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Jack's Intro to Work & Research CEP 900 & CEP 930 Summer 2010 Hybrid Cohort Cary Roseth & Matt Koehler

This text provides an introduction to Jack's research interests, the evolution of his research interests, and answers to specific questions about research. Jack focuses on the nature of human learning, with a particular interest in mathematics education. He discusses the challenges and goals of his research and highlights the importance of developing a critical perspective and academic literacy.

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Jack's Intro to Work & Research CEP 900 & CEP 930 Summer 2010 Hybrid Cohort Cary Roseth & Matt Koehler

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  1. Jack’s Intro(to work & Research) CEP 900 & CEP 930 Summer 2010 Hybrid Cohort Cary Roseth & Matt Koehler June 22, 2010

  2. My “Charge” • Introduce yourself and describe your research interests • Discuss the evolution of your research interests. • Some specific questions: • What is a “good” research question and how do researchers find them? • What does it mean to think like a researcher? • What makes research convincing to you? • What does it mean to develop a critical perspective? • How would you describe the nature of academic reading and writing?

  3. My Research Focus • I am interested in the nature of human learning • With mathematics as particular human competence • Learning is the process of developing new or richer views of the world; learning is change • Learning (surprisingly) is often ignored in place of curriculum, teaching, assessment, technology use • This interest in grounded in my experience as a teacher of mathematics (what are they thinking?)

  4. More on Math Learning • Sadly, mathematics is a dangerous subject (for many) • Sadly (again), school is often boring, not a place of wonder, exploration, and figuring out • For me, mathematics remains wonderful and is fully within the reach of all people to understand, not memorize • My professional goals • Reveal what kids “know,” how “knowledge” is structured, and explore how that knowledge was learned • Support teachers in understanding more than they did as students • Levering assessment out of the 19th century • Knowing mathematics = assimilation of some school lessons + a great deal of individual sense-making and construction

  5. What’s Changed? • Basic project hasn’t changed since grad school • Become more knowledgeable across years and projects • More confident about my message; issues relate to where to take it • Become sadly (3rd time) sensitive to the inertia of educational systems • Look to make small scale ripples of goodness; just need some partners

  6. “gOOD” research Qs • Segue: These questions put me in teacher mode • Two types of questions • Those we really want answers to • Those we can actually answer • Being a scholar means managing the gap; getting the second set of questions closer to the first • Good RQs have well-defined nouns and verbs • Ambiguity seems often not a problem for the field; it is to me • Research is a kind of communication; ambiguity is usually not good in precise communication

  7. Thinking Like a REsearcher • One feature: Think always about reasons; educational practices should happen for reasons; pursue some design/intentions; Designs should make principled sense • An associated feature: Adopting a critical perspective: When an argument is advanced, are there holes? Where are they? • Design: Looking for promising settings—where you dig in and use your data to make a point

  8. Convincing Research • Basic terms are clearly defined • Method is well-described and evidence suggests that it has been followed • Results seem plausible; not from Mars • Coherence with other studies

  9. What’s A critical Perspective? • It is what you are here to develop! • First step: Being “critical” does not mean “being negative” • Background premise: Simple solutions (work great for all) generally don’t exist in education • Programs and perspectives compete with each other in goodness and cost • Your job: Acknowledge the competitive field • Question your own assumptions and favorite approaches & programs

  10. Academic Literacy • To reading and writing, I would add speaking • Academic language patterns can separate and isolate people (e.g., via jargon) • Positive elements: Precision & reasoned argument • Be careful about words we take for granted, e.g., “understanding” • Educational practices require intellectual support; academic literacy is like the preparation of legal briefs—argue for a position, with conceptual and empirical support

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