5 Look at the procedural details. Perhaps you want to try out an idea from
an article. Has the writer told you enough about their context and the
processes they went through to enable you to see what you yourself should
do? What gaps do you need to fill in? Write down an action plan, adapting
the writer’s ideas to your own circumstances.
6 Check the setting for the article. What does the writer tell you about the
learners, institution or country that they have in mind as they write their
article? Is the writer’s situation similar to yours, or different? Can you
identify with it even if you have no direct experience of it? What are the
implications of any differences between your situation and that of the
writer?
7 Think about the scope of the article. For example, if the writer is talking
about a difficult issue, do they see it as difficult in every context, or just in
some? What are the sources of the writer’s information about the
difficulties? Do you agree that the problem discussed is really there?
8 Notice how the writer talks about the rest of the profession. Many
articles include statements about where TESOL is at—this, of course, is the
writer’s interpretation of where we are at. Do you agree with the writer’s
assertions and implications about what ‘most of’ our profession says or
does? If not, how does this affect your view of the writer’s own ideas?
9 Look for positive evaluations. The writer will probably tell you that their
analysis has proved useful, or that their classroom idea worked well. But do
they tell you about the evidence for these claims? What exactly are their
criteria for success? Try to find this information, and use it to carry on
thinking about the article’s relevance for your situation.
10 Write an article yourself. If you read a particular journal regularly, you
will soon get an idea of the kind of contributions it is looking for, and you may
be able to use it as a forum to share your own experiences. Follow the
journal’s Guide for Contributors and ask a colleague—perhaps a more
experienced writer—to give you some feedback on a draft. Good luck!44 Doing action research
Many teachers find that as their career develops they become ever more involved
in investigating and theorizing about their practice and its relationships to the
world. Action research is a powerful method for this investigation and
theorizing. The following suggestions—the first twelve of which form a
sequential plan for an action research project—should help you to consider
whether you would like to undertake this kind of work.
1 Critically examine your situation. Action research is research with an
interventionist goal—its ultimate purpose is to improve what goes on in a500 TIPS FOR TESOL 83