I also shared with you that I had no idea where to start….
… and then something amazing happened.
My team and I began planning for our How the World Works unit and we settled on the central idea: Thinking scientifically helps us understand ourselves and others.
We planned to introduce our students to a variety of research designs, help them choose a research design that would allow them to act on curiosity, and then support them along each step of that specific research design process.
And then it hit me! If this process we just planned is meant to help our students act on their curiosities in a reliable and valid way, then surely it could work for me too!!!
So now I know where to start… right alongside my students. Their first big decision is choosing a research design that best matches their curiosity… so I guess that’s my first big decision too!
In exploring and reflecting upon the many different methods for approaching research – experimental design, survey design, ethnographic research, action research – I have decided that action research is the best fit.
When promoting the model of action research to our students we explained:
And that is exactly what I am trying to do:
Problem – students do not have enough agency as learners during their time at school
Possible Solution – the Studio 5 model which provides students with small group support in order to “Choose, Act, and Reflect” as more agentic, independent learners
We know the problem. We have a solution that we think could help. We have put that model into action. Now we just need to track the effectiveness of our initiative.
Next, we will be guiding students to develop an overarching research question as well as sub-questions that support their big question… so I guess that is where I am headed as well!
Making Good Humans 