The Action Research of Group Discussion in Kindergarten---Self-reflection in action

• Main Authors: Wen-Huei,Wu, 吳文惠
• Other Authors: Pei-Jung,Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/93213682503074944015

碩士 === 臺北市立師範學院 === 國民教育研究所 === 93 === Abstract This research uses the method of the action research to study how the researcher leads the group discussion. Through this action research, I hope to achieve the goals, such as: Evaluate the questions I put in the group discussion. Enforce my skills in the group discussion. Educate the ability to lead the group discussion. At last, I hope to educate the children to be willing to participate actively in the group discussion and have some brainstorming through it. The target class is the one the researcher teaches in. In order to gather the materials, I mostly use video recording the oral group discussion during topic teaching activities. Then I will write down the oral materials to written papers for analysis hereafter. At the same time, I will keep journals to record the feelings, thoughts and the methods I use in the classroom. Also the professional conversation with the professors, professional colleges, workmates and professional associations helps to clarify the key points. There are two periods in this action research. They will occur the questions and strategies offered below: The first period: I start from evaluating the questions I ask in the group discussion. Find the problem to keep the order of the group discussion. The numbers of the kids to speak out actively are few and the spoken persons are the same. The answers of the kids merely respond to the teacher’s questions. Hence, the strategy of this period is to change the teacher’s questions to be simple and concrete. After using this strategy, I find the numbers of people who speak increase. However, the quality of the interaction between the teachers and children is still limited. Then the second period: I start from evaluating the types of the questions I asked in the group discussion: 1. The questions have fixed answers. 2. Ask a question and stop when the kids give the correct answer （or the answer I suppose they will give.） 3. Before the group discussion, I will start from a short story or pictures. Then I will ask the kids questions from their previous experience. After I clarified the questions, through the professional conversation, self-reflection and my own previous teaching experience, I know my role in the group discussion. Through this strategy, the numbers of the kids who speak increase, the ones of the kids willing to speak increase, and the ones of kids who actively speak increase! This is a little progress I make in my action research. The parts I haven’t done: In my ten-years teaching life, I am shocked to find I am not kid-centered. Hence, I am afraid to make the same mistake in this action research. Therefore, I control myself to speak less to face this problem. I hope kid-centered will show up in my group discussion through this way. But, it doesn’t mean it is kid-centered that the role of the teachers disappears. The part I should keep working is the role of the teacher in the group discussion. Leading the children to realize, compare, deduce, generalize the questions is the long-term goal of the curriculum. According to the results of the action research above, I have suggestions below: The roles of the group discussion are different according to different targets. Hence, before we do the group discussion, we should think about why we are doing this first. Are we doing this for the curriculum, thinking ability or knowledge? The role of the teachers should change, too. I also suggest the teachers in the classroom to find a chance to do the professional conversation and self-reflection about their teaching methodology. I expect the educational associations will provide a good environment to support teachers’ professional development.