The research has started and the data is pouring in. I has been interesting doing research and teaching at the same time. The research requires that the actions be rigid and structured while teaching required fluidity and changing to the requirements of your class. I have struggled with this a little bit throughout the part of the research I have done. I am finding new aspects that I wish I would have investigated as well or will have to after this. Mostly, the age level of students which I have, I feel, would be interacting with the independence portion of this better if they were older. Most of my students are freshman and I feel that the maturity that upper-class students frequently possess would allow them to be more self-motivated to discover why and how for problems they do not understand. I also wonder if there would have been fewer questions if this was done with older or more advanced students.
Another fun issue that has been a pitfall of some of the data has been the fabulous H1N1! The delightfully weak immune systems of sleep deprived high school students has meant that many of my students have been missing lecture, homework, quizzes, and practice problems. Hopefully this gets under control soon, because it's difficult for both students and teachers when they are gone for extended periods of time.
We shall see how the research turns out.
