Published Papers

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Browsing Published Papers by Subject "Action research"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Action Research and Teacher Education, Part 1
    (Daily Express, 2006-10) Worrell, Patricia
    Part 1 of this article notes that the School of Education at the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) has included an action research component as a core element of its certificate and diploma programmes as one means of addressing the demand for more effective programmes of teacher education. However, it is also noted that the benefits of action research are not being realized in schools because of the negative reactions experienced by student teachers returning to schools and attempting to implement action research interventions. It is suggested that teacher education institutions should seek to design interventions that will include whole schools in the cycle of research
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    Action Research: Fruitful Collaborations, Part 2
    (Daily Express, 2006-11) Worrell, Patricia
    The second part of this article makes the case for collaborative action research as one way to help to ensure that positive changes occur in schools and classrooms. It makes suggestions for the specific arrangements that need to be put in place to ensure fruitful collaboration
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    The challenges of designing and implementing a cross-cultural unit of work
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2006) Herbert, Susan M.
    This paper reports on the challenges experienced during an action research project in Trinidad and Tobago, in which a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health" was designed and enacted. The intention was to improve teacher practice and facilitate students' access to conventional science concepts by having them build bridges between their traditional knowledge about health-related matters and conventional science concepts. The first action research cycle--plan, act and observe, reflect--was conducted with a group of Form 2 students (12-15 years) at an urban single-sex (female) secondary school. Reflections from this phase were recorded in a journal and the data from the classroom enactment were audio-taped and transcribed. These data were analysed quantitatively into themes by use of grounded theory methodology. Among the challenges that emerged were "resistance and doubt," "level of teacher control," and "communicative competence: the language of bridge building." Based on these findings, a second action research cycle was enacted with another group of Form 2 students at a rural co-educational secondary school. The results revealed evidence of the three themes as well as an overall improvement in the teacher-researcher's use of the language of bridge-building. This suggested that change occurs over time and is facilitated by the process of reflection on evidence gathered systematically.
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    The Learning Teacher
    (Daily Express, 2005) Yamin-Ali, Jennifer
    This article examines the role of the teacher as learner, as teachers assess problems they or their students encounter in the teaching/learning process, and try to overcome them. It notes the obstacles encountered by the teacher as learner, and identifies the role of mentoring in schools as being crucial to supporting the teacher