if you would be one of those people as you have young children. Just copy and paste the address below to access it.I wish I could figure out how to create a link but I have been unsuccessful.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJTBTM3
I am also in the process of trying to determine a good situation to observe. I think it will probably involve my family somehow although I haven't yet decided what to observe. I really like your observation idea and, as I mentioned earlier, this type of data collection can have an effect on what the school is doing. It will provide information that can be applied to and/or used to assess the Lunch Bunch club. Wonderful idea! My school does something similar in that students create clubs under the direction of a teacher. This gives students ownership of their idea while providing opportunities for other students to take part, if they have the desire or interest in doing so. And yes, it makes the playground a little less busy at lunch time.
Interesting that you would get a call from Statistics Canada conducting an Aboriginal Canadian survey at the same time we are in the process of creating and conducting our own. I will be very interested in the results of this as well particularly since I am involved in a First Nations course and we have had numerous discussions about the education of Canada's First Nations students. On another note, I tend not to take part in interviews over the phone as I am never sure if they are being completed by reliable sources or not. However, I'm glad you did this one as I am hopeful it will provide valuable information for educators of First Nation students.
Have fun collecting data. Don't forget to take my survey.
Chat again soon,
Catherine
P.S. Glad you had a storm day yesterday. What a wonderful gift they are!
Well, what a week it has been! As much as I love getting away to a warmer climate on March Break, it can be rather difficult to get back into the swing of things. I have been busy doing lots of catching up and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the work I have to do before the end of the term. I can imagine you are feeling it, too.
This week's topic for reading and discussion is great. It is lots of fun to be able to apply things we are learning in this course into our practice. The ideas around the procedures and techniques of collecting data can have so many applications in what we do especially in assisting in determining where gaps may be. I decided to use my critical research question, "How can I improve parental support of struggling students with their home reading program?" to create a survey for the parents of my students. The problem is I am not in the classroom at the moment and am therefore not sure how I can get some feedback. I think I will ask members of the class who may have children in primary grades to take my survey. What do you think? Any ideas to help me in this area? I would appreciate it if you would be one of those people as you have young children. Just copy and paste the address below to access it.I wish I could figure out how to create a link but I have been unsuccessful.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJTBTM3
I am also in the process of trying to determine a good situation to observe. I think it will probably involve my family somehow although I haven't yet decided what to observe. I really like your observation idea and, as I mentioned earlier, this type of data collection can have an effect on what the school is doing. It will provide information that can be applied to and/or used to assess the Lunch Bunch club. Wonderful idea! My school does something similar in that students create clubs under the direction of a teacher. This gives students ownership of their idea while providing opportunities for other students to take part, if they have the desire or interest in doing so. And yes, it makes the playground a little less busy at lunch time.
Interesting that you would get a call from Statistics Canada conducting an Aboriginal Canadian survey at the same time we are in the process of creating and conducting our own. I will be very interested in the results of this as well particularly since I am involved in a First Nations course and we have had numerous discussions about the education of Canada's First Nations students. On another note, I tend not to take part in interviews over the phone as I am never sure if they are being completed by reliable sources or not. However, I'm glad you did this one as I am hopeful it will provide valuable information for educators of First Nation students.
Have fun collecting data. Don't forget to take my survey.
Chat again soon,
Catherine
P.S. Glad you had a storm day yesterday. What a wonderful gift they are!
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Long time - No talk
Good Morning Sunshine!
I am up early taking advantage of the wonderful snow day and working on my major curriculum inquiry project for my face-to-face course. I really feel like someone was watching down on me today and gave me this blessing. For all of my fellow teachers I know they will use this surprise to work on report cards which are just around the corner. It seems in the educational world there never really is slowing down time!
I just wanted to let you know I did my observation yesterday for this week. I took advantage of a lunch time club at one of my schools called Lunch Bunch. The club was designed with the idea of providing an alternate play space for students struggling to make relationships on the playground. It is wildly popular right now with close to 30 students participating 3 days a week. While our Guidance Councillor is busy supervising - it has made the incidents in PLEP almost disappear and the outdoor duty teacher's job just a little bit easier. I really liked the idea of being "the fly on the wall" watching and listening to the interactions taking place in the brief time allotted. It would be interesting to monitor the interactions on a more regular basis. I passed along my observations to the Guidance teacher and she was amazed at what I was able to capture. I think this has to do in large part to my somewhat "nosey" nature. I love to people watch and often chose to sit back and observe people rather than jump right into the middle.
I have drafted a survey/questionnaire to administer to the group so I will share my results early next week after I collect my data. I know the Student Services team will be interested in knowing the results and will use this for planning purposes. I find it so interesting that I am able to use the research skills we are learning about a little more readily now and I understand the point behind what I am doing.
On a personal note, last night I received a phone call at 9:00 pm from Stats Canada. They were conducting an Aboriginal Canadian survey and asked me MANY questions about Christopher my 6 year old. There were questions like: what type of housing did we live in, how many rooms were in our home, did Christopher have Autism, ADHD, did we ever have a time where we did not have enough money to buy groceries, do we expose him to the Mi'kmag language, did any relatives ever attend a Residential school. The list of questions was exhaustive. Apparently they are releasing the results in 2013 so it will be fascinating to read the results. I know they chose Christopher because he is the Native blood line carrier in our family. As I was answering the questions I kept thinking about our course!
I hope you had the most wonderful holiday. While I did not travel far, I enjoyed the company of my mom and children, Sasha returned home and we bought a new Guinea pig named Patches! Life is very good!
Hope to hear from you soon and let me know about your travels,
Sheila
I am up early taking advantage of the wonderful snow day and working on my major curriculum inquiry project for my face-to-face course. I really feel like someone was watching down on me today and gave me this blessing. For all of my fellow teachers I know they will use this surprise to work on report cards which are just around the corner. It seems in the educational world there never really is slowing down time!
I just wanted to let you know I did my observation yesterday for this week. I took advantage of a lunch time club at one of my schools called Lunch Bunch. The club was designed with the idea of providing an alternate play space for students struggling to make relationships on the playground. It is wildly popular right now with close to 30 students participating 3 days a week. While our Guidance Councillor is busy supervising - it has made the incidents in PLEP almost disappear and the outdoor duty teacher's job just a little bit easier. I really liked the idea of being "the fly on the wall" watching and listening to the interactions taking place in the brief time allotted. It would be interesting to monitor the interactions on a more regular basis. I passed along my observations to the Guidance teacher and she was amazed at what I was able to capture. I think this has to do in large part to my somewhat "nosey" nature. I love to people watch and often chose to sit back and observe people rather than jump right into the middle.
I have drafted a survey/questionnaire to administer to the group so I will share my results early next week after I collect my data. I know the Student Services team will be interested in knowing the results and will use this for planning purposes. I find it so interesting that I am able to use the research skills we are learning about a little more readily now and I understand the point behind what I am doing.
On a personal note, last night I received a phone call at 9:00 pm from Stats Canada. They were conducting an Aboriginal Canadian survey and asked me MANY questions about Christopher my 6 year old. There were questions like: what type of housing did we live in, how many rooms were in our home, did Christopher have Autism, ADHD, did we ever have a time where we did not have enough money to buy groceries, do we expose him to the Mi'kmag language, did any relatives ever attend a Residential school. The list of questions was exhaustive. Apparently they are releasing the results in 2013 so it will be fascinating to read the results. I know they chose Christopher because he is the Native blood line carrier in our family. As I was answering the questions I kept thinking about our course!
I hope you had the most wonderful holiday. While I did not travel far, I enjoyed the company of my mom and children, Sasha returned home and we bought a new Guinea pig named Patches! Life is very good!
Hope to hear from you soon and let me know about your travels,
Sheila
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Happy March Break!
Hello Catherine,
Just wanted to wish you a happy March break and wishing you lots of fun in the sun. Quite honestly I am just going to take a couple of days to enjoy the company of my children and snuggle with Bella. As a busy working mom I certainly appreciate Dr. Cranton allowing us time to spend with our families. I am enjoying my studies so much and love the learning opportunities that are presented each day.
Wishing you lots of happiness over the break and looking forward to touching base when you return,
Happy travels,
Sheila
Just wanted to wish you a happy March break and wishing you lots of fun in the sun. Quite honestly I am just going to take a couple of days to enjoy the company of my children and snuggle with Bella. As a busy working mom I certainly appreciate Dr. Cranton allowing us time to spend with our families. I am enjoying my studies so much and love the learning opportunities that are presented each day.
Wishing you lots of happiness over the break and looking forward to touching base when you return,
Happy travels,
Sheila
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Bringing some creativity into research
Hi Friend,
Yeah, you got your post in ahead of me this week! I was away with my dear, sweet daughter yesterday afternoon after work to her first gymnastics competition so mother had to take a front seat to student.
You always tie in your learning in such a thorough way and when I read your posts I feel like I am part of your discussion group. Thanks for being so detailed and really helping me understand your thinking. I am wondering if we read the same article? My group had two articles this week because several classmates found our first article "Arts-informed Research" by Cole and Knowles to be a bit heavy. I quite liked it and realized that J. Gary Knowles the co-author, was one of my practicum supervisors when I was doing my B Ed at MSVU. Really made me think that the world is indeed a small place.
Dr. Cranton decided to post a second article, of which she co-authored, entitled "Mentoring arts-based research: a tale of two professors" because she wanted to give us a more practical explanation of arts based research. I really enjoyed this article because it was in a dialogue format and gave me excellent insight into this relatively new research field. While you read and were engaged in the discussion of Alzheimer's because of your very personal connection to it, I liked how Dr. Cranton and Dr. Lawrence made the reader see that arts-based research is scholarly and can bring about cultural change. The examples of research dissertations woven with a connection to the arts is what appealed to me this week.
While I don't claim to be artistic, I do love the visual arts and see this research as very intriguing. When I was meeting with Dr. Whitty today at UNB I saw a poster on her office door showing the work of a student who is presenting arts-based research and is having his work shown at the gallery downtown. I will have to get his name from her because I forget it. It seems like the doors to my educational world are constantly being opened all around me. The more I read and discuss, the more I learn and connect to! This is what makes our jobs so draining, yet so invigorating at the same time.
To think that you can present academic research in the form of photos, poetry, drama, and artwork entices me. I keep trying to decide if my idea of "wondering" in math would be in some way considered arts-based research because of the visual representations I have from students? Sometimes I think I should be doing a thesis yet, know that I could not take this on at this stage of my degree. Perhaps at some point I will take some extra courses...
Thanks for broadening my scope of learning today with your post and while we are just weeks away from finishing I am sad to think we will not be chatting in this format for much longer:(
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Sheila
Yeah, you got your post in ahead of me this week! I was away with my dear, sweet daughter yesterday afternoon after work to her first gymnastics competition so mother had to take a front seat to student.
You always tie in your learning in such a thorough way and when I read your posts I feel like I am part of your discussion group. Thanks for being so detailed and really helping me understand your thinking. I am wondering if we read the same article? My group had two articles this week because several classmates found our first article "Arts-informed Research" by Cole and Knowles to be a bit heavy. I quite liked it and realized that J. Gary Knowles the co-author, was one of my practicum supervisors when I was doing my B Ed at MSVU. Really made me think that the world is indeed a small place.
Dr. Cranton decided to post a second article, of which she co-authored, entitled "Mentoring arts-based research: a tale of two professors" because she wanted to give us a more practical explanation of arts based research. I really enjoyed this article because it was in a dialogue format and gave me excellent insight into this relatively new research field. While you read and were engaged in the discussion of Alzheimer's because of your very personal connection to it, I liked how Dr. Cranton and Dr. Lawrence made the reader see that arts-based research is scholarly and can bring about cultural change. The examples of research dissertations woven with a connection to the arts is what appealed to me this week.
While I don't claim to be artistic, I do love the visual arts and see this research as very intriguing. When I was meeting with Dr. Whitty today at UNB I saw a poster on her office door showing the work of a student who is presenting arts-based research and is having his work shown at the gallery downtown. I will have to get his name from her because I forget it. It seems like the doors to my educational world are constantly being opened all around me. The more I read and discuss, the more I learn and connect to! This is what makes our jobs so draining, yet so invigorating at the same time.
To think that you can present academic research in the form of photos, poetry, drama, and artwork entices me. I keep trying to decide if my idea of "wondering" in math would be in some way considered arts-based research because of the visual representations I have from students? Sometimes I think I should be doing a thesis yet, know that I could not take this on at this stage of my degree. Perhaps at some point I will take some extra courses...
Thanks for broadening my scope of learning today with your post and while we are just weeks away from finishing I am sad to think we will not be chatting in this format for much longer:(
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Sheila
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