Chapter 3 questions
After reading the chapters, then reading/re-reading what others had already posted, I found myself agreeing quite a bit to what Fred has said about research. So, to explain a little bit about why I answered these questions the way I did, I must say that I tried to take into account my past 5 years of teaching experience in the high school Spanish classroom in 5 different school districts (one being in Illinois).
1. What are two ways in which the term research is used?
*There are two types, one being where the research conducted is based on a theory that's already been established or tested before (the current researcher wants to delve further and/or prove something that the original research lacked or didn't cover as in depth). The second type of research is one where new original research is conducted.
2. Do language teachers do research in both senses of the word? If they don't, why don't they? If they should, why should they?
*I agree with what Fred posted on this one, when he said that he'd start by reading and studying the research that's already been conducted on a subject or issue, gaining background knowledge, and then moving on to create a new research study. I, too, believe that I would do the same thing. At this point, since I'm trying to get things organized and ready to begin researching and writing my own APP, I feel that reading research done by others kind of gives me a starting point right now, some direction in which to go in order to make my APP better, to organize the information I find in a more cohesive way, and to (hopefully!) keep me from going nuts throughout the process.
3. How do YOU conceive of research? (What is it?) To what extent does your conception agree with those listed in the quotations in this chapter?
*Research, I believe, is almost necessary in any field, even in one's personal lives. As a teacher, I might conduct brief research to figure out the best way or different ways to teach a part of the curriculum. As a graduate student, I'm obviously studying and working on creating my own research study to complete my APP requirements. As an average consumer, I might look up information about a product before I buy it, especially with larger and more costly purchases. Like Fred said in his posting, research allows us to better ourselves and our own teaching practices by studying what others have researched and tried in their classrooms/lives.
7. What is the importance of context in research related to language teaching?
*Context is crucial in conducing any kind of research. Sometimes, I conduct research simply because I am curious about a topic or issue being discussed elsewhere, sometimes it's because I'm having difficulties teaching a particular concept in my Spanish class, and sometimes it's simply because I am lacking the information I need in order to make a big decision (who to vote for, the best place to go for vehicle repairs, furniture or electronics to buy, etc.) If I mixed up those contexts, it would drastically change the outcome of the research, as well as possibly bring about regression in my students and/or a loss of interest in what I'm teaching them.
1. What are two ways in which the term research is used?
*There are two types, one being where the research conducted is based on a theory that's already been established or tested before (the current researcher wants to delve further and/or prove something that the original research lacked or didn't cover as in depth). The second type of research is one where new original research is conducted.
2. Do language teachers do research in both senses of the word? If they don't, why don't they? If they should, why should they?
*I agree with what Fred posted on this one, when he said that he'd start by reading and studying the research that's already been conducted on a subject or issue, gaining background knowledge, and then moving on to create a new research study. I, too, believe that I would do the same thing. At this point, since I'm trying to get things organized and ready to begin researching and writing my own APP, I feel that reading research done by others kind of gives me a starting point right now, some direction in which to go in order to make my APP better, to organize the information I find in a more cohesive way, and to (hopefully!) keep me from going nuts throughout the process.
3. How do YOU conceive of research? (What is it?) To what extent does your conception agree with those listed in the quotations in this chapter?
*Research, I believe, is almost necessary in any field, even in one's personal lives. As a teacher, I might conduct brief research to figure out the best way or different ways to teach a part of the curriculum. As a graduate student, I'm obviously studying and working on creating my own research study to complete my APP requirements. As an average consumer, I might look up information about a product before I buy it, especially with larger and more costly purchases. Like Fred said in his posting, research allows us to better ourselves and our own teaching practices by studying what others have researched and tried in their classrooms/lives.
7. What is the importance of context in research related to language teaching?
*Context is crucial in conducing any kind of research. Sometimes, I conduct research simply because I am curious about a topic or issue being discussed elsewhere, sometimes it's because I'm having difficulties teaching a particular concept in my Spanish class, and sometimes it's simply because I am lacking the information I need in order to make a big decision (who to vote for, the best place to go for vehicle repairs, furniture or electronics to buy, etc.) If I mixed up those contexts, it would drastically change the outcome of the research, as well as possibly bring about regression in my students and/or a loss of interest in what I'm teaching them.
posted by Tanya Loewen at 6:30 PM
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