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Guiding teachers in conducting action research.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

This paper describes how teachers in grades 3-8 analyzed their teaching by conducting action research in their mathematics classrooms. The research focused on implementing authentic assessment in which teachers followed a four-stage action research model. Teachers identified mathematics skills to assess, developed research questions, and selected assessment tasks along with a rubric. They also collected data from students' work, and reported their findings. Finally, they reflected on the value of their action research experiences in improving their teaching and student performance in problem solving.

Background

Two documents published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) were influential in setting a new course for mathematics teaching and learning based on the accumulated research on students' thinking and society's need of a skilled workforce (NCTM, 1989; 2000). The focus on problem solving posed challenges, especially in assessing higher-order skills, since problem solving required considerable thinking from the students (Szetela & Nicol, 1992). Researchers recommended that mathematics teachers explore for themselves alternative methods of assessment that require students to communicate their thinking and justify their solutions (Charles, Lester, & O'Daffer, 1987; Szetela & Nicol, 1992). These experiences should include assessing student understanding at higher levels of thinking than just knowledge and comprehension. In order to do this, teachers need formal instruction in analyzing students' thinking and in helping students to make sense of the mathematics they are learning (Buschman, 2004). In public schools the pressure is on school leaders to instigate reforms that are centered, in part, on research-based practices, including assessment in all grade levels (Cooney, Badger, & Wilson, 1993). Furthermore, school leaders are being urged to be proactive and to focus on improving learning by encouraging teachers to conduct action research at the classroom level (McTighe, Seif, & Wiggins, 2004).

The major goal of this paper is to describe those processes, events, and outcomes that guided teachers in conducting action research on the use of alternative assessments to measure problem- solving skills. Twenty-four teachers (a second cohort that was part of a larger study) took part in a 17-month needs-based professional development program. Results from the first cohort of 15 teachers were published elsewhere (Taube, Polnick, & Jasper, 2004).

Action Research

Action research has gained importance in the educational arena and, consequently, several teacher preparation institutions are offering opportunities for teachers to engage in action research for both pre-service (Price & Valli, 2005) and in-service teachers (An, 2004b). From a pedagogical standpoint, action research engages...

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