Teaching and Research

So, What is the relationship between research and teaching?… Teachers need to do research, or have someone help them do research so that they can continuously strive to become better in their field. Us teachers are teaching the next generation, and we need to find ways to help all of out students succeed. Research can help us make accommodations to our classrooms, and teaching methods for all types of learners.

So, How can I use information literacy to evaluate and select information about students and teaching?.. Well first of all I have to know what I’m researching. Let’s say I’m looking for research on Aspurger’s Syndome and learning math. First I have to know the issue, and the important parts of my research. Once I find the research that is most important, and helpful in my situation I can apply it, and help the child who has Aspurger’s Syndrome learn to the best of their ability.

What does this mean for my future career?.. I will be a constant researcher and learner in my career. I will constantly be researching new ways to help my students, and then learning how to apply it in the classroom to help all of my students achieve greatness.

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Showing that I know how to apply research doesn’t have to wait until I am a teacher. In class we have talked a lot about the home work debate. Should homework be given to students? I started out believing that we should give our student’s homework. I mean, I was given homework all throughout grade school, and my academic achievements were just fine. However, while doing some research I started to feel the opposite way. According to Ronning (2010), some students who received homework actually did worse in their academics. Some even by 12 percent. This made me sit back, and think about what I was reading. Students who get homework actually can have a decrease in grades? This made me want to do more research on not giving out homework. This is where I found the article that Zimmerman and Kitsantas wrote.  Research by Zimmerman and Kitsantas (2005) shows high school students, and the relationship between self-efficiency, homework, and GPA. It shows that there is a positive correlation with self-efficiency, homework, and GPA when the student is responsible. However, in elementary school it is half of the student’s responsibility, and half of the parents responsibility depending on how young they are. Again, this helps show that elementary students shouldn’t get homework. Even Marzano and Pickering (2007) state, “Although teachers across the K-12 spectrum commonly assign homework, research has produced no clear-cut consensus on the benefits of homework at the early elementary grade levels” (p.5). If it isn’t benefiting my students in the long run, why would I make them do it? They could be instead spending time with their families, and learning new skills at home and, according to Suhay (2015), “The schools that have given up assigning homework report uniformly fabulous results” (p.1). Although I started this research question with the opposite opinion that I now hold, I believe that it will benefit my future elementary school students the most if they are given no homework, and instead encouraged to spend time with their families, and learn new skills at home.

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (2007, March). Special Topic/ The Case For And Against Homework. Educational Leadership, 64(6), 74-79. http://www.lincnet.org/cms/lib05/MA01001239/Centricity/Domain/108/Homework.pdf

Ronning, M. (2011). Who benefits from homework assignments?. Economics of Education Review, 30(1), 55-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.07.001

Suhay, L. (2015, March 6). New York school abolishes homework. Does homework do any good?. Christian Science Publishing Society. Retrieved from https://libproxy.uww.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1660974352?accountid=14791

Zimmerman, B.J., & Kitsantas, A. (2005). Homework practices and academic achievement:   The mediating role of self-efficiency and perceived responsibility beliefs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30(4), 397-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2005.05.003

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