SPSE 6712 #3 Reflective Fieldnote

I really value everything I've learned about how to conduct an action research, and the experiences I've had with action research. In order to do an action research, a person must have a problem or situation he/she wants to better in some way. The problem should be within the means of the researcher to study and help directly. Therefore, action research is a great way for teachers to study and find solutions to problems in their classrooms and with their students.

Looking at the students' grades was not as helpful as I had expected. The students had varying grades and it was hard to pinpoint if there was any pattern. Some students are also being tested for learning difficulties, and this makes it difficult group them with other students. I also found that students were really happy to help and they felt like what they needed/wanted was really important by taking part in the research. I think this can be a great way for the teacher to make students feel like they are a special part of the community and to "join forces."

I would advise to other professionals in the ESL community the importance of a literature rich environment. I found that when the students were able to actually read the passage that they were listening they actually did better in comprehension, spelling, and writing complete sentences. This may have been because they could comprehend what they were reading opposed to what they were hearing (perhaps due to an accent), they could actually view the words written correctly, or because they had just had many examples of complete sentences. I think that the more a student is exposed to reading and examples of correct word spelling and sentences, the easier or more natural it will become for a student.