Research Process Post 8: Conclusion

   

There are a variety of Research Processes, but I focused on the Infozone method.  I did learn some useful information on the topic I researched, but my main focus was on learning the process and considering how I will teach students in the future.

     I don't like to spend a lot of time planning up front, and neither do the students I teach.  I had never been taught a "research process" before, other than the innate ideas of picking a topic, researching it, writing a paper, and including sources.  Because this is a difficult subject for me, I appreciated seeing formal processes, and being able to choose one myself.  I chose the Infozone process, which worked well for me, and I am certain it will work well with my students.  It lends itself to students who want to jump right in, instead of spending a lot of time planning.  To start off with, you only have to think of your topic or question, then you start researching and narrow or change your question if needed.  It is very difficult for the students to decide on their research topic until they see what is available, especially for the concrete thinkers.

     I was very pleased to find a method for determining the reliability of sources.  Many people have said to make sure the sources were reliable, but no on has ever given me criteria or explained how.  After finding criteria, I wound up throwing out half of the material I had found and considered reliable.  This will be part of my literary skills lessons in the future.

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     The results of my research changed my outlook.  I have been frustrated for many years with teaching very high standards to very low students.  Looking at the math standards today, it seems to focus on making all students be engineers, and doesn't account for the average student who is capable of being a productive member of society.  I still wish alternative courses could be in place for those who need it, but I have found a test to use for differentiation and guidance for finding materials and strategies to help concrete thinkers in their transition to abstract thinking.  I also was encouraged that college physics professors have the same struggle, and find they still have concrete thinkers in their classrooms!

     The process of Blogging for an assignment, was a treat for me and something I believe my students will appreciate.  Blogging will also allow for class discussion and make full class participation easier.

     This one assignment has helped me with multiple aspects of teaching students that I struggle with, and I am looking forward to putting them into practice in the coming school year.
   

Research Process Post 7: Reflection with Focus on Blogging

   

Usually, when I have had to do research, the product must be in the form of a paper.  I do not enjoy formal writing, and long, uniform looking papers.  On occasion, I had to do a tri-fold or a regular poster board, which was more appealing.  But, I the blog really suits my style.  I have been fascinated by blogs for awhile, and have even blogged myself, on occasion.

     Blogging allows me to write in a more informal way, turning my product into a narrative instead of a report.  Blogging has a conversational feel to it, without the interruptions, while allowing the reader to ignore or read, and respond or not, as they choose - and none of the choices are inherently rude.  I can also add pictures to each post, and change the appearance of my site, satisfying my creative and visual sides.

     Prior to taking these courses, I had never considered having students create blog posts.  I am now seriously considering doing so.  We do have heightened requirements around internet access for our students, but with the privacy settings available in Blogger, and careful supervision, we should be able to pull it off at our school.  From the student perspective, I think they will be more cooperative with writing assignments.  Almost all of the students at the school where I work are at-risk, with below grade level reading and writing skills, and many are behind in school.  The constant struggle to get students to write, could be aided with the use of blogs.  Generally, the students are excited about using the computers and tend to participate more when technology is used.  While not perfect, when the students are able to type, there are fewer spelling errors and the writing is legible.


     Blogging also lends itself well to class discussions.  I need to explore it a little more, but Blogger does have options to set up private groups, which would allow the class to read and respond to each other's posts, while not allowing communication to and from the outside world.  Blogging would allow everyone to participate, including the students who don't like to speak up, and the ones who can't get a word in during classroom discussions.

Research Process Post 6: Reflection with Focus on Learning Styles

      I normally despise research assignments, but this was the most enjoyable of all the ones I've ever had to do, and the one that taught me the most.  My instructor gave us a choice of doing research and blogging about the process, or creating a lesson on research skills, involving an analysis of the instruction and the learners.  I really struggle with teaching these skills, because I don't have them myself, so I went with the first option.  I think this assignment is really good because it covers several learning styles, and is adaptable to the preferences of each student.

     The Behaviourism (carrot and stick) learning style got me started on doing this assignment - it is worth 100 of my possible 840 points of my final grade, or 12%.  The fact that it counts so high is both the carrot and the stick.  Additional carrots for me came from having choices, from attaining the knowledge I need to have in my job, and blogging: I love to talk and can pretend people are actually listening - without interrupting.

      The Cognitivism (mental activity) learning style helped this to sink in for me.  As I plugged away on research, and jabbered away in my blogs, I'd look back and see "reflect on...".  Forcing me to stop and think about what I was doing, and talk about what I was doing, really helped the information to sink in.  I don't like to do this, and would not say this is my preferred learning style - in reality, it really is, because the information will not stay in my head if I don't do this.

     The Constructivism (self teaching, in context) learning style was prevalent in this assignment.  My teacher gave me resources for research methods, but I chose which one to use.  The teacher gave me parameters, but I was able to choose my topic within them.  Then I had to do the research.  The choices I made and the parameters given by my teacher, channeled me to explore and teach myself about research in a professional context.  Again, I wouldn't claim this as my preferred method, because I would prefer to listen to the teacher in a classroom, take notes, then do an assignment off of it - but, I was forced to learn this way, and it works very well.

     The Experientialism (problem solving through trial and improvement) learning style is the best fit for this assignment as I did it through my choices.  It combines the cognitivism and the constructivism learning styles, and suited my learning style to a tee.  I chose the option that allowed me to experience the research, the blogging helped me to correct things as I went, and the reflections made me really think about what I was doing.  I am a visual learner, and though I'm not a kinesthetic learner, I do learn better from hands on activities.  I do not learn from what I am told, but in a traditional setting, I learn from seeing what the teacher writes, and seeing the notes as I write them.  Being able to use a blog, instead of writing a paper, was far more effective than previous assignments as it allows me to add pictures and post in a more aesthetically appealing method than a research paper.

     The Social and Contextual learning style was available, but unused during this assignment.  I prefer to learn in a setting with other learners, but this is an online course.  We do have discussion boards for our reading, and the instructor provided an optional discussion board for this assignment.  The other students weren't using this option, and I'd already given up, and missed a post from one student.  If I had looked, I could of discussed this assignment with her, and I'm sure this would have helped.  You could also argue that the blog made this assignment social, but I haven't received any feedback yet - maybe my knowledge will be refreshed and refined in the future.

      I have learned a great deal during this research journey.  I prefer to jump right in, learn as I go, reflect and adapt, and turn in a final product with aesthetic appeal and use of technology.  Using experientialism, I was able to learn a dreaded topic in a way that was appealing to me.
     

Research Process Post 5: Findings

     My earlier Research Process blogs, discussed my journey through the process as I explored doing research so that I will be able to assist my future students on their own research assignments.  My chosen topic is "When do students develop abstract reasoning skills, and what can I do to help students who are not yet able?"

     I learned that students are first introduced to solving equations in middle school (Morin, 2014), transition to abstract reasoning at ages 15-16, and are able to successful reason at ages 16-17 (Susac, 2014).  This information explains why I have such a difficult time with students who need to reason abstractly to solve their math problems from the middle of the 6th grade through their sophomore year (usually ages 11 to 15).  Part of the abstract reasoning stage is metacognition, the ability to think about your thoughts and other people's thoughts (Cherry, 2018).  These grades are all before the age they begin to transition to abstract reasoning!  I also learned that some psychologist argue that the process is a product of culture, experience, and teaching (Abstract Thinking, 2015).  If this is true, I should be able to provide experiences and adjust my teaching so students are able to develop abstract reasoning skills.

     As I continued my research, I learned that I could test the reasoning level of my students, using the Lawson Test of Scientific Reasoning (Cornally, 2013).  Being aware of these results, I could seek interventions that help increase student reasoning levels, such as peer instruction and modeling.  I can form questions on their level, assign task on their level, and honor their need for concreteness.  (Cornally, 2013).  I located a copy of the Lawson Test, an answer key, and how to interpret the results.

     I have struggled during most of my teaching career, starting with the standards changing in Georgia, first to GPS, then CCGPS, an now GSE.  All of these standards pushed math concepts to earlier ages than under the QCCs, and required abstract reasoning that students seem unable to do.  For the first time, I have hope and I am thrilled to find a test I can give my students that test their reasoning skills.  I intend to replace the learning styles tests I usually give and
will do further research for teaching strategies to help our teachers connect with our students.

Sources

1. Morin, Amanda. "Math Skills: What to Expect at Different Ages."  Understood, www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/signs-symptoms/age-by-age-learning-skills/math, kills-what-to-expect-at-different-ages.  Accessed 29 June 2018.

2. Susac, Ana, Bubic, Andreja, Vrbanc, Andreja, and Planinic, Maja.  "Development of Abstract Mathematical Reasoning: the Case for Algebra." Frontiers in Human Science, vol. 8, p. 679, PMC, doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00679.  Accessed 29 June 2018.

3.  "Abstract Thinking."  GoodTherapy, 4 August 2015, www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/abstract-thinking. Accessed 29 June 2018.

4.  Cherry, Kendra.  "The Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development."  Verywellmind, reviewed by Stephen Gans, 24 May 2018, www.verywellmind.com/formal-operational-stage-of-cognitive-development-2795459.  Accessed 29 Jun 2018.

5. Cornally, Shawn.  "Teenagers and Abstract Thinking:  Unclear on the Concept?"  Edutopia, 5 Mar. 2013, www.edutopia.org/blog/teenagers-and-abstract-thinking-shawn-cornally.  Accessed 29 June 2018. 

6.  Lawson, Anton E.  "Development and Validation of the Classroom Test of Formal Reasoning." Journal of Research in Science Teaching, vol. 15, no. 1, 1978, pp. 11-24. "Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning: Multiple Choice Version."  Arizona State University, revised ed. Aug. 2000, www.public.asu.edu/~anton1/AssessArticles/Assessments/Mathematics%20Assessments/Scientific%20Reasoning%20Test.pdf.  Accessed 29 Jun 2018.

7.  "Lawson Test Keys." Brooklyn College, CUNY - Physics 101.  Course Hero, www.coursehero.com/file/13505474/Lawson-Test-Keys/#/question.  Accessed 29 Jun 2018.

8.  Moore, James Christopher and Rubbo, Louis.  "Scientific Reasoning Abilities of Non-Science Majors in Physics Based Courses."  Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, vol. 8, no. 1, Oct. 2011.  ResearchGate, doi: 10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.8.010106.  Accessed 29 Jun 2018.

Research Process Post 4: The Journey Ends

     So far, in my research using the InfoZone process, I completed the first three steps: deciding on a question, finding articles, and evaluating the sources of the articles.  My evaluation found several articles lacking in reliability due to lack of authority.  One article lacked source citations and one was not current.  I went from thirteen sources down to eight.  Now, I am ready for step 4.

    The 4th step in the InfoZone process is Connecting: Organizing Information.  This is the step where you brainstorm, organize your ideas, and write your report.  InfoZone has several links for these ideas, but not all work.  Between the working links and Google I found these resources: brainstorming tool, graphic organizers, study guides, and writing tips.

     I have an article stating that children should develop the ability to solve simple equations in middle school, an article showing research that concludes students are between 16 and 17 when they can reason abstractly, an article that mention IQ tests using abstract reasoning skills and mentions Piaget's theories, an article explaining what Piaget's Formal Operational stage is and that it begins around 12 and continues through adulthood, an article about kids not having the reasoning skills needed for courses, testing their abstract thinking level, and adjusting teaching based on scores, and 3 articles with the test, the key, and how to score it.  So, I'm thinking I would put together a paper starting with a discussion of the development of abstract reasoning skills, a plan for assessing student ability, and a plan for strategies to help your students based on those results.  I will discuss my findings in my next blog, but keep in mind, my assignment isn't to actually write a research paper, it is to explore the process.

     The 5th step in the InfoZone process is Producing: Communicating the Information.  The links to this step are mainly about finding images to go with your paper and ways to publish your report.  For my assignment, that part has been this blog, which is the part I have enjoyed the most.

     The 6th step is Judging: Evaluating the Process and the Product.  The links include using rubrics, and my instructor provided me with one.  I have been evaluating the process through the blogs, and with my daughter's help, we looked over the first two blogs.  Tomorrow I am hoping to get her to look over the rest of my posts to point out my errors.  She has been a great help, as it has been a long time since I took a writing choice, and I am writing a lot of this while I am tired.

     My Research Journey has ended!!!  I will be posting several more blogs sharing my findings and reflections on the research process from several aspects.

Research Process Post 3: The Journey Continues

   

     In my last post, I discussed the processed I went through in deciding on a question and searching for information.  After I got a got a good night's sleep, I added the last articles I found, added some pictures, and posted my blog.  But, luckily, my daughter was willing to read over my posts, though I had to deal with the snickers and comments of how boring it was.  She found so many typos, and awkwardly worded statements that I had made in my exhausted state!  Now it's time to continue my research using the InfoZone method.

     The third step is Choosing: Understanding and Appraising Information.  The resources listed under this heading, included one about evaluating web pages, the link didn't work, but I was able to track down the current web page.  Widener University's web page has a section for evaluating web pages and has a link to this video addressing evaluation based on authority, accuracy, currency, and objectivity.  Authority is a look at the author, for things like their name and contact information listed, and why they are knowledgeable about this topic.  Accuracy is looking for resources and references listed.  Currency is looking for dates published and updated, how recent the dates are, and if all hyperlinks work. Objectivity is considering any bias the person might have on the subject.

      ✔Article 1: Math Skills: What to Expect at Different Ages:  The author is Amanda Morin, she is listed on the website, with her picture, linked to her bio, she has an education degree, training in parent advocacy, is a former teacher, and author with three published books.  I checked it out, and the books are listed on GoodReads, which has a similar bio for her.  The article was also reviewed by Donna Volpitta who has a doctorate in learning disabilities.  There are no sources listed, but the information provided is in the realm of Amanda Morin's expertise.  The article's copywright is listed as 2014, all the links were internal to the site and working.  I could see or think of any bias.  I determined this article to be trustworthy.

     ✘Article 2: Metacognition, Cognitive Monitoring, and Mathematical Performance:  This article was published in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.  I would find this trustworthy, but it was published in 1985, so it is not current.  Also, it didn't really have information helpful to my research. I determined this was not a useful article for my purposes.

      ✔Article 3: Development of Abstract Mathematical Reasoning:  The Case for Algebra:  This website is an archive of journals, but the article was published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in Switzerland.  The authors are information are listed at the top of the article, three of the authors are part of the physics faculty at a university, and the fourth is the chair of the psychology department.  The article uses and lists multiple resources, and at least some, if not all are from the U.S.  At the top of the article, it says it was published in 2014.  All the links are working.  I didn't believe there is a lack of objectivity in teachers looking for ways to help students.

     ✔Article 4:  Abstract Thinking:  This doesn't list a specific author, but it is an entry in an online psychology encyclopedia.  The website, is a gathering site for published information and news in the field of psychology, and a source to help people find therapists.  This entry is information pulled from sources that it lists, including Piaget.  The entry was last updated 8/4/2015, and the website is copyrighted 2007-2018.  The mission and goal of this organization is posted, and I believe their definitions are unbiased.

     ✔Article 5: The Formal Operation Stage of Cognitive Development:  Right away, at the top, I see the author and the reviewer.  The author is Kendra Cherry, there is a link to her Bio.  She teaches psychology and is a published author.  I looked her up on GoodReads and she has two written two psychology books, with good reviews.  Her reviewer is an assistant professor at Harvard and a certified psychiatrist, he is on the review board of Very Well Mind, the website this article is on, and whose goal is to provide trusted information about mental health.  The article lists 5 resources. It was last updated 5/24/18.  The links are working.  I determined her to be unbiased.

     ✘Article 6: Adult Mental Development: There is no information about the website at the top, and no logo - just his unlinked name Gregory Mitchell, this article and a sidebar advertising mind development courses.  No sources are cited.  There is a copyright for the page at the bottom of 2005 - 2015.  At the bottom, it says "Contact Webmaster", but it is not a link and does not tell you how.  I could find no outside information about the author, but the website includes a bio that says he was a stage manager, a method actor, got an electrical engineering degree, owned a company in Andorra, and developed this "mind development" program.  The person giving testimonial about him says Gregory Mitchell had been interested in sports medicine, experimented with improving performance with psychological methods, wrote a monologue "Zen and the Art of Sprinting", tried to increase people's reading speed by having them do exercises under "stroboscopic lighting", disappeared for four years, and returned shell shocked.  It didn't feel like an endorsement to me.

      ✘Article 7: Cognitive Development: This article has a website at the top "Encyclopedia of Children's Health".  When you click on it, it tells this is in depth articles about children's health.  It also has a public forum.  But, there is no further information.  The author's name is at the bottom, and I almost missed it: Ken R. Wells.  There is no information about him, so I googled him.  There is a journalist and novelist by that name, and there is an author of non-fiction books on Amazon.  I don't know if he is either one of these people.  There are three user questions at the bottom, all unanswered.  There are a lot of sources listed for the article, that look like they could be legitimate, but one has a link which is not working.  The article is not dated.

     ✘Article 8: Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development You'd be Fascinated to Know: At the top it tells you the website is PsycholoGenie, and they are here to help provide you information.  You can email them, follow them on Facebook, and Google+.  They are owned by Buzzle.com, who has a lot of informational websites.  This article was published by "PsycholoGenie" staff.  I can find nothing about the staff of this website or Buzzle.com, nor about the authority of the websites.  The article doesn't cite sources.

     ✘Article 9:  Cognitive Development - Piaget's stages of cognitive development, Modern views:   The website is not listed at the top, nor is any author, or date.  At the very bottom is the logo for Net Industries, but no link.  I Googled them and found they provide free utilities for webmasters.  At the bottom, it shows how to cite this article, but the only information is the title and this website.  The article says Piaget is French, but someone commented in the bottom, that he is Swiss.  I looked it up and found out he is Swiss, but was born in an area of Switzerland that spoke French.

     ✔Article 10: Teenagers and Abstract Thinking: Unclear on the Concept?:  The website is Edutopia, part of George Lucas' Educational Foundation.  Their mission is to do k-12 educational research and to inform people on what works.  The author is Shawn Cornally, a lead stem teacher at an innovative high school IowaBIG.  His bio on Edutopia includes his blog and his website, which include a lot of information and qualifications.  He cites sources that I was able to locate.  The article is dated 3/5/2013 and the links are working.  He appears to love teaching, and sharing his successes.

Illustration from Lawson's reasoning test

     ✔Article 11: Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning:  This is a pdf of a classroom test for formal reasoning published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.  This test is the tool used by the teacher interviewed in article 10, and the full research article that used this test can be accessed through one of his sources: http://www.public.asu.edu/~anton1/LawsonAssessments.htm.

     ✔Article 12: Lawson Test Keys - Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning: This is on a website that is an online library of resources.  You can access a limited amount of articles for free if you register with them.  To see full articles, you must sign up for a paid account or upload your own educational documents.  You have to fill out an application to verify you are an educator.  This document has been uploaded by Brooklyn College for Physics 101.

    ✔Article 13:  Scientific Reasoning Abilities of Non-Science Majors in Physics-based Courses:  This is a site for researchers to share their articles and connect with their peers.  The authors are listed at the top, rolling over their picture and name pulls up their qualifications: the are both in the physics department at Coastal Carolina University.  The journal this article was published in is cited at the top.  Their article has 40 references, all listed.  This article was published in the journal in October of 2011.  If you download the article, it tells you it was uploaded 3/12/14.  I judged them to be unbiased on this subject matter.

Widener University Wolfram Libray

     This was the longest step, so far, and the most difficult for me.  However, I found this process to be very educational as I knew you were supposed to verify your sources, but did not know how.  All of these articles appeared legitimate to me, but thanks to Widener University for supplying a YouTube video tutorial, I now have a method for verifying sources.  Their video is very well done, and I found it entertaining.  They view two websites with information on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Both look legitimate, but following their steps, you discover one is published by a grand wizard of the KKK.