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A Constructivist Approach to Brainstorming and Action Research A Group Dynamics Approach to Shared Decision Making

Those who are to be affected by a decision ought to be involved in the process of making, implementing and

being held accountable for decisions made.

Lawrence P. Creedon Preface

The original version of this Action Research monograph was written in 1992. Since then I have updated it several times.

Revisions will continue to be made as a need arises. Several hundred graduate students that I have worked with both in the

United States as well as internationally have engaged in Action Research following the procedure outlined here or earlier

versions of the topic. A random sampling of Action research projects undertaken by students internationally are listed on

Appendix A. Appendix B is an example of one Action Research project.

In 1998 Rory O' Brien at the University of Toronto, Canada defined Action Research as:

Action research is known by many other names, including participatory research, collaborative

inquiry, emancipatory research, action learning, and contextual action research, but all are

variations on a theme. Put simply, action research is “learning by doing” - a group of people

identify a problem, do something to resolve it, see how successful their efforts were, and if not

satisfied, try again.

Brainstorming and Action Research A precursor to the term Action Research is Brainstorming. Both Brainstorming and Action Research are

associated with generating ideas. However, Action Research is much more than that. The full application of a

complete Brainstorming or Action Research [AR] exercise begins with the realization that an issue or problem

exists. Resolution of the issue or problem is predicated on the belief that those who are to be affected by

whatever decision is made ought to be involved in the process of making, implementing and being held

accountable for decisions made.

Immediately, it must be recognized that involvement as indicated here and in the statement of the above

principle does not mean that every administrative and/or managerial issue must be submitted to the involvement

process before any action can be made. Such an assumption is operationally unworkable. What is intended is that

where matters of principle and those related to the purpose, mission and goals of the learning community are at

stake, the involvement maxim ought to be honored and practiced. The process about to be described here focuses

on "your" practice. It is not intended to serve as a tool for academic or scholarly research that considers a

profession wide issue or problem. The purpose here is to provide a vehicle for addressing a need that you have in

your practice. The process is intended as a small interactive team exercise; however, it can be applied by

individuals working alone.

The process begins with the identification of a specific issue or problem and ends with the implementation of a

plan of action for moving the issue or problem toward a more satisfactory resolution . It is not assumed that once

completed closure will have been permanently drawn on the issue. The result is what John Dewey referred to as

an end-in-view. The applicable witticism is: To do better is better than doing one's best..

Brainstorming and Action Research are terms used to identify an approach to decision making. The term

Brainstorming has been in use longer than Action Research. The distinction between the terms is Brainstorming

is a process for generating ideas related to the identification and resolution of an issue or problem. Action

Research carries those ideas to fruition in an action plan for implementation of a chosen resolution.

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Brainstorming and Action Research are group dynamics based processes for shared decision making. They are

an outgrowth of Kurt Lewin's [1890-1947] cognitive field theory. They promote collaborative problem solving

rooted in Lewin's work. In curriculum and instruction they are compatible with cognitive psychology and

constructivism. The origin of formal AR is usually attributed to Lewin and his students including Ron Lippitt.

Both are in contrast to Behaviorism. [Brook and Brooks, The Case for the Constructivist Classroom,

ASCD,1993; Marzano, A Different Kind of Classroom, ASCD, 1992; For an introduction to AR see, Emily

Calhoun, How to Use Action Research in the Self-Renewing School, ASCD, pp. 14-16,1994].

In 1995 Dorothy Gabel in her address as incoming president of the national Association for Research in Science

Teaching observed:

Action Research (AR) represents a growing field of educational research whose chief identifying

characteristic is the recognition of the pragmatic requirements of educational practitioners for organized

reflective inquiry into classroom instruction. AR is a process designed to empower all participants in the

educational process (students, instructors and other parties) with the means to improve the practices

conducted within the educational experience (Hopkins, 1993). All participants were knowing, active

members of the research process.

Action research has been described as an informal, qualitative, formative, subjective, interpretive,

reflective and experiential model of inquiry in which all individuals involved in the study are knowing

and contributing participants (Hopkins, 1993). Action research has the primary intent of providing a

framework for qualitative investigations by teachers and researchers in complex working classroom

situations...

As a strategy for involving those who are to be affected by a decision in the decision making process

Brainstorming and AR are formative as opposed to summative exercises and have broad application in such

areas as these cited below as well as others.

Institutional purpose, goals and mission

Curriculum and Instruction

Organizational issues related to administration, management and Leadership

Organizational climate and culture matters

Classroom Management

Human resources recruitment, development and assessment

Assessment

Financial issues and plant concerns

A case can be made that in a modest way Brainstorming and AR are what Howard Gardner refers to as

interpersonal intelligence. However caution must be exercised. By no means is the claim being made that these

group dynamics based strategies are what Gardner had in mind in articulating interpersonal intelligence as one of

his original seven intelligences. Interpersonal intelligence according to Gardner is:

the ability to understand other people: what motivates them, how they work, how to work cooperatively with

them. ...Interpersonal intelligence builds on a core capacity to notice distinctions among others; in

particular, contrasts in their moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions. In more advanced forms,

this intelligence permits a skilled adult to read the intentions and others, even when these have been hidden.

[Gardner, Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books, 1993, paperback,, pp 9 and 23].

For applications of Gardner's concept of multiple intelligence and in particular interpersonal intelligence see

Thomas Armstrong,, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, ASCD, 1994, pp. 3, 18-20, 24, 27,49,51, 56,

67, 80 and 88.

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All the abilities cited above by Gardner are important in group dynamics. And, to the extent that all people do

not have these abilities in equal measure, some people are less effective than others in exercises where

sophisticated group dynamics tactics are being applied. Such is the case with the Brainstorming process approach

to shared decision making that will be outlined here.

For those educators interested in constructivist, dimensions of learning approaches to education it is instructive

to realize that there are points of compatibility. The constructivist, dimensions of learning point of view is that

the teacher guides the learner in a consideration of what is known about an issue, moves to the identification of

the unknown, and then seeks to discover both the gaps and the relationship between the two -- the known and the

unknown [cognitive dissonance]. Now the learner is in a position to create new information/knowledge

[Vygotsky]. In common practice and "How-to" teacher resources this is frequently referred to KWL – What you

Know, What you want to know and What you have Learned.

In a group dynamics based approach these points are related to the Brainstorming steps of: 1. Divergent thinking,

2. Clarifying-consolidating-restating, 3. Prioritizing, 4. Systems approach analysis, and the 5. Development of a

plan of action.

Brainstorming, as an application of group dynamics is effective with groups as they develop into teams. Group

and team are not synonymous terms. [See the Creedon monograph on this]. For example, people sharing a ride

on a bus are a group, not a team. Each person on the "group" bus has his/her own destination and is sharing

nothing more than a ride with others on the same bus. However when that same bus, on another occasion, has as

its passengers a "team" of athletes they are more than a group, they are a team. And, it is more than a ride they

share with their fellow passengers. Each team member shares a common mission, objectives and goal.

Occasionally some groups never make it to team status. If they do not become a team little will be accomplished

by them toward resolving the issue or topic at hand. The possible reasons for this are many, but it is beyond the

scope of this paper to consider them. However, among them might be the lack of those characteristics of human

behavior associated with Gardner's notion of interpersonal intelligence.

The ideal size of a group on its way to becoming a team is somewhere between four to six people. Usually there

are more people than that involved in addressing an issue and if that is the case the solution is simple. Simply

create as many teams with fewer members each necessary to maximize involvement in the active participatory

practice. Having small groups/teams of people look at the same issue usually brings about very positive results

as each team tends to look at the issue somewhat differently. As a result more data is generated and a better

resolution emerges. Be assured, that the process as it unfolds allows for the consolidation of the efforts of all the

teams.

I have worked the process successfully in many schools including troubled urban institutions. The largest group

was 150 administrators from one urban district in New Jersey. Among the smallest was the whole faculty of ten

colleagues in a school in Georgetown, Guyana. The answer is in the way the process is structured. If you remain

skeptical over this, hold your judgment until you experience the process and then see for yourself.

Brainstorming and AR are strategies. The steps employed in implementing the strategy are tactics. The tactics

used in Brainstorming are frequently user created. In AR, if reporting the findings of the effort to outside

stakeholders or those in positions of authority is required, the approach may be more formalized and a more

structured procedure may be followed. While there are guidelines to be followed as the process unfolds, each

team will undoubtedly modify the process so as to reflect its own needs. The modifications will come in the

tactics, not the strategy.

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An alternative traditional decision making strategy might be having decisions handed down from persons in

authority. In this case involvement is at a minimum and very little of what is being presented here applies.

The basic premise of the Brainstorming/AR strategy is that resident within any team of users who are influenced

or affected by an issue or problem is the competence to do what needs to be done. Those involved have the

competence to identify the enabling as well as the restraining characteristics, factors and forces that impact on

the issue or problem. Working the steps of the Brainstorming/AR process the team has the competence to arrive

at a resolution of the issue. Users develop their own tactics to solve problems, think reflectively and generalize

their learning to other situations and settings. This is consistent with constructivist and dimensions of learning

approaches. And, it calls for the application of interpersonal intelligence. The term competence as used here is

taken from that articulated by psychologist Jay Hall in his book The Competence Process [Telemetric

International, Woodland, Texas, 1980]. Hall defined competence as the capacity to be what needs to be done.

Users will find that as they move from group status to become a team they will develop within the basic strategy

their own tactics for addressing the issue. It is not unlike athletics in this regard: There are many tactics that can

be used consistent with a single game strategy.

Once again compatibility with constructivism and dimensions of learning can be seen. In these approaches to

learning the learners begin with what is known about the issue or topic, identify what needs to be known, and

move on to close the gap and reduce cognitive dissonance [Vygotsky]. This is KWL.

The learning process involves a great deal of learner reflection, and generalizing as to what is being learned

beginning with what is already known. In this case the team moves collectively from the known to the unknown.

The team forms hypotheses regarding possible resolutions. The process culminates in the testing of one or more

hypothesis and the development of a plan of action. You may recognize the whole process as being compatible

with the scientific method. And, it is!

Brainstorming/AR honor the old adage that the only foolish idea is the one not spoken. Ideas are the source of

energy for Brainstorming.

By no means are Brainstorming/AR random processes. They are strategies with structure. They are based in

group dynamics but the process is by no means touchy-feely. It is hard work requiring concentration and

participation. It is violated and rendered inefficient and ineffective when the process is hurried in response to the

economy of time or the conventional wisdom that pronounces: We all know what the problem is here and what

needs to be done to solve it so let's get on with it! Don't fall for that one, it is a formula for failure. And,

unfortunately it may be a ploy for keeping involvement at a minimum and for keeping things as they are.

Brainstorming/AR are not strategies to use if the potential users are advocates of the One Minute Manager or of

solutions that are cast in the fast-food, quick-fix mold.

Brainstorming/AR asserts another kind of conventional wisdom that promotes the maxim: Failure to plan is

planning for failure. It honors the democratic principle that: Those who are to be affected by a decision ought to

be involved in the process of making, implementing and being held accountable for decisions made [ See

Creedon, "Axioms and Basic Assumptions as Professional Hallmarks," The What and the What Of It, 1995].

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The FourPhase Approach to Planning

Both Brainstorming/AR processes involve planning. Planning can be looked at as a four phase process. The four

phases outlined are more directly related to Brainstorming than to AR. The phases are:

Quality

Strategic

Tactical

Compliance

The first seven steps of the Brainstorming process have to do with Quality Planning. Steps 8 and 9 relate to

Strategic and Tactical Planning. Step 10 returns to Quality Planning. Compliance Planning runs parallel to the

Brainstorming process. Quality planning considers what ought to be. Strategic and Tactical planning consider

how to get it done. Compliance planning addresses the requirement to conform to the mandates of legitimate

authority. [See Creedon: "The Four Phases of Planning", 1994, The What and the What Of It, 1995].

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A Ten Step process for Action Research

The ten steps in this approach to Action Research are:

1. Establish a Task Group/Team

2. Issue Identification

3. Divergent Thinking

4. A Positive Focus

5. Clarify-Consolidate-Restate

6. Prioritize

7. Refer Out

8. A Systems Approach to Strategic and Tactical Planning

9. A Plan of Action including Assessment

10. Open System Closure

Establish a Task Group/Team:

Those who are to be affected by a decision should participate in its determination. Groups are

formed around tasks or issues. Groups/teams need not be permanent. The life of the team is

usually co-terminus with the time it takes to complete the task at hand. For the entire process to

be effective, the group must become a team. While a group can be ordered into existence, a team

cannot be created by directive. As the group begins to work together it ought to become a team.

If this does not happen, then the group needs to reflectively examine itself.

Issue Identification: Critically Important:

There is no more important dimension of the AR process than the issue statement. The clear and

pre4cise statement of the issue as well as the next two steps in the process constitute the heart of

AR. It is here that the reflective and generative thinking process goes on.This is where the

resolution of the issue is seeded. Time spent here pays dividends throughout the entire process.

It is critically important in reaching a quality resolution.

Proper problem or issue identification is critical. John Best and James Kahn in Research in

Education, 8th

edition, 1998, articulate the thinking of many authorities in the field of research

when they acknowledge that "problem identification is one of the most difficult and most crucial

steps in the research process." All the time necessary must be devoted to clearly understanding

and stating the question under consideration. The old adage that well begun is half done applies

here.

All group members participate in the formulation of the issue statement. This is not a task that a

few highly placed administrators do. It is not something passed down from on-high. This begins

the diagnostic phase of the undertaking.

The parameters of the issue are set here. Once the problem or issue statement is formulated in

clear and precise terms it is written on large newsprint or flip chart paper and posted in the work

area where all can see it and constantly refer to it as the process unfolds. This may seem to be

knit-picking but it is amazing how quickly a well intended team can get off the track. The

newsprint tactic helps and it becomes apparent as the process unfolds.

Posting the issue where all can see it and constantly refer to as they work helps to keep the team

focused. Also it begins to establish team thought as opposed to that of each individual. It is a

visual display of what the team is thinking. Throughout the entire exercise as the team addresses

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each step in the process what they come up with is written on successive pieces of newsprint,

numbered for ease of referral and posted on a wall.

Best and Kahn, [pp. 34-36], offer a check list of four points to refer to when working to determine

the appropriateness of an issue. While the focus here is AR, and stated in the context of AR it is

highly compatible with Brainstorming. The four points are:.

1. Is this the type of problem that can be effectively solved through the research process? Can

the relevant data be found/generated to test the theory or find the answer to the question under

consideration?

2. Is the problem significant? Is an important principle involved? Would the solution make a

difference in theory or practice?

3. Is the problem a new one? Is the answer already available? Frequently replication of an old

problem is appropriate. Is it appropriate in this case?

4. Is research on the issue feasible? Is it suitable for those involved? Can it be carried through

to a successful conclusion? More specific questions to be asked are:

- Are those involved competent to undertake the effort?

- Are pertinent data accessible? Are valid and reliable data-gathering devices and

procedures available? Will school authorities grant permission, be supportive?

- Will financial resources be available?

- Will time be made available?

- Will those involved have the stamina to prevail till the effort is completed?

Divergent Thinking:

Once the issue is understood the phase of Brainstorming that is most commonly associated with

the term begins. Team members articulate their thoughts [not necessarily their own views]

relative to the issue. They do so in round robin fashion. First they address the enabling or

positive aspects of the issue. Each person in turn states one enabling or positive factor,

characteristic or force related to the issue. It is posted in numerical order on the newsprint [Flip

chart paper]. No discussion or clarification takes place at this time. The purpose is for the team to

identify all the positive aspects of the issue and get them listed.

A team member serves as scribe and records each statement in numerical fashion on a sheet of

newsprint [Flip chart paper]. The sheet is identified as the Plus or Enabling list. Each statement

is numbered. The round robin process continues until each person in succession has exhausted

his/her thoughts and when called upon for input responds on two successive round robins stating:

"I pass."

The obligation of each team member is to stretch his/her thinking and to identify positive or

enabling forces. The identification of such factors does not mean that the contributor agrees with

the thought. However, what it does indicate is the willingness and competence of individuals and

thus the team to articulate divergent points of view.

All of this is reflected on the newsprint [Flip chart paper] posted on the wall.

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Once the team has exhausted itself in this regard, it reverses the field and members direct their

attention to the other side of the coin. The focus shifts to restraining, negative or minus aspects of

the issue. The same procedure is followed. The immediate goal is to get it all out. If it can be

thought, good or bad, plus or minus, think of it now and list it on newsprint.

The quality of individual and team performance here is very important factor in determining the

extent to which the issue will be resolved competently and effectively. Stated again: Well begun

is half done. And, on the negative side it is here that old computer maxim before the days of

laptops applies: Garbage in - Garbage out!

The divergent thinking component of the exercise is now completed. The team members can

stand back and looking at the several pages of newsprint can see at a glance what they, at that

point in time, understand to be the positive and enabling aspects of the issue versus the negative

and inhibiting factors. For example, if the issue is one related to curriculum or instruction the

team can see what it is that they collectively feel is important in a curriculum or instructional area

versus what is not. And, if it is their intent to practice in some integrated, learner centered fashion

then this is extremely valuable information to have. It minimizes future conflicts or

confrontations beginning with: Well, I thought we were supposed to do include this or that in the

curriculum, or follow this or that instructional design. Rather, it draws a collective focus on what

ought to be included in the curriculum, or what instructional strategy and tactics ought to be

followed.

When examining what they have created it is possible that the team will notice a discrepancy

between their issue statement and the fruits of their divergent thinking exercise. This must be

addressed. Either the issue statement needs to be modified in light of the path they have followed

in divergent thinking, or the divergent thinking process needs to be reconsidered so as to make it

consistent with the issue statement.

It is important that the team address the issue it has defined and equally as important that what is

has defined is consistent with the issue being considered. If there is a discrepancy having the data

posted on newsprint makes it easier for all to see. The solution is to make one agree with the

other. In a pair of shoes the shoes should match! Common sense dictates that the data being

collected and diagnosed must relate 100 percent to the issue being studied. Failure to assure this

surely will result in discord down the line when members of the team or outsiders recognize and

proclaim: What we have produced here has little or nothing to do with the issue statement we

started with! We seem to have switched horses in the middle of the stream.

Once confident that the issue statement and data are in accord, closure can now be drawn on the

divergent thinking component of the process. However, closure is for now, not for evermore.

Quality assurance is not only a summative activity, it is formative and on-going. W. Edwards

Deming, among the early and most respected leaders in the Total Quality Management movement

was strong on this point.

Glance ahead quickly to Step 10: Open System Closure. While cited last in the list of 10 steps the

intent of open system closure is for it to run actively through the entire process. The process is not

totally, or even primarily, summative. It does not just come at the end. If at any time during the

entire process new or additional information or insights come to the fore they are to be plugged in

then and there.

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A Positive Focus:

Many times locked within the articulation of the negative aspect of the issue are factors that deal

directly with issue resolution. Therefore, special attention needs to be given to the restraining

forces. Effort should be made to restate the negatives as positives. The question to be asked by

the team is: What is it that needs to be done to make the restraining factor an enabling force?

In doing this the purpose is not to silence concern or to annihilate criticism so as to foster a

blissful march forward as with see no evil, hear no evil. The enabling factors wear no halo! At

this point both plus and minus forces are nothing more than factors. However, it is recognized

that restraining forces need to be addressed if issue resolution is to happen.Examining the

restraining forces and restating each in an enabling manner recalls the refrain from the old World

War II era song: You've got to accent the positive, and eliminate the negative.

As this is done, still no debate or discussion takes place. All that in due time! The task here is to

get it all out. If it can be thought, state it. And, if it is a restraining thought the immediate task is

to address the question: What needs to be done to turn a negative into a positive?

Not all negatives can be made positives. And, for those that can't, for now leave them on the

minus list and move on. Keep in mind the biblical maxim: The poor you will always have with

you [Mathew 16:11, John 12:8].

Clarify-Consolidate-Restate:

At this point an extensive array of plus and minus forces should have been identified. Remember,

as yet no discussion or debate has taken place. No one has been called upon to defend a point of

view. No factor has been ridiculed, demeaned or attacked. What has been generated is data.

However, from the accumulated data will come the final resolution.

Clarify:

The next step in the process is to clarify the data displayed on the now several pages of f;ip chart

paper. Start at the top of the plus side, take one numbered point at a time and engage in discussion

[not debate, attack or defense] as to what each factor means or implies. Clarify it! Complete this

process for both enabling and restraining forces. Clarifying is not debating. It is not attacking.

Nor is it defending. Clarifying is to make certain that team members have a common

understanding of the point under discussion. Understanding means comprehension, and not

necessarily assent or agreement. If the process is to breakdown there is a strong likelihood that it

will happen here as some participants are quick to jump to conclusions with a rush to bring about

closure. If this happens it is a strong indication that the group has not become a team and that

members are either promoting a personal position or are attacking the position of the alleged

team. At any rate the group/team has become dysfunctional. If this is sensed to be happening the

process, under the direction of the process manager, should come to a halt and the matter

reviewed examining the question of what has gone wrong.

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Consolidate:

Once all team members have "Passed" on clarification it is time to consolidate. Start a clean

sheet of fip chart paper and consolidate like factors. Link the compatible forces together by

clustering the number that identifies each thought. For example, maybe points one and six, as

well as eight and nine are compatible. They address the same point. If so, cluster them together,

identifying them by their numbers. The cluster becomes 1-6-8-9. Then maybe points two, four,

six and seven are compatible. They address the same point. Cluster them together and they

become 2-4-6-7. You may note, as is the case in this example, that one or more points - such as

number six keeps reappearing in each cluster. That is OK. Furthermore, it signals to the team

that the point is important as it keeps reappearing.

Restate:

When consolidation has been completed each member of the team takes one or more of the newly

consolidated statements and restates it into a more coherent, comprehensive, grammatically clear

and distinct correct statement. The same procedure is followed for the remaining negative forces.

In that this is an editing task the team can split up into sub-teams each taking one or more

consolidated statements and rewriting each as a comprehensive statement. This gets the job done

more quickly. Pay particular attention to those points that appear over and over again. Obviously

they are important.

Prioritize:

The next step is to prioritize the new statements. This should be a relatively simple, obvious and

quick task. In that everyone is by this time very familiar with the data putting the consolidated

and restated statements in priority order should come easy.

The standard for prioritizing the statements is not going from the most important to the least

important. While that might be done as an aside academic exercise just to see how individual

team members view the importance of each statement, it is not the way to move toward an action

plan. Rather, the standard that should be used is one that responds to the question: Which of these

consolidated statements can we and our colleagues on this faculty here and now act on without

having to go to external authority to get permission or procure resources? Refer back to the four

points referenced earlier in Best and Kahn, pp. 34-36.

The standard for identifying a priority becomes one of action: What can be done here and now

with the resources available to us? If you cannot do anything about it without getting permission

from external authority or being provided with additional resources it is quite possibly not a high

priority at this time. Identify as high priority those things that team members and their colleagues

can have an impact on. If that is impossible take another look at what you have identified as your

issue. The idea is to begin as close to the where the action is, and that is the classroom or: What

Goes On Behind the Classroom Door, John Goodlad.

The consolidated statements that meet the criteria become the top priorities. The team focuses on

developing a plan of action around these. Seldom does the team need to vote for these, rather

consensus prevails. In that the group has by this time in all probability become a team. It will find

that voting in the traditional manner of majority rule will not be necessary or even considered.

Decision making will be by consensus.

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Success follows success! Therefore, the approach here is to focus on what can be done now, and

to demonstrate what can be done within the existing limits of authority and with existing

resources. However, be ready to suggest what can be done in a more ideal situation with extended

authority and enhanced resources.

Refer Out and Literature Research:

Refer Out: Obviously the team is not a world unto itself. It is not the reservoir of all that can be

known about the issue or topic. It cannot under its own aegis be expert relative to all that needs to

be known in order to accomplish what needs to be done. Others within as well outside the

organization might need to be involved as resources. Calhoun [p.35] refers to this as seeking

technical assistance.

Others can have roles to play. The task team needs to recognize this and refer out to external

authorities and resources those things that fit within the jurisdictions of others. In doing so the

task team needs to be explicit as to what the issue is that is before the task force, what it is that the

task team is trying to accomplish, and what is being asked of the external authority or resource.

For example, if the issue concerns fiscal matters then the business office of the school system will

need to be involved. If it concerns a staff recruitment matter, the human resources office may

need to become involved on such matters as to legal requirements related to hiring.

The task team must be careful not to intrude on the legitimate jurisdiction of others. However, in

referring out the task team should not simply say: "Here's our problem, now it is up to you to

solve it or to give us the resources or authority we need to move ahead." The outside resource

must be provided with as much information as the task force has. And, if appropriate, the task

team should offer a recommended course of action to the external resource.

Literature Research: Action Research is more than colleagues coming together to share their

collective thoughts on how to have a positive impact on an issue they are experiencing in

common in their practice. It is more than an individual engaging in a similar pursuit, but working

alone. A literature search is a part of the process and the Internet is a primary vehicle for

conducting a literature research. Before recommending a plan of action aimed at having a positive

impact on an issue there must be confidence that those involved have a good understanding of the

issue. Those involved must have schooled themselves in what the literature reveals about the

issue. The schooling comes about as the result of an Internet based literature research. Research

that is as free from bias as possible, that is non-selective and that can stand the test of peer

scrutiny and the standards of validity and reliability.

The purpose of the Action Research process is not to make researchers out of those who practice

behind the classroom door. However, there are basic factors that need to be taken into

consideration before a research study is used to support or oppose a given issue. A good source is

the twelve questions advanced by Locke,Silverman and Spirduso,in Reading and Understanding Research, Sage Publications, 1998,page55.

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The twelve questions to ask while reading a research study and considering including reference

to it in your own Action Research are:

1. Has the paper been peer reviewed for a referred journal?

2. Is evidence of replication available to support the results?

3. Is a conflict of interest evident for the person(s) doing,

sponsoring, or disseminating the study?

4. Can the questions(s) asked be answered in the study?

5. Is evidence of technical problems apparent in design or analysis?

6. Are sample, composition and size adequate to address the questions(s)asked and to support

the conclusions reached?

7. Are the conclusions offered supported by the findings?

8. Is there evidence that the investigator was careless in conducting

or reporting the study?

9. Does the author say things about the study that appear to be examples of a poor understanding

of scholarship?

10.Is the author conscientious in drawing your attention to limitations imposed by the design or

sample, or compromises made to circumvent problems?

11.Did you encounter any other reason for suspending trust in the study?

12. Do you understand all of the report, or, in all honesty, do you require assistance with some

elements?

Reporting Research Findings: In the final report of the Action Research project a section is to be

devoted to a composite or summary review of the literature considered in developing the plan of

action. No particular approach in citing a research study needs to be followed. Make clear the

name of the authors, title of the research study, where and when published or located. and date. A Systems Approach to Strategic and Tactical Planning: What has gone on up to this point falls under Quality Planning of the four phase approach to

planning. Now the process shifts first to Strategic Planning and then to Tactical Planning.

Having determined what ought to be done including articulating the task in a set of can-be-done-

now priorities, the focus shifts to developing a strategy and tactics.

All too frequently organizations begin looking at an issue or problem by going directly to

strategic planning. Little attention is given to quality planning. As a result what is created is

frequently nothing more than a recasting of what is. No new ground is cultivated. It can be

nothing more than the same old wine in new bottles. It gives teachers cause to proclaim: All we

do in education is re invent the wheel every 15 or 20 years. Stick around long enough and you

will see that what was attempted and abandoned a few years ago, has been once again dressed

up and is appearing as the latest innovation. Alcoholics Anonymous and other self-help groups

call this insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and over again and each time expecting a

different result. - Insanity by definition.

Systems approach as a management strategy has been around in the way that it will be promoted

here since at least the 1960s. I first addressed the topic in 1969 in an essay titled: Some Thoughts

on Process: Inputs-Process-Outputs. A leading contributor to systems approach thought is Joseph

Juran, one of the original Total Quality Management gurus. His book, Juran, Planning for

Quality, The Free Press, Macmillan, 1988, has been termed a definitive guide to his structured

approach to quality planning and is a classic in the field. In the "What's new?" circuit of

professional development publications and conference agendas the "Backward Design" approach

to curriculum development is a contemporary example of re-playing an old, but legitimate, theme.

13

See the Creedon monograph on "Backward Design," [2008].

Systems approach application in strategic and tactical planning goes far beyond the traditional

notion of brainstorming. The point has already been made in this essay that for many

brainstorming begins and ends with what has been cited here as Divergent Thinking.

Systems Approach has three components: traditionally stated as: Input-Process-Output. The

logical way to state the three and to act in response to them is the other way around: Output,

Input, Process. It is this logical consideration that gives rise to the catchy phrase: "Backward

Design." Going from Output to Input and process is not backwards at all. Rather it is the logical

way to proceed. In relating the three to an issue or problem the order is changed, first comes

output, then input and finally process. The rationale is self-evident. First you need to identify

what you are attempting to accomplish, next you identify the resources needed to accomplish

your end-in-view, and finally you develop a process for going about the task to be addressed..

Output:

Output has to do with outcomes, ends-in-view, goals. What do you intend to accomplish? The

prioritized statements from quality planning serve as the source of the output or goal statements.

The first task is to review the priority statements and determine if they can be adopted exactly as

they appear. If so, adopt them. If not, rewrite them without changing their purpose or intent so

that they state your goals. If it is a priority, then it is an end-in-view goal. For example, if the

issue is one of developing a professional development program and the first priority is to have the

faculty and staff determine what it needs by way of professional development and then rewrite

the priority statement to state that as a goal. If the second priority is to first use the expertise of

the faculty and staff in offering professional development programs, then rewrite the priority to

reflect that as a goal.

The output statements should not exceed the intent of the priority statements under consideration.

Yet, there need not be a one-to-one correlation. Certainly a single priority can generate several

outcomes or goals. However, the outcome statements should not go beyond the intent of the

priority statements. If this happens then a different issue or problem is now being addressed.

And that issue or problem has not gone through the scrutiny of the quality planning exercise. Do

you recall the points made earlier about Open System Closure? They apply here.

It is against the outcome statements that assessment measures will be developed. Assessment

should be consistent with and reflective of the stated outcomes. For example, and continuing with

the illustration of professional development, assessment measures would have to do with the

extent that faculty and staff were actually engaged in planning the professional development

program and the extent to which existing faculty and staff were used in presenting programs.

Authentic assessment procedures should be featured including rubrics. The Internet has many

sites that feature both authentic assessment and rubrics. For example,

assessment: www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html:

rubrics: www.school.discovery.comschrockguide/assess.htm

It is not uncommon to enlist faculty and staff in such planning and then have an external authority

set all that aside and send in the experts to talk about issues of little or no concern to the faculty

and staff. Obviously if this happens trust is compromised. And once trust is compromised it is

very hard to get back.

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Input:

Input has to do with the human and material resources needed to get the job done. Resources are

four in kind: Human, Material, Plant and Financial. Said another way, resources have to do with

people, places, things and money. For each outcome stated the resources necessary for it to

become reality must be identified with as much specificity as possible. The task team must

critically examine the resources at hand and specify those necessary to accomplish the outcome.

If resources are not readily available the team has an obligation to suggest how they might be

made available.

Two things to remember here are that, first the team must be mindful that the order for

prioritizing was to identify first those outcomes that could be realized with existing resources.

Second, and critically important, is that the team must think outside the box. That is it must not

limit itself to simply repositioning the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Although it frequently seems this way, the existing organizational structures of schools was not

delivered by Moses on tablets of stone. Many authorities have addressed the detrimental impact

organizational structure has on schooling. For example in 1960 in addressing the Council of Chief

State School Officers the then prominent psychologist Carl Rogers observed that unless the

public school could rid itself of its position as the most outdated, bureaucratic, incompetent

institution in the land, the public school was doomed. Fifty years later the beat goes on as the

same criticism continues unabated related to organizational dysfunction within schools. This is

exemplified by a 2007 report on conditions within the schools of Washington, DC. Commenting

on one high school within Washington, DC the Washington Post newspaper reported [November

12, 2007]:

Of all the challenges facing [Calvin Coolidge Senior High School] - and the D.C. public

schools system – schedules and records have been among the most entrenched. Students,

parents and teachers say kids frequently have been put in classes they have already taken,

scheduled for two classes at the same time and not scheduled for classes they need....."

The article continues is a vain very critical of the organizational structure of the D.C. Schools.

This is the time to think of resources not in a narrow sense, but in an expansive manner. For

example, if the issue under consideration has to with how the school is organized think outside

the box of the self-contained classroom with its specific teacher-student classroom ratio. Instead,

think in terms of how many students there are totally within the unit such as a grade level, a

primary or intermediate unit, and at the secondary level within a department such as math, social

studies, etc. Then consider what is known about how the learners come to know, and what it is

they need to know now and why. Next look at the four categories of resources available and

consider in what ways those resources can be utilized to do what needs to be done based on what

is known about how the learners come to know and what it is that they need to know [See

Creedon, Four Big Questions Underlying a School Platform]. Now you are better prepared to

determine how the school ought to be organized.

If by chance school organization has been the issue that your team has been working on from the

very beginning then you should have been exploring those questions stated in the paragraph

above.There are many organizational schemas in the marketplace. What is important in

considering alternative approaches to organizing the school away from the way it has been

organized is to look for the theory that under girds the proposed restructuring. It is not enough to

be simply research based. The question must be asked: Research against what standards?[See,

15

Locke, Silverman and Spirduso, Reading and Understanding Research ,1998, p. 55 for a " Dozen

Questions to Ask When Reading Research"].

If it is research that reinforces schools as they are, then in my opinion that research will shed little

insight on schools as the learner centered organizations they ought to be. Howard Gardner

writing in Multiple Intelligences laments the uniformity of schools and calls for learner centered

schools. By no means is he plowing new ground , but he does have an audience. He asks that the

focus be on the learner. Among the proposals he makes for restructuring schools is the creation

of three new faculty positions. They are student assessment specialists, student curriculum

brokers and school-community brokers. More on this can be found by in Gardner, Multiple

Intelligences, Chapter Five.

For more on my own point of view see Creedon monographs: "Recycling the Urban Education

Melting Pot," [1971], cited in Planning Urban Education, Dennis I. Roberts (editor), Educational

Technology Publications, 1972); and "Four Big Questions Underlying a School Platform" 1998].

Process:

Process is most closely related to tactical planning. In strategic planning all the ducks are

organized as they need to be and an overall plan of action is established. Tactical planning gets

down to the nitty-gritty of an action plan. Who is going to do what? Where will the action take

place? What is" my' part in the whole endeavor? What do I do? What is my responsibility?

Obviously the action plan is very closely tied to what has been developed to this point. It must be

totally reflective of the priorities established and of the output and input components of the

systems approach process.

However, here is a danger here that hovers close to the surface. It has been long established as a

truism in relation to human behavior that people resist change. Keeping things as they are takes

precedence over change [See the work of Benjamin Bloom is this regard].

Even the well intended can find that they slip back into comfortable ways of doing things and

looking at things. Therefore, if after all has been said and done in following this approach to

shared decision making the bottom line comes out to be business as usual or something very close

to it, then the question has to be asked: Why bother in the first place?

Tactical Planning and Dimensions of Learning (DOL).

In tactical planning the same four components associated with strategic planning are considered:

Human resources, material things, places and money. If strategic planning is a macro enterprise,

then tactical planning is micro. In covers the same territory, but gets more personalized.

The five components of the DOL process provide a good vehicle for curriculum and instruction

specific tactical planning. The five steps found in Marzano, A Different Kind of Classroom,

Teaching With Dimensions of Learning, ASCD, 1992 are:

1. Positive attitudes and perceptions about learning

2. Acquiring and integrating knowledge

3. Extending and Refining Knowledge

4. Using knowledge meaningfully

5. Productive habits of mind

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In order to develop specific tactics for each of the five DOL components see Creedon handouts as

well as Marzano. A Different Kind of Classroom, and Marzano and Pickering. Dimensions of

Learning Teacher' Manual, 2nd

edition, 1998, ASCD.

Strategic and Tactical Action Plan

The team now has a strategic plan of action before it. And, it moves on to use the same systems

approach strategy to address tactical planning. The team looks at the same four components.

However, this time it is to identify specific tasks for individuals or categories of individuals. For

example, if the issue has to do with curriculum or instruction the team would be explicit as to

what is expected of the administration, curriculum and instructional support personnel, para-

professionals, secretarial and plant management personnel, etc. In this fashion the team considers

each of the four components of systems approach.

Open System Closure: A democratic society is an open system. Shared decision making is

predicated on the self-evident truth of a democratic society that those who are to be affected by a

decision are to be involved in the process of making, implementing and being held accountable

for decisions made.

Closure is not forever. There are no absolutes in this constructivist approach to decision making.

A decision made and implemented has credibility only as long as the data upon which it was

made remains valid. New data or need requires that the issue be re-opened.

In order to keep the system open, to assess the quality of the decision made and to determine the

effectiveness as well as the efficiency of the action plan a monitoring procedure needs to be

developed and implemented. This provides for feedback as well as evaluation and assessment of

the whole undertaking. The trigger points for monitoring include the priorities; the three systems

approach components, and the action plan. Formative assessment procedures may best serve the

implementation of the process, while summative approaches might be required to fulfill

compliance mandates.

Action:

Finally the team is ready to take Action

It is time to walk the talk!

Implementation is the name of the game!

All systems are Go!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating!

The curtain has gone up!

The ball has been snapped:

Play action!

We have lift-of!

Examples of Action Research From Several Countries.

The Action Research process outlined above was originally developed by me around 1990. Since

then it has undergone several revisions. For the most part the revisions have come about in

response to the several hundred practitioners from several countries around the world who have

engaged in the process while studying with me. Appendix A is a listing by title of a limited

number of Action Research projects undertaken by graduate students studying with me.

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Managing the Process Managing the Action Research process involves three functions. The

first is facilitation, the second is process management and the third is record keeping. These three

functions are carried out by three team members. As the team works together it is common for

members to switch positions and this is good. It is a visible sign of team cohesiveness

Facilitator:

A facilitator acts as chair person. The facilitator's job is to keep everyone on task.

Process Observer:

Process management is provided by a second team member who assumes the responsibility to see

to it that the process is being followed. If team members decide that they wish to change or

modify a tactic, then the process observer assumes the chair and manages the change process. In a

departure from consensus based decision making, decisions here can be made by the more

traditional process of majority rule.

Scribe:

The record keeping function is carried out by the team scribe. This person has the responsibility

to get everything down on flip chart paper.

Changing Jobs

It is common and a good thing for team members to switch jobs from facilitator, process

observer, and scribe. This is done informally as long as everyone on the team knows who is

responsible for what

Newsprint or Flip Chart paper:

It is not uncommon for teams to initially resist using the newsprint or flip chart paper to record all

team thought. However, the use of newsprint is a valuable tactic for at least two major reasons.

First, it serves as a very visible reminder of team thought. It is a visual sign of the collective

thought process of the team. It is there for everyone to see. As the process unfolds team members

will find that they cluster around the newsprint or flip chart paper and come to appreciate its

value. It makes it easy to periodically stop and review things thus far. It focuses on the work of

the team as opposed to that of individuals.

The second reason is that it becomes the vehicle by which each team working on the same issue

or simultaneously on different issues can share their efforts with colleagues. It is the vehicle for

giving not only status reports to colleagues but also for trouble shooting. For example, if the

team gets stuck anywhere along the line and needs outsiders to take a fresh look at what they are

trying to do, having all the data posted on newsprint facilitates that process. A call for Help from

colleagues can go out and those responding to the call can review the data on the newsprint,

interact with their help-seeking colleagues and bring fresh insights to the issue. This is an

application of the Refer-Out tactic addressed earlier. And it is constructivist in that it seeks

guidance and insight, if not answers, from colleagues in contrast to an outside-of-the-team

authority figure.

Work Space for Teams:

The best way to arrange work space for each team is in a large open space such as a library,

cafeteria or gymnasium. The idea is to have individual teams working in close proximity to one

another. This tends to develop a sense of We are all working together on this. It facilitates

interaction among teams. And, it provides a quick point of reference as each team wonders how

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it is progressing in relationship to the other teams.

With everyone working in a common space, it makes it easier to periodically call all the teams

together for an up-date and interaction. It contributes to a positive and professional environment.

It reduces feelings of isolation.

However, occasionally teams will want to work in separate spaces such as their classrooms where

they might have ready access to resource material. If the desire is strong, go for it! Do not let

structure get in the way of process.

When To Use the Brainstorming and Action Research Processes

This approach to Brainstorming/AR is a group dynamics process approach to issue identification

and resolution. In organizational development they are applications of shared decision making.

In learning theory they are consistent with field theory and constructivism. In strategy and tactics

dimensions of learning is suggested, however, other strategies might be used.

Action Research is effective on a wide range of categories including organizational development,

climate and culture issues, goal setting including mission development, administration-

management-and-leadership, fiscal concerns, professional development, recruitment, assessment,

curriculum and instruction and classroom management including behavior. Personally, I have yet

to experience an area where the process did not apply, however, I resist proclaiming it a process

for all seasons.

In and of themselves neither Brainstorming nor AR solve problems, people do. Issue resolution

and problem solving is accomplished by ethical individuals who are competent and reflect

interpersonal intelligence as they work collaboratively together. As processes and tools these

procedures can help. They are tools for involving all those who are to be affected by a decision in

the process of making, implementing and being held accountable for decisions made.

Applicable Witticisms

To do better is better than doing one's best

To make a name for learning when other roads are barred

take something very simple and make it very hard

The road to wisdom is plain and simple to express,

to err and err and err again but less, and less, and less.

Among the purposes of critically looking at an issue, any issue, is to try and do better, regardless

of how close to excellence things are at present. And, attaining excellence comes about through

practice. Education is no exception. Brainstorming and Action Research provide pathways for

engaging in the pursuit.

Enough for Now!

Ipse dixit!

Lawrence P. Creedon

lpcreedon@aol.com

www.larrycreedon.info

Framingham State College

International Education Program

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2000, 2006, 2008 [Several revisions since 1992, JCSC/NJCU].

Appendix A

Below is a listing by title of a limited number of Action Research projects undertaken over the

past several by graduate students studying with Creedon. Students practicing in several countries

are represented. All topics were selected by the participants.

Costa Rica

1.How Can a Teacher Recognize and Identify Different Learning Styles Among

Students?

2.How Can a Teacher Best Integrate an LEP Student into a Classroom That is More

Advanced in English?

3.How to Rid Apathy and Engage People, Motivate and Encourage School Wide

Participation?

4. Developing Inexpensive Materials Adapted to Different Learning Styles

The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island [Saipan]

The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Should Consider Alternative Positive

Options Other Than Sending letters Informing Parents That Teachers Are Not "Highly

Qualified' as defined by the No Child Left Behind United States Federal Law.

Honduras

Would a Forum for Professional Discourse for Participation in a Framingham State

College (FSC) Masters program in San Pedro Sula Improve Collegiality and Decrease

Teacher Isolation?

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It is Essential to View Learning as a Process and not as a Product

Managua, Nicaragua

1.How Do We Reduce the Total Amount of Homework Assigned to Middle School

Students While Replacing That Do Not Promote the Use of Higher Order levels of

Bloom's Taxonomy With One's That Do?

2.In a Long or Short Term Period Do Reward Systems Influence Students Behavior in a

Positive Way?

Katowice, Poland

1. Integrated, Thematic Curriculum Promotes Learning on all Cognitive Levels by

Allowing Students to Formulate and Evaluate Connections Across Disciplines.

2. Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation: Which is Better?

Taipei, Taiwan

Academic learning: Group versus Individual

Casablanca, Morocco

Our Private Language School Lacks a Professional Development Program. Our Purpose

is to Establish One.

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Appendix B

Example of the Application of the Action Research Procedure

Elizabeth Jiron, Susana Lopez, John Spiro, Rosselyn Porras Behavior and Classroom Management Managua, Nicaragua, January, 2007. Prof. Larry Creedon susanalissettelopez@yahoo.com January 15, 2007

Action Research Project

Issue: How to apply directed learning we have experienced it to the age group we work with in our environment in order to achieve motivation. Positive:

1. Students are active 2. It is based on previous knowledge. They feel more

confident. 3. Encourages positive participation. 4. Motivation is there because students already have

basic knowledge. 5. Fill in gaps by working in groups and sharing. 6. They get to be more creative. 7. By giving students more control, they get more

motivated. 8. A by product is less discipline problems. 9. Exciting because it is different. 10. Their knowledge is going to improve because they

will be motivated. 11. They remember more what has been learned. 12. Creates a positive learning environment, by not

putting down anybody. 13. Students get the opportunity to express their

feelings. LPC: All of these are well taken, positive. In that the focus of our course was BCM #8 is particularly relevant. The point is that addressing behavior/discipline should not be at the forefront of the "battle;" rather it is developing a positive learning where kids are interested and involved in their own learning. It all relates to the purpose and significance of education and what is believed and practiced about the basic genetic and behavioral nature of humankind.

21

Negative: 1. Teachers give up control. 2. Difficult to get them started. 3. Parents will not understand. 4. Time gets wasted. 5. Parents’ opinion will be influenced by what they see. 6. Students will be lost. 7. Some students will not be open to it. 8. Teachers will not complete their curriculum.

LPC: Complete "their curriculum" or "instructional program? Curriculum and instruction are not the same thing. Curriculum deals with content, instruction with pedagogy.

9. Children at that age (10 13) are less responsible. 10. Not all students will see structure in this

class. 11. Not all students will feel comfortable with this

style. 12. We see our students for short periods of time. 13. Teachers can’t tell if all students are working.

• By giving the kids control they have a greater sense of responsibility, and students will no longer be lost.

• Once they get used to the system that will start on their own time will no longer be wasted.

• Inform the parents and they will support the new system.

• Students will truly get the most important part of the curriculum (quality over quantity).

• They will learn to cope with responsibility by experiencing it.

• When students become self starters, they get more out of the time that we have.

• By letting students work unsupervised, you are showing that you trust them.

LPC: Is this where you have moved negatives to positives and combined?

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Clarify POSITIVE

1. Students have innate energy that can be used in a positive way.

2. They will feel that they already have some knowledge and they will be more motivated.

LPC: Keep in mind difference between "Knowledge" and "information" as understood b y Bloom.

3. see number 2 4. see number 2 5. Students ask their classmates about doubts they have,

if they don’t feel comfortable asking the teacher. LPC: Is this a trust issue? If so it is prerequisite to anything else.

6. 7. They get to elaborate their own format, and the areas

they want to focus on. 8. By giving kids more control they are more excited

about getting the work done, and they feel prouder at the end.

9. Less chance to get distracted. 10. It is exciting for them because they are

experiencing new things. 11. Students are curious to learn more and therefore

they are going to learn more. 12. Because it is an interactive experience it will

be remembered longer. 13. Students will recognize different skills in their

classmates. 14. this system includes opportunities for students

to express how they feel. LPC: These show good grasp of positive learning environment. NEGATIVE

1. 10. 11. Because of different personalities/learning styles some children will not feel comfortable with this classroom

Consolidate 1) Students will channel their innate energy in a

positive way, leading to less discipline problems. Once they adapt to the system, they become self-starters and make better use of the short time available. ENERGY

2) Lessons start with student’s previous knowledge to help them feel prepared and motivated to learn more. FOUNDATION

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3) 4) We build a community where all members use the skills

they have to contribute and feel valued. Students can turn to each other for help when they have doubts and are given opportunities to express how they feel. COMMUNITY

5) The class focuses on elements of the curriculum that interest the students and it allows them to think outside the box and transform the information into knowledge. INTEREST

6) By giving students control they will be more motivated to learn and excited about the process. FREEDOM

7) We show the students we trust them by giving them responsibility. As a consequence, they will perform better. TRUST

LPC: Excellent. Good job. I like the "Red" focus on specific values, concepts. PRIORITIZE: We think that the result of the divergent thinking exercise can all be achieved without external help. LPC: AGREED! System Approach Approaches Output Input Process

Energy Through their own initiative students should come in and work on hand-on activities of their own design with as little prompting from the instructor as possible.

They need to be informed at the end of one class what will be done at the beginning of the following.

Set some time aside before the class ends, to go over what was accomplished and what needs to be considered the following day.

Foundation Students should feel that they are not starting from nothing

Start new units with activities where students share what they already know about the topic to be considered.

Circle discussions, group brainstorming, show pictures, and pick their brain, looking for relationships between courses.

Community Students see classmates as resources, and they learn to see abilities in each other and themselves that they didn’t see before.

Set aside time aside for students to talk about themselves and their interests. Dedicate classroom space to the students,

Put pictures and information of each student related to the discipline, in each classroom, and display student work as much as

24

encourage group work.

possible.

Interest After considering material in the unit, give students a chance to explore elements that were interesting to them. Students have their own goals for the course.

Give them a general overview before starting a unit and ask them what they are more interested in. Have students make a list of their expectations and check it together periodically.

Have work stations with the material from the unit so students can go around and make a decision about what they want to focus on. Have a brainstorming session at the beginning of the course to determine expectations and regular progress checks.

Freedom All students are working simultaneously and unsupervised LPC: Be careful of misinterpretation of this term: "unsupervised."

By using activities where everyone is participating and they don’t have a chance to get distracted easily.

Write around, share and slide and pair reading.

Trust Teachers are not nagging students to get back to work.

Trust the students to manage their time to do the work they are supposed to be doing.

Go to students who have already started working, and let those who haven’t started yet a chance to do so.

LPC: This is excellent. I like the way you have taken the "Red" concepts and used them as your approaches. Good job. Follow Up John I had expectations meetings in 4 of my 5 classes and posted the results on the wall. Today in high school band, we did an exercise based on something they asked to work on. The guitar students chose parts of the curriculum that looked interesting to them, and we will focus more on those units. They also had the chance to list some songs they would like to learn. Grade 7 discussed how and why music is important in their lives, and we posted the results of that. I am also devoting classroom space in both rooms to the students and their interests. In the guitar room, I set aside an Inspiration Corner, where they can post pictures, poems or anything else that is inspiring to them. We started guitar class today with a student volunteering to play something he learned outside of school for the class, and will try to do that as often as possible. I have been making an effort not to tell students to get back to work when they aren't working, and sometimes it works,

25

they do on their own. I added a "your project" to the grade 7 course, which will be a group project entirely designed by the students - they will make proposals to me about the content and format. LPC: Fantastic! Susana: As far as implementing the plan, what I have done is what falls under the category of ¨freedom¨. I asked my students to do the pair reading, but it did not work out so well. They said they could not hear each other, so being more aware of their volume is something we need to work on. I have started only with sixth graders, because I feel they are one of the most independent groups. Also, I will be with them for more time, since they are only starting middle school. I have worked a little bit on ¨Foundation¨, with the new theme we are looking at; we have done a few activities that get their brains working on how they would relate those themes to their lives. I have also been making use of newsprint which help the group stay focused and aware of what is going on. LPC: Extraordinary! Elizabeth: SHARE & SLIDE ACTIVITY Before the activity began instructions and an example was given, so students would not be lost when it comes to work by themselves during the exercise. I did it with a student who didn’t have a partner and the example I used was not the same of the activity. The share and slide activity was used the first day of class of the second semester where the students had the chance to talk during the first period of class (45 minutes) about what they did during their Christmas break. The activity was guided by the teacher (me). Since they are fourth graders and the ages are around 9 and 10 and they love to talk about some other things but not what they are supposed to, there were questions written on the board one at a time and I was the time keeper. Every student had the opportunity to share their experiences and slide. During the activity, I walked around to make sure the objectives of the exercise were accomplished. The objectives were: Students will feel free to share their activities they had during Christmas break. Students will share their activities in English. LPC: Great job of adapting S/S to 4th grade. OBSERVATIONS During the activity, 3 students out of 16 that were in total, got bored and didn’t want to continue talking when I asked if he/she shared everything about the question on the board. 1 student was using Spanish connectors while sharing. The “slide” moment was excellent. Every student knew where to go. When there were 5 minutes left for the class to finish, I decided to stop the exercise there, so the chairs could be arranged and ready for the next class, a student asked if the whole class could slide one more time so everybody could go back to their original places. The rest of

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the students agreed by asking the same thing. They slide 1 more time and then the activity was over. LPC: Terrific CONCLUSIONS At the end of the activity, there were a few minutes for a feedback. Since it was the first time I was doing this activity, I asked them orally if they liked it, and more than 85% of the class did. I was satisfied with the results and that encouraged me to do it again. Rosselyn I have implemented two categories from the action plan “Energy” and “Trust”. I asked the students to type in Microsoft Word their expectations and then get together in small groups to delete the repeated expectations. Then I asked for two volunteers to write down on a piece of paper the class expectations and they are in charge of reading them and crossing out each expectation has been accomplished. It has been very hard for me not to nag those students who are not on tasks but I have given them the chance to start whenever they feel they are ready and lately it has worked. I am very impressed how students feel we trust on them. LPC: Good. Trust is paramount. Without trust everything else is limited. Right now they are working on a project of their interest; they chose what to do and what topic to work on. Next week I am going to implement the share and slide activity. I am going to do it a little bit different since I work with computers. Instead of sitting them down in pairs, they will slide from computer to computer, check their classmate project and type their comments or suggestions under their work. At least three students will have the chance to see their classmates work. LPC: Excellent. Rosselyn, please let me know how it comes work.

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LPC SUMMARY COMMENT What you four professionals have done here is very good. I will be adding it to my list of "Student Papers" [or something like that] on my web site: www.larrycreedon.info. I have already added John's exercise on S/S. Certainly what you have developed and implemented needs to shared with other colleagues including the leadership in your schools. The fruits of professional development ought to be shared. I am suggesting to you several things:

1. Stay together as a small group of "Critical Friends" involved in "Peer Influenced Development." See Creedon monograph on "Critical Friends." 2. Share your work with colleagues and your school leadership. 3. Consider sharing with parents. Include kids in presenting to parents. Parents like to see heir kids shine and they should. 4. Consider condensing what you have here to a 2000 word article for publication in a journal. 5. I am available to help/assist in any/all of these. 6. Please let me know how things continue to develop

GREAT JOB! WELL DONE! Hope your research course is going well! Ipse dixit! Larry Creedon: www.larrycreedon.info January 16, 2007, Nicaragua.

The Serpico Project-

Student-Based Learning Techniques in a Behaviorist Classroom

(An Action Research Project)

James Anderson, Chris Miller, Kristian Brodie, Rob Ogle

email: jaimeaxel@yahoo.com, miller35@gmail.com,

akabony@yahoo.com, phelanogle@yahoo.com

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Date: February 8, 2008

Written for: Research Evaluation with L.P. Creedon Krakow ‘08

A Ten-Step Action Research Project 1. Establish a Task Group/Team Rob Ogle Chris Miller Kristian Brodie James Anderson 2. Issue Statement To develop specific student-centered techniques for upper middle class urban elementary Taiwanese ESL students to implement within a pre-existing behaviorist classroom to lead to English communicative competence Definitions 1. Techniques a way of carrying out a particular task 2. Develop to build upon something, to make your own 3. Implement to put a plan into practice 4. Communicative competence the knowledge of what to say, when to say it,

and how to say it 3. Divergent Thinking

In this stage, we brainstormed positive aspects of our issue statement. What positive outcomes would result from this effort? Debating or

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commenting on what was given by each of us was not allowed. This is what we wrote down on our large sheet of newsprint.

Positive Aspects

1. student interaction 2. overcoming shyness 3. uses more MI’s 4. makes students independent 5. brings new and interesting techniques 6. TTT (teacher talking time) down STT (student talking time) up 7. Memory retention 8. Creates motivation-teachers and students 9. Students learn more of what they want to know 10. Students have more independent thoughts 11. More authentic evaluation/assessment 12. Ownership of learning process 13. Lower stress in teachers/students 14. Less discipline problems 15. Discovery of own teaching skills 16. Happier students 17. Increase teachers interest 18. Student/teacher relationship improvement 19. Lead by example (teacher can affect change in other teachers) 20. Improved reading, writing, speaking 21. Promotes social skills and communication 22. Healthier kids 23. Improved classroom management 24. Practical learning 25. Beyond rote learning (taking it into higher cognitive levels-consult

Bloom) 26. Student bonding 27. Happier parents 28. Teaches responsibility and the lesson 29. Parent/kids see learning process 30. Problem solving skills

Then we shifted focus to the negative aspects, or in other words, the factors that might impede our progress. Again, these were not debated. They were written on large newsprint as they were spoken.

Negative Aspects 1. Management resistant to change (students, bosses, parents, teachers) 2. Time constraints (training, in-class, preparation work) 3. Confusion (students, bosses, parents, teachers)

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4. Other people- slackers, social hierarchy in students 5. Age of students 6. Non-comprehension of younger students 7. Lack of follow through 8. Lack of effort teachers and students 9. Our implementation skills 10. Required traditional testing 11. Lack of peer review and peer assistance 12. Money 13. Resources 14. Kids need structure

4. A Positive Focus

In this stage, we took the negative, or impeding forces and focused on how we could make them enabling forces. This allows us to defend critics of our effort. The numbers correspond to the Negative Aspects above.

1. Education and clarification of intentions, theory, and methodology, and

a call for patience 2. (Time is an issue that must be dealt with as it presents itself. Often,

there isn’t time, but meetings and workshops could be held for training and teachers would need to make adjustments to their schedules as necessary to accommodate. Eventually, with practice, the time would work itself out.)

3. Same as #1 4. Teacher involvement/ awareness, correct implementation will reduce

this 5. Use specific techniques for certain ages 6. Appropriate teacher training 7. Build a strong support structure, weekly/monthly evaluations on

progress, workshops 8. Reflection, proper implementation, peer review, address learning styles 9. More training/ different training techniques 10. Constructivist preparation styles/techniques 11. Teacher reflection in practice and we are all in Taipei 12. Be creative 13. Same as #12 14. Working within existing structure, proper preparation/training of

teachers

5. Clarify-Consolidate-Restate

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A. Clarify: We took the positive aspect and reread them to ensure we all understood exactly what was meant by each one. B. Consolidate: We looked again at the 30 positive aspects and consolidated them, combining the ones that had enough similarities to be grouped together. C. Restate: We then wrote the consolidated aspects as statements. They were as follows. (SCT = Student-Centered Technique)

1. SCT’s promote and develop social skills and better communication. 2. SCT’s help build and maintain healthy minds and bodies for students and

teachers. 3. SCT’s allow for more student interaction which develops closer bonding

among students. 4. SCT’s will increase motivation and interest in the classroom among

teachers and students. 5. SCT’s will improve classroom management by making students

responsible and will reduce traditional discipline problems. 6. SCT’s will allow for individual thinking which develops independence. 7. SCT’s will address multiple intelligences. 8. SCT’s will lead to clearer understanding of teaching and learning styles. 9. SCT’s will help students learn problem solving skills, improve reading,

writing, and speaking. 10. SCT’s will reduce stress and improve memory by giving ownership to the

students. 11. SCT’s will provide alternative ways of assessing and evaluating students. 12. SCT’s will create a better student-to-teacher and teacher-to-teacher

symbiosis. Creedon” Terrific listing. This in itself is a possibility for publication. If interested I am available to help. Process of how they arrived at impressive.

6. Prioritize

In this step, we looked at our statements and decided which ones could be acted upon immediately, without any need for permission or assistance from school management or other external authority. In our current practices, all of our statements could be acted upon now without getting external authorization.

7. Refer Out and Literature Research

In this step, we divided our 12 statements among the four members of our team and research began. We were looking for studies, reports, or articles that would support what each statement declared.

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Following is the resources we found that support our 12 statements. #4.http://www.ncirl.ie/dynamic/File/Research/1st%20technical%20report_TH06.pdf #4. http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/faq1.htm#28 #4. http://www.parkland.edu/inted/guidebook.pdf #4. www.fiu.edu/~pelaeznm/images/Resource/santrock/Chapter10.ppt #4. http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/cnc.html #6,4. http://kerlins.net/bobbi/education/teachonline/pedagogy.html #4. http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326985ep2103_4 #4. http://www.angelfire.com/hi/rascl/links.html #4.http://www.pu.edu.pk/ier/ber/previous_pdf/2_Dr.%20Nasir_Constructivist%20Classroomformatting.pdf #5.www.ed.psu.edu/CI/Journals/1998AETS/s1_6_vellom.rtf #5. http://adt.curtin.edu.au/theses/available/adt-WCU20040518.142747/unrestricted/02chapter1.pdf #5. http://itdl.org/Journal/jan_06/article02.htm #5.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3785/is_199806/ai_n8795741/pg_11 #5. http://filebox.vt.edu/users/rteague/PORT/SocialCo.pdf #6. http://www.jhfc.duke.edu/ducis/GlobalEquity/pdfs/ABP.pdf #6. http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedletter/v09n03/wired.html #10. http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/step/ep301/Fall2000/Tochonites/active.html #1,3,4,6,7,9.http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/center_of_learning_files/principles.html #2,6,10,12. http://help4teachers.com/hottopics.htm #1,11. http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9605/article1.htm #1-12. http://clte.asu.edu/active/feldertranscript.htm # 1,3,6,9,12. http://clte.asu.edu/active/baselemcooptms.pdf #12. http://www.emints.org/evaluation/reports/student-centeredprincipal.pdf #1-12.http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Resist.html #1-12.http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/textbooks/childcenteredclass.html #7,12. http://books.nap.edu/readingroom/books/str/1.html #1-12. http://www.karentimberlake.com/student-centered_classoom.htm #1-12. http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Student-Centered.html #1-12. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr200.htm #7-9.www.ericdigests.org/.webloc #7-9.www.allkindsofminds.org/.webloc #7-9.www.allkindsofminds.org/case#21 #7-9.www.ascd.org/.webloc

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#7-9.www.ascd.org/ 1.webloc #7-9.www.ascd.org/ 2.webloc #7-9.www.ascd.org/ed_topics/2000a#25 #7-9.www.ericdigests.org/.webloc #7-9.www.ncrel.org/.webloc #7-9.www.ncrel.org/ 1.webloc #7-9.www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kappa#29 #7-9.www.sdkrashen.com/.webloc Creedon: Very well done. How many of these were you able to review? Due to time constraints, we were unable to completely finish the ten-step Action Research process. For the purpose of illustrating the last three steps, we provide here an incomplete, condensed version of steps 8 through10. We also include an explanation of our class presentation that demonstrated some student-centered techniques. 8. A Systems Approach to Strategic and Tactical Planning Part 1. Output– Outcome statements from Priority Statements

To illustrate this stage, we turned our priority statement (#7) into two separate outcome statements. We then built rubrics based on those outcomes. Below are the two outcome statements and the rubrics.

Priority Statement #7. Student-Centered techniques will address multiple intelligences.

Outcome Statements To apply knowledge of the eight multiple intelligences in identifying different types of learners within our classrooms To create and/or modify lesson plans that will meet the needs of as many different intelligences as are in our classrooms Rubrics

Expectation 1 2 3 4

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To apply knowledge of the 8 multiple intelligences in identifying different types of learners within our classrooms

Be able to define 8 multiple intelligences.

To comprehend the different intelligences and be able to compare and contrast them

To understand the different intelligences within our classrooms

N/A Shouldn’t this be application? Creedon

To create and/or modify lesson plans that will meet the needs of as many different intelligences as possible in our classroom

Recognizing some different intelligences within our classrooms

To comprehend and compare and contrast strategies that will meet the needs of different intelligences

To construct a plan of action that applies different strategies to the lesson plan This could imply PERT, Critical path. Creedon

To apply the lesson plan and be able to reflect on it, evaluate it and if necessary modify the plan of action Doesn’t mention implementation Creedon

Part 2. Input A.People: The four members of our team

B.Places: Our respective schools and classrooms in Taiwan C.Things: Teaching materials, Internet

D. Money: Not applicable here Part 3. Process

As part of the planning, a critical path would be created that

would detail the effort, including benchmarks, obstacles, and evaluation and assessment techniques. The critical path will provide the course of action to be taken throughout the process and keep us focused on our objectives. Good. Creedon

9. Strategic and Tactical Action Plan

In this stage, the four members of our team would assign the specific tasks needed to complete the project. OK. Creedon

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10. Open System Closure

“Those who are to be affected by a decision are to be

involved in the process of making, implementing and being held accountable for decisions made.” Open system closure deals with implementing what we have discovered in our action research project, evaluating and assessing the effectiveness and success of the student-centered techniques we apply, and making necessary changes and adjustments as we continue to pursue a more student-centered approach to learning. Techniques will be implemented slightly differently by each member of our team because we all work at different jobs. The extent to which we can implement our student-centered techniques will vary depending on our own specific

situations. Having regular meetings with the four members of our team will serve as a support system to monitor process, problems, and new ideas to ensure student-centered learning is improving. I hope this

becomes a reality. Keep me in the loop, please. Creedon. Open system closure is the last step in our action research project but is the first step in putting our findings to use. AGREED. Good Creedo

Class Presentation

For the purpose of illustrating the goal of our Action Research project, we presented a specific student-centered technique in class. We led the class in an activity using a K-W-L chart. We split the class into two groups. One group had the topic of Taiwanese Cuisine and one group had the topic of Taiwanese History. Students filled in the KWL charts in regard to What

They Know, and What They Want To Know about their respective topics.

See http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr2kwl.htm for an example of a K-W-L chart. Kristian and Chris were the facilitators (“experts”) on Taiwanese food telling one group as much as they could in about ten minutes. Rob told his group about Taiwanese history. We then gave both groups around ten minutes to find out more about their topic by looking on the Internet. When everyone had the new info from the Internet, we put everyone in the history group on one side of the room in chairs and the food group on the other

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side in chairs (share and slide) and everyone exchanged what they had

learned about Taiwanese history and food. Finally, the students completed the last portion of their K-W-L charts- What

They Learned.

Our presentation was then evaluated by everyone who took part. Creedon: What you have here is exemplary. It will be my intention to use it in future classes as an example. Well done. As you move forward in implementation please keep me in the information loop. Larry Creedon Krakow, Poland 2-9-08