GRDG690

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GRDG690

• Action Research in Literacy
• Dr. Gloria. E. Jacobs

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AGENDA

• Introductions
• Myths Monsters
• Syllabus, schedule, and expectations
• Structure of the capstone paper
• What is research? What is action research?
• Developing your topic and research question.
• Beginning writing
• Critical colleagues
• Fill out data sheets
• Next week

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INTRODUCTIONS

• Create a name tent
• Tell us your name
• What you teach
• Grade level
• Subject (if secondary)
• District and school (as appropriate)
• Possible capstone topic/area of interest/passion

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MYTHS AND MONSTERS

• Freewrite anything that is on your mind right
  now (about capstone).
• Share
• What have you heard about capstone?
• What worries you?

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SYLLABUS, SCHEDULE, AND EXPECTATIONS

• Due dates
• Submission of drafts
• Critical Colleagues
• Attendance
• Grading

• Permissions
• Presentation
• Final Papers

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THE CAPSTONE PAPER

• Structure of the capstone paper

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WHAT IS RESEARCH?

• With a partner, discuss
• What is your perception of research?
• Who does research?
• Why do people do research?
• What terms do you associate with research?
• Share out

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WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?

• With a new partner, discuss
• What is action research?
• Why action research?
• How is this different from what we typically
  think of research?
• The action research cycle
• Review handout
• Discuss adaptations

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DEVELOPING YOUR TOPIC AND QUESTION.

• Identifying your research site
• Wonderings Reconnaissance
• Generative writing What have you noticed in your
  teaching experience? What questions does it raise
  for you? What method do you want to know more
  about? Why does this interest you?
• Share your writing with a partner.
• Identify the questions.
• Identify the questions that are answerable.
• Identify the answerable question that is most
  compelling to you.
• Large group sharing of questions.

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CRITICAL COLLEAGUES

• What is a critical colleague?
• What makes a good critical colleague?
• Similar research interests
• Similar teaching backgrounds
• Complementary personalities
• Trust
• Reliability
• Identify a classmate with whom you believe you
  would make a good critical colleague.

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BEGINNING TO WRITE

• Generative Writing
• Take your question and make it the first sentence
  of your writing. Write down everything that comes
  to mind about that question.

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FOCUSING YOUR WRITING

• Share your generative piece with your critical
  colleague.
• Use a cluster chart to identify the following. If
  you dont find these in your writing, these are
  things you need to think about and find answers
  to.
• The problem your question addresses.
• Who benefits by your addressing this question?
  Who gets hurt if you dont?
• What is do you think you already know about
  answering this question/problem. This is your
  starting claim/thesis/hypothesis about this
  problem.

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CONNECTING TO THEORY

• Generative revision
• Look at the list of questions on page 27 of
  Mills.
• Read your 620 paper(s) and use those questions to
  think about what in those papers will help you
  frame your question.
• Be ruthless. Only keep that which is relevant to
  your question.

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DATA SHEETS

• Fill out the data sheet and hand in on your way
  out.

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NEXT WEEK THE LITERATURE REVIEW

• NO CLASS NEXT WEEK
• Email a draft of your intro (proposal) and
  theoretical framework to me
• For JANUARY 26
• Read Mills pp 44-67
• Meet in Library 100 to begin literature search
• We will also be reviewing APA style. We will be
  using APA 6.