Introduction to this Website
by Tom Russell

Teachers Bare All: The Naked Truth about Action Research

A presentation to the Ontario Educational Research Council Annual Conference Toronto December 4-5, 1997

Christian Derasp, Shelley Gauthier-McMahon, Michelle Ostiguy, Tom Russell, Jenny Sheffield, Lara Smith, Gloria Vella, & Jennifer Webster with contributions from Rob Fisher, Anita Griffore, & Stephen Sliwa

Queen’s University Faculty of Education Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6

 

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On September 8, 1997, I first met the group of M.Ed. candidates named above. This was the first class in my fourth offering of this course on action research, and previous classes had taught me to be ready for anything—from sheer delight to true trauma. After the first three classes, I was cautiously optimistic: People were reporting confusion and "fog" about what they were supposed to be doing, but the tone remained positive and constructive. All 10 people had access to e-mail and were beginning to contribute, so that significant conversations were occurring between as well as within classes. And people seemed to be sharing real issues and concerns.

At our fourth class, the title of this presentation was invented by the group, as the OERC proposal deadline compelled us to act or be left out. I suggested that we needed a "sexy" title to draw a crowd, and three hours later we had this title, which reflects in part the vulnerability and exposure often associated with action research. At our fifth class, we discussed a "mid-course" evaluation exercise in which each person commented on strengths, weaknesses and suggestions. At our sixth class, on October 20, the fog had lifted and we were sharing "breakthroughs" in most of the efforts to get a significant action research project underway.

In classes 7, 8, and 10, we traded some of our reading plans for opportunities to talk with visitors: Steve Tofflemire and Dave Skeaff, new elementary principals in Spring Valley and Bowmanville, shared their progress with action research since taking this course in 1994. Clare Kosnik and Clive Beck of OISE/UT shared their use of action research in an elementary preservice program in Toronto, and Fran Squire visited from the Ontario College of Teachers to discuss standards of practice and the possible role of action research in teachers’ professional learning. Our most recent classes have prepared our conference presentation and this booklet of supporting materials.

The pages of this website present some of the joys and tribulations of our shared adventures with action research. The four charts summarize the action research activities of the group in terms of a set of categories we developed during our work together. We hope these charts help you understand our particular experiences as well as the general process of action research, as it may unfold in the classrooms of Ontario (and beyond). Please note that five of the projects are set in personal experience, and five others (by full-time M.Ed. candidates) involve assisting others (a friend or a relative, in every instance) with an action research project.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to direct them to me (russellt@educ.queensu.ca) for sharing with the group.

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