#3: How is My STEMS^2 Research Going? Who's Askin'?

Hello out there STEMS^2ers!  Hope you are all well and thriving these days... I'm feeling the pressure and the weight to be honest... I'll try and keep this blog honest, devoid of too much negativity, and I'll even try to end on a good note!

Focus Question: How is my STEMS^2 research going?

Well.... Here's the deal.... I got sick the day after the Eddie was canceled... Just now feeling back to normal... Almost 3 weeks of a nasty head/chest cold... Now my son is battling this same sickness and my wife is on the verge of getting sick... 

So, with all that going on, How's my research going?  Honestly, Sh*tt%!  That's how.... When I get time to work, and try to have the information sink in, it just glosses over my watery eyes and mushy brain.  There's a very real combination of being loopy from cold medicine, sheer exhaustion from being sick and still working (or our baby teething and being up every 2-3 hours), and being sick...

The readings from class are very valuable and I know I can (and need to) use the information; it just hasn't connected in my brain... or in my actual work yet!

My personal research is at a turning point.  After getting really valuable feedback from DJ after our 1st Draft, I have more questions I will address in my Spotlight on Thursday...
For example, Am I really doing a Teacher Action Research Design?  How do I know this?  I know I need more information and I need to re-read the research I already have to see if this is the route I am taking... DJ thought, after we discussed and he read, my work sounded more like a self-study... I tend to agree based on the quality of the data I'm collecting, the sources of data (me, my partner teacher), and the mission or focus of my research question.... 

Research Question: How will a STEMS^2 unit and teacher action research project prepare an elementary STEM teacher to collaborate more effectively and directly with a teaching peer?

What am I really doing? Why? I should know the answers by now or hold a vague understanding of the answers.. I'm not there and it's freakin' me out!

I have some solid research but I think I need to refocus, reform my categories based on my research focus (which I feel can shift to a self study), and prioritize...

So, enough complaining... What am I going to do.... "GET ON IT!"

I finally feel better, I have a better understanding of how to use my time at home while juggling all the other responsibilities, and I've come to the conclusion... dark coffee is my savior... I'll have to deal with my addiction to caffeine later...




Action Plan:

1. Stick to my Script (my Checklist)
2. Carve-out time each day to re-read, think, and write
3. Capture more chunks of time on the weekends to do all of this EVEN MORE
4. Get to Spring Break and "GET ON IT"
1. AKA - Block-off some days to spend at the library
2. Bribe the wife
3. Beg the in-laws to help out around the house and with my son
4. Keep thinking it's all worth it and I am doing the right thing for my family