For TESOL Second Language Writing Interest Section
The webinar took place on November 1, 2016, and its recording is now publicly available:
Title: Theorizing Your Practice: Action Research in L2 Writing
Facilitator: Dr. Betsy Gilliland, Assistant Professor of Second Language Studies, University of Hawai‘i
Description:
As writing teachers, we may sometimes feel like published research does not understand the realities of our classrooms. A promising activity reported in a journal article seems impossible to enact under the actual circumstances of our workplaces. At the same time, we don’t feel like we have the time or know-how to conduct research on our own.
This is where action research comes into play. In an action research study, teachers ARE the researchers, selecting the focus and methods of a study and analyzing data from their deep knowledge of their own classrooms. Action research can be done within the busy schedules of most writing teachers and can further allow teachers to create their own professional development in ways that meet their actual needs.
In this online session, I will give a short introduction to the concepts of action research in language teaching and then facilitate an interactive discussion among participants around key questions about action research. We will share ideas for conducting research, forming research groups for peer support, finding research mentors, and sharing research findings, among other topics.