domingo, 20 de setembro de 2015

Fighting against time

Well, I´m still working with my data analysis. I could not find the best way to do analyze my data. I know that I want to keep the cyclic feature of Action Research, Project work and reflection. However, I have to find out the best cycle. I have thought of having action, reflection and changes,but I need to check if it really applies to my findings.
Good news is that I have now some categories to look at: role of  the teacher, assessment, reflection, foreign  language concept, concept of project, planning. I want to check how those concepts and categories have changed throughout the research. My main doubt now is if I should check those changes inside each cycle and then look at the changes through the three cycles or if I should go looking at the changes from cycle one to three.
 Another good thing is that one of the teachers is working on a writing report about her experience with the research. She read some articles and wrote about what she understood about them. I´m very happy with her progress. I thought it would be so much more difficult for her. Now, I´ve asked her to write about what happened to her during the research that illustrates those ideas.
Let´s keep working.

segunda-feira, 7 de setembro de 2015

Sharing

Last week  Katherine and I just tried  Google Hangout for the first time. We had some trouble setting up the link and that is why Carlos could not take part in int. However, Katherine and I just had a very nice chat. She told me about her experience with her second year flipping the classroom and her expections for changing the classroom setting. I talked about my action research project. It was nice talking to her because talking to someone else makes you organize your thoughts. But I think I just talked too much. I have to learn how to listen more.

Moving foward - analyzing data

Well, I´ve been through 3 cycles now and I´m in the process of analyzing data. I must confess this is really hard. Finding categories and patterns is not easy at all. Also, writing academically is a difficult step.
I´ve been thinking a lot about it, and I know I want to respect the cyclical feature of Action Research, Project  and Reflection. All of the concepts start with some action that generates some reflection that ends up in some kind of change and that is what I think I should be looking at: the actions, the reflections and the changes. My main objective in this action research project is to observe the possible changes that the implementation of project-based teaching ( through collaborative reflection)can cause in a teacher´s practice.
I´m happy with my cycles. I saw some very positive changes. Unfortunately, just one of the teachers has decided to write an article about her experience. She is foccusing in the importance of a teacher reflecting about his/her teaching. While discussing with her about the theory she read, as well as listening to her description of changes in hre class I got very emotional. I just felt like I was trying so long to give somebody a valuable gift, but nobody was interested in receiving it. And she was interested in learning about project -based learning. It is so pleasant to share all I have learned with iEARN and my experience with projects.
Righ now, I´m in the process of describing each teacher´s cycles. I think I should not be comparing them as they have different experiences , backgroung and a totally different approach towards teaching a foreign language. Thus, I do not think it´s fair to compare them, but show throughout the cycles how far they have changed  their believes about teaching a foreign language, project, their role as a teacher, their relationship with the students.
Something that I have learned about this experience is that the more a teacher knows about himself/herself ( about their believes,competences and habilities) their feel more comfortable to be open to new ideas , to other people and their needs. It´s just like one has to be secure enough, to have his/her own needs fullfilled to be able to look around.