Classroom Research_Rocío's summary

Conducting Research in the Language Classroom. Anne Burns Classroom research, UNAM, 2006

The idea of the paper is to give us guidelines on how to develop an outline for an action research project.

1. Identifying a topic. These activities can help you:

- Keep a diary and after some time, review it. What questions or issues call your attention?

- Think of areas of interest and make a list. Brainstorm.

- Select an article

- Observe a typical situation at your place of work.

- Consider the “hot issues” in relation to language teaching.

Now, define your topic.

2. Defining research questions.

This involves moving from the general topic towards a more specific purpose.

Good research questions are clear, specific, answerable, substantively relevant and interconnected.

- If you want, instead of questions you can write hypothesis which are statements about the possible outcomes of a study. Hypotheses should be stated in a declarative form, relate variables, be testable, be brief and to the point.

Draft some research questions or if you prefer hypotheses in relation to your topic

3. Collecting data. Here consider the difference between approach and method.

Approaches are general frameworks for doing research. Six approaches are suggested in the paper:

- Are you interested in studying a phenomenon without affecting the context you study, through observation or description?

- Do you want to analyze patterns or trends of a particular phenomenon?

- Are you interested in only one aspect of a particular phenomenon?

- Are you interested in studying the relationship between different phenomena?

- Are you interested in comparing responses to treatment vs control subjects?

- Aare you interested in exploring a practical problem relevant to your own teaching practice?

Methods have to be appropriate to the questions being investigated. Commonly used methods are notes, diaries, jottings, video and audio-recordings, transcripts, photographs, questionnaires, interviews, discussions, letters, and tests among others.

Write down some thoughts on the tools and methods you could use.

4. Defining the scope of the study. This has to do with sampling, particularly probability and non-probability sampling. The first one draws randomly from the population and is useful when trying to make generalizations. A non-probability sample seeks to represent a particular group.

Go back to your questions and consider the approach which would be appropriate for your research, the data you require, the methods through which your data could be collected and the scope of your study.

5. Data analysis. Think about it before you collect your data, that is, at the planning stage.

Think about the analysis your data will require in order to answer your questions.

CELE R. Aldeco September 16, 2010

Digital tools for learners

Have a look at the two activities I've created in my "Digital tools for learners" online course I'm taking, well, I'd rather say suffering.

Summer 2009 in England
Here I couldn't eliminate the extra photos I had uploaded, and at the end there are several of Bath which should've been eliminated.

My First Book of Poems by Patricia CC

In this one I lost patience at the very end and did not upload a photo for the last poem.

August 18, 2010

Well, it seems the team won't be splitting after all. Betty is staying with us, and I'm glad for you all. You already know each other and, you'll be like the Three Mosketeers - four this time. Remember I told you we'd work as Elvira Pelayo, the 411 head teacher, asked us to?

Well, today she came so that we organized the program together. Wow! She knows the book as the palm of her hand! And she seems to be a fast, resourceful teacher with lots of ideas!
We were looking at the monstrous program we received and contrasted it with the extbook. When something relevant was missed, Elvira would nod her head, and include it as well! We are in good company, my friends. The Four Mosketeers will end up being six this time, with Elvira and me. I'll post here (if I manage to) the program we agreed upon. We'll discuss it tomorrow. I feel relieved of that heavy brick given to us.

I also got the Power Point presentation on competencies I told you about from two former student-teachers, Maricarmen and Queta, lovely people as well. They even sent me two more PP presentations, related to the first one. They'll be very useful, I think. I'll post them here too.

Well, that's all for the time being. Welcome to my blog too, rather to our blog, welcome.

P.S. I started this blog in Spanish because the course I'm taking on line is in Spanish. Sorry for the switch coding.

Welcome

Welcome to the second semester. It'll be good for us to work together. I'm looking forward to it :-)
Patricia