MNS degree candidates are required to
complete two or three semester hours of Action Research. Action
Research (AR) projects are intended to explore practical improvements in
teaching practice. Teams of two or
more teachers work together to design programs or materials for classroom
implementation, which they must field-test and evaluate. This is followed by submission of a
final written report and a public presentation to peers.
The process starts with summer enrollment in
PHS 598: Leadership Workshop. By the end of the workshop, AR proposals are
submitted for comment and approval by the instructor, and teams obtain
university faculty supervision for their project.
Once ARTs are turned loose to conduct
research on their own, they must discipline themselves to meet regularly and
make progress. Team members
benefit from keeping a diary of the work they do, both together and separately. This
serves as both a chronicle of progress toward their goal, and a record of the
hours they invest toward the credit they will earn for the project. They must agree on the general outcomes
for which they are hoping, identify specific tasks and who will be responsible
for each, and make a timeline for completion.
Initially they conduct background research
on their topic and how it is already incorporated in the typical high school
science program. In studying the
pros and cons of the current standard, they will inevitably identify areas that
can be improved, and then the design process can begin. Each team member commits time to the
collectively agreed upon tasks, and shares his or her progress with teammates
via e-mail and regular meetings.
When necessary the team seeks guidance from their university faculty
mentor.
If the product of the AR project is an
instructional unit, they must plan for its field-testing. If the team is of sufficient size and
diversity, they may choose to do this in their own classrooms. If not, they must solicit the
cooperation of their colleagues.
This is where relationships established in their summer Leadership
Workshop are invaluable. Teachers
with a variety of student populations may volunteer to test the curriculum
materials developed, and their pre- and post-test data and personal critiques
of the effectiveness of the instructional unit provide valuable insights for
the ART in considering modifications to their finished product.
When the team is satisfied with what they
have produced, they submit a narrative report to their university faculty
mentor:
·
summarizing their
background research,
·
outlining the process
they followed,
·
critiquing their
accomplishments and problems,
·
presenting their
finished product, along with the rationale for the choices they made in
developing it, and
·
reviewing the feedback
information from field-testing and how this feedback was incorporated into the
end product.
With approval of their faculty mentor, a
public presentation of the team’s work is arranged. This presentation normally serves as the required
final exam for the MNS degree. Ideally it takes place during the following
summer’s Leadership Workshop. ARTs may also be examined orally by one or
more members of their MNS Program Committee regarding the details of their
research.
The reports will be considered for
publication on the Modeling Instruction Website. Teachers are also encouraged
to present their findings at local, regional or national science
teachers’ conferences, symposia or colloquia.
The process of planning and executing
collaborative research is a stimulating interaction that fosters personal and
professional growth and builds lifelong friendships and associations. A successful research experience can
serve as a springboard for new collaborations. ASU’s MNS program makes a special effort to highlight
the integration of physics into other disciplines, and to encourage incorporation
of contemporary physics topics into the physics curriculum. This stimulus, together with leadership
skills that are an outgrowth of the action research process, provide for a
vital, self-sustaining, teacher-centered professional development experience
that promises solid research-based reform in science education. Leadership
Workshop provides an important ongoing opportunity for teachers to mentor each
other and profit from one another’s efforts and experiences.
For further information, please contact
Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, Ph.D.
<Ckozumplik@aol.com>
Updated in April 2008