i have just a few million questions for anyone reading this about my research topic. i'm not sure what to focus on and then i have concerns about collecting field research before the end of this year.
first, i am interested in many topics. i would maybe like to research kids who enter the 8th grade unable to read or who might read significantly, significantly below their "grade level," whatever that means (1st, 2nd, 4th grade reading level). we have so many diagnostic tests that are not compatable with one another, i don't know where to begin regarding someone's actual definite level. i am curious about brain research and teaching strategies, but don't know how to collect anything from my kids. this is not the time of year we do any diagnostic things. it is also a time of year when the 8th graders who will be moving to high school do a good deal of reflecting and preparing for next year. we don't really do any new reading strategies, etc.
second, i would kind of like to know why kids don't really run their own writing groups as well as adults do, other than the obvious age issue. i didn't really do writing groups this year due to almost 30 minutes having been chopped off of each of my class periods. my adjustment to the time difference wasn't what i would call smooth. so i cut it out, but kept author's chair. i wondered last year why some kids really got into writing groups and some just hung out. my instinct is that some kids like writing and some just go through the motions until my class is over and that this is not really a researchable topic.
who knows? i have lots of concerns and i want my topic to be something i can try out in my classes next year. i would like my topic to be something that improves my teaching and that teaches me something immediately useful for my students.
so.....having no real formal research experience, what are your thoughts and what would you suggest? any comments are welcome!!! i'll keep brainstorming, too!
thanks!
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7 comments:
Although you're not 'officially' on my blogging buddy list I know we're encouraged to read other blogs. I read this the other day and wanted to comment, but then I thought - hey, if I start commenting then I'll feel obligated to continue, you know I'm a bit anal that way. But, since this is the second visit with no comments as yet I wanted to put in my two cents.
You are fortunate because you have a number of topics that seem of interest to me. I think you can go many different directions. The biggest issue right now is probably getting the data collected before the school year is over - so that seems to be a limiting factor. I guess I'd be inclined to ask the question, which data can I collect before summer and work my way out from there.
One thing I'm sure of - you'll get it figured out. When you do I look forward to hearing/reading all about it.
Boy, can I relate to the problem of narrowing down your research questions!
As I read your post I was struck by your question: "i would kind of like to know why kids don't really run their own writing groups as well as adults do." This is one of the issues that I see popping up with book clubs in my classroom, so my interest in this topic is selfish. (If you figure it out, then I can shamelessly steal to fix my own problem.) I do think this is a researchable topic, it will just take a different (not number driven) type of research. I think that surveying your students and taking careful notes on what it is that both the productive and not so productive groups could help you arrive at some conclusions.
You have soooooooooooooo many ideas! I think Natalie's suggestion about narrowing your idea based on what you can gather now would be helpful.
I think you can still gather research about reading. Your school should have all their reading scores, and you can also give them a survey. While you can't point to gains in the 2006-2007 year, you can at least arm yourself with knowledge for next year's group.
I know this group of students was particularly challenging, so maybe you want to focus on something you'll be able to directly use next year. Ahhh, choices! :)
Suggestion...
Sit down with someone and briefly explain your ideas for research. Afterwards, ask them which you seemed most passionate about. It will be obvious to them and, in turn, you. Whichever makes you squirm, raise your voice, talk faster, lose breath... that's the one... and trust me... one of them will mean more to you... at least right now. That's the one.
I echo Jason's suggestion, Steph. We just went through the "narrowing your demo topic" exercise with the new summer institute folks last weekend, and his advice really helped them determine where they wanted to devote their time and energy.
Either topic's potentially valuable, so I'd listen to my heart if I were you.
Cindy and Jason are right! I remember sitting at Avo's bar side when Jason told me that, and my demo was born! But, seriously, I've been in some really crappy writing groups at the college level (are college kids "adults"?)
I was a creative writing major during my undergrad days, so I have lots of experience with writing groups, and to be honest, I think they're hard to set up and run in a productive way, so if I were you that's the direction I'd go.
I agree that it's hard to get research going this time of year, but one thing I like to do at the end of the year is just to have a little mini-writing project for the kids--fairly open and exploratory (what do you expect from High School, or a creative writing prompt . . . journaling . . . morning pages style stuff . . . there's still time.
I heard you mention reading scores, brain research, and writing groups. The writing was the first thing you cut, I wonder if that is a clue about what your research should be?
I guess after reading your blog I am wondering if their is a relationship between reading ability and writing groups?
Do you think you need a lot of data before school is out? Maybe you need to collect it next year? You might already have data too. It sounded like you did with your different testing you mentioned in the beginning of the year.
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