Collaboration, action-research, and technology in the TEFL classroom

My current research began with a focus on teacher collaboration, and was conducted with my former colleague. In order to understand the process of planning and teaching two shared courses, we attempted to build a workable framework for teacher collaboration. Throughout the planning and implementation phases of the courses, we tracked our thought-processes, decisions, and concerns. We maintained separate research journals and a collaborative journal with focused questions. The collaborative journal consisted of questions about our lesson plans, successes/failures, concerns, and questions. We updated our journal entries on a weekly basis in order to cultivate communication about our lessons, and at the end of each semester, we analyzed and reflected on our journal entries. Towards the end of the school year, we looked back over our data and reflected about what we had gained from our collaborative journal-keeping. We opted to discuss several ways that we had been affected by the mere acts of journal-keeping and actively collaborating on our shared classes. Taking the time to verbally reflect on the journal itself and our perspectives was a worthwhile experience because it helped us begin to plan the second stage of our project, which was the data analysis. By studying the process of teacher collaboration, we hoped to shed light on some areas of collaboration that teachers find challenging as well as successful.

During the data analysis phase of our research, two central themes appeared: namely, class management and student accountability. My colleague and I then decided to establish an action research plan that would help to foster more teacher-to-student communication, communication between students, time management in the classroom, student accountability and student initiative.

What is happening in my classroom that I am concerned about?
I was mainly concerned with classroom management, collaboration and efficiency. I want to make sure I can receive students’ assignments on time and then give them feedback in a timely manner and in a way that will benefit them on subsequent projects. I worry about whether they can take my feedback, understand it, and incorporate into future projects. I want them to do more reflection so they can think about their study skills, study habits, writing process and output. Not just with writing but with anything – discussions, critical thinking, speeches and presentations, etc.