1. Action Research in Literacy Dr. Gloria. E. Jacobs
GRDG690
Action Research in Literacy
Dr. Gloria. E. Jacobs

2. AGENDA Introductions Myths & Monsters
Syllabus, schedule, and expectations
Structure of the capstone paper
What is research? What is action research?
Developing your topic and research question.
Beginning writing
Critical colleagues
Fill out data sheets
Next week

3. INTRODUCTIONS Create a name tent Tell us your name What you teach
Grade level
Subject (if secondary)
District and school (as appropriate)
Possible capstone topic/area of interest/passion

4. MYTHS AND MONSTERS
Freewrite – anything that is on your mind right now (about capstone).
Share
What have you heard about capstone?
What worries you?

5. SYLLABUS, SCHEDULE, AND EXPECTATIONS
Due dates
Submission of drafts
Critical Colleagues
Attendance
Grading
Permissions
Presentation
Final Papers

6. THE CAPSTONE PAPER
Structure of the capstone paper

7. WHAT IS RESEARCH? With a partner, discuss Share out
What is your perception of research?
Who does research?
Why do people do research?
What terms do you associate with research?
Share out

8. WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?
With a new partner, discuss
What is action research?
Why action research?
How is this different from what we typically think of research?
The action research cycle
Review handout
Discuss adaptations

9. DEVELOPING YOUR TOPIC AND QUESTION.
Identifying your research site
Wonderings & Reconnaissance
Generative writing: What have you noticed in your teaching experience? What questions does it raise for you? What method do you want to know more about? Why does this interest you?
Share your writing with a partner.
Identify the questions.
Identify the questions that are answerable.
Identify the answerable question that is most compelling to you.
Large group sharing of questions.

10. CRITICAL COLLEAGUES What is a critical colleague?
What makes a good critical colleague?
Similar research interests
Similar teaching backgrounds
Complementary personalities
Trust
Reliability
Identify a classmate with whom you believe you would make a good critical colleague.

11. BEGINNING TO WRITE Generative Writing
Take your question and make it the first sentence of your writing. Write down everything that comes to mind about that question.

12. FOCUSING YOUR WRITING
Share your generative piece with your critical colleague.
Use a cluster chart to identify the following. If you don’t find these in your writing, these are things you need to think about and find answers to.
The problem your question addresses.
Who benefits by your addressing this question? Who gets hurt if you don’t?
What is do you think you already know about answering this question/problem. This is your starting claim/thesis/hypothesis about this problem.

13. Generative revision CONNECTING TO THEORY
Look at the list of questions on page 27 of Mills.
Read your 620 paper(s) and use those questions to think about what in those papers will help you frame your question.
Be ruthless. Only keep that which is relevant to your question.

14. DATA SHEETS
Fill out the data sheet and hand in on your way out.

15. NEXT WEEK – THE LITERATURE REVIEW
NO CLASS NEXT WEEK
a draft of your intro (proposal) and theoretical framework to me
For JANUARY 26
Read Mills pp 44-67
Meet in Library 100 to begin literature search
We will also be reviewing APA style. We will be using APA 6.