Informing your Practice as a Teacher #4Library Research & Masters Paper – MIT 2007GOALS:- Through reading and describing a literature review SWBT explore, focus and refine possible research questions for the masters project by naming themes and debates from the literature review through a written and shared reflection. – HOMEWORK- Through reading and describing a literature review, and through comparing and contrasting peers experiences SWBT identify and write out the patterns in the kinds of things they need to practice and learn to make meaning of academic articles.- Through individual exploration and a cooperative learning exercise SWBT identify and report out some strategies for finding case studies, experiments and opinion pieces on PSYCH, ERIC or SOC databases.Next week- Through an exploration of the government documents website SWBT identify and explain a few specific ways that government documents could inform their question by writing down examples and then sharing them in a large group discussion. PART ONE (20 minutes?)One of the challenges of doing a research project is not just finding information, but also learning how to talk about, the topic. The more opportunities to you use to talk about, write about, formally or informally (over tea/ beer; on scraps of paper or typed out in full sentences; drawing on visual map, etc) the ideas you are encountering, the more opportunities you will give yourself to operationalize your understanding. That is you will be able to sort, compare and contrast, synthesize the patterns in the information you are culling. If you wait to express your thinking about the ideas when you are trying to write the formed paper, you are likely to get tangled up. Writing is a way of thinking, yes. And there are many steps in thethinking process, not just the drafting process. With that in mind, I’d like you to begin talking about your topics and what you’ve learned so far by reading this literature review. Last week’s reflection questionsa. What are 2-3 significant things that you learned about the topic by reading the review?b. What seem to be the big issues addressed in the literature review? What are the big questionsthat the review focused around? What are the points of debate/contention?c. What are some of the things that you need to practice/learn in order to make meaning out of articles such as these?1. In threes. Assign a time keeper to group. Give each person 5 minutes. 2. Identify where you are so far in terms of the topics that are intriguing you. 3. Share your answers to these three questions. 4. What patterns do you notice about the things that you need to practice and learn to make meaning out of articles such as these? Write those patterns down on your HW and hand in.20 minutesPART TWO – Practice skills of finding different types of articlesSo far we have looked at academic journal articles from a range of disciplinary lenses (ERIC, Psychology,and Sociology). Some thing that we will need to grapple with is what distinguishes the kinds of dialoguesand research these disciplines focus on. We will do that when we get back from break before we dive intoGov Docs workshop after break. Also need to hunt around for case studies, experiments and informed opinion pieces, in order to get at the breadth of investigations people are doing from research to theory, from studying anecdote, to a careful case study, to a controlled study involving many people, classrooms or schools. 1. Divide group into 3 parts. Working in pairs or alone.2. Each group will search for either (i) case studies; (ii) experiments; or (ii) opinion pieces on one of 3 databases. 3. Apply the range of strategies learned last week for finding literature reviews and identify useful language/tools for finding particular type of article as well as potential hurdles. Be prepared to report out tools you have identified. (30 minutes)4. Report out (30 minutes) Three column chart on white board with the different language/strategies. & challenges:Case studies Experiments Opinion PiecesHomework: 1. Identify and get copies of a relevant case study, experiment and opinion piece. Remember to fill in the research log sheet analyzing what kind of an article it is and why it’s relevant to your study. 2. What have you learned about your 2-3 possible research questions when you consider all the articles and abstracts that you have found to date together? 3. How are those questions becoming more specific: (i) Who are you interested in focusing on, e.g. particular age group or demographic group?(ii) What about topic interests you? E.g. reward systems for motivating learning? Classroom management? Self-efficacy?(iii) For what purpose? E.g. to identify effective teaching strategies? To examine effectsof motivation on learning? To unpack and examine a debate among behaviorists and constructivists about the appropriate use of reinforcers? 4. Draft 2-3 possible research questions for your master’s paper. Provide a rationale for why they are important/relevant to your work as a first year teacher. NOTE: Remember the final assignment for the quarter also includes the following :Have found an article that is relevant to your topic from each of the following databases and sources:- ERIC- Psych Info- Government documents - Ethnic Watch- Sociology AbstractsMasters PaperRubric for the Library Research QuestionA. Statement of the Research Question - Your paper will be built around a question that has the potential to help you become a more effective teacher for children with diverse needs and backgrounds. Framing the question appropriately is the foundation for a useful and interesting paper.- SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE QUESTON ► YOU'RE THERE! Allows exploration of issues and provides manageable focus for this master's paper.Example : What are the effects of using math manipulatives on primary students' understanding of mathematical concepts? (allows exploration and provides manageable focus) NOT: Are math manipulatives good for students? (limits exploration) NOT: Why are math manipulatives unnecessary for teaching math? (limits exploration) Example : What have been shown to be effective methods for improving middle school readers' comprehension of content area materials? (allows exploration andprovides manageable focus) NOT: Why should phonics be used to improve middle school readers' content area reading comprehension? (too narrow; tips the bias;