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
Oh sugar Catherine...I must apologize because I have some grammar errors and I posted before I previewed and edited! My apologies:( Just too quick pushing the keys tonight!
ReplyDeleteHello again, my friend,
ReplyDeleteI have decided to take some time away from working on my major projects/assignments to finally answer your post. Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
I definitely agree with you on your points about research being motivated by politics and money and I would tend to think money is the number one reason. I also firmly believe research is frequently skewed, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. The data from Provincial assessment comes to mind not that the data is manipulated but I know procedures for administrating these tests are not followed properly which results in data not being accurate. In this case, I guess we would have to say the collection of the data has been tampered with. Have we talked about this issue?
Yes, I did read the MacLean’s article, which was brought to my attention in another course. I can just image how math mentors and teachers must be “fuming”! Did you notice that no teachers were interviewed for it. I think parents are frustrated with today's approach to math because it was not how they learned it and they do not understand it. That doesn't mean it isn't working, as this article is implying. I wonder how many parents will read this and believe the biased opinions of the “experts”, the parents. I sure hope it does not result in an onslaught of worried parents knocking down the doors of teachers.
As far as animals being used in research, I do not agree with this practice in any form but I am sure there are those who will argue that it is necessary. I believe rats and mice continue to be used and I’m sure there are people who oppose this as well. I wonder how researchers are able to get away with it. What makes the lives of rats and mice less important than that of cats and dogs?
You have asked what I am taking in Intersession. I have registered for a Worldviews course. I tend to think it will take into account the worldviews of various cultures but I sure hope there will be lots of discussion around First Nations worldviews as I have developed quite an interest in the culture of the First Nation people of Canada.
I will certainly miss our regular “chats” when this course is finished although we can continue to chat in other ways. I would really dislike losing someone who has become dear to me and who brightens my days with her enthusiasm.
Here’s to you!
Catherine
P.S. I can so relate to losing posts before posting. There have been times when I have been tempted to…I had better not say.
Howdy Pal,
ReplyDeleteFirst I want to draw you attention to the fact that we have had 781 views to our Blog page. Being Catholic I will admit that probably half of these have been mine, but I do think others have visited our page so I am sending a virtual pat on the back to you:)
Good point on the fact that no teachers were interviewed in the MacLean's article. I read it again today for the third time because someone asked me to forward it along. I can't help but think that if we asked parents today how they felt about math many would say they couldn't do it. So I wonder why in heaven's name would they want us to teach their children in the same way they were taught especially if it didn't work? Surely they could see that math used to be taught through rote memorization. I will say that I do think basic facts need to be committed to memory so I will give the author this point...
It is great to read that you are interested in First Nations. Sasha's reserve is having the election on Saturday and his sister is running for Council again - I hope for the best but I do not think she will regain office. If you think research can be political, reserve politics is 100 times worse!
Dr. Cranton put my animal ethics fears to rest and you will be pleased to know that animals are used to move medicine and education forward. She reminded me that dogs are used in hospitals, care homes, we have school programs like Roots of Empathy for example, so it is all good for those little rats and mice:)
I am going to brave 2 courses for intersession (yes I KNOW I a crazy but I have a long range plan in place) I am taking Designing Instructional Materials and Women in Education. Wish me luck:)
I want to thank you for the stimulating discussion to supplement the course. I can honestly say that this learning project has helped me define and understand our discussion topics. So, many thanks to you and your brillant mind!
Hope we get to chat at least one more time,
Sheila
Good morning to you,
ReplyDeleteYes, we certainly have had some stimulating discussions with lots of learning taking place for both of us. It has been really nice to have some of my queries addressed and answered from your perspective as I truly appreciate your point of view.
I think you will really enjoy the courses you have chosen for intersession. Designing Instructional Materials, which I have taken, offered me a whole new way of looking at, and therefore choosing, materials I might use with my students. It was an extremely enlightening course. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you, dear Sheila, for a wonderful learning experience, about research and blogging. It has been a tremendous pleasure working with such a dedicated and caring professional. I will miss our regular "chats".
All the best in all of your future endeavors,
Catherine
Sorry to have neglected your site recently! I see you are still actively exchanging ideas. That Macleans article certainly got me going, as well. I couldn't believe that they did not include the perspective of math teachers or include any research on teaching math.
ReplyDeleteSheila, I am afraid that they still do use animals in medical and pharmaceutical research, and even in testing cosmetics. I was trying to reassure you that animals are also used in positive ways.
Patricia.