Action research for curriculum innovation in a classroom conducted in Cantabria in Spain

1. Master's Degree in Research and Innovation in Educational Contexts
University of Cantabria, Spain
“CURRICULUM INNOVATION IN A PRIMARY CLASSROOM: ACTION RESEARCH”
Author: Soledad García Güemes
Directed by: Elia Fernández Díaz

2. INTRODUCTION
CONTEXTUALIZATION PROCEDURE
5th Primary
Pubic school
Santander, Spain
To accompany the process of
transformation of a classroom
Curricular innovation
Theoretical revision
Designing action research
Proposal

3. MAIN GOAL
To introduce an action research project to accompany the process of
curricular innovation in a 5th-grade classroom

4. WORK PROJECTSACTION RESEARCH CURRICULAR INNOVATION
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• To explore the possibilities of action research as a strategy for questioning practice and to promote
transformation and improvement in teaching.
• To promote the deconstruction of a process of curricular innovation within a classroom by analyzing
achievements and difficulties.
• To design a proposal to facilitate the continuity of the innovation process towards the perspective of
work projects, showing the dilemmas and proposing new approaches.

5. PHASES AND DATA COLLECTION
• Participating observations
• Interviews
• Focus group
1. Encounter
2. Immersion in the field
3. Classroom Intervention
4. Awareness
5. Proposal for improvement
PHASES Instruments

6. • What level of autonomy do you think your students have with respect to the
beginning of the course?
• In what aspects do you think they have improved?
• How do you manage the times when many students demand your attention at the
same time? How do you feel?
• Have you been able to observe an evolution in the incorporation of error as
learning?
• Which of the changes you are incorporating do you give more importance to?
Have you thought about the next steps you are going to take?
IMMERSION IN THE FIELD

7. IMMERSION IN THE FIELD: BIOGRAM

8. ANALYSIS OF DATA
Inductive-deductive process of
category selection Emerging categories
Theory / Data collected

9. • More positive
relationships
• Miscellaneous
groups
• Promotion of
collaborative work
Relationships
• Progressive
Autonomy
• Fostering
responsibility for
learning
• Democratic
Management:
Negotiation and
Decision Making
Active role of
students
• Open process
• Seeking
awareness of
learning
Evaluations
• Initiation to
research
• Openness to
artistic creation
• Greater
possibility of
visibility
Integrated Tasks

10. • Conversation in the classroom
• Identity search and compression
• Multiple Literacy
WORK PROJECTS
• Teacher training and professional
development
• Teaching role as guide, mediator and
collaborator
• Role of the facilitator
ACTION RESEARCH

11. PHASES CONTRIBUTIONS
1. Encounter Establishment of agreements.
Facilitator as change agent.
2. Immersion in the field Mirror work.
Promotion of teaching reflection.
Collection of valuable information for the parties.
3. Awareness of the teacher's
professional career path
self-reflection and self-recognition.
Understanding of the biogram technique.
Collection of information.
4. Analysis of results Theoretical-practical relationship
Analysis of the practice.
5. Proposal for teaching improvement Design of a continuity proposal for improvement and
transformation.
Collaborative review and decision making for implementation.

12. 1. Joint review of the proposal
2. Classroom Intervention
3. Follow-up of the action
4. Review of the action
Proposal Development for Following Projects
Steps, events
Redesigning tools

13. Knowledge and accompaniment
Contribution to raising awareness
Identification and analysis of relevant aspects
Exploring the possibilities of action research
Skills and strategy training
New proposal to be discussed
RESEARCH FUNCTIONALITY

14. “The way of working, at first I did it without
desire, now I try at least to do it much better"
"I work harder than last year, it was more boring,
it was more tokens and read and now work on
the computer, it's more fun and we learn"
(Field Journal, Dialog Session, 16/6/15)

15. “It is ultimately a matter of establishing a relationship of support for innovation
by providing another vision and providing a theoretical basis for an in-depth
understanding of where we are on the journey and towards which new seas we
are sailing.”