The Teacher as Researcher:
A Look at Evidence-Based Approaches
Pauline
Bynoe,
Assistant professor, graduate
program in special education
Consider
the following statements:
“My principal wants to know
when I can share the results with her.”
“There is so much talk of accountability in my school, I hear or
feel it in everything we do.”
The
first statement comes from a graduating teacher who recently completed her
master’s research project as partial fulfillment of a master’s degree
in special education. Her presentation to the principal would report the
findings of the question, How can authentic assessment be aligned with the
standardized curriculum to provide opportunities for student success?
Over recent years,
there has been an increased tone of accountability in schools, heightened
by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act Act of January 2001. One aspect of
accountability within NCLB is a requirement for scientifically based
research that informs classroom practices and, in turn, its impact on the
learning outcomes for students. This
leads to constructs for evidence-based interventions.
Since
the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA of
1965) as the NCLB Act; the above teacher quotations are becoming
increasingly representative of the tone, tenor, and perspective of
teachers as they contemplate and act on the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions braided into their training.
They report that the NCLB is heard and felt in their daily
teaching lives. Indeed, the ESEA Act, has been the most pervasive
legislation of entitlement for children with differentiated needs.
Five of the entitlements within NCLB that are reflected most
often by our teacher-researchers are:
Title I - Improving the Academic
Achievement of the Disadvantaged
Title II- Preparing, Training, and
Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals
Title III - Language
Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students
Title IV -21st Century
Schools
Title V – Promoting Informed
Parental Choice and Innovative Programs
The
second statement, from a teacher beginning the first sequence of paired
courses in the master’s degree in special education, is common among our
teachers who enumerate multiple ways they “hear and feel”
accountability” -- formal and informal testing, integrating students
with disabilities in the general education classroom, and varied efforts
at the school level to seek out what works to improve the academic
performance of their students. This emerging need to find site-specific data and
perspectives that may inform aspects of classroom instruction is being
magnified by NCLB requisites of accountability and evidence-based
interventions.
A
teacher’s voice can emerge to inspect and identify what works, what
doesn’t and why by using such tangibles as student and colleagues’
reactions to work that has occurred, or as it occurs.
Therefore, the teacher does not conjure work other than what
is authentically done. When a teacher develops a line of inquiry--some
aspect of the teaching-learning process that may range from a mere
interest to a burning passion—he or she should have the skills for
credible examination and reasoning of classroom practices necessary to
foster improvement in students’ performance. Such training of teachers
to conduct action-research is an element of teacher preparation that is
recommended by professional and accreditation organizations.
I believe that the potential and effectiveness of an
emerging teacher’s voice to sketch and fill in classroom practices that
impact a student’s learning depends on teacher preparation that: 1)
viably engages teachers to consciously develop, refine, and reflect upon
their practice so that they may consistently improve their students’
performance through effective teaching skills and,
2) provides the knowledge and skills that promote the teacher’s
role as a viable professional.
My
perspective of how these objectives are achieved during the program’s
course of study is based on the experience of teaching
“bookends” courses –the initial course and the final course
in the sequence. In the first
course, students are required to conduct in-depth observations that
scaffold into a case study. A magnified aspect of the case is then given a
micro-examination through a literature review and accompanying critique.
Each stage correlates theory and experiential practice.
The ability to navigate between the two is threaded
throughout the coursework and culminates in a focused line of inquiry that
provides the opportunity for each teacher to closely examine an aspect of
the teaching-learning process through action research.
Teachers
are taught two primary approaches to action research--critical
(theory-based) and practical. This research may be done qualitatively,
quantitatively or using a combination of both approaches. Critical
research is rooted in the social sciences and humanities, drawing from
postmodernism. Practical
action research assumes that teacher-researchers are committed to
their own professional development and use
this approach to reflect on what they do in order to improve
their teaching and student learning.
The
emerging role of the teacher-researcher who provides micro-examination of
classroom practices bridges the historical breach with theoretical
constructs of schooling.
The latter emphasizes discrete examination for limited
periods of time, using the findings at a macro level to generalize to
broad populations. As
such, data from discrete studies has been used to determine large
scale models of classroom instruction. The teacher-as-researcher, on the other hand, provides data
at a micro level particular to the variables in the classroom.
The
variability of conditions that have an impact upon learner outcomes is
immense, particularly for schools that serve students with targeted ‘disadvantaged’
needs of Title I that are addressed in NCLB, e.g., ‘at-risk’,
poverty, low-achievement, etc. A
prevailing number of our teachers work in Title I-designated schools. As
such, the impact of NCLB resonates throughout the teaching-learning
process.
As
administrators are pressed to specify what works at specific school sites,
teacher-researchers at those sites should have the opportunity to
contribute data from critical examination of their own classroom
practices. When these contributions are compounded, a more complete
picture of the particularities and parameters that inform
schooling practices will be the result.
This target-specific, micro-generated data can then be used
to enrich the macro scientifically-based research, making it more relevant
to the needs of individual schools.
Schools
have been gathering data for many decades, generally in compliance with
state or local law. Over the
last two years, however, teachers are increasingly illustrating how the
NCLB requirement of knowledge-based decision-making is consciously
interpreted in their teaching.
The following list is a representative sample of research
topics conducted over the past two years by students in the graduate
program in special education. Their research conforms to the epistemology
of teacher-researcher.
To what extent does positive teacher affect impact on
students’ willingness to approach new tasks?
Inclusion class placement: Attitudes,
perceptions and concerns of parents and teachers.
The impact of multiage grouping on
the academic success of emotionally disturbed students in an early
childhood program.
Transition planning as a predictor
of post-IEP status:
A case study.
The effects of Ritalin on
students’ academic outcomes.
Teachers’, parents’
and students’ perceptions and beliefs about inclusion.
The effects of praise on
motivating junior high school students.
The extent of learning
outcomes from an integrated therapeutic early intervention program that
serves a multicultural urban population.
The placement and
decertification patterns of young children with developmental disabilities
in early intervention programs.
Do children with behavior
disorders benefit less from cooperative learning in an inclusive classroom
than children with learning disabilities?
The quantity and quality
of multicultural education for teachers in the City University of New
York.
An examination of the
disproportionate number of African-American school age males in programs
for the emotionally disturbed.
Learning-style modalities
and attributes of an effective classroom environment: An analysis of adult
learners in an adult basic education classroom.
Can a dyslexic Yeshiva
student be simultaneously taught two languages (Hebrew and English)?
Are teacher preparation
programs providing adequate information about the intricacies of teaching
as a career and profession?
Cultural diversity and
school success of children of ethnic minority groups.
Are standardized tests
more accurate than portfolio assessment in measuring learning outcomes of
culturally and linguistically diverse fourth graders?
NOTE: The teacher who conducted this action research has since
been awarded a fellowship to complete a doctoral program.
This research project was presented at a state-wide
conference and will be the basis of the dissertation.--P.F.B. |
Program Updates
Part
of the Solution: The College Now Pilot Project
A Chalkboard Editor's Report
The
New York City public school system, the most diverse and populous in
the country, is poised to tackle the challenges of legislative
initiatives that reach into the classroom--standardized testing
based on a uniform core of knowledge, raising test scores in reading
and math in the elementary grades, and producing New York State
Regents graduates throughout the secondary school system-all in a
relatively short time, and under media scrutiny.
Under
these circumstances, we believe that success stories are extremely
valuable. Parents, teachers, and students preparing to be teachers
in the school system all want the same outcome for all
schoolchildren, an education that brings out their highest
potential. Such programs as College Now work with the schools,
providing an extra dimension of attention and support that can
translate into a lifetime of success for a young person.
As
the name implies, College Now is dedicated to preparing high school
students to enter-and succeed in-college. The program began its
mission eighteen years ago as a collaborative project of the City
University of New York (CUNY) and the New York City Department of
Education. Originally, the program only offered academic courses. It
has since expanded to include tutoring, the arts, campus tours, and
a tuition waiver program that grants college credit to high school
students who are admitted under the same requirements and share the
same responsibilities and working standards as full time college
students.
The
waiver program is active in eleven Brooklyn high schools, with
students participating in classes offered by fifteen departments
within the College. Under the leadership of Vicki Irgang, adjunct
assistant professor and executive director of the Center for
Educational Change/College Now, a pilot project is under way to
offer intensive preparation to high school students showing the
potential for college-level achievement.
The
new High School Pilot Program centers around a core curriculum of
instruction, workshops, parental outreach, and classes for students
aimed at building a bridge between the high school and college
experience and supporting students' efforts to earn a New York State
Regents diploma. With a heavy emphasis on literacy and writing, the
program seeks to motivate students and strengthen the skills they
need to succeed.
Funded
by a combination of grants from CUNY in collaboration with the New
York City Department of Education, the pilot program in literacy in
now its third year of operation. The program serves one hundred
students, chosen by their schools on the basis of academic
potential, in each of four schools in Brooklyn: East New York Family
Academy, Canarsie High School, Samuel J. Tilden High School, and
Bushwick High School. The program is tailor-made to fit the needs of
each school, and is taught by College Now instructors from the
School of Education. Also of major importance to the program is the
strong collaboration with the Brooklyn College provost, the dean and
assistant dean of undergraduate studies, the dean of the School of
Education, representatives of the Brooklyn BASIS, alternative high
school superintendents, and college and high school faculty members.
This association of Brooklyn College with participating high school
faculty and students fosters a supportive community for
college-bound students which, in turn, maintains their interest in
the program.
Currently,
the four College Now teachers from Brooklyn College who form the
backbone of the instructional staff, teach three days and spend a
fourth in staff development and planning. At East New York Family
Academy, Instructor Richard Stremme teaches college-level reading
and writing skills and is working on developing a school-based
learning center based on the Brooklyn College model. Instructor and
Co-coordinator of Teaching Scholars Pieranna Pieroni works at
Canarsie High School as a cross-curriculum instructional specialist.
Alison Solomon is based at Bushwick High School, where she serves as
an instructional specialist in playwriting, poetry, and literacy,
and serves as editor of the literary magazine. Johanna Provenzano
provides specialized instruction in poetry, literature At Samuel J.
Tilden High School and English as a Second Language at East Brooklyn
Congregations/Bushwick High School for Public Service.
The
teaching force is augmented by College Now Teaching
Scholars-Brooklyn College students recruited from such departments
as Chemistry, Education, English, and History, as well as the
B.A./M.D. (Bachelor of Arts in Medicine), and Brooklyn College
Honors Academy. These students serve as peer teachers after a
training period in tutorial techniques and writing across the
curriculum at the Brooklyn College Learning Center.
All
are now in place, and the participating schools report such
satisfaction that College Now envisions replicating this program in
schools across Brooklyn. While the literacy pilot program has not
been in place long enough to gather data on graduates, the level of
activity and enthusiasm is encouraging. East New York Family
Academy, for example, expects its entire graduating class to receive
New York State Regents diplomas, compared with a total of one
diploma granted the previous year. At Bushwick, the College Now
program is poised to become a new center of instruction within the
school. Canarsie's after-school eleventh grade humanities and
literature classes are engaged in social studies and English using
debates and videotaped presentations, and Tilden High School's
Future Teachers Academy is piloting a program developed by
Instructor Sandra Gerber King for high school students wishing to
major in education. Professor of Chemistry professor George Moriber
is helping students prepare for the Regents examination on chemistry
and the living Environment, while also serving as their career
advisor and general counselor. Johanna Provenzano's ninth and tenth
grade literature classes have their works showcased in a printed
collection and an oral poetry presentation. An important part of the
literacy pilot program is the Theater Initiative, led by assistant
professor Dale Byam of Brooklyn College's Theater Department.
Students from the four schools attend works at the Brooklyn Center
for the Performing Arts performed by undergraduate and graduate
students.
Sessions
with teaching artists, who are also students in the theater program,
introduce dramatic works and engage students in debate and analysis
of their meaning in pre and post-performance classes. Recent
performances seen and studied include As It Is in Heaven, The Glass
Menagerie, The Laramie Project, and Blood Wedding. Byam plans to
extend the theater experience into playwriting, and recently
presented a workshop based on the Theater Initiative at an
international education conference.
The
program also sponsors the College Now Arts Consortium, a
collaboration with the Brooklyn College Film Department and three
participating high schools funded by The City University of New York
and The Independence Community Foundation. Professor of Film Annette
Danto is providing in-school instruction on video production, film
editing, photography, and scripting. The College Now literacy
program is also active in the High School of Arts,
Telecommunications and Technology, where sociology professor Jerome
Krase teaches community history and documentation. Students were
taken inside the art world through a working slide presentation and
lecture by world renowned installation artists Christo and
Jeanne-Claude. (www.christojeanneclaude.net). Students and their
teachers presented their work in a comprehensive exhibit at the
Brooklyn Museum.
In
science education, the Pilot Program is sponsoring a series of eight
biology workshops centered around the Aquatic Research and
Environmental Assessment Center (AREAC) at Brooklyn College. These
sessions are designed to expose students to college-level methods of
study and scientific inquiry. Enlarging the scope of these seminars,
the Biology Department, under Distinguished Professor of Biology
Martin Schreibman, is planning a series of two two-week summer
institutes, funded by CUNY, for College Now students in all fifteen
participating high schools. College Now is a premier collaborative
program for high school students and teacher education. It is
fostered by a strengthened commitment to the on-going professional
development of high school and college teacher partnerships. The
City University and the Department of Education are committed to
expanding the program to all public high schools in the city, from
freshman to senior year. School of Education students and faculty
wishing to participate the College Now program can contact the
College Now office at 2210 James Hall (718) 851-5209 or visit the
College Now Website, http://collegenow.cuny.edu
Kappa
Delta Pi, Eta Theta Chapter Initiates Thirty-Two New Members
The 2003 chapter initiation ceremony of Kappa Delta Pi, the
international honor society in education, was held at Brooklyn
College in April, 2003. The
following new members were inducted: Rima Barsel, Richard Beck,
Barbara Buchholz, Michael E. Dunbar, Dana Lynn Franco, Diana Maria
Greene, Susan M. Green, Xin Xin Guan, Lauren Hall, Lori Ann Jacobs,
Frank H. Jump, Rochelle H. Kreisler, Karen K. Lall, Anne-Marie
Marrione, Danielle F. Mastrogiovanni, Jacqueline A. Newton, Ann
Marie O'Brien, Mary Ann Parrish, Natalie Makeda Phillips, John
Lindsey Prince, Jr., Jessica Ellen Prussman, Lynda B. Robinson,
Elissa Gail Schwartz, SuGinia M. Sears-Jones, David A. Senechal,
Candice Simon, Cindi Lynn Van Petten, Meredith Michelle Wihnyk,
Janice Hope Winter, Maria Julia Wood, and Rose E. Yaou.
Recipients of Kappa Delta Pi, Eta Theta Chapter, Helen Brell
Scholarship Award for excellence in Academic Achievement are Susan
M. Green, and John Lindsey Prince, Jr.
Runners-up: Frank H. Jump, Jessica Ellen Prussman, and
Mary Ann Parrish.
Science
Education in an Urban Setting: A Collaboration for Teacher Preparation in
Earth Sciences
The School of Education is pleased to announce the
awarding of a National Science Foundation grant of $483,612 for a proposal
entitled “Teacher Renewal for Urban Science Teaching” (TRUST),
developed by Eleanor Miele, assistant professor and program head,
childhood science education; Wayne Powell, assistant professor of
geology; and Heather Sloan, of Lehman College, in collaboration with the
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The project’s stated goals
are to:
- forge
a teacher education collaborative between AMNH, Brooklyn College
and Lehman College to prepare several cadres of master-level
certified earth science teachers.
- prepare
thirty science educators annually through enriching science
education programs at Brooklyn and Lehman Colleges. TRUST will
enrich their program through newly designed courses, summer
institutes and lectures at AMNH, and advisement and mentoring
groups.
- identify
twelve aspiring science supervisors annually for participation
in summer institutes for earth science teaching and learning and
assist with advisement of teachers throughout the year.
- research,
disseminate, and evaluate all aspects of the initiative.
Under
Miele’s leadership, the School of Education's partnership with the
American Museum of Natural History has continued to develop
innovative science education courses that use the resources of the
museum to enrich science methods courses for elementary and middle
school teachers.
School
Psychology Students Learn From an Alumnus
Florence Rubinson, assistant professor,
Program head, graduate program in school psychology
On February 26th
2003 the graduate program in school psychology was proud to host a
colloquium entitled Bipolar Patterns in Children: Symptoms,
Evaluation, and Intervention in Schools.
Dr. Ira Glovinsky, Brooklyn College-1974, spoke on bipolar
symptoms in children and school accommodations for students with the
disorder. Dr. Glovinsky is a nationally recognized expert on
children with bipolar disorders, and is currently involved in a
major research project with bipolar children.
He recently co-authored the book Children with Bipolar
Patterns: New
Perspective on Developing Pathways and a Comprehensive Approach to
Prevention and Treatment with the eminent psychiatrist Stanley
I.Greenspan.
Bipolar disorders are considered spectrum disorders, meaning they
fall on a continuum ranging from very mild to extremely severe.
Unlike the symptoms experienced by adults, young children (ages 3 to
6) rarely experience the cycles ranging from depression to mania.
Instead, children with bipolar disorder are generally irritable, and
experience intense rages, sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, extreme
risk-taking, and hypersexuality.
Some children with bipolar disorder experience auditory
hallucinations, suicidal ideation, extreme anxiety, and sensitivity
to stimulation. Often
they exhibit tangential and highly pressured speech patterns.
Older children begin to display the cycling generally
associated with bipolar disorders.
Considering the seriousness of symptoms and the potential
consequences of bipolar disorder on academic achievement, Dr.
Glovinsky’s presentation became an important part of training for
students as well as professional development for faculty.
Since traditional medications do not seem to work for
children with bipolar disorder, the school psychologist’s input is
an essential component of a plan to ensure school success.
This colloquium brought to light the rich training resources we have
in our own graduates. The
school psychology faculty is planning future colloquia showcasing
our graduates talents and research.
Be on the lookout for these events.
Everyone is invited.
|
Volume 3 Number 2 
Newsletter of the School of Education, Brooklyn College me 1 Number
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