Action Research Paper (arp) for ece/ele/sec template S06

ARP Title and Problem Statement

Include the problem statement of your Action Research Paper.
You may begin your problem statement as "The purpose of my Action Research Paper is to..."

Activity 1

ARP # 1 How do I fit in?

Compare your educational beliefs and experiences with the school and cooperating teacher(s) you will be working with. Use the CUA CF to guide your reflection. Identify at least 3 potential "dilemmas" that you believe will influence your experience during the semester. These will be revisited in the last activity as part of your transformative reflection activity. Include a discussion of the school philosophy, relevant curriculum decisions, issues of teacher autonomy, and school and community demographics. Ask your cooperating teacher what she/he thinks about the school and if the school has changed during her/his time there.
You will have just completed your Personal Education Beliefs statement for the electronic portfolio, use it to make meaningful statements about your expectations and experiences. It is not unusual to see significant differences between your approach and that of the cooperating teacher. It is important to be able to describe these differences honestly but respectfully. This effort can help you understand the cooperating teacher and allow you to explain your own instructional decisions in a meaningful way, vital skills for a beginning teacher who hopes to try new strategies!

Activity 2

ARP # 2 What is happening?

Use the CUA CF to write detailed observations for two or three potential ARP topics. Each of the eight elements should be discussed. What issues concern you? Talk to the cooperating teacher and include his/her perspective. Identify at least one meaningful dilemma associated with each potential ARP topic.
Elaborate in detail how each situation manifested itself in the classroom. Give at least one example you have documented for each behavior you have noted. Your examples should be specific and complete. What happened? Who was involved? Were there any patterns to behavior? How did your, the cooperating teacher's or the student's response affected the situation? Don’t forget to look for negative examples – when did the issue or problem not come up? Were different students involved? Was it at a different time of day, before or after a stressful event, at the end of the week?