3. Significant Learning from this Module
3.1 Theory
• I have learned a significant amount about the work of McNiff in the course of this module.
• At one point I felt I had totally lost my understanding of what action research was. I later realised this was Brunner's spiral curriculum in action as I let go of one level of understanding to move to a deeper one.
• In an innovative topic such as mine the body of literature is limited but I am in a fairly privileged position as I have access via blogs to some of the most interesting and innovative thinkers on the subject.
• research ethics must also include the rights of the researcher - for example I learned to take into account not only my participants needs for a work life balance but also my own.
3.2 Change strategies and their effects
This seems to mostly apply to managers or people in a position of power with the ability to implement change. The only literature I've been able to find that relates to it is aimed at management. The stuff talks about systemic organisational change (more Senge - groan) and how management can facilitate it.
Thing is my research is aimed at improving my practice not that of the audience of my pilot. They just share a work context with me not a job role. I'm not aiming to change their practice. I suppose it's possible that as McNiff suggests being around someone who is using reflective practice might influence others in the same context but that's hardly the sort of 'big bang' effect. I just don't see even the main exhibition having that sort of impact."
(posting to FIrstClass)
This seems to link to the insight I had on reading McNiff on researcher values and setting criteria. The impact my research has can be better judged if that judgement is based on whether it has changed the situation in the direction I desired. Incidents that have occurred since the pilot exhibition relating to a participant and the Classroom Displays archive suggest that there has been positive impact.
(from my research blog)
Links are now being arranged between the two schools and the teacher, who was one of the participants in my research, is very excited by the possibilities. This may form part of a later cycle of my research. Other examples are gradually building up in my learning journal. See Appendix1
3.3 Piloting the log sheets
l learned that
• focus on one resource per cycle. This will give people chance to fill in logs more quickly and will encourage detailed responses.
• the log sheets themselves were useful although some work on the wording is needed
• permission to use informal conversations as a further data source will need to be sought from participants
• grounded theory provides a rich data analysis tool even from a small amount of literature.
3.4 Piloting the exhibition:
• presentations should not try to cover too much ground
• I can be relaxed and confident talking to an audience of adults
• this can actually be quite enjoyable
• formal evaluation sheets need willing participants - their role needs to be explained more fully
• an invited interested audience is more likely to be useful to me for providing feed back.
3.5 Practice
• good search literature informs the research at every stage,
• familiarity with the literature allows deeper insights at the writing stage
• the process of writing the methodology provides a second opportunity for deeper engagement with theory literature.
• The input of peer review partners and critical friend (Andy Roberts) have been vital through the research preparation process. The evidence provided in the report is only a small sample of what are becoming a deeper and more helpful relationships. It is hard to keep these formal and to provide evidence, as they become a natural part of my practice. I need to strive to 'formalise the informal' and note more of these conversations in my learning journal where they can be reflected on later.
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