ILLUSTRATION of CYCLES and EPICYCLES

Development of an Action Research Project on Collaborative Play by Teachers in Curriculum Planning

This case illustrates the Cycles and Epicycles of Action Research as it was experienced by someone learning to use the framework. The illustrations are intended to draw readers into the process. The case does not cut to the chase and describe some outstanding final outcome as if that would convince readers that the framework works.

Background and Motivation

When I first started this project, I had been working at a local community center as the multimedia instructor at a preschool/afterschool program, responsible for developing curriculum that integrated core subjects (reading literacy, number and math skills, science and nature, social skills, and cultural awareness) with technology resources such as computer software, web-based learning materials, and digital photo/video equipment. Each student was part of one of five groups, where groups 1-4 were preschool levels of representing ages 2.9 - 6 years old, and group 5 was an afterschool level representing ages 6 - 12. Before my arrival, no such multimedia instruction was included in the curriculum.

When I first arrived, I noticed that each of the 5 groups was somewhat independent of the other - one or two head teachers were responsible for a given group, and other than some very general monthly themes that were supposed to span across curriculum, teachers were generally independent in terms of how they planned activities for the students and were able to focus on the needs of the students in their own group. When a multimedia component was developed, I realized that my role was initially perceived as yet another independent grouping, that is, toward a learning experience that was relatively isolated from what the groups were doing in their group classrooms. At the same time, I saw that my responsibility was to introduce the tools of technology in a new way in support of what was already being done in the classrooms with the core subjects, not simply to teach “computers for computers' sake.” This meant that my own teaching, lesson plans, and curriculum would need to use these technology resources as a means to another end - particularly school readiness (for the preschool groups) and reinforcement of school lessons and opportunities for creative expression (for the afterschool group).

Very quickly, I found that the idea of cross-group planning had room for expansion, and started to consider how the teacher planning process might be developed to create a culture of greater collaboration in planning and do so in a way that was more enjoyable for teachers rather than seem like another administrative meeting for a group of teachers who were otherwise faced with all of the demands of supervising and teaching young children. While I considered that the greatest need would involve the preschool groups, I also considered that I might like to pursue this idea to some extent with the afterschool group as well.

Because of my long-term interest and perspectives on adult education, I finally decided that my own action research might involve the idea of the use of play in the teacher planning process. How could play be used to develop integrated lesson plans that represented the experience and needs of multiple teachers? What kinds of play would be acceptable to adult teachers in a formal setting of needing to decide and document classroom lessons and curriculum? How might the use of play in planning mirror the learning style and environment of the youth classroom? Within a short period of time in the action research process, I realized that I needed to settle upon a slightly more modest question, as those above contained a large assumption that play would already be a natural part of the planning process. Because of this, I started with process with an initial question of “In what ways might collaborative play be introduced into the teacher planning process?” I would focus on getting play to happen at all and leave its ultimate effect as a later concern. Could my personal actions, attitudes, and behavior translate into actually using some form of collaborative play in teacher planning, to what extent might this happen, and what forms of play might be manifested through this process?