Action Research Conference 2013

Attending the 2013 Action Research Conference at the University was extremely beneficial. I attended the School of Counseling Showcase and the Learning and Teaching Showcase. The presentation that resonated with me the most was, Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge: A Constructivist View to Teaching Mathematics. Some the information that Angelica presented is going to help direct my phase two process. During Angelica’s first phase of her inquiry within a sixth grade classroom she struggled a lot with getting students interested and engaged in explaining through writing their mathematical reasoning; Students did not understand the purpose. In order to address this need, she set up sociomathematical norms during phase two. Pulling from some of the theories and research that Angelica used to better implement her inquiry in phase two is something that I’m now doing. Rereading and collecting research even after beginning inquiry is something I had not considered until I went to the conference. The School of Counseling Showcase was a great experience as well. I attended the showcase for personal reasons, more so than getting information for my research. All of the presenters based their inquiry around self-efficacy and motivation. One presenter focused specifically on female students in upper elementary classrooms. I did get some helpful information on different things I can start considering before the time comes when I present, for example, the limitations of my research and how I’m promoting fairness and accuracy in my implementations and findings. From presenting I realized that I need to narrow in on my exact focus when analyzing students; worksheets i.e. am I focusing on complex problems, reasoning, etc. I’m also more aware of the importance of how I worked my math challenge questions. I have to decide on what I’m looking for from the students, and then create a math problem that will require students to show me a specific understanding. The question of the math challenge is critical. I received some great feedback from Professor Joi Spencer and she recommended some literature by Franklin Carpenter for me to explore. I’m happy that we were required to attend the conference. It was beneficial to view presentations and understand the expectations for formatting our PowerPoint, content, etc. It was also nice seeing students who made it through the long process and find some success in their personal growth/career.