University of Massachusetts at Boston
Graduate College of Education
Critical & Creative Thinking Program
Action Research for Educational, Professional, and Personal Change
CrCrTh693
Spring 2009
Syllabus
Instructor: Peter Taylor, Critical & Creative Thinking Program
Email: peter.taylor@umb.edu
Phone: 617-287-7636
Office: Wheatley 2nd flr 143.09 (near Counseling & School Psychology)
Class: Tu 6.45-9.15, in McC2-628C
Office/phone call hours: Tu 3.10-3.50 & 4.30-6.30 by sign up,
or by arrangement.
Syllabus Website with links: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/693-09.html
Course wiki: http://cct.wikispaces.com/693
Listserv/discussion forum: Emails sent to cct693@googlegroups.com go to everyone in the course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course covers techniques for and critical thinking about the evaluation of changes in educational practices and policies in schools, organizations, and informal contexts. Topics include quantitative and qualitative methods for design and analysis, participatory design of practices and policies in a framework of action research, institutional learning, the wider reception or discounting of evaluations, and selected case studies, including those arising from semester-long student projects.
- To meet the needs of the diverse, mid-career professionals and creative artists that enter CCT, "educational change" in the pre-2008 course title was always construed broadly to include organizational change, training, and personal development, as well as curricular and school change. The second half of the post-2008 course title makes this explicit.
- Replacing "Evaluation" in the title with "Action Research" signifies that evaluation is best linked with constituency-building as ideas get developed in practice. To see this, consider the central motivation for the course in the CCT curriculum: "If you have good ideas how do you get others to adopt and/or adapt them?" -- in other words, how do you build a constituency around your idea. This concern can lead you into evaluating how good the ideas actually are (with respect to some defined objectives) so you can demonstrate this to others. It can also lead you to work with others to develop the idea so it becomes theirs as well and thus something they're invested in. Action Research, in the "Cycles & Epicycles" model taught in this course, involves group facilitation, participatory planning, and reflective practice, as well as systematic evaluation.
- Students from programs outside education should find this course a suitable vehicle to enhance your interests in professional and personal change.
- See overview for elaboration of relationship of evaluation to facilitation of change.
PREREQUISITES: Nothing formal; only an interest in some aspect of Educational, Professional, and Personal Change. For CCT students, this course is best taken after Processes of Research and Engagement.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Sections 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 offer guidelines for curriculum modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. If applicable, students may obtain adaptation
recommendations from the Ross Center (287-7430). The student must present these
recommendations to each professor within a reasonable period, preferably by
the end of the Drop/Add period.
Students are advised to retain a copy of this syllabus in personal files
for use when applying for certification, licensure, or transfer credit.
This syllabus is subject to change, but workload expectations will not be
increased after the semester starts. (Version 8 Apr '09; changes since start of semester marked in blue)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sections To Follow In Syllabus
Texts and Materials
Electronic organization and competencies
Requirements
Schedule of Classes, Preparation and related handouts, Assignment due dates
Links to specific classes on the web version of the syllabus: Class 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12
Bibliography
Additional materials on the web
Notes on Teaching/Learning Interactions (including guidelines for assignments & participation items), http://cct.wikispaces.com/693-09Notes
Links to examples of previous students' work, http://www.faculty.umb.eu/pjt/693examples.html
Rubrics (for individual assignments and for course as a whole in relation to the College of Ed. Objectives for Thoughtful and Responsive Educators), http://www.faculty.umb.eu/pjt/693-09Rubrics.html
Course wiki, including student annotated clippings and summaries of readings
Alert the instructor immediately if a link you need does not work.
Link to reports from current Students' Projects
TEXTS and MATERIALS
Required: Calhoun, E. F. (1994). How to Use Action Research in the Self-Renewing School. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Schmuck, R. (either 1997 or 2006). Practical Action Research for Change. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight. (Used copies of old editions may be available via amazon.com)
Recommended to help with writing: Daniel, D., C. Fauske, P. Galeno and D. Mael (2001). Take Charge of Your Writing: Discovering Writing Through Self-Assessment. Boston: Houghton Mifflin ("new" copies available well below list price on amazon.com)
Recommended if you are interested in facilitating group process: Schuman, S., Ed. (2006). Creating a Culture of Collaboration: The International Association of Facilitators Handbook. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Readings for the course consist primarily of individual articles and book chapters.
Most of these can be downloaded from the Healey Library's Electronic Reserves
(marked eRes on the syllabus, docutek.lib.umb.edu/
(path: Electronic reserves and Course Materials | select cct693, enter password
provided by instructor) or e-journals).
ELECTRONIC ORGANIZATION and COMPETENCIES
Students who prefer to access course materials online should create a bookmark to the table of contents for this syllabus and key online materials (http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/693-09.html#TOC). Students who prefer hard copies should printout this syllabus and the Notes on Teaching/learning interactions -- these are the most important documents to keep you oriented and informed during the semester. Everyone should printout the assignment check-list and use it to keep track of assignments submitted and participation items completed.
Use of a personal wiki for written assignments is optional, but two participation items (C and D4, see below) require use of the course wiki. The "syllabus quiz" (item B2, see below), to be undertaken before class 2, can get you started on wiki use, but, if you find it at all difficult, wait for the peer coaching scheduled in class 6.
Recommended: portable storage (e.g., flash drives), synchronization & bibliographic software. (For more info see http://www.cct.umb.edu/competencies.html.)
REQUIREMENTS
More detail about the assignments, expectations, and rationale is provided in
the Notes on Teaching/Learning Interactions and, in a more formal way if that interests you, in the Rubrics (see links above).
Written assignments and presentations (2/3 of grade)
Project = Design and report on (1500-2500 words) an Action Research Process related to a change or intervention in a specific classroom, workplace or personal teaching/learning practice, an educational policy, an educational institution, or a social policy. Your design should include all the aspects of the Action research cycles and epicycles (see Action Research Cycles and Epicycles, http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/ARcyclingIII.pdf), including how you will learn from evaluations of past changes or interventions like yours, how you would facilitate the reflective and/or collaborative process in which a constituency comes to join with you in shaping a change or intervention (or at least supporting your efforts), and how you would evaluate the outcome with a view to expanding further the constituency for adopting/adapting the change or intervention. If you actually carry out some of the design, you should report on what you have actually done and how you would proceed differently if you were to do it over. Carrying out the design is applauded, but not required. and it is important that you do not let implementing your change eclipse attention to designing the other aspects of the Action Research.
The project is developed through a sequence of assignments:
reflection on class demonstration action research, initial description (based on strategic personal planning), KAQ, evaluation clock, initial work-in-progress presentation with notes on research and planning, narrative outline, updated work-in-progress presentation (taking into account comments on initial version and notes), complete draft report, and final (1500-2500 words) report.
A. Action Research written assignments and work-in-progress presentations
Initial submissions of all assignments due on the dates given below in the Schedule of classes (and summarized on the assignment checklist).
At least five, including the complete report, should be revised and resubmitted in responses to comments until OK/RNR (=OK/ Reflection-revision-resubmission Not Requested).
If the complete report is not OK/RNR by the date for submission of grades an incomplete may be submitted (see assignment check-list for more details).
Participation and contribution to the class process (1/3 of grade)
B. Building learning community through prepared participation and attendance at class meetings(=13 items) and B2. "syllabus quiz" submitted in week 2
C. Summaries on the course wiki (new entries or revisions to existing ones) of readings for weeks 9, 10, and 12 (=3 items)
D. Personal/Professional Development (PD) Workbook compiled throughout the semester (6 items), including:
D1. Regular entries on possible application of tools to your project, perused at first conference or before mid-semester break
D2. worksheet on PD workbook
and research organization submitted in week 6
D3. Whole PD workbook ready for perusal at the end of the semester (week 13)
D4. Annotated links to "Clippings," posted on the course wiki (2 items for 6 postings)
D5. Process review on the development of your work (week 13)
E. Minimum of two in-office or phone conferences on your assignments, PD workbook, personal wikipage, and project -- one before mid-semester break; the other before week 10 (=2 items)
F. Assignment Check-list maintained by student
and submitted week 12, including completion contract if required.
G. Peer commentary on another student's draft report (with copy submitted to
PT or included in PD workbook)
Students should aim for 5 writing and presentation assignments OK/RNR (=OK/ Reflection-revision-resubmission Not Requested), including the complete report, and 21 participation items fulfilled.
If you reach or exceed this level, you get 80 points (which gives you an automatic B+) and the following rubric is used to add further points.
For each quality "fulfilled very well" you get 2 points or 1 point if you "did an OK job, but there was room for more development/attention." You get 0 points if "to be honest, this still needs serious attention."
1. A sequence of assignments paced more or less as in syllabus (and revisions timely),
2. often revised thoroughly and with new thinking in response to comments.
3. Project innovative, well planned and carried out with considerable initiative, and
4. indicates that you can move from design to implementation in your specific situation.
5. Project reports clear and well structured,
6. with supporting references and detail, and professionally presented.
7. Active contribution to and reflection on process of learning from Action Research (initial example as well as class activities around semester-long projects)
8. Ability to shift between opening out and focusing in as required to complete full Evaluation clock
9. Active, prepared participation and building class as learning community.
10. PD workbook (or personal wiki) show: Consistent work outside class,
11. deep reflection on your development through the semester and
12. map of the future directions in which you plan to develop.
If you don't reach the automatic B+ level, your points = 10 for each writing assignment (or presentation) that is marked OK/RNR + 3 for each other writing assignment initially submitted by the due date + 1.2 for each participation item fulfilled up to a maximum of 80.
Overall course points are converted to letter grades as follows: The minimum grade for A is 95 points, for A- is 87.5, for B+ is 80, for B is 72.5; for B- is 65; for C+ is 57.5; and for C is 50.
(In theory it is possible for a student to earn 104 points, but this would still be awarded an A.)
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
Class 1 (1/27) Introduction to Action Research Cycles and Epicycles, I
The framework of Action Research Cycles and Epicycles is introduced through a compressed example during this class and the next.
Critical Incident Questionnaire
Homework tasks, a.k.a. "Syllabus quiz" to submit in week 2.
---------------
Class 2 (2/3) Introduction to Action Research Cycles and Epicycles, II
Reading in preparation for class 2: Schmuck, 1997, p. vii-29; 2006, p. ix-29
Pre- or post-class reading on Focused Conversations: Stanfield, 6-29.
Feedback on Critical Incident Questionnaire I
Questions on Syllabus, course mechanics, and using wikis
Continuation of activity from class 1
Focused Conversation on compressed Action Research experience to date (handout)
---------------
Class 3 (2/10) Strategic Participatory Planning,
applied to initial formulation of a course action research project so it incorporates your wider personal and life concerns (and thus recruits you firmly into your constituency)
Reading: Final project by alum of the course (Jan Coe & John Quirk; from password protected site - see below), Spencer, chaps. 5 &
7, Weissglass, "Constructivist Listening," also Review Project reports
from previous semesters (online using password protected
site.)
Interview an alum of the course, Jeremy Szteiter, about his experience developing an Action Research process.
Supportive Listening (a variant of constructivist listening) on one's hopes/fears/ideas/questions re: educational, professional, and/or personal change
Strategic personal planning workshop (about the educational/organizational/personal change you want to facilitate/promote)
In-class drafting of initial description of AR design project
Post-class reading: (for those interested in Strategic Participatory Planning) Materials from ICA Facilitators Manual (PPR), CEDAC, Our Economy, Taylor, "Epilogue," 204-210, Schmuck on "cooperative" action research
*A* Asmt. 1: 1st Reflection on your Experience as Novice Action Researchers in relation to the Considered Formulations from Other Sources (i.e., Schmuck) (Notes, Examples)
---------------
2/17 No class
---------------
Class 4 (2/24) Examining the background and evaluations of previous actions before pressing forward,
using tools and interactions with others to open up problems and focus in on needed inquiry
Reading: Greenwald, "Learning from Problems."
Use of KAQ framework.
*A* Asmt. 2: Initial Paragraph Overview of Project (revised in response to PT's comments by email on in-class draft) (N, E)
---------------
Class 5 (3/3) Formulating informative comparisons as a basis for evaluations, I
using the Comparison steps (2-4) of the evaluation clock to analyze published evaluations of past actions, then to design evaluations that may be part of students' projects
Reading: Goode Clipping (PPR) on the effects of a smoking ban;
Overview of relationship of evaluation to facilitation of change; Guide to the Evaluation clock (before and/or after class)
*A* Asmt. 3: KAQ assignment (N, E)
---------------
Class 6 (3/10) Formulating informative comparisons as a basis for evaluations, II
Introduction to statistical formulations of comparisons and background assumptions
Peer coaching on Evaluation clock assignment and its extension to students'
Projects, wiki use, KAQ, and PD workbooks.
*A* Asmt. 4a. Use the comparison steps (2-4) in the evaluation clock
to design evaluation as part of your project (N, E)
*A* E1. First conference must be completed by 3/13 to discuss your Action
Research ideas, the course thus far, and your PD workbook (bring to conference) (N)
*A* D2. Submit worksheet on PD workbook
and research organization (N)
*A* E2. Schedule second conference before 4/23 to discuss your projects and use of evaluation clock
---------------
3/17 No class (Spring break)
---------------
Class 7 (3/24) Work-in-progress presentations, I
*A* Asmt. 5a, initial: Work-in-progress Presentation I on Project (N, E)and 5b. Notes on Research and Planning for Student Projects (N, E)
---------------
Class 8 (3/31) Reflection on your Experience as Novice Action Researchers with the Considered Formulations from Other Sources, I
Readings: Schmuck, pages 29-146, Calhoun, How to Use Action Research
(especially chapters 1-3), Weiss, chapter 1, and (optional) Weiss, chapters 2 &4. Also preview Small group work roles.
Video on work in heterogeneous groups.
Small group work on two activities: a) guidelines
for small group work with adults and b) comparison of PT's and Calhoun's frameworks for Action Research
Critical Incident Questionnaire II on course to date
*A* Asmt. 4b due: Use the full evaluation clock to design the evaluation
part of your project.
---------------
Class 9 (4/7) Reflection on your Experience as Novice Action Researchers with the Considered Formulations from Other Sources, II
Readings: At least three from Hitchcock & Hughes, Chap. 3, "Access,
ethics, and objectivity," Chapter 5, "Designing, planning and evaluating
Research"; Greenwood & Levin, Chaps. 8 & 11, "Action research
cases," & "Action science and organizational learning"; Rokovich,
et al., "Implementing change"; Jenkins, "Action learning";
CEDAC, Our Economy; Greenwald, Science in Progress; Madison Metropolitan
School District, "Classroom action research" (and linked pages),
study of CIT
Feedback on Critical Incident Questionnaire II
Dialogue Process session on engagement and ethics in Action Research
---------------
Class 10 (4/14) Influences of Political Context on Evaluation and Educational Research
Although it is not expected that your projects tackle the larger political context of making changes in education (broadly construed) or draw on sophisticated theories about evaluation and educational change, this class put these areas on your maps.
Readings--at least one of:
Woodhead, "When psychology," Hunt, "The dilemma," Metcalf,
"Reading between the lines." Muir, "Science rules OK," Rokovich, San Jose School District
"Jig-saw" digestion and discussion of readings
*A* Asmt. 7: Narrative Outline for Project Report
---------------
4/21 No class
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Class 11 (4/28) Work-in-progress presentations, II (taking into account comments on previous presentation & notes on research & planning)
*A* Asmt 5, updated: Work-in-progress Presentation II on Project
Titles of Projects
Avidano, Yolanda , Title TBA
Baquiran, Carissa, Creating an Anti-Racist Framework:
Action Research to Inform Curriculum Design in the Arts and Media
Capezio, Kristin , Defining and Implementing Professional Development In the After Care Setting
Celestin, Marie , Title TBA
Fleischner, Allison, Developing a Professional Development Plan:
A journey in Action Research
Hinkell, Alyssa, Utilizing Peer Partnerships to Motivate and Engage Struggling Students
LeFaivre, Mary Beth, Building a community of practice: How change in our actions can mutually benefit practitioners
Levey-Pabst,Marie, Blogs: Tools for Critical and Collaborative Conversations
Monteiro, Jackie , Title TBA
Mucci, Jeneen , Developing a Professional Development Model for Youth Workers
Poehnert, Jeremy, Title TBA
Smith, Ashley, Implementing change to ICS marketing meetings (How to build a constituency to incorporate change in the workplace)
Truong, Diana, Title TBA