Can't think of a title: Take One

Alvarez Article: Funny I am reading this now...I completed action research using blogs during the first marking period with both my reading remediation students and my one lang arts class...it was mostly because it was a choice I made to fulfill a requirement for Julie's class in the fall, but I have to say that it also came from knowing that both I and my students needed to feel like something was accomplished when not only the week or lesson was over, but when the year was over. I have never been a rote-type of teacher; if it's boring for me then it's boring for them. So, the idea that I could, as an option for this research, ask my students-in so many words-how relevant or not relevant something was, I say that's a step in the right direction for everyone. Alvarez said it is a transforming experience (p. 3) , and I agree 100%. it makes you do something about an issue or where something may be lacking...something only the students can tell you from their perspective.

...and the idea of sharing power in the classroom (p.6)...what better way to get students engaged. I am not the perfect teacher, but I remember being in classes when I was young where there just was no choice. It was all done the same way each year at the same time with no deviation. I knew that when I became a teacher, it would have to be different. I didn't know how because I didn't have the experience, but the trials and errors were really good experiences and students appreciated knowing you'd be willing to change if something didn't work.

L & A: Oh, boy. What a snore this book is going to be. But the rhetorical inquiries...it feels like this means that there should be awareness of your thoughts and the ability to articulate them as if a question is going to be posed. We all have constant thoughts generating as we teach...the concern portion. Then questioning those concerns. Can it be that easy to generate an inquiry? Empirical...this is trying to prove the research wrong? Or show where it is lacking? As boring as the book looks, I'm thinking this is interesting enough that I might be able to look past it. Then again, I am only on the intro. The key to this seems to be that the inquiry should mesh with what you are doing to gain insight and to compare (p.7) ...like Alvarez said...makes sense.

There is so much that goes into effectively carrying out research that you really have to actually carry it out for a lot of this to sink in and makes sense. Searching the relevant literature is one thing, but the rest of it is just overwhelming. Well, it wasn't so bad when I turned to see the table on pages 12, 13, and 16. It became a little less overwhelming. I had taken the statistics class over the summer and really felt like there was a huge gap in what I was learning because I was only learning what she thought we needed...but that left a lot of confusion and unanswered questions that there simply wasn't time to answer. Since the authors claim right off that they are not experts, and considering the way they have chosen to write the book, I don't think doing this "official" type of research will be so bad...I hope...

KS: Aha. See. These authors said what I said...page 316: "The best way to become adept at literary criticism is to do it." I realized while reading this chapter that...well, at least after sorting through her summaries of North and Phelps...that she decided at some point that his ideas meant enough to her to want to research the other side of them. But...I also think that she sort of forced herself to have an opinion about North and Phelps for the sake of research (323). Or is is that she has really immersed herself in it and grown in it and really developed opinions about their theories and methods? It seems the key in deciding how much research is worth depends on how interested you are in it...that would be key (p. 328)