Action Research in ELICOS Program

Action Research
in ELICOS
Program
Katherine Brandon
English Australia
Anne Burns
University of New South Wales
Emily Edwards
University of New South Wales
1
Session outline
•
Program context
•
What is action research?
•
Case study
•
How to participate
2
ELICOS
•
•
147,828 students
•
2,500+ teachers
Top five countries:

China

Japan

South Korea

Brazil

Thailand
3
English Australia
•
Peak body & professional association
•
Strategic goals
• Lead
• Connect
• Grow
•
Innovation & best practice key to future
4
English Australia initiatives
•
English Australia Conference
•
English Australia Journal
•
Guides to Best Practice
•
Online communities of practice
•
Workshops, webinars and forums
5
Action Research in ELICOS Program goals
• to equip teachers with the skills to enable them
to explore and address identified teaching
challenges in the context of Australian ELICOS
• to share outcomes of this research.
6
Outcomes for teachers
1. actively involved in classroom research
2. national peer networks
3. engagement with research and academic
researchers
4. further professional development
7
Program
ELICOS
English Australia
- project management
Reference Group
Anne Burns
- expertise in AR
Cambridge
English
- funding
- publishing
8
Participants
2011
2011
Program outline
Participants selected
Introductory workshop
wiki
Skype
Projects
Workshop 2
email
Projects
8-9
months
Workshop 3
SHARING OUTCOMES
Presentations
English
Australia
Conference
Publications
Cambridge English Research Notes
2014 program projects
•
•
Designing tasks for critical reading for EAP students
•
Reading aloud for pronunciation, fluency and
confidence
•
Exploring how technology may be used for teaching
extensive reading
•
Developing motivated readers through an extensive
reading program
•
Using Facebook to develop extensive reading skills
Using Moodle for teaching and learning EAP reading
skills
Action research
Action research
•
Issues that engage participants in their own
social situation
•
Goal is to act to understand, change/enhance
what is happening
•
•
Integrates action, research and reflection
Focus on praxis – i.e. reflection on practice,
and on deeper understanding of practice
Process of action research
•
Identify key issues/challenges for investigation
•
Plan focus area and strategies for gathering
information
•
Make changes and developments in practice
•
Use ongoing action and data-gathering to
inform further understanding and change
Process of action research
•
Key issues/challenges are identified for
investigation
•
Focus area and strategies for gathering
information are planned
•
Changes and developments in practice are
made
•
Ongoing action and data-gathering inform
further understanding and change
Action research cycle
Kemmis & McTaggart 1998
Key features of action research
•
Systematic – adopting more than an
experiential/intuitive approach to teaching
•
Interventionist – deliberately seeking ways to
make teaching/learning effective
•
Evidence-based – collecting evidence to
support claims about what is happening
•
Critically reflective – being open-minded and
responsive to what the data show
Program impact
Sectoral
Institutional
Individual
• teaching/research skills &
knowledge
• professional development
• longer-term impact
Individual impact
I’ll keep the
lines of
communication
open with
students to
better inform
my teaching.
It’s a
supercharged
PD experience!
I’ve developed my
[classroom skills] at
an accelerated rate.
I’ve gained an
appreciation of
how to improve as
a teacher.
No matter how many years you have been teaching you can
still learn, and [action research] makes this easy and exciting.
Program impact
Sectoral
• strengthened practice
• institutional engagement
• enhanced PD & professionalism
• teaching/research skills &
knowledge
• professional development
• longer-term impact
Institutional
Individual
Institutional impact
Too often staff
only see things
that they do [at
this centre] and
this project gave
them the chance
to step outside
their daily role.
•Most [other]
teachers also
became
involved with
the project,
allowing their
classes to be
included in the
research.
The program fitted neatly into our own PD
for the year.
Program impact
• enhanced reputation
• rejuvenation of practice
• program dissemination
• strengthened practice
• institutional engagement
• enhanced PD & professionalism
• teaching/research skills &
knowledge
• professional development
• longer-term impact
Sectoral
Institutional
Individual
Sectoral impact
I could not
believe the
number of
people who
picked it up
and knew it
was
happening.
It was always
applicable for
best practice
but was hidden
and is now
bringing it out
again into the
open.
It also provides stimulation for teachers who know in
most institutions there are limited career possibilities.
More outcomes
•
2013 IEAA Award for Excellence
•
Further research & publication
•
Application to other communities
within the global ELT field
• UK
• Malaysia
2012 action research project:
Using writing assessment rubrics
to develop learner autonomy
Emily Edwards
PhD student @ UNSW
Teacher @ UTS:Insearch
My action research context
• English Language Company
• Rolling-intake Academic English
classes
• Cycle 1: high B1 to low B2 (CEFR)
• Cycle 2: high B2 to C1
• Various ages and nationalities
• Student requirement: IELTS or EAP
Research question
How can a class of Academic English learners
autonomously assess and monitor their own
progress in relation to their formative written
assignments, and how can I assist them in this
process?
Using assessment
rubrics:
• Peer assessment
• Editing checklists
• Goal setting
Cycle 1
Goal-setting = most useful in rolling intake
context
Cycle 2
• Progress & motivation
• Self-study materials
• Role of the teacher
Implications for practice
• Continued focus on ‘Assessment for Learning’:
 Importance of integrating assessment rubrics into
teaching
 Goal setting activities = useful in Academic English
classes
 BUT context changes everything!
• Reflection & questioning!
 Why did that work or not?
 ‘Evidence’ to support my teaching
2015 Program
academic
Teaching, learning
and assessing writing
feedback
test prep v general development
How to get a place in the Program
•
Read past project reports and all information!
•
Keep it simple – ‘think big, act small’.
•
Be clear about what you want to explore.
•
Make sure it’s relevant to the theme.
•
Observe the word limit!
For more information please visit:
www.englishaustralia.com.au/action-research-program
www.professoranneburns.com
Contact: easec@englishaustralia.com.au