INTRODUCTION
Reflections on the first three chapters of The Power of Questions by Beverly Falk and Megan Blumenreich.
I have a Bachelor of Science degree so I am most familiar with and comfortable with the experimental research approach. Before beginning this text I was worrying over my research project. What would my hypothesis would be? How would I collect data? How would I collect enough data?
I am more at ease now. And excited. Falk and Blumenreich explain the other approach to research which is the naturalistic research approach. They also outline the research/teaching connection. How research has to be systematic as opposed to just wondering about affects and outcomes in the classroom. I feel as though so much of my "wondering" over the years could easily have turned into naturalistic/systematic research. Now I will be able to take that next step into a planned inquiry.
At the end of each chapter are a series of questions to assist in reflecting on the contents of the chapter. One question asks about a learning experience made powerful. Please see the image below about the Oxford comma http://stephentall.org/2011/09/19/oxford-comma/. Weird but true, this was a powerful learning experience for me. I teach my 2nd grade students to put a comma after each item in a list. I personally don't put a comma after the word in the list which comes just before the "and". But, I don't tell my students that you can do this because that just complicates 2nd grade too much. Then...I see this posted on Facebook by an English teacher friend and Bing! I get it. Now I know how to use commas in a list (and now I know there is such a thing as an Oxford comma). My interest played a big part in this. The English language and all it quirks fascinate me so I didn't skip over this in my Facebook feed. The implications of this experience for teaching children are that I need to offer to students that which interests them. Now how do I do that? The book begins to explore the how in chapter three - Wonderings to Be Done: Finding Your Question.
I am more at ease now. And excited. Falk and Blumenreich explain the other approach to research which is the naturalistic research approach. They also outline the research/teaching connection. How research has to be systematic as opposed to just wondering about affects and outcomes in the classroom. I feel as though so much of my "wondering" over the years could easily have turned into naturalistic/systematic research. Now I will be able to take that next step into a planned inquiry.
At the end of each chapter are a series of questions to assist in reflecting on the contents of the chapter. One question asks about a learning experience made powerful. Please see the image below about the Oxford comma http://stephentall.org/2011/09/19/oxford-comma/. Weird but true, this was a powerful learning experience for me. I teach my 2nd grade students to put a comma after each item in a list. I personally don't put a comma after the word in the list which comes just before the "and". But, I don't tell my students that you can do this because that just complicates 2nd grade too much. Then...I see this posted on Facebook by an English teacher friend and Bing! I get it. Now I know how to use commas in a list (and now I know there is such a thing as an Oxford comma). My interest played a big part in this. The English language and all it quirks fascinate me so I didn't skip over this in my Facebook feed. The implications of this experience for teaching children are that I need to offer to students that which interests them. Now how do I do that? The book begins to explore the how in chapter three - Wonderings to Be Done: Finding Your Question.