Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id iBFJHRU03520; Wed, 15 Dec 2004 14:17:27 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 14:17:27 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <BAY22-F30AC8D2C92244800A98166CFAD0@phx.gbl> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Eileen Eckert" <eileeneckert@hotmail.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1812] research and pd X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 2299 Lines: 37 I hope this will be a quick note on some of the discussion about evidence for the effectiveness of professional development. Catherine talked about the nature of methods in the natural sciences vs. social sciences (or research involving conscious, changing human beings). I don't think that discussion in terms of a split between the natural and social sciences is the most productive or effective. Even in the natural sciences, where experimental research has reigned supreme, there is growing awareness of the nature of complex systems and the need to go beyond, or move away from, or extend the boundaries of accepted research methods, to recognize the interactivity of systems and their parts. You can see this, for example, in the global warming debate. The strict experimentalists (I think I just made up that word) would say that we don't have enough data, or controlled experiments, to establish a causal link between human activity, greenhouse gas production, and global warming (and therefore we shouldn't take action, just do more research). The more complex-systems-oriented would say something like, "Given the number of variables, their interactions, and our inability to hold all other things constant while we study one variable, we are not going to establish a causal relationship using controlled experiments. We're in a complex system; we need research that describes the relationships and interactions of the parts--in other words, how the whole system works--and we need to take action now." In my opinion, we should not cast our debate in terms of natural vs. social or human sciences, we should cast it in terms of the experimental dinosaurs vs. the evolving complex systems thinkers. In terms of this discussion, we shouldn't stop doing pd until we've established a causal link between pd and student outcomes through controlled experiments, although controlled experiments may contribute to our understanding, the dinosaur part is in thinking the are the only acceptable method. We should be looking at how, what kinds, and to what extent pd affects teaching and student learning, and we should use what we learn to improve pd and to improve the research. It's a complex system too. OK, I wanted this to be quick, so I'll stop there. Eileen
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