For Colleges, Universities, & School Districts

    Home About Us

PROF DEV PROGRAMS HOME
Action Research

There is a recent trend in the number of teachers taking advantage of “action research.” But what exactly is action research and how can the ESL classroom benefit from this reflective teaching practice?

Southern Cross University, adeptly defines action research as: “a family of research methodologies which pursue action (or change) and research (or understanding) at the same time.” As ESL teachers, we actively seek ways to improve our understanding about the students we teach. Furthermore, we hope that understanding guides us to a set of actions that will increase our student’s knowledge of English and their feelings of acceptance in the classroom.

Action research achieves these goals by using a cyclic or spiral process which alternates between action and critical reflection. Simply stated, action research is what teachers do naturally, but with a reflective piece added to it. This reflective piece is essential to making conscientious decisions about what steps we need to take next in the process of educating children who are learning a second language.

Courses Available for Action Research

Introduction to Action Research
This course will enable teachers to explore and acquire the tools of action research so that they may study their instruction and discern interventions to help all children succeed. Participants will review completed action research studies and become familiar with the benefits of action research.
 
Copyright: For Teachers Online Courses © 2012