Research Methods

1. We learned about research methods and how to be smart in conducting studies and also analyzing conclusions made by others. We discussed descriptive studies which tell us all about what is going on in an environment. They tell us percentages and statistics, and they also can give us characteristics and description about what is going on.
We also discussed experimental research which will try to control an environment in order to accurately test an independent variable. We discussed how this method was the best for clearly showing cause and effect but also how this method is difficult to use due to ethics and the inability to control all variables.
Then there was the infamous correlative studies. The ones the media loves to exploit for their ability to show relationships between two different phenomenon but the inability to show why they are related and if they even are connected.
Finally there was action research, where a teacher will take it upon his or herself to try different teaching methods in their classroom and see what specifically will help that group of students.

2.It was important to know the different styles of research and how they are conducted so we don't just join the band wagon. We can not just change everything we know about teaching because entertainment weekly has printed results about a poorly conducted study (not that entertainment weekly really cares about elementary education, but you get the picture). We need to be cautious about what people are reporting and we also have to be able to explain to parents why we are not implementing something that the media says all classrooms should have.

3. I am going to be going into the dual immersion field of elementary education, a relatively new approach to teaching children and there are always new studies coming out about more effective way to teach children in a bi-cultural and bilingual environment. With this information about research methods, I will not only be able to examine studies done by others, but implement action research in my own classroom to help students in this unique style of learning.