Research Ethics...what does this mean?

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Research, The Arts and Emotion

Hi there, my friend,

Hope your week has gone well. Just think, one more to go and it's March Break. I know you will enjoy a well-deserved break from school and have fun doing some things with your children. I bet they are looking forward to it, also.

Well, what an interesting topic we are looking at this week. I would never have considered research to be related to the arts. What an intriguing idea and it certainly has piqued my interest.

As we know, and as the article states, knowledge assists us to better understand our world and research is done as a means of finding answers to any topic of interest one may have. One tends to think of the findings being presented in a "conventional-looking scholarship" which satisfied the academy but was not able "to capture and communicate the complexity of human experience in all its diversity". Researchers decided to develop a way to represent their findings to reach those beyond the academy, everyday people in order to make a difference. When you think about it, what good are the results of research if the findings are represented in such a manner that the average person in society cannot, or will not bother to, decipher them. As knowledge of what comprises human development grew, it became necessary to expand the strategies for conducting and representing research. Thus, arts-informed research evolved.

Arts-informed research has the ability to advance comprehension of the experiences of people, and the various art forms used to depict this provide an opportunity for better understanding of the ideas to a wider range of people. By making the findings of research more accessible to a greater number of people the more likely changes and improvements in our society will take place. I think, as Suzi Gablik states it is a way that, "...brings head and heart together". Since so much human experience involves emotions and conventional methods of representing these experiences were not sufficient, it only makes sense to have a research method that can incorporate emotion in some way.

I read with great interest the sections discussing Alzheimer's Disease and caregivers as both of my parents suffered with dementia. It was absolutely amazing to me to have data collected from the experiences of caregivers presented in a "45-minute spoke performance". This is ingenious! In what other way could these findings have ever been represented to be able to include the emotions connected with this topic?

Finally, in my opinion, arts-informed research provides a venue for those with an interest in researching, and sharing, a topic that is within their "heart, soul and mind". Without this research form it would not be possible to do this in such an accurate manner.

These sure are some very interesting ideas, don't you think? Had you ever heard of this type of research before? Being totally new to me, it has opened up my mind to a huge number of possibilities that I have never before imagined. I think, and hope, we will see a great shift in the presentation of research findings as this strategy catches on. It certainly will make them more interesting and understandable to many people.

Have a great day "digging out"!
"Talk" soon,
Catherine

The Real Deal

Howdy Stranger,
I am not really suffering from the winter blahs I am just knee deep in school and university work.  We celebrate the 100th day of school on Tuesday so I am coordinating this event for 88 students, I had to present PD on Friday and I have a group assignment due on Wednesday which is taking a lot of time.  You know how it goes once you get busy, you just seem to get busier!

Thank you for your detailed post.  You always explain things in such a clear and concise way and I am pleased to hear that you are finding this course fun.  I too am appreciating the learning curve I am on and continually try to make the link between the theory to my practice.  I participated in a webinar on Friday afternoon and my ears perked up every time the word research was mentioned - which seemed to be rather often.  I find I am paying closer attention when this word is tossed into discussions.

I did my action research post on a real action research project that was initiated last year by the VP of one of my schools.  She is part of the NB Leadership academy and she wanted to do an action research project related to technology use and automaticity of basic facts.  Essentially, she is conducting a 2 year study with 12 students and 6 iPads.  Her goal is to determine whether 10 minutes daily of interactive math games online will help to improve timed fact results.  Last year it seemed as though the tech time was working.  This year the results have not been staggering and I think the variable that the school moved into another school is playing a negative part in the results - this is mere speculation on my part though.

My group continues to offer some very interesting research topics.  I find my interest in learning more about ASD students has been heightened by taking this course so I am looking for articles and asking questions to the RTA that visits the school.  I also sneak a chat with Guidance when I get the chance:)

I am making a promise that I will try to get back to more frequent posting so we can keep our dialogue rolling.  I think that our jobs are becoming so demanding that finding those extra moments are becoming less and less.  I often wonder if teachers in other parts of the world seem as busy and harried as I do?  Maybe this is something I should research!  Maybe Dr. Cranton could give us a little insight into what teaching is like in the US...or any other locations where she may have worked...

Happy Sunday Buddy,
Sheila

A Personal Conundrum

Hi Sheila,
I decided I had better get a start on this week's topic. We both must be suffering a bit of the winter blahs as we tend to "talk" to each other before this point each week. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and your "take" on this week's assignment.
I found Chapter 7 an easy read but became somewhat confused when trying to determine which of the research designs, Action, Participatory or Critical fit my Critical Research question, "How do I improve parental support, of struggling students, with their home reading program?" I decided to develop a design which would be possible to implement, and then attempt to determine which design seemed to suit it the best. Well, that turned out to be more difficult than I expected. I was caught between action and participatory research for the following reasons:
Action includes these ideas
1. the researcher (me) is the facilitator
2. the results are intended for immediate use
3. the design is formulated while the research is in progress
4. the information collected is designed to bring about a change
Participatory includes these ideas
1. people from the identified group will assist in the research and will acquire knowledge from their participation
2. the researcher (me) plays an active part, that is I am involved in the discussions, etc.
3. the researcher (me) is immersed in the community/group to seek solutions
4. I am attempting to gather results to solve a problem
At this point, I felt that my design was some sort of a combination of the two, not knowing if that was a possibility, and decided I needed some clarification from Dr. Cranton. Interestingly enough, Dr. Cranton informed me that the distinction between action and participatory research is not always easy to distinguish and that there is a category called "participatory action research" which is a blending, or combination, of the two. However, Dr. Cranton feels my design is of the participatory type, considering points 1-4 above even though aspects of Action research are also present. I am surmising it is participatory due to all of the input I would be getting from parents. (participants)
Well, without providing you with my complete design, those are my discoveries and learning experiences for this week. I continue to read most posts made, in my section, and I consistently gain a better understanding of concepts through these posts and Dr. Cranton's clarifications and comments. It is exciting for me to be finding this course actually fun, especially after being worried about being able to understand the content. I guess this just goes to show us, as educators, when learning is fun it becomes more interesting to the learner and the challenges become ideas to work through, not give up upon.
Looking forward to hearing from you. I know you will have great ideas to add and I always look forward to hearing your point of view as well as about your experiences.
"Talk" soon, my friend,
Catherine

Choosing a Qualitative Research Method

Good morning Shelia,
Well, I was correct in thinking that you would jump on this week's topic before me, and you did. I agree with your comment about "jargon" although this week's chapter was a much easier read than last week's. Thank goodness!
I envy your opportunity to be able to work with students and see them apply ideas we are learning about. I would love to be able to do the Data management unit with my students while taking this course. I think I, too, would observe connections between what they were doing in their research and the ideas we are delving into. That would be really neat.
When I began looking at my Interpretive Research question, "What remedial strategies are in place, at school level, to assist students with anger issues?", I initially though I would be doing Ethnography research as I would be looking at student behaviour within the culture of the school. However, when I studied the choices further, I realized that I would need to discover this information by doing a Case Study. The defining factor for this decision was the text stating that Case Studies are valuable for "exploring an area or practice that has not been well researched or conceptualized" and that it could very well "guide subsequent studies". Since my research would reflect only the strategies of my school, it is most likely correct to assume that this area has not been well researched. To do the study, I would need to gather data through observation, interviews and viewing any documentation the school possessed. The collected data would then be analyzed and interpreted in order to complete a written report. I actually found the process of determining which approach would be the best to implement quite interesting. I hope you will share your question and the type of research yours required.
The topics in my section are varied although most of them deal with issues that I can easily relate to as an educator. That being said, I am gathering ideas from many of them. One thing I did notice, as the posts for experimental or quasi-experimental designs increased throughout the week, was that I was able to use these to assist in in a better understanding and in making my design more concise. This goes to show that we really can and do learn from one another.
Well, I had better end this rather lengthy post. I look forward to hearing from you as we proceed on our educational journey together.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Catherine

Interpreting the Interpretative

Hi Catherine,
I feel much better this week with my discussion post because I think I am finally turning a corner with our course.  While I am still dependent on my textbook, I am actually beginning to see how my research questions could relate to my current practice.  I need to take this approach because I am much like the students I work with, things need to make sense before I can make them my own.  The one thing I find is that you can get bogged down in jargon, philosophy and terminology as a Masters student.  While I am a critical thinker, I remain a practioner and I really feel that Dr. Cranton's supports us as adult learners and wants us to see how this course fits into our everyday practice. 

I am excited to be able to share some of my schooling with the students I am coaching.  The Grade 3 class I am working have just begun their data analysis unit and it is amazing to watch them take on the role of researcher, organizer and interpreter of data.  At a young age, students are encouraged to think critically and make conclusions about their research.  Before this course, I would not have made these connections.

I tweaked my Interpretative design question to reflect problem solving strategies because I just felt that my original question on mental math was too narrow and I lacked expertise in this area.  I was pleased with my design and look forward to reading my classmates posts.

I am still slightly in awe of the people in my group that post late - I think they miss out on some valuable feedback because people tend to get into a mind set for the new discussion topic.  I find myself breezing over their posts because I am not in the moment.  Perhaps I will make this my learning goal for this week - must always strive to do better.

What was your design question?  How are the discussions in your section?  Do you notice any "hot" discussion topic areas?  I learned a lot last week about:

• PECS (communication disorders)
• sensory disorders and special rooms designed for students needing sensory breaks
•  fidgit kids 
•  EAL learners

There is so much out there in our field of education!

Looking forward to reading your thoughtful insights,
Sheila

Verifying Variables

Hi Sheila,

I, too, had to keep referring to my textbook when attempting to complete the 2 activities. Even then I had some difficulty. I am still trying to get my head around the two types of variables. Maybe you can help me. Am I correct in assuming the independent variable is the thing you are changing? By that I mean, offering breakfast to one group and not to another. So breakfast would be the independent variable. From my understanding the dependent variable is what you are measuring or what you are trying to evaluate. So if I was looking at whether or not academic achievement improves for those students who receive breakfast, the dependent variable would be academic achievement.

My section must have the talkers as I found there was lots of discussion from the beginning of this topic. Sometimes when people are unsure of something they will wait to see what others think before they feel comfortable making a statement, or in this case, post. Maybe that's what happened in your section.

I have found when reading the posts that the designs seemed to be getting clearer as the week as progressed. This is most likely due to people being able to use previous examples, as well as Dr. Cranton's comments and suggestions, to assist them in developing their own designs. Reading these has made a difference in my level of understanding as well. I found it particularly interesting that some of the best designs were the ones that were the most simple. Why is it we tend to think the more the better, when that isn't necessarily the case? I think I have a better idea of how to create a clear, more accurate Experimental/Quasi-experimental design, although I still may require some guidance.

Hope your week is going well and that some of the ideas you are uncertain about are being clarified.

"Talk" soon,
Catherine

And The Dialogue Halts...

Good Morning Friend,
I agree with your post on the challenges presented with this week's topic and assignment.  For me personally, I had to keep the Merriam text open when I was answering both questions.  I also printed off an example of a class mate's response to help keep me focused and on topic.  I liked my question about the use of math models but actually found that by looking at the 2 designs there were potentially many holes in my question.  So, I enjoyed the exercise because it made me find my flaws and have to think of ways around them.  Initially I wanted to explore whether the long term use of models through out schooling K into high school would make a difference.  This is something I am interested in investigating because I know that at your level (K-2) teachers really promote and engage students with models to help support student understanding.  I find as students progress in upper elementary teachers will do a brief introduction with models but move students too quickly into symbolic and will say things like "now only use the models if you have to!"

One of my good friends is a principal and her daughter struggled with math all through school.  One day Meaghan (the daughter) said to her mom "I wish my high school teacher would let me use manipulatives." She was in Grade 10 at the time.  I do find the intensity of model use decreases and I think there are many variables involved.

Thank you for always simplifying the concepts for me in your blogs.  I appreciate your direct, yet, easy to understand description.  Like you, I seem to do more descriptive research instead of quasi-experimental.  I found this chapter was very scientific in its design.  Maybe this is why I didn't really find it easy to read.

So I titled my blog this week the dialogue halts because in my group there is no real exchange happening.  It seems like everyone is nervous to post and once we get the reply from Dr. Cranton it comes as such a relief.  This is the first week of posting where we are not really interacting with each other.  I do miss the communication though...Usually I have 2 or 3 colleagues that will post immediately after Dr. Cranton puts our new discussion topic up and nobody posted until late Wednesday afternoon.  I guess no one wanted to take the chance of being the first to post in case they were not on the right track.

I do have some friends looking at our blog and voting on the polling question.   As a math person I am impressed with our number of views and hope we can make the 500 mark.  As you continue to do research for your other courses and come across links or articles you think are related just let me know and I will post them for us.

Wishing you a relaxing weekend - it seems as though my weekends feel busier than my weekdays!
Sheila

Understanding Experimental and Descriptive Designs

Hi my friend,

I now see what you mean about Chapter 5 being hard to get your head around. Keep in mind that Dr. Cranton said it was filled with "jargon" and not to get too caught up in it as we will be discussing it further.

At this point, I guess the only thing we can do is determine the meaning of the content the best we can. I found that by breaking the ideas into smaller pieces I was able to get a better sense of what, I think, the author is saying. For example, there are many terms that we are both already familiar with such as sample, randomization, variables, scenarios, hypothesis, etc. Using the meanings I already have for these terms helped me understand them, at least partially, in their relationship to research.

When considering the two types of research presented, experimental and descriptive, I am quite confident in stating that I am more familiar with descriptive research and believe I am doing some right now. For another course I am taking, I have created surveys to determine actual facts about a topic. Experimental research uses predicting as part of its method and the research I am doing is not using prediction in any way. I think I could also say that I am doing casual/comparative research as the information I will receive will hopefully indicate relationships amongst things that may indicate the cause of the issue I am investigating.

When considering the advantages and disadvantages of the two types, it seems like Descriptive Research would be easier to carry out but the type one uses would be dependent on the topic of the research to be completed.

Does any of this make sense? Do you think I am headed in the right direction?

Looking forward to hearing about your thoughts and ideas. Hopefully we can help each other clarify any discrepancies.

Talk soon,
Catherine

Polling Question

Well, I must NOT have admin rights as there is no "Design" listed on my page. You are in charge, Miss Sheila! Therefore, I will ask that you present my question which is, "What is, or would be, your preferred method of sharing academic research?" The choices would be: Presentation, Collaborative Network, Peer-reviewed paper and Public Wiki.
Thanks so much and looking forward to see how people respond.
Enjoy your Snow Day, as I'm quite sure you are.

I think I can help...maybe...

Hello Friend,
I thought I had replied to your polling question but alas I guess not.  I am pretty sure you have admin rights on our blog so if you go to the top right where it says design it will take you to our design page.  Then you click on Add a Gadget and a list of 24 items comes up.  If you scroll down the list you should see add a polling question and you will be good to go.  Should this not work just let me know your question and I can add it no problem at all.  I have one as well for the next week.

I have been busy but I am never too busy for your questions!  Hope this helps and let me know if it doesn't and I will add your question.
Chat soon as we will have our new discussion topic tonight:)
Sheila

Polling Questions Postings

Good morning my friend,
Hope your week is going well. You must be really busy as I asked a question in the comment section and I haven't heard from you yet. That being said, I decided to pose it here. Is it possible for me to post polling questions or does this have to be done by you? I have an idea and don't know what to do with it. Haha! Let me know when you get a chance.
Have a fabulous day!

Just a few tweaks...

Good Morning Catherine,
I just wanted to let you know I have made a few changes to our blog page so please do not panic.  When I have a few minutes I like to play around a little and try to add some new things.  The popular blogs running down the right side of our page are just the blogs that we've received comments on.  I am trying to keep our polling questions together and I am stuck thinking about a new polling question so if you can think of one please let me know.

Our group discussions are quite interesting this week.  I find I am gleaning some new ideas that I can possibly use next year.  I love logging in and reading the posts several times a day - it helps me stay on top of all of the posting.  Did you have any interesting topics you would like to share?  My group mentioned independent spelling programs, motivating students to write, promoting healthy snack choices, fractions at the middle level and PBS schools to name a few.

Hope you have a sunny Saturday,
Sheila

One Step Ahead

Well Hello Catherine,
Good for you this week to get your post in ahead of me!  I am finding it quite challenging balancing 2 courses and my new school assignment, while attempting to be a good mom and wife (my husband is the one who lacks attention right now!)  Before I get into your new post, I just want to let you know that my school is a buzz with students engaging in different forms of research.  The Grade 4 and 5's are working on a graphing project and are busy collecting first hand data.  The Grade 5's are also in the planning stages of their heritage fair projects so they are googling, reading texts and asking experts.  I am enjoying their discussions because it parallels so nicely with our course.  It is really fun to be both a teacher and student!  The Grade 4's also told me today that when they research they have different ways to collect information so I am including their suggestions:  the radio, the environment, You Tube, museum, ask an expert.  Gee I wish I had these suggestions when I made our new polling question.  What an insightful group of young researchers!

I must admit that I enjoy reading our textbook because I find it clear and easy to follow.  I caught myself smiling at the technology section because like Dr. Cranton said, it is rather outdated even thought the text is not really that dated it does go to show how quickly technology changes.  I agree with you when you comment on the fact that the chapter does give many different sources for good resource tools.  I know that when I first entered the Masters program our friend Yvette showed me how to access ERIC and EBSCO.  This was very helpful. 

I too appreciated the simplified layout on pg. 47 and found it helped me when I had to post my topic and subtopics for this week.  I think I am catching on to how to create a research topic and then work within the guidelines.  It is funny, I never thought I would ever want to write a thesis but the more I look into inquiry based mathematics and the more direction I get from our course I become braver each day.  Who knows what I will decide in the end....

It is very helpful that this course will help support your learning in other courses.  I, like you, need to make the connection between theory and practice.  For my post this week I chose to look at "authentic" problem solving in math.  By authentic I mean real world problems that are engaging for students.  Looking into their interests and build word problems around these.  I firmly believe that this helps support engagement.

If you think of a new polling question, please let me know.  If there are any links that you want to add as you do your own research feel free to add them.  I think our blog page is looking very good and I am enjoying our chance to chat about the course and what we are learning.

Enjoy the weekend friend,
Sheila

Looking at Literature

Hi Sheila,

We haven't "talked" for awhile and I decided I had better get something written for this week's topic before you thought I had dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes things happen for a reason, so that's my excuse. Let me explain.
Today, I met with my Math professor. I had to try to come up with a plan for something I could do beyond the regular expectations of the course since it is a 5000 course. After some discussion, it was decided that I would do a research paper instead of the final reflection required of the other students in the class. I'm like, "Wow. This is exactly what we are talking about in my Research course this week." So, how cool is that? I actually got quite excited because, as you know, I really like to be able to use/apply the things I am learning in my practice and this is giving me the perfect opportunity.
I felt this chapter reviewed ideas I was familiar with but at the same time went in great detail about the hows and whys of the process which is going to be a huge benefit to me. I really liked the fact that the authors choose to include specific reference books, data bases, etc., relating to topics in education, which will be a tremendous time saver for anyone needing this type of information. I also thought the Sample of the Chart Method on pages 44-45 of the text may be of value to me when I need to organize the resources I find.
Many of the strategies for writing the review are ideas I am familiar with, however, I really appreciate the suggestions and samples on page 47 of how to organize the body of a research paper. I am quite sure this is going to come in rather handy. Finally, the guidelines for doing the review are a good summary of the process and, I feel, can be used as a checklist to make sure all aspects of the literature review have been covered. I believe all of the ideas I have mentioned, as well as other suggestions in the chapter, are going to make the writing of my paper just a little bit easier. That being said, I know this textbook will be close by when I begin to write.
Hope your week is going well. Looking forward to hearing from you.

On The Right Track

Hi Catherine,
I had a blog all ready to go at lunch today but alas I had a technical glitch and lost it.  I think this is better to loose than a class set of report cards:)  Thanks for your blog and your honesty with trying to grasp the terminology.  I must say that while I am thoroughly enjoying my educational journey, I feel understanding the terminology is by far the most challenging part for me - I often have to have my computer up and running so I can google a term that I don't know.  I was fortunate Wednesday night because my son Christopher's Kindergarten teacher has just joined our section last week.  She spent some time on the phone simplifying the paradigms and putting them into "Sheila friendly language."  Not an easy task when you are wordy like me and processing new information takes a long time!


It is interesting to read your 3 questions and I am struck by the similarities between your discussion group and mine.  The Critical research questions about home reading and about getting parents involved with math fact practice are excellent in my humble opinion.  I like how you tweaked your Interpretive research question.  I attended a PBIS meeting today at the school where I am currently coaching and we talked about the importance of being proactive with children with anger issues.  I received 2 interesting articles along with some websites I can forward to you if you would like...just let me know.  As our District psychologist was presenting she spoke of the importance of data collection and she used the word research often in her presentation...the whole time I was listening I wanted to ask "where does your research come from?"  "How is it conducted?"  

To get back on track, your question for Empirical-Analytical research fits the criteria as well.  Several people in my section had research questions that centred around the importance of getting students started off on the right foot by making sure their basic needs are met.  At one of my schools they have the Toast and Milk program and there are many, many students who are hungry and take advantage of this service.  It would be interesting to research whether having a program like this does affect student achievement.  Similarly I wonder if having access to a head start or pre-school program does advantage students when they enter Kindergarten?


My questions required a little re-working but this is fine as it helps me along on the learning process.  Dr. Cranton gave me sound advice as to how I could make my questions align more with the definitions of the different paradigms.  Thank you for your suggestions and it is funny because your suggestions to me mirrored Dr. Cranton's!


I have included our new polling question so please put in your vote.  I was happy to see that our first poll is closed but is still on our home page.  I have also added a link to a website called "polleverywhere."  I thought it looked interesting.  If you think of a question we can ask for our next poll please let me know.  I am so happy that we have our blog up and running so smoothly.  I also appreciate your comments and suggestions.  You say that you are not very tech savvy but I am very impressed with your computer skills.


Wishing you a very happy birthday friend,
Sheila

Perplexing Paradigms

Hi Sheila,

I have decided to entitle my post "Perplexing Paradigms" since I have just spent the last 3 1/2 hours learning about them. When I read the information from Patricia, I was rather confused but certainly not ready to give up. I was going to check your latest post, to see if that would clarify things for me, but decided to look at the posts of others first. When I entered the first discussion question, regarding the "critical research paradigm", I found that Patricia had given an explanation, in everyday language, and included some examples. Whew! What a difference that made to my understanding. From there, I began reading the different questions posed by our peers. This really helped also, as did the comments and/or suggestions Patricia made. That being said, I feel much more confident in my understanding of the three paradigms and hope the questions I created and posted fit the criteria for each paradigm.

Since the critical research paradigm deals with improving a practice of some kind, your question, to me, appears to be fine since the research would be discovering ways in which how something can be used (authentic experiences) to improve something else. (problem solving skills)

The second paradigm, interpretive research concerns itself with understanding/determining current conditions, how things are, or is a description of what is at the present time. I think the question you have created, "In Mathematics, how do we move students forward to be able to explain their mathematical thinking in words?", may need to be tweaked slightly. Since this research wants to know what is happening now, your question might be better stated as, "What strategies are being used to move students forward in their ability to explain their mathematical thinking in words?"

Your third question for the empirical analytic paradigm, which deals with cause-and-effect scenerios looks good to me since you are delving into how using manipulatives affects the understanding of concepts, in other words the cause being manipulatives and the effect being the understanding of concepts.

The questions I came up with for each paradigm are stated below. Please tell me what you think of mine and if you believe I am on my way to understanding each of them

Critical Research - (I made up 2 for this one.)

"How do I improve parental support of struggling students with their home reading program?"
"How can I help parents understand the value and necessity of practicing math facts, at home, with their child?"

Interpretive Research -

"What remedial strategies are in place, at school level, to assist students with anger issues?" After further reflection, I wondered if the question should be, "How are students with anger problems assisted at the school level?"

Empirical Analytical -

"Has the implementation of the Breakfast Program resulted in stronger academic achievement of low functioning students?"

Like I said earlier Sheila, I would really like your feedback to move me along this learning curve.

I want to add, before I end this post, that including your students in our blog is an amazing idea, for them, for us and for any of those who view our blog. What a fabulous method in which to engage students, a real life situation and one they are involved in creating, as well as for educators to see how easy it can be to improve student involvement and interest. Kudos to you, Sheila!

Looking forward to hearing from you and getting your feedback.

Creating Reseach Paradigm Questions - Have I done this correctly?

Hi Catherine,
It is hard to believe we are posting on Topic 2 and I feel a little worried that I might have missed the boat with my 3 different research paradigm questions.  I am going to include them in this blog so you can see where I am coming from and perhaps let me know if you think I am on the right track with my questions.  I think part of my insecurity is that these terms are "loaded" with quite a bit of unfamiliar language.  It usually takes a person to comment on my post to make me feel a little more confident about the questions/statements I discuss.  I find that as I journey through this course I can relate more and more to the students I work with each day, especially the ones that need a little validation that they are doing what is expected (I was going to say right but after some discussion in my section - being always right is not really important...) 

I have a keen section and many of us were quick to get our questions up in the discussion area tonight.  My game plan is to post early each week as I have no idea how the late "posters" keep their head above water when they log on and see 30-40 new posts each day!

Since I am surrounded by Mathematics each day I do hope to maintain a mathematical focus as our blogging continues.  Below are my research questions - do they sound ok?

Empirical-Analytical Paradigm:  In mathematics, how does the use of models (manipulatives) help support student understanding of curriculum outcomes?
Interpretive Research Paradigm:  In Mathematics, how do we move students forward to be able to explain their mental math thinking in words?
 
Critical Research Paradigm:  In mathematics, how can authentic learning experiences be used to teach problem solving?

I am currently working in a Grade 4 class (Hi Mrs. Baker's Class) where I collaborate nicely with the classroom teacher.  Tomorrow I am showing the students our blog page and asking them to help me establish our poll question for next week.  I am not sure what they will come up with but they are currently finishing up their Statistics and Probability unit and I am always looking for ways to connect math to "the real world."  I think the students think it is neat that I am going back to school, they like the idea that I am a student too!  I always tell them that even if I wasn't going back to school I think it is very important for me to learn something new everyday.
I can't wait to read what your thoughts and questions are for the week and I will reply to any comments you make in a post this way we keep the dialogue flowing. 
Thanks for the suggestion...
Until we chat again,
Sheila

Research Is...and Interesting Words

Well, Sheila, I really don't want to burst your bubble but my section has made 362 posts already. Whew, it sure is a challenge to keep up on all of them. What I tend to do is read them, or as many as I can, and then post replies to the ones that really speak to me. That's my strategy and it allows me to know what's going on in the minds of others in my section.

I must say that, initially, I didn't think my feelings about what research was had changed after reading the chapter but I quickly had a change of opinion after reading the posts of my peers. I had thought of research as the seeking out of information, on a topic, to gain more knowledge. This new knowledge would then be synthesized with ones own personal knowledge and feelings in order to compile a report or to solve a problem. This is all true but it has been extremely interesting and surprising to discover that research actually comes in many forms, one being the simple act of observation. I now understand that any time one seeks the information about what is, what should be and how to get there, is actually researching. Also, I certainly had never considered intuition as being a form of research. Had you?

I really loved the way some people in my section described research. The word "inquiry" caught my attention and it seems much less formal than "research". I wonder if the word inquiry might be somewhat less intimidating, to some people, than research. This word makes sense as when one is researching they are inquiring about something. "Journey" was also used and this makes me feel like I must keep going until I reach an end of something. While researching, one can be led in any number of directions and it is ongoing until finally a destination is reached which, I guess, would be when enough information has been gathered and, if needed, synthesized to answer the initial question or solve the initial problem.

Sheila, my students do seem to enjoy gathering information when we are involved in the Data Management. Some of them can be seen doing their own research long after we have completed the unit. It is really exciting to know they have taken an interest and independently choose to extend their knowledge.

As stated in my first post, I can talk. I have decided this post is already too long so I am going to end it now!

What is Research? Topic 1

So here we are 2 days into Topic number 1 and my section has already made 112 posts so it looks as though we are off to the races.  I am really trying to keep my posting down and dialogue with colleagues who share similiar thoughts because the number of unread posts can be daunting after a long day of work...

I have learned a lot from reading the chapter as well as engaging in dialogue with my discussion group.  I am even inticing some of my colleagues to read Marion Small's work on good questioning techniques in Math classrooms.  My on-the-side PD in the hopes of bringing math to the forefront since I have worked so hard in my district to build teacher's math capacity and now I have a brand new audience!  I will let you know how it works but you know me Catherine wherever I can get people "wondering" I am bound to do it.

One of the biggest things I have gleaned from the discussions in my group is that I need to do some further digging into the "source" of the research.  Where is it coming from?  Who holds a vested interest in the data?  Does the research come from a reliable/valid source?  Can the data be skewed and manipulated?  I am sure there are more questions and I look forward to future discussions about the background.

Catherine how are the discussions in your group so far?  What is one thing you have learned?  I am wondering if you found your students liked collecting data as part of Statistics and Probability strand in math class?

As always I am interested in your perspective and I should go as my dog Bella is pawing at the computer in the hopes I might be able to snuggle her:)

-

Catherine Gets Going

First of all, I would like to thank Sheila for the positive comments she has made about me. It is hard for even me to believe, that after so many years in the classroom I still love what I do. That certainly says something about finding one's passion. If you are doing what you truly love to do, time passes without you being very aware of it. I feel blessed everyday to be able to do what I love. Sheila has a very bubbly personality and also displays a passion for teaching as well as for learning. I am confident this endeavour together will be a very positive experience for both of us.

As Sheila mentioned in her post, these are the first entries in our blog and also the first time either one of us has been involved with a blog. So, we will not only be learning about Research in Education but also about blogging and how it works. Blogging is definitely a 21st century skill and one I hope I will learn to be comfortable using so I am able to incorporate it in my classroom and with my students.

I found it interesting that Sheila wondered whether or not I liked to "chat" or not as she knows that it is something I do quite well. That being said, hopefully our dialogue will bring up some good questions, good answers, be of interest to others and most importantly be a place where our peers will share their questions, insights and ideas. I have always felt that the best way to learn is in collaboration with others and this format provides all of us with that opportunity. Happy Learning!

Sheila, after reading Chapter 1, reading the discussion questions on Blackboard, and paying particular attention to #3, I tend to think that we are researching all the time, with situations all around us but the type of research tends to vary. Sometimes it is formal and sometimes it is informal depending on its purpose. What do you think?

Getting Started

This is my first blog entry and I am so happy that I will be doing this in partnership with my friend and colleague Catherine.  I was fortunate to take Curriculum Development with Catherine and found we shared a similar interest in elementary math as well as a pursuit in life long learning.  I admire the 2 year journey Catherine has been on and I am impressed with the commitment she has made to learning at this stage in her career...I can only hope I will be as lively after 30 years of teaching!

When selecting a research project I was excited to see that setting up a dialogue journal was an option and am pleased that we can put our 21st century skills into practice and make this an online venture.  This is a big step for me and I think I can safely say, for Catherine as well.  I am sure there will be many glitches along the way but I actually look forward to learning how to troubleshoot them.

So on the eve of our first discussion topic "What is Research?" I am thoroughly looking forward to the learning process that lies ahead of me.  I am interested in hearing the ideas put forth by the participants in section 2 and hope to bring to light the thoughts and ideas of section 4.  I have diverse group members in my section that come from varied backgrounds and I am sure we will have interesting discussions about the role of research in education and in life in general.

I hope you like to chat Catherine because I find I am at the computer now more than ever...I used to be a phone person but I am advancing with the times.

Stay tuned for topic #1!
Sheila