There are many important topics that you need to think about when looking at educational research. One of the most important ideas to remember is that not all research and their findings are going to work at every school or in your classroom. Educational research is not an exact science; there is not a one size glove that is going to fit for everyone. There are many variables in classrooms that cannot be replicated in research that will create different results in your classroom.
When you come across research or a product that is guaranteed that uses research to support said product, you need to cautiously examine the research and the methods that were used. Researches can overstate claims of effectiveness or skew their data to support the desired claim of the product. It is also a good idea to try and follow the money of any research project. Researchers can be working for a grant or for a company and their results can be skewed because of money.
Do not solely rely on your experience in the classroom, but don’t forget about your experience either. You know how your classroom and students operate better than anyone else does. If the research sounds like it will not work in your classroom, it may not. But it is important to keep an open mind and give your best effort, the results may surprise you.
You need to pay special attention to graphs and charts that are used in research. Make sure you look at the measurements that are being used in the various graphs. The movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” uses many graphs that show great spikes and dips in their charts, but upon further examination one realizes that the units of measurements were small in order to provide dramatic charts. Click here for further explanation.
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