ED 599

Katelyn Toussaint
Five Dimensions of Curriculum Research: Project Proposal 2 Reflection

Dimension 1: Different Levels of Educational Study

Going into my research, it will be important to me to have the lens of both a macro and micro
observer. I find that having a micro lens in each classroom I observe will reveal more telling
results than walking into a classroom with a macro lens. For my particular research, I will be
more successful when I observe brain-based educational strategies being used for students
individually. Some students may benefit more from the exercises than others. But, having a
macro lens over a classroom can also reveal interesting results and bring up questions such as:
How do brain-based exercises affect a class as a whole? Does it benefit everyones learning
experience at the same time?

Dimension 2: Different Perspectives on the Character of Educational Situations

This dimension will force me to examine the historical background of brain-based education.
Since the idea of bringing neuroscience (going beyond right and left brain functions) into the
classroom is relatively new, I am curious to find out how long these practices have been
implemented in the classroom. Also, it will be interesting to research the process and thoughts
behind wanting to study student brain function in a school. Some questions I now ponder: How
long has brain-based education been known in schools? How popular among educators are these
practices?

Dimension 3: Different Perspectives on the Educational Events as Objects of Study

I am hoping that this dimension will also be explored during my classroom observations, both as
the instructor and a bystander. For my project in particular, I hope to record and process the
events that occur when brain-based educational strategies are used to their full potential and not
at all. Some questions that arise: What similarities and differences will I see when observing a
room with and without brain-based activities? How will students react when introduced to an
activity; will they be compliant or resist?

Dimension 4: Different Degrees of Emphasis on Education as Distinctively Human and Social

This dimension resonates strongly in the alternative setting. Many at-risk students have
experience severe trauma in their lifetime that has caused irregular brain development. I have to
take into consideration that my population of study and my final results are subjective due to the

ED 599

Katelyn Toussaint

experiences that the students have had. The results that I will find during my research will be
extremely different than from what I would see in a regular public school setting. Now I wonder:
What would this study be like if I took it into the regular public school?

Dimension 5: Different Degrees of Intervention by the Researcher in the Situation Being Studied
I feel that this is the dimension that I will be exploring most with my action research project. As
both an observer and instructor in the classroom setting, I will be able to view different lenses as
a researcher. When reflecting on my past observational experiences, students typically do not act
as they would on a regular school day. Behaviors fluctuate as their normal educational setting has
changed with a new person in the room. Especially in an alternative school, where students are
more sensitive to change, my results may be inaccurate. During my own lessons, as I incorporate
brain based ideas, I will be able to reflect on what my own room was like before and after
implementation. Some final questions to consider: How should I record my findings from my
own classroom and in another? Should I compare results? Should I treat each set of data as
different situations?