Syllabus: Teacher Action Research (Pilot Course)

This is a syllabus that I developed for a pilot course I taught at University of Hawai'i, Mānoa.

Catalog course description
Methods of teacher action research and educational inquiry from an equity-centered, interdisciplinary, and practice-based framework. This course consists of a weekly seminar and/or writing workshop. It is designed to prepare candidates to design an action (practice-based) inquiry project beginning from topic selection, through literature review, and drafting a final project proposal. Candidates will learn how to connect anecdotal experiences from their practice to larger problems identified in existing bodies of knowledge about education and the community in order to select a topic and focus for their inquiry. They will be exposed to a variety of types of teacher inquiry projects and will develop the knowledge necessary to critically engage with scholarly research. Candidates will become familiar with the existing body of research literature around topics relevant to their teaching experiences and will form questions for future analysis focused on the primary goal of improving their own practice. Candidates will be exposed to qualitative data collection and analysis techniques relevant to teacher action research. Candidates will become aware of the ethical responsibilities around research in educational settings and practice applying those principles in practice.