Assignment 1: October 8, 2024 - Pose a Problem of Practice:
Assignment: Crafting Your Research Question
Using your current ELA goal or Option A, create a focused research question. As you consider the "problem of practice" that will guide your research this year, reflect on the following questions to deepen your thinking. Once finalized, please post your reflection on your CRG Pages.
Consider:
What specific challenge or issue within your ELA practice are you aiming to address?
How does this problem impact student learning or teaching effectiveness?
What outcomes or improvements do you hope to see as a result of your research?
What steps will you take to investigate and gather data on this problem?
Reflect on these guiding questions as you develop your research focus and question.
Goal: My goal is to incorporate more meaningful play throughout the curriculum. Playful learning can help students learn fundamental concepts and skills, as well as develop their abilities to collaborate, solve problems, and navigate uncertainty.
I think that this problem can impact student learning by making students more thoughtful thinkers and communicators. As a teacher, we have known the power of play for many years and I am excited to see the focus on play come back into the classroom. I hope to see outcomes such as more "outside of the box" thinking when problem solving. I think one of the issues we may run in to during this goal is children who need to develop a deeper level of communication when faced with a problem.
Peer Comments: Hi Katie, It’s great that you’re focusing on bringing more meaningful play into the curriculum to enhance both academic and social skills, especially problem-solving and communication. Your enthusiasm for the return of play in the classroom really shines through! I am wondering if it also makes sense to consider how you can support students in developing that deeper level of communication during play, especially when faced with challenges or conflicts? - Sue Luft
PS PS: You may want to check in with Fox Meadow's Gerri Garrelick. Her research is similar and she is using Adventures in Peacemaking, Responsive Classroom, and Pedagogy of Play to address a similar problem of practice.