FIELD STUDY 2 LEARNING

EPISODE
Embedding Action
Research for Reflective
2 FS 2 Teaching

To have a meaningful and successful accomplishment in this FS episode, be sure to

read through the whole episode before participating and assisting in your FS 2 Resource
Teacher’s class. Note all the information you will need and tasks you will need to do before
working on this episode.

Target Your Intended Learning Outcome

At the end of this Episode, I must be able to:

 be familiar about action research as a reflective teacher.
 underscore the importance of doing action research.

Classify Your Task

1
Doing Action Research: An Overview

Every teacher is an action researcher. Everyone can do it. Teachers and students can do it
together.

This episode focuses on doing action research as one of the roles of the teacher. Every teacher
should take interest to know how students learn, wants to make innovations in the curriculum and
desires to improve teaching practice. In order to achieve these, a teacher has to do action research on
the everyday practical problems. These problematic situations and observed discrepancies emerge
between what is intended and what actually occurs in the classroom.

Revisit the Infographic/s

Source: Kate Herbert-Smith IRIS connect

2
 There is a general agreement among action research community that action research is about
ACTION: taking action to improve practice and RESEARCH: finding things out and coming to a new
understanding that create new knowledge.
Action research is not new. It dates back to the time of John Dewey in 1920 when he
introduced the idea of inquiry. This was followed by Collier, 1945; Lewin, 1949; Corey, 1953 and
many others who came later. Schon introduced the notion of action research as a habit of continuing
inquiry. Inquiry begins with situations that are problematic, confusing, uncertain and conflicting, and
so does Action Research.

It was Stephen Corey (1953) who defined Action Research as the process through which
practitioners like teachers, study their own practice to solve their personal or professional practical
problems. Further on, John Illiot in 1993 clarified that action research is concerned with everyday
practical problems experienced by the teachers, rather than the theoretical problems defined by pure
researchers.

Action research is grounded on the reality of the school, classroom, teachers and students.
Sometime it is labelled as Teacher Action Research (TAR) but is popularly known simply as Action
Research (AR).

Action Research is a process that allows teachers to study their own classrooms, schools and
educational setting in order to understand them better and to improve their quality and effectiveness.
The processes of observation, reflection and inquiry lead to action that makes a difference in teaching
and learning. It bridges doing (practice) and learning (study) and reflection (inquiry).

Participate and Assist

You must have experienced in your past subjects, doing some activities or accomplishing tasks similar to an
action research. These are activities that required you to do Reflection and Make Action or the other way
around. Schon (1987) distinguishes Reflection in Action Reflection on Action as two different things.

3
 Perhaps your mentor teacher has already done an Action Research. Now is the opportunity for you to
participate and assist in ways that you are capable of doing.

Here is what you will do.

Making a List of Completed Action Research Titles by Teachers in the Field

1. Make a library or on-line search of the different Completed Action Research Titles Conducted by Teachers.
2. Enter the list in the matrix similar to the one below.
3. Submit your list of five (5) Titles of Completed Action Research Studies to your mentor as reference.

Inventory of Sample Action Research Conducted by Teachers

List of Completed Action Research Titles Author/Authors

Ex. Differentiated Instruction in Teaching English Mary Joy Olicia
for Grade Four Classes
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Congratulations!!! You have done a good job. By doing so, you have assisted your mentor and
together you will journey towards becoming an action researcher.

4
 Notice

Based on your activity on Making a List of Completed Action Research Titles, let’s find out what you
have noticed by answering the following questions.

Questions
1. What have you noticed about the
action research titles? Do the action
research (AR) titles imply problems to
be solved? Yes ____ No___
My Answer
1. Identified problem to be solved in title no. 1
2. Identified problem to be solved in title no. 2

If YES, identify the problems from the

title you have given. Answer in the 3. Identified problem to be solved in title no. 3
space provided.
4. Identified problem to be solved in title no. 4

5. Identified problem to be solved in title no. 5

2. What interpretation about action Title of the Action Research:

research can you make out of your
answer in Question No. 1?

3. Write the Title and your interpretation From the title, I think, the study
of the study from the title.

4. What do you think did the author/s do I think the author/s _________________________
with the identified problem as
presented in their titles?

5
 Analyze

Action research seems easy and familiar. Since teaching seems to be full of problematic
situations and that the teacher has a responsibility of finding solution for everyday problems in school,
hence teachers should do action research. This is an exciting part of being a teacher, a problem solver!

Let us continue to examine and analyze what you have noticed and interpreted in the previous
activity.

My Answer
Key Questions Choose from the options given. You may check
more than one answer
1. From what source do you think, did Choices:
the authors identify the problems of ___ Copied from research books.
their action research? ___ From daily observation of their teaching
practice.
___ From difficulties they observed of their
learners.
___ From their own personal experience.
___ From the told experiences of their co-
teachers.

2. What do you think is the teacher’s Choices:

intention in conducting the action ___ To find a solution to the problematic
research? situation
___To comply with the requirement of the
principal
___ To improve teaching practice
___ To try out something, if it works
___ To prove oneself as better than the others.

3. What benefit do you get as a Choices:

student in FS 2 in understanding ___ Prepare me for my future job
and doing action research? ___ Get good grades in the course
___ Learn and practice being an action
researcher
___ Improve my teaching practice
___ Exposure to the realities in the teaching
profession

6
 ___ Become a better teacher everyday

4. In what ways, can you assist your ___ By co-researching with my mentor
mentor in his/her Action Research ___ By assisting in the design of the intervention
Activity? ___ By assisting in the implementation of the AR
___ By just watching what is being done

Reflect

Based on the readings you made and the previous activities that you have done,
1. What significant ideas or concepts have you learned about action research?
I learned that ___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

2. Have you realized that there is a need to be an action researcher as a future teacher?
Yes__ No __. If yes, complete the sentence below.
I realized that ___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Write Action Research Prompts

OBSERVE
From what teaching principles of theories can this problem be anchored?
 I have observed and noticed that Action Research begins with a problem or a problematic
situation.
Write an example of a problematic situation that you have observed and noticed.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

REFLECT

7
What have I realized? What do I hope to achieve?
I realized that for every teaching learning problem, there is a solution.
Write a probable solution to the problematic situation above. ____________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

PLAN
What strategies, activities, innovations can I employ to improve the situation or solve the problem?
 As a future action researcher I can plan for an appropriate intervention like ___________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

ACT
If I conduct or implement my plan, what can be its title?
 If I will implement my doable plan in the future, my title would be __________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Check for Mastery

Direction: Choose the best answer.

1. Every future teacher should do action research because ___________.
A. it is a requirement for teachers in the field
B. it will improve teaching practice
C. it will add points to teacher’s performance
D. it is part of the teacher’s standard

2. Spotting a problematic situation in teaching and learning will ______________.

A. spark an idea of doing Teacher Action Research

8
 B. give more confusion to the teacher
C. create complexity in everyday teaching
D. add burden to teacher’s daily routine

3. Which of the following statements motivates a teacher to do action research?

A. Any problem that occurs in my class will soon pass.
B. For every teaching-learning problem, there is always a solution.
C. Leave the problematic situation for other teachers to solve.
D. There are more important classroom routines than finding solutions.

4. “Every teacher, should be an action researcher.” This statement is _______________.

A. applicable only for teachers in big schools.
B. not doable and very idealistic.
C. the call for teachers in the current times.
D. appropriate for honor graduates.

5. Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A. Action research problem is created by the teacher.
B. Noticing helps a teacher spot problematic situation.
C. Much of the teaching time should be spent in action research.
D. Action research is an optional teacher activity.

Work on my Artifacts

Your artifact will be an Abstract of a completed action research.