It’s the holiday season and that means a perusal of the cookbooks. Which recipes should I pull out for snacks. the family dinner or any family feasting? Should I do a quick survey? (Not very robust.) Do I base my decisions on my choices? Hmm. That rules out chocolate and I already have the ingredients for both peanut butter and chocolate fudge. Do I base my decisions on food for the boys? That would mean spoiling them with any finger foods as a part of “Grandma’s Rules.”
Or should I consider data from previous years: What food is always completely cleaned up? Or is there food that I should just plan to make and send with family members? Vegetarian for the Floridians is a given. So is at least one chocolate something/something. And also one item with some spice . . . usually corn dip!
That’s at least four food items. Back to the cook books. Time to reorganize them. The ones that I am not using just need to go on a separate shelf. Hmm. More data. Which do I NOT use?
It’s not a scientific method but there is a collection of data points over time in my head . . . an informal longitudinal study of sorts. Definitely not a random controlled trial. Not meeting any gold standard of research. I can make a chart and list some priorities in order to make a decision.
Food for a family weekend is a low-stakes decision with equally low requirements for the evidence that I need to use. Today’s post is considering Rule 3 from P. David Pearson’s presentation as a part of an #ILA19 panel titled: “What Research Says About Teaching Reading and Why that Still Matters.”
What is the gold standard?
What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides . . . (Link)
A practice guide is a publication that presents recommendations for educators to address challenges in their classrooms and schools. They are based on reviews of research, the experiences of practitioners, and the expert opinions of a panel of nationally recognized experts.
A second source that I can always trust is Dr. Nell Duke. Her article “10 Things Every Literacy Educator Should Know about Research” is a MUST READ. Every. Educator. in. EVERY. building. link
“To say that a practice, approach, or product is
research-tested, or research-proven, sounds like a
powerful endorsement…but its strength really depends
on how it was tested and what the tests found. ” (Duke and Martin, p. 18.)
Gold standard? Silver standard? Bronze standard?
Or “Fess Up” because there is no data?
What is your criteria for research?
How do you share that criteria with others?
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this weekly forum. Check out the writers and readers here.
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First off I love the description of recipe selection. And then the connection! Brilliant way to ground our decisions on not just evidence, but what the best evidence reveals. That’s the trick and our obligation. Thank you for the Nell Duke article. I’m planning on passing it out to colleagues!
Thanks, Julieanne! Trying to have a story and also the application sometimes takes thinking outside the box. I was going to start with grocery shopping . . . Hard to do w/o the menu decisions. Then it fell into place! 🙂
I know that if my niece from Florida is up I MUST have a red velvet cake – not research just a fact. As you point out, valid research depends so much on the researcher, how the research was set up, and how accurately records are kept and results shared.
Bob,
Exactly! Sometimes we have a 1:1 match. Sometime we have more choices. So many variables!!! 🙂
Fran, I love how you connected your research for your holiday meal with reading research. Thank you for sharing Nell Duke’s article. I feel more than ever the need to really understand what research is and isn’t. Experience is important but we need to value *solid* research! – Krista
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I’m ejoying your writing a day late. Yesterday got away from me!! As others before me said, GREAT connection to something we are all going right now – planning our holiday menus. I’m hosting the staff party and 2 family gatherings. I love that now, thanks to you, I’ll keep on my teacher research hat and study the data!! Enjoy all your holiday gatherings and all the cooking that leads up to it.
Thanks, Sally. So many ways to use research as a routine process . . . Not just to learn new things!
[…] Rule 3 #Best Evidence […]
[…] Rule 3 #Best Evidence […]