This one is short - I have been reading - a bunch of reading. Mertler's Action Research is so good and thorough. I feel humbled and basically realize how much I still need to learn. I have been "rapping" with my son who is 19. He hates when I say "rapping" but I use this word with him simply because it bothers him - ha. I said, "Hey Connor, let's discuss the difference between quantitative and qualitative analysis." He nailed it. I was proud of him. Me, on the other hand, was not as sure. I can really relate to what Mertler claims on page 173: “After having gathered potentially voluminous amounts of qualitative data, the practitioner researcher may feel a bit overwhelmed by the task that lies ahead, as it can seem a monumental undertaking.” Uh, YEAH. This relates to me and how I am feeling right now. I have a long way to go but as it stands, I am trying to put things in categories. How effective are my strategies? Is my sample enough? Am I collecting the right kinds of data to answer my questions?? I am still in PLANNING I should be farther along in ACTING I am not sure what to do with DEVELOPING I am looking forward to REFLECTING
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I incorrectly assumed that there would not be a huge host of seminal authors in regards to my Driving Question. There are thousands of articles and even more "pieces" to be found on the internet. One could look in the Napa Marketplace Magazine for goodness sakes, and find things written that pertains to my DQ. My unsurety here as I write this is, "Are these truly seminal authors?" My DQ for those of you who can not and would not want to keep up with the many times I have changed it, is this: How can we support learning and well-being during Covid for our students with mild/moderate disabilities?
A few of the chosen ones: 1. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet 2020;395:912-920. BIG IDEA: Understanding the psychological impact of quarantine. Further, " ...officials should quarantine individuals for no longer than required, provide clear rationale for quarantine and information about protocols, and ensure sufficient supplies are provided." MY THOUGHT: Of Course! 2. Betty Pfefferbaum, M.D., J.D., and Carol S. North, M.D., M.P.E. Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic. New England Journal of Medicine. BIG IDEA: the major stressors that undoubtedly will contribute to widespread emotional distress and increased risk for psychiatric illness associated with Covid-19. Further, ...conflicting messages from authorities are a big factor. MY THOUGHT: YES! I agree! 3. Huang, R.H., Liu, D.J., Tlili, A., Yang, J.F., Wang, H.H., et al. (2020). Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning During Educational Disruption: The Chinese Experience in Maintaining Undisrupted Learning in COVID-19 Outbreak. Beijing: Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University. BIG IDEA: Online learning strategies. Further, this handbook is from China and perhaps it is not scholarly enough but it is extremely enlightening. MY THOUGHT: Always so much to learn from other countries. 4. Garbe, A., Ogurlu, U., Logan, N., & Cook, P. (2020). Parents’ Experiences with Remote Education during COVID-19 School Closures. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 4(3), 45-65. BIG IDEA: This study aimed to investigate parents’ experiences and struggles during school closure using an online survey. Further, and surprisingly, many parents were satisfied! MY THOUGHT: There is a lot to learn from this. UNFORTUNATELY, I have changed my driving question. It is a bummer because I have to rewrite my ARP, AND try to make it better than before! I kind of feel like I wasted many weeks of summer classes where I worked many hours to get where I "got". The good news, is that I now have a driving question that is actually way more interesting to me, and is more narrow in scope, resulting in a better, more measurable research piece. Which brings me to my research I am now (sort of) conducting. Mostly I am looking up journal articles on the net but will dive into the Touro library of course. One thing I have learned - thank you Dr. Redmond, is that for every journal article and of course book, there are like 30 great...GREAT references at the end. Those references are gold. I am looking to find "seminal" authors, ones that come up again and again. So far, without doing library searches, I am learning a great deal from the YouthTruth Survey, where 20,000 students weighed in on well-being and learning during Covid. This is something I am very excited to learn more about. It is what we are ALL interested in right now. Are our kids learning? Are they well...on the inside, forget about the face they are putting on. The more I look into student well-being, the more I am interested in my research. Today I created my first survey for my students. I tested it on my own kids and they gave good feedback. "Mom, you're on to something, but I didn't understand the last question." Much more to do!
Please do not laugh at me. I am doing a 180 on my driving question! My new thinking is: How does interaction with a pet improve student behavior and performance?
So this is a far cry from my last question, which mind you, I spent 8 straight weeks working on. In my vast experience with distance learning thus far, it came clear to me that a few weeks in and as families sheltered at home, many adopted a new pet. Typical zoom session at the beginning: "Hi Johnny! Is that a new doggie in your lap?" "Yes, Mrs. Flynn! His name is Walter and he is a cockapoo. We got him last week!" And on and on it went. I had EIGHT families with a new pet during shelter in place in the spring. It was a big, interesting, and much needed conversation between myself, my students, and often their moms, who were usually close by. Hmm. How might this new friend make a difference in student performance - either at home or in the classroom (whenever that happens)? This is really intriguing to me. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I think I am kinda excited about this. Class pet experiences, anyone? |
Kathy FlynnAlways hoping, learning, and wondering...how am I making a difference in my student's lives? Archives
April 2021
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