Action research was first introduced to the 18
students whose projects are the focus of this
paper by way of the written outline for their student
teaching semester and its acc0mpanyin.g
seminar. Like most supervisors, I provided this
document to the students during my first meeting
with them. These particular students quickly
found that they were to complete an action
research project, the goal of which was “to help
you understand your own practice and to improve
it”. Other supervisors in the program
have argued that action research should not be
introduced until three or four weeks into the
semester (Noffke Sr Brennan, in press). I
disagree. Given its location in a university
teacher education program, students m-e concerned
with what they will have to do to satisfactorily
complete the semester. Action research
appears on the syllabus and the students want to
know what it is about. Furthermore. at Statement
of Expectations conferences (in which the
supervisor, teacher, and student clarify what
they expect of each other and negotiate a timeline
for the student’s teaching during the
semester), action research is mentioned in as
much as I ask the teachers to assist the students
with their action research if asked to do so. If
the students have no idea what action research
is about, it seems more likely that it may be seen