As an educator, I have always felt the need for things to be orderly. As an English Language Arts teacher, I have to incorporate grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing into my instruction. Without order and a systematic process, I do not think I’d be able to teach comfortably.
As I was putting together my research proposal, I became very aware of the unknowns of my research. I wanted to solve the problem instead of researching it. As I continued to put each part of my proposal together, I realized there were reasons for the unknowns. My research will be messy. I think the mess will lead to some discoveries that will prove invaluable and may cause me to learn more about human interaction and view my teaching practices differently. Therefore, at the very beginning, I was extremely uncomfortable with the mess. Now, I feel like the mess will lead me to better understanding my students. It will be a means to finding out what I know.
In my own work, I suspect student work samples will be very messy. It is very difficult for my students to complete their work. It often takes an absorbent amount of time, and the outcomes vary significantly. When I think a student can demonstrate understanding, his or her work does not always prove this to be true. Additionally, I often have to seek out an assignment repeatedly before I receive it. This process of reviewing student work and waiting for student work is very chaotic and has taken me an extremely long time to accept. At times, I still find it daunting. I suspect it will be a very messy part of my research.
In my own work, I suspect student work samples will be very messy. It is very difficult for my students to complete their work. It often takes an absorbent amount of time, and the outcomes vary significantly. When I think a student can demonstrate understanding, his or her work does not always prove this to be true. Additionally, I often have to seek out an assignment repeatedly before I receive it. This process of reviewing student work and waiting for student work is very chaotic and has taken me an extremely long time to accept. At times, I still find it daunting. I suspect it will be a very messy part of my research.
Like you, I appreciate and am comfortable with order and a systematic process. I expect that mess will lead to discovery- I must keep this in mind.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, Beth. Try to think of it as an organic and necessary process. We put in structures so that we can make sense of the messiness in teaching and in research.
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