Reflective Fieldnote Blog # 3 SPSE 6712
October 27, 2011
Section 1: Thoughts about Action Research as a Tool to Improve Practice
Action research is a “reflective process that allows for inquiry and discussion” (Ferrance, 2000). It is a great way to get an even closer look behind the scenes at what is really happening in the classroom. Action research is a systematic process where one should study and plan, take action, collect and analyze, and reflect (Riel, 2010). This process should repeated several times for best results. I really enjoyed the collaborative aspect of the action research process, as the teacher whose class I was observing was able to give me a different reflective analysis of what was going on than I came up with originally. In the end though, both of our speculations were proven incorrect in some cases and reconfirmed in other cases through the student interview process. I found the entire process amazingly helpful as a step by step approach to dissecting future issues that may arise in the ESL classroom or any classroom for that matter.
Section 2: Ideas Generated as a Result of My Project
The best part about the Action Research project was that it really got me thinking about possible issues to further explore in upcoming research. I am fascinated by the environmental, socio-cultural, and self-perceptions related problems that surround ELLs as they often face multiple hardships or may have had some pretty shocking experiences in their lives. It would be interesting to look at student attitudes caused by resentment, necessity, failure, or peer attitudes. The project made me want to look more closely at some of the social affective filters that are heightened in some students and how to create the right environment and relationship with those students to help them lower these filters. I would love to find a way to measure the power of encouragement and confidence building amongst students in relation to their academic progress. Finally, I thought that a study that could determine which strategies can be used to successfully cope with language anxiety, might be a good research question to later expand upon.
Section 3: Suggestions for Other ESL Professionals Based on My Findings
ESL teachers that are having a difficult time getting students to behave need to try to build a relationship with their students to better understand what factors are affecting them or causing anxiety. This genuine trust allows students to lower their affective filters and relax more in your classroom. Always give positive feedback and encouragement to a student to build confidence, Make corrections or suggestions for improvement with a student when working individually with him or her, not in front of the whole class. If a student in the classroom has a bad attitude, move him or her out of the limelight and to the back of the room. Change seating arrangements often for different working tasks. Find out what kinds of learning styles your students have and try to incorporate strategies that target their learning styles for improved performance. Have students work in groups or in pairs to get them communicating in English. All of these proved to be great strategies through my action research project.
References:
Ferrance, E. (2000). Action research. Retrieved from:
Riel, M. (2010). Understanding action research. Retrieved from:
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