Three Types of Action Which Are Used by Educators to Explore the Challenges Faced by Students - Essay Example

Three Types of Action Which Are Used by Educators to Explore the Challenges Faced by Students Lawrence W. Sherman, Richard Schmuck and Patrica Schmuck’s book “Action Research_ Three Approaches” introduces three types of action which are used by educators to explore the challenges faced by students and consequently find the solution to such problems. Active research is presented in form of three scenarios; the first instance is individual teacher research as it is carried out by a single teacher, the second scenario is collaborative action research as the research is conducted by combined efforts of the university professor, staff development officer and a volunteer, and lastly, school wide action research as the whole school consortium and faculty is actively involved in the research. The key point in this research centers on the practitioners, who is the teachers and the school administration. Active research has several advantages to practitioners and school stakeholders such as the teachers and the principle. With active research, teachers practicing it experience progress in their professionalism since they gain new insights into problem diagnosis and solution. Active research allows teachers to gain knowledge of collecting data from the students, diagnosing problems, exploring the solution, taking action as well as monitoring for progress in the solution offered. Furthermore, active research has the capacity to revitalize the whole learning community and also in helping teachers reflect on the practices experienced in the classroom with the view of making important modification for optimal learning. The three types of active research are very different in their application in a classroom situation as well as in their implication to the learning experience. other than the fat that the players involved in the three types of active researcher are varied in number, another difference is that fact that there is a huge difference in the emphasis of the achievement of equity for students, varied levels of problem solving unit as well a development of collegial relations among teachers. The different types also differ in the long term objectives, results and purposes. As such, it is recommended that one selects the type of active research based on the purpose of the inquiry. The type to be chose is dependent on the following five elements: purpose and process; outside support provided by such agencies as universities, intermediate service agencies, central office personnel or consortiums; the type of data to be used; the audience for the research; and the side effected anticipated. Individual Teacher Research The purpose and process of this type of active research is to focus on a single classroom where the teacher is responsible for defining the scope of the problem in classroom management materials, cognitive and social behavioral as well as instructional strategies. The outside support emanates from the inspiration from university course and external agents such as a mentor. The type of data used is quantitative data where hypotheses are tested during an experiment. The primary audience in this research is the teacher involved in conducting the research. The side effects of this type of active research is that teachers doing this research are secluded and therefore, they do not share the experiences or the results of their research. Hence, there won’t be deliberations which can improve the quality of learning through shared solutions. Collaborative action research The purpose and process of this type of active research is on a single classroom, several classrooms of the whole district. Outside support include members of an educational consortium, intermediate service agency personnel and university staff. The data used in this case may be qualitative or quantitative. The audience of the research is made up of the individuals conducting the research. Due to the collaboration between school, district practitioners and the university personnel, the groups mutually gain from each other thereby increasing their collegiality. School wide action research The purpose and process of this research involves a school faculty selecting an area of collective interest. The decision reached takes into consideration data from professional literacy as well as from the school and the district. The outside support include the school leadership, district administration, consortiums and school leaders. The data utilized for this research can either be qualitative, quantitative or both. The audience of the research is the primary participants involved in the research combined with the school board, general community, parents and students. The side effects of this active research emanates form he complexity of the process which allows the participants to build collegiality ad improve on their group management capacity. I think that the findings of this research provide useful insights in problem solving skills in a classroom situation. The research can be considered very practical and applicable in a learning environment. It is imperative to note that active research can be applied by teachers in the classroom to complement the traditional methods of teaching. The evidence from the research show that there are varied positive effects of active research as it is a form of cooperative learning. In this case, the leaners can be observed to exhibit positive attributes such as increased self-esteem, trusting intergroup relations, more supportive behavior and boosted academic achievement. It is imperative to note that active research is very influential in the achievement of teacher’s aims and goals of teaching as it helps in the collection of data, analysis, and diagnosis of learning problems in order to design solutions which in turn helps the teacher to achieve desirable learning outcomes. Active research can be implemented by a teacher or the whole school in order to understand the factors that affect the learning situation so as to plan and move from situations that are likely to stagnate the teaching process. References Mertler, C. A., (2013). Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators. SAGE Publications, Inc; Fourth Edition edition Read More