The MSPinNYC decided to implement Action Research in the schools last Spring to garner more participation in the math and science departments. The Action Research teams are 3-4 teachers with a common proposal. Usually one person from each team participates in the summer program. Currently, 57 teachers from our eight Hub schools are in Action Research teams throughout the year.What is Action Research? It is a type of study in which 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). It provides a framework for teacher inquiry into classroom practice and other educational questions. The action research projects are qualitative investigations such as problem solving, verification and discovery, by teachers and researchers in complex working classroom situations.

The focus of MSP Action Research is the cooperation and collaboration of teachers in groups that will investigate a defined problem in the form of a question using the action research process.

A trio of Living Environment teachers from Truman High School in the Bronx, are conducting an action research project on how to make their lab activities more inquiry-based. Working with Judy Silverman, a professional development coordinator in science, the teachers have been grappling with how hands-on activities may or may not be inquiry-based.

In their initial action research cycle, they met once a week to formally review and edit genetics activities that they could use as lab activities. They also e-mailed each other the final edits on four genetics labs and a pedigree chart holiday project. The lab activities they selected were “Wheat Germ DNA Extraction”, “Genetics With a Smile”, “Gingerbread Family “ and a NOVA-based “DNA- Crime Scene Electrophoresis.” In one meeting in which they planned the DNA extraction lab activity, the teachers discussed how the procedure should be emphasized by the types of questions they asked because of its relationship to the cell’s structure. Ms. Silverman assumed the role of a critical friend and posed questions about what facets of the lab activity were inquiry- based.

Ms. Silverman stated that action research is a “practical and effective way for teachers to improve their practice.” According to her, the teachers are doing “their own construction of what is happening in the classroom and how they can address their students’ needs.” In the weekly meetings, the teachers discussed what they did in lab and how students responded; these meetings were rich in suggestions and insights which are now changing some of their teaching practices in recitation time as well.

They are presently evaluating responses that students wrote for one of the earlier labs and will compare their results. During the last meeting, one teacher noted that “what students say makes more sense than what they write.” Part of the meeting was used to talk about how to enable students to write more accurately and include more information on their lab reports.

All three teachers noticed right away how excited and animated the students became when they did their labs this semester. One teacher said that she was “trying to be careful to not give answers to students, but rather get them to think their answers and ideas through.” According to Ms. Silverman, the teachers are very motivated to continue investigation of this action research question.

Stay tuned for more examples of successful Action Research teams.