So, I'm a teacher. Action research is perfect, right? However, while I'm SO glad that we're currently in the "visioning" stage of this thing, I think I may need glasses.
Here's what I know:
* I want this process to inform and improve my practice.
* I want the research to have a positive impact on my students (or at least not DETRACT from my normal standard of teaching.)
* I want my students to become more globally connected/open-minded/knowledgeable, hopefully opening the doors for an appreciation of literature created within other cultures.
* I will have 5 sections of World Literature in which to do this project--2 Honors classes and 3 Regular.
So...here are the "working" research questions I have developed. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other:
1-"How does the use of new media affect student connection to cultures outside of the U.S.?"
2-"How can our knowledge of traditional literacies help shape our comprehension and development of media literacy?"
I think that the second is interesting, though probably being researched all over the place, and the first one is obviously more tied to the list above. I also think that the first may be a bit more "action research-y" because I develop my own curriculum around the question whereas the second seems to be a bit more difficult to "implement" within the classroom.
So, with regards to the first, I think that I'll need some way to assess "global connection" before and after the project. There's a "test" out there that could possibly be helpful for this (the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, but we'll have to see.
I've also thought about how to involve an analysis of how various cultures are treated within academic circles as well as in popular media as opposed to within outer new media forms, but this may make things a bit more complicated. And then there's the big question, "How do I get the kids to care about the new media element in order to even 'test' for personal connection?" It all sounds a bit nebulous to me. Any thoughts?
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4 comments:
I think the question I have for you is what would a "positive impact on your students" look like? I think you are getting to that when you wonder about the availability of a measure. Are there other things your students could do or produce that would give you an indication that something good was happening in your classroom? What evidence do you currently have that suggests these good things are not happening now? Can you create a vision of what your ideal classroom, student, student interactions, etc., would look like? Don't be afraid to dream a bit, and don't worry that this dreaming and visioning is going to be a waste of time. :-)
I was thinking about your project during Theory last night. Imagine the picture Sharon draws. If you are the creator, the students are the spectators, and the text is your curriculum: what are the possible complications in the outcome?
Will the students be interacting with other cultures or will they be limited to researching the artifacts (books, films, history, your personal feelings or experiences, etc.) from those unsaid cultures?
Will students spend time in class using new media on a global scale?
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