Action Research for CFL Teachers

The purpose of this course is to train students to conduct action research in their own classroom as a way to reflect on their own teaching, and on the relationship of theory, practice and learning outcomes. To this end, we will examine some representative classroom-based research in CFL on teacher talk, types of questions, corrective feedback, classroom culture, and effectiveness of classroom activities. We will also discuss the ways to identify problems to investigate, selection of appropriate research methods, data collection and analysis, and ways to draw conclusions from research. Students will have opportunities to design action research on the topics of their own interest.

Students will learn and master the course content through readings, discussions, class observations, journal entries, group work, and individual projects. Class is primarily conducted in Chinese.