Week 4 Assignment Research of Educational Change
One aspect of professional development that educators can participate in is that of educational conferences. While you may at some point have participated in an educational conference as an attendee, you have the opportunity in this assignment to think as a presenter! This assignment will also provide you the opportunity to create or revise your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter.
In this assignment, you will take your discussion presentation you prepared for the staff meeting and convert it into a poster that you could use at an academic conference. As well, often when submitting a poster proposal you include a CV and cover letter that highlight your experience and research interests. If you created a CV and cover letter for a course in your program sequence, you may take this opportunity to revise and update those artifacts.
Historically, a conference poster session involves use of a large poster-board style document as a reference when speaking with conference attendees about your research or practical experiences with a topic. Increasingly, the poster session involves handouts in digital format transferred through QR codes or another medium and may involve a television or other screen display to communicate your research at an academic conference. Always, your poster presentation contains a title, introduction of the research question/s, overview of the research approach, results from the study or experience, and planned next steps in applying or expanding the study or experience. Additionally, the poster provides information about literature related to the poster topic, usually a selected listing of previously published articles that are important to the research, and a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the study.
Your poster, in whatever format it is presented at the conference, is effective if it can be scanned and comprehended at a high level in around five minutes. Usually you will be present with your poster to explain points and answer questions in an authentic conference experience.
Using the
Poster Presentation Template
, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Upload your assignment to the course for evaluation and to your Folio.
Week 4 Assignment Research of Educational Change
One aspect of professional development that educators can participate in is that of educational conferences. While you may at some point have participated in an educational conference as an attendee, you have the opportunity in this assignment to think as a presenter! This assignment will also provide you the opportunity to create or revise your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter.
In this assignment, you will take your discussion presentation you prepared for the staff meeting and convert it into a poster that you could use at an academic conference. As well, often when submitting a poster proposal you include a CV and cover letter that highlight your experience and research interests. If you created a CV and cover letter for a course in your program sequence, you may take this opportunity to revise and update those artifacts.
Historically, a conference poster session involves use of a large poster-board style document as a reference when speaking with conference attendees about your research or practical experiences with a topic. Increasingly, the poster session involves handouts in digital format transferred through QR codes or another medium and may involve a television or other screen display to communicate your research at an academic conference. Always, your poster presentation contains a title, introduction of the research question/s, overview of the research approach, results from the study or experience, and planned next steps in applying or expanding the study or experience. Additionally, the poster provides information about literature related to the poster topic, usually a selected listing of previously published articles that are important to the research, and a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the study.
Your poster, in whatever format it is presented at the conference, is effective if it can be scanned and comprehended at a high level in around five minutes. Usually you will be present with your poster to explain points and answer questions in an authentic conference experience.
Using the
Poster Presentation Template
, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Upload your assignment to the course for evaluation and to your
Folio
.
NOTE: Including your CV or Cover Letter in your
Folio
is optional
Content Expectations- Two Parts
Part One:
· Introduction (1 point): In 100-200 words, use this section to interest your audience in the issue or question of the study while using minimal background information and definitions.
· Materials and Methods (1 point): In 50-100 words, describe the procedure used in the study to collect data.
· Study Results (1 point): In 50-100 words, state the research questions, describe how they were supported by the research, and then include visuals (e.g., graphic/charts/diagrams) to illustrate the parts or results of the study.
· Conclusion (1.5 point): In no more than 200 words, provide the concluding remarks about the study while explaining the major result in such a way as to convince the audience why the outcome is interesting. Describe the relevance of the findings to the field of education and/or beyond, describe other directions this study could lead to, and summarize the changes you would make to the study had you been the researcher.
· Relevant Literature Cited (.5 points): Use full citations in APA for all primary works consulted from the literature to inform and support the purpose of the study.
Part Two:
· Create – Curriculum Vitae (1.5 points): In three to four pages your CV should include your name, an overview of your education, your academic and related employment (especially teaching, editorial, or administrative experience), your research projects and/or research interests (including conference papers and publications), and your departmental and community service.
· Create – Cover Letter (1.5 points): In no more than one page your cover letter should include; heading, introduction, argument, and closing.
Written Communication Expectations
· APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.
· Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
· Page Requirement (.5 points): Includes a CV and Cover Letter that are no more than 4 to 5 pages in length.
· Source Requirement (.5 points):
References
three scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook.
For information related to APA style, including samples and tutorials, please visit the
Ashford Writing Center
(Links to an external site.)
.
Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment
Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric to be sure you have achieved the distinguished levels of performance for each criterion. Next, submit the assignment for evaluation no later than Day 7.
All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
Carefully review the
Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)
for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
Education Research
Learning Outcomes
This week students will:
1. Reflect on the importance of teacher-researchers sharing what they have learned through research as well as specific ways sharing can occur.
2. Considering 21st-century skills principles, determine how educational action research influences educational change.
Introduction
In Week Four, you will present your peer reviewed study from EDU 694 or ECE 660. In the presentation, you will provide a brief discussion on the purpose of the study, list the research questions, describe the outcomes and results of the study, and identify modifications you would make if you were the researcher of the study and completed another action research cycle.
Additionally, you will continue to work on your Folio and share a section of your Week Three assignment with your peers.
Required Resources
Text
Burnaford, G., & Brown, T. (2014).
Teaching and learning in 21st century learning environments: A reader.
Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
· Chapter 4: Leading Change Through Research
Website
Folio. (https://ashford.instructure.com/users/893/external_tools/2653)
· This website provides an Folio resource. This resource will support student completion of the final project, as well as discussions and assignments throughout the course.
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
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Recommended Resources
Articles
Barrell, J., & Weitman, C. J. (2007).
Action research fosters empowerment and learning communities
. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 73(3), 36-45. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
· In this bulletin, Barrel and Witman discuss how action research done in learning communities can produce results that affect the whole school. This resource will support student completion of the discussions and assignment for this week. The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library.
Brown, H. (2004).
Action research in the classroom: A process that feeds the spirit of the adolescent
. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3(1), 1-30. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.
· This action research study was conducted to see if student-driven questions inserted into a holistic intrapersonal curriculum would encourage student self -efficacy. The results of the study noted that the concepts of competence, encouragement, confidence, and self-esteem allow holistic teaching to flourish when creativity, choice, imagination, and constructivism nourish the adolescent spirit in the classroom. This resource will support student completion of the discussions and assignment for this week. The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library.
EDU696
Week 4 Instructor Guidance
Week Three required a look back, reflecting on the link between assessments and report cards that reflect CCSS. Additionally, the idea of creating high quality assessments was debated, as well as the concept of the Flipped Classroom. This time, the flipped classroom concept was related to the Common Core State Standards and teacher decision-making based on student assessments. Last, the assignment in Week Three required you to connect high quality assessment with 21st Century Learning and Innovation Skills. This week you will share your peer reviewed research study with your fellow learners.
Now is the time to look ahead to Week Five to prepare for the group activity if you have not already done so, as well as ask questions in the Ask Your Instructor discussion if you are unclear about any of the requirements for the group activity.
Action Research
Action Research (AR) is both process and product. The AR process has well known steps: Developing the research question, conducting the literature review, designing and implementing the study design (to include the data collection and analysis), and writing up and presenting your findings. The AR product, of course, is the results, as well as the final report for presentation.
Action Research (AR) is a key type of research aimed specifically at what is sometimes called “street level practitioners.” O’Brien (1998, para 23 and 24) notes that
Kurt Lewin is generally considered the ‘father’ of action research. A German social and experimental psychologist, and one of the founders of the Gestalt school, he was concerned with social problems, and focused on participative group processes for addressing conflict, crises, and change, generally within organizations. Initially, he was associated with the Center for Group Dynamics at MIT in Boston, but soon went on to establish his own National Training Laboratories. Lewin first coined the term ‘action research’ in his 1946 paper “Action Research and Minority Problems”, characterizing Action Research as “a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action”, using a process of “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action.”
AR, when considered from an education viewpoint, is tied with the work of John Dewey, whose experiential view of education was directed to both students and teachers. As such it is very versatile. While conducting AR, teachers seek to find solutions to practical classroom problems. Some examples of AR can be found in all curriculum subjects, student management issues, improvements of teaching technique(s), etc. AR can be conducted by individuals, teams of teachers, or entire schools. In sum, AR works well for educators.
Understanding the conduct, potential value, and professional necessity of research in general, and action research in particular, arms you with the necessary tools to not only conduct your own research, but to enhance our profession. By offering a substantial alternative to post-modern modes of thinking as applied to education, you can proceed with your professional practice with renewed confidence.
Week Four Assessments Overview
Review the full instructions for each assessment below on the Week Four homepage in addition to using this guidance.
Discussion –Share your Action Research Study
In this discussion, you participate in reciprocal sharing of your peer reviewed action research study with other classmates in the course who will appreciate the knowledge you gained through the action research peer review process. A link to your Folio will be included as well as a reflection on the redesigned activity from your Week Three assignment. Sharing your peer reviewed action research study provides you a time for reflection on the study. In this discussion, really reflect on the study and offer other viewpoints to classmates on their action research peer reviewed study. Having a time for collaboration and review will enhance our understanding of the AR process and the study you did for peer review.
Assignment – Research and Educational Change
In this assignment, you take your discussion and convert it into a poster that you could use at an academic conference.
Regardless of the length of time any action research encompasses, whether a month or an entire academic year, it is important to share the process and the results with the rest of the academic community. You will put together your report following APA formatting and writing, highlighting what you read about in your peer reviewed study. This is the product component of Action Research and should be attended to with utmost attention and quality.
There is often a presentation aspect to any Action Research product as well. Whether you are presenting your findings to your colleagues, the local school board, or preparing it for publication in an online action research journal, the goal is the same—to present your project and findings as professionally as possible.
One key to this is to be fully prepared ahead of time. If the presentation is to be public, rehearse. Practice what you intend to say, do not read the presentation verbatim to the audience, prepare your handouts, slides, or other information, and use them while you practice. Anticipate the questions you could be asked and practice responding to them. And do this more than once—we have all endured presentations in which the speaker was clearly not prepared, and you do not want to fall into that.
A second key is to keep it brief. Oftentimes, you will have a finite time to present your project and respond to questions, so it is important to adhere to this. Finding out how much time you are permitted ahead of time allows you to frame your rehearsal work.
Remember, too, that you are the expert here. You did the work of the peer review and are now telling people about it. This should inspire confidence—you are providing knowledge others do not have. Finally, if you are making a professional presentation, look the part. This not only is appropriate to the task, but adds a measure of personal confidence—If you look professional, you will present a more confident and professional demeanor. This will, in turn, enhance your presentation.
References
O’Brien, R. (2001).
Um exame da abordagem metodológica da pesquisa ação (Links to an external site.)
[An Overview of the Methodological Approach of Action Research]. In Roberto Richardson (Ed.), Teoria e Prática da Pesquisa Ação [Theory and Practice of Action Research]. João Pessoa, Brazil: Universidade Federal da Paraíba. (English version). Retrieved from
http://www.web.ca/robrien/papers/arfinal.html#_Toc26184672 (Links to an external site.)
Additional Resources
Borgman, C. (2007). Scholarship in the digital age: Information, infrastructure, and the internet. Boston: MIT Press.
Ma, L. (1999, 2010). Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics. Teachers understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. New York: Routledge
Trochim, G. (2006).
Social research methods database (Links to an external site.)
. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/index.php
MAIN TITLE
Subtitle and Author
Introduction
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Materials / Methods
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Conclusions
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Study Results
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Relevant Literature
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Acknowledgement
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