Memo #8 - Dan Harris

The only data collection I have done so far is writing in my teacher research journal.  I completely changed my research questions a couple of weeks ago, so I plan on giving my students a survey at the end of this week and completing student interviews next week.

The student survey I plan on giving is an abridged version of the WIHIC (What Is Happening In the Classroom?) survey.  The survey is specifically targeted at an inquiry classroom and has 7 sections: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation, Equity.  I am most interested in the Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Task Orientation, and Equity sections.  

My teacher research journal has yielded an emergent theme in my research that I did not anticipate when I wrote my research questions.  I discovered that training in inquiry teaching methods is something that I did not account for in my research questions.  Teacher skill, which I define as training and experience, may have a large affect on how effective the 5-E model is in my classroom.  If I am not trained in the questioning skills needed for the 5-E model, how will that change all of the sub-questions I have proposed.

I have also noticed a pattern in my research journal that focuses on my interactions with my students, specifically the questioning that I engage in during class.  I think that is one of the biggest adjustments I am making to teaching with an inquiry model, and I am noticing the difference.