Student-centered research : blending constructivism with action research / James Pelech.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pelech, James, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Action research in education.

Constructivism (Education).

Student-centered learning.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (194 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Charlotte, NC : Information Age Publishing, Incorporated, 2021.

Summary:

"Teachers increasingly are being charged to conduct research on teaching and learning in their classes. Action research is an instrument that teachers can use for their particular classroom to meet this charge. While traditional research provides effective guidelines for teaching and learning, its generalized format does not take into consideration the multitude of variables that affect individual classrooms and students. Action research enables the teacher to improve the learning of the students in their particular context; this, in turn, improves the professional practice of the teacher. The uniqueness of the model presented in this book is that this model is guided by specific Constructivist principles. These principles are then transformed into learning strategies and applied to the action research cycle. Each stage of the action research process also is steered by prompts emanating from the Constructivist philosophy. The prompts provide questions that the teacher can use to examine current practices and consider new approaches. The blending of Constructivism and action research enables the teacher to create a new cognitive framework for understanding and enhancing student learning . This book provides a guide for combining two important traditions resulting in a research platform which creates new knowledge about both students and teachers"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / William H. Schubert

Acknowledgments

Introduction and overview

Why start with questions?

A rigorous model

Helping students learn

Academic achievement

Spillover Effects

Long-term out comes

Affective domain and motivation

Teacher actions in the classroom

Developing AI? structure for the decision-making process

References

Reflection and teacher research

Reflection as AI? tool of teacher instructional delivery

Reflection as AI? change agent

Reflection as an instrument of autonomy

Reflection as an instrument for passion and creativity

Taxonomies for reflection

Tools of reflection: written journals

Other platforms for reflection

Research on other reflection outcomes

Summary and checklist

Examining teacher research

Teacher research

Framework for teacher research

Developing AI? definition for action research

The action research model

Cognitive demands

Cognitive foundations

Changing perspective

Constructivism

Building AI? constructivist foundation for action research

Learning principles 1 and 2

Learning principles 3 and 4

How does knowledge come Into existence?

Learning principle 5

Learning principles 6 and 7

Specific cognitive actions for creating knowledge

Metacognition

Real-world problems

Learning principle 8

The action researcher and learning principle 8

The role of society

Learning principles 9 and 10

The action researcher and learning principles 9 and 10

Organization of knowledge

Learning principles 11 and 12

The action researcher and learning principles 11 and 12

Summary and looking ahead

Organizing the constructivist principles

Autonomy and uniqueness

Authentic products and authentic situations

Making connections and creating new knowledge networks

Creating and addressing disequilibrium/perturbations

Look to future chapters

Important prerequisites

Building teacher-student relationships

Promoting student autonomy

Emotional intelligence

Journal reflections, handwritten notes, and memos

Being AI? systems thinker

Use of constructivist principles to interpret data

Summary

What's Next?

Planning for the area of focus and the learning environment

The research question

The process of developing the research question

The final research question

Researcher bias and reflexivity

Participant relationships/characteristics of the learning environment

Ethics

Reflecting on the planning process and AI? look ahead

Planning for data, data interpretation, and communication

Data

analyzing and interpreting the data: creating AI? network of ideas

The communication plan

Flowing Into the actual project

Phase 1 of the action research project

Creating prior knowledge

Theorizing for the next cycle

Reviewing phase 1 and moving to phase 2

Phase 2

The first steps

The graphic organizer with partner interaction

Examining phase 2

Phase 3: affirming themes and restructuring

Student choice of notes format

Open notes and learning

Quizzing as part of AI? learning system

Instructor reorganization

Open-notes quizzes and creativity/higher-order thinking

The authentic product versus traditional approaches

Evaluating open-notes quizzes and learning

Action plan

Phase 4

Addressing the disequilibrium

Phase 4 and the learning process

The final action plan

Learning as the foundation of assessment

Quizzing as part of an entire system of learning and assessing

Making mistakes AI? vital part of learning

Personal reflection

Validity 

Closer look at validity in action research: value

A look at validity in action research: trustworthiness

Confirmability

A final look at validity: AI? constructivist process

About the Author.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781648025341

164802534X

OCLC:

1249709945