Activate - Week 1

This blog post is going to act as my thoughts before reading for the week. My thoughts may be completely wrong but that's okay because I'm ready to learn! :)

Research vs Theory -
Research is the evidence behind the theory. You cannot have a theory without research being conducted beforehand. The research may involve many years of studies. The studies may then be evaluated and a theory is made based upon the results. A theory would not be able to be trusted unless it had research to make it a valuable claim.

Theory vs Practitioner articles -
I think practitioner articles are more relatable to teachers. Practitioner articles are written for teachers, and many times also by teachers or former teachers. Theory articles may be written by a research group.

Characteristics of good research -
I think I know more about this topic. I have written research articles in the past.
1. Find a question
- Try to find a topic that is of interest and can be researched.
2. Figure out the subtopics
3. Figure out where is the best place to conduct the research, whether it be a library or online or some other location.
4. Conduct the research
5. Figure out what information is important

Planning research -
This definitely goes along with the characteristics of good research. Planning happens after the question is raised. You then have to figure out the subtopics of research and plan out how the research  will be done. Library? Online? What websites would provide valuable information? How can you make sure the information has validity?

Critiquing research -
I think that this can be an overlooked topic when conducting research. Critiquing involves taking an in-depth look at the article. It is important to see if the research is valid and relevant to the overarching question. I'm not sure what else is meant by critiquing, but I believe it involves seeing if the research methods make sense.

I think I am going to learn a lot in this course because honestly I have never taken a class that concerned research methods!

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Issues in Reading Education:

1.  Comprehension
- This is the goal of reading, so it has to be number one. But there are many steps and skills that have to be taught and learned in order to achieve this understanding.
2. Decoding
- Comprehension cannot be reached without being able to decode words. Proficient decoding skills lead to a reader having fluency while reading, which is an important part of oral and silent reading. Fluency can help make comprehension possible.
3. Reading Strategy Instruction
- This involves what to do when you get stuck on a word and how to understand different textual elements. This is an important part in being able to comprehend text.
4. Background knowledge
- It will be harder for students to comprehend texts if they have little idea about the topic. First language, culture, and interest can all be determining factors if a student understands the text.