Support

In order to provide the maximum amount of help possible to teachers doing Action Research, several forms of support are available. They consist of a mixture of support through collaboration with other participants engaged in the Teacher Development Program, and opportunities to consult with the facilitators.

Face-to-face tutorials: Most participants will have specific questions about their individual research projects on which they will want help or feedback. These tutorials will allow each participant to have such specific and individual help. It is suggested that these be reserved for key stages of the Action Research Projects where personal help will be most beneficial. To prevent the facilitators from being overwhelmed by such requests, each participant is allowed three such tutorials over the course of their project, with additional tutorials available at an extra cost of $75 an hour.

Individual E-mail tutorials: These tutorials will be electronic versions of the face-to-face tutorials. The E-mail tutorials also allow each participant to send substantive amounts of material for facilitators to review. There will be a limit of five such tutorials for each participant over the course of their project, with additional tutorials available at an extra cost of $40.

E-mail discussion groups: Participants will be distributed into E-mail discussion groups according to affinities in their research questions, their teaching situations, their students, etc. Other groupings requested by participants can be set up. The E-mail discussions will be followed by one or more of the facilitators, but not led by them. Collaboration has long been a central feature of several approaches to Action Research, and this is one opportunity for such collaboration.

Week-end collaborative meetings: The housing and dining facilities of Encompass will periodically be made available for weekend meetings of participants in the Teacher Development Program. During these weekends, some or all of the facilitators will be present for consultation or participation to the extent and in the manner which the groups request.

Any other requests for help and support in collaborative or facilitated learning will be considered and accommodated if at all possible. We recognize this will be the first foray into research for many teachers, and everything possible will be done to ensure the experience is personally rewarding and professionally beneficial.