{"id":11242,"date":"2016-12-01T09:55:20","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T13:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=11242"},"modified":"2018-12-07T12:41:06","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T16:41:06","slug":"why-do-action-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/why-do-action-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do action research?"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 benefits of doing action research in the classroom<\/h2>\n

\"getting<\/p>\n

Teachers are constantly tinkering, creating, learning, and growing. Action research is a slightly formalized version of what skilled teachers do every day.<\/p>\n

By honoring action research as systematic professional inquiry, we empower teachers to improve their practice. It’s easy to get started undertaking a small, powerful action research project in your classroom. Let’s see what it can look like.<\/p>\n

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What it looks like and why it’s worth it<\/h2>\n

Classrooms are\u00a0complex social environments. In addition to subject matter and developmental expertise, teachers possess very specific knowledge about the learning dynamics of a classroom. Teachers understand that everything from the culture of the school to the current dating status of particular class members may influence the success of a lesson.<\/p>\n

This complexity means that large-scale education research has limited applicability on a day-to-day basis. There are just too many contextual factors affecting the implementation of any generalized approach. This means that most of the daily dilemmas of teaching, top-down policies and large-scale research are not detailed or nuanced enough to be useful.<\/p>\n

Here are 5 benefits of doing action research in the classroom<\/h2>\n

1. Action research powers professional growth<\/h3>\n

Action research is a powerful form of teacher-driven professional development.<\/p>\n

In Action Research for Professional Development<\/em><\/a>, Jane McNiff suggests starting with the question “How do I improve my work?” She argues that action research is fundamentally a\u00a0professional improvement strategy.<\/p>\n

At the Middle Grades Institute<\/a> each summer, participants seeking graduate credit use the Institute to launch their action research. Then, they present their findings to peers at a statewide gathering in January of each year.<\/p>\n

2. Action research makes change manageable<\/h3>\n

Action research helps teachers focus on one aspect of their practice they would like to improve. Specific questions and a finite time period bind each iteration. This ensures natural pauses for reflection and planning.<\/p>\n

Victoria Smith, a Language Arts teacher at Crossett Brook Middle School in Waterbury, Vermont, focused her research on a single unit where she experimented with a choice model which had been inspired by the art teacher at her school<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Implementing