Teacher Action Research

Teacher Action Research as a Student-Generated Project

My involvement in Teacher Action Research started in November of 1998 when Maggie Moreno (ESL - Beginning) of the Baytown Learning Center, Marilyn Goeters (GED) from the Irvington Learning Center, and I (ESL - Advanced), were selected to participate in Project IDEA. Each teacher was asked to conduct an action inquiry project with his/her class. Since the three of us worked for the Harris County Department of Education, we formed a collaborative learning team. This team approach gave us the opportunity to discuss strategies, challenges, and triumphs while conducting both action inquiry research and student-generated projects. This proved to be an advantage for each of us because of the building of support and working as a team with our administrator.

Maggie, Marilyn, and I had expressed a common concern regarding student retention. We wanted to know why our students stopped coming to class. Was there anything that we could do to prevent our students from dropping out? Were there some situations that were beyond our control? When we spoke to our students about these concerns they were intrigued with the question of why some students stopped coming to class. The students then took over the idea and began to address student retention problems. The first step was for the students to discuss the problem of student retention and begin brainstorming about the topic. Each of the classes decided that a questionnaire was the best way to find out the information. Our students then began working on developing the questionnaire. After much discussion and editing by our students, the final questionnaire consisted of ten questions with yes/no and multiple choice answers.

The second phase of the project was in March. The students presented the questionnaire to the other morning students at each learning center. The next step was to exchange questionnaires with another learning center. Then, the results were tallied and the final step was to make bar graphs and pie charts to illustrate the results.

As adult educators, we know that real world applications work best with adult students. Many of my students had never made bar graphs and pie charts before. When the students understood that the project was giving them a chance to practice and improve their basic skills (i.e., grammar, communication, and math skills) while working on a real world problem, they were even more enthusiastic about the project.

The most beneficial part to me was the presentation of the questionnaire to the five other ESL classes at the Galena Park Learning Center in March. My students divided into groups based upon which class they would be making their presentation to. They practiced for one week to be ready for the day of the presentation. They discussed and decided what needed to be done to be successful. We did some role-playing and we worked on new vocabulary words to prepare for any possibilities that might arise. The day of the presentation went perfectly. There were no problems at all. I was so proud of my students. After they came back to the classroom, they were so happy and proud of themselves. The students felt empowered because they had control of their learning. Because of the enthusiasm generated through this student-generated project, the students were more dedicated than ever before. School was a time to be serious about learning and to fulfill their goals and dreams. They have shown an increased interest in getting a GED and going to college. Additionally, they have shown more progress in their daily work and on their final tests. Seeing the advanced ESL students do so well has inspired students at the lower ESL levels to continue their studies so that they can speak English as well as my students.

As I reflect upon the process of using a student-generated project for action inquiry research, I have asked myself several questions.

How much time should you devote to Teacher Action Research?
Our Teacher Action Research was spread over about six months (three semesters). I would not recommend such a lengthy time span. There are too many things that can go wrong. It required a great deal of planning, mixed with a little bit of luck on the teachers' part to make things go smoothly.

What benefits are the students receiving from student-generated projects?
After each step of the project, I would talk to my students and emphasize that while we were working on the project, we were also doing the following:

• Work related skills, such as problem-solving, negotiation, and decision making;
• practicing correct grammar in context;
• increasing vocabulary with the addition of new words;
• working in groups to build class cohesion; and
• improving math skills when tallying the results of the questionnaire.

Additionally, while exploring why "others" where not able to come to class, it helped the students to see some of their own challenges in a new light. It also began to create a community of learners. As the students spoke, they became more knowledgeable about each other and they began to help those with babysitting or transportation problems.

Has this helped me to improve as a teacher?
Through my experience with Teacher Action Research, I am a convert to student-generated projects as a method for reflection of my practice and for generating student enthusiasm. When used within the context of the overall classroom learning experience, a project can reinforce immediate classroom goals and give the students skills that translate to real life work situations. For example, team work, editing, word processing, and analytical thinking.

Teacher Action Research has changed the way I teach. Because of the involvement among the students, now I realize that the students are missing class because of babysitting or transportation problems. According to the questionnaire, the students feel that the classes are enjoyable and beneficial when they are actively involved. By participating in Teacher Action Research, I have become better organized.

Teacher Action Research is very important because its purpose is to make better teachers by improving teaching. I always presented the project in a very positive way to inspire the students to do the best they could every time they worked on the project. I was then able to reflect at the end of each session as to what worked and what did not. I could then modify facilitation as needed.

What kind of Teacher Action Research can you do?
Think of issues that are facing your class, school, school district, or community and how they could be addressed through Teacher Action Research. If you wish to conduct action research via student projects, then listen to your students. Talk to your students. They have a wealth of experience and ideas to contribute. Given a chance to participate, they will embrace controlling their learning with a vigor that will be contagious.

Teacher Action Research allows a facilitator to be actively involved to try new ideas, learn from reflection of the outcomes, and then to change or add to teaching behavior. When combined with student-generated projects, teachers are able to actively work with students to instigate ideas generated through their reflection. The advantage of a student-generated project as a form on action inquiry research is that it is an excellent way to reinforce the lessons being taught in an adult education classroom. The teacher should act as a facilitator and not dominate the class. However, the teacher should carefully guide the class to keep the students motivated and on task.

Kelly Dixon received a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Houston in 1986. One day while teaching tennis at a country club, he went into the pro shop and saw a television show about the new Amnesty Program. Kelly listened to the program for a few minutes and decided that he wanted to become involved. He began teaching adults in 1988 for an Amnesty program at a church in Pasadena, Texas. Then, in 1989, he began teaching ESL for the Harris County Department of Education. Since October 1990, Kelly has been teaching at the Galena Park Learning Center where he is currently the teacher for the advanced level ESL class. He is presently participating in the Project IDEA.