methodology

METHODOLOGICAL notes
Collaborative, Active Research aims towards the improvement of a situation and development (personal, professional, social) through a strategic plan of action. In the context of an Active Research project teachers can be facilitated to: As can be seen in the following diagram, in the context of our critical education model –to basic parameters of which we referred above very briefly- the epistemological fields of Counselling, Communication and Research are dialectically related interacting between them and can systematically promote self and social awareness and development.
 * become conscious of their personal theory concerning educational issues as well as issues to do with human nature and society,
 * explore their own as well as their students’ needs and help them to become clear of their expectations as well as of their own ‘personal theories’, values and stereotypes;
 * realize the importance of the social context in which they are acting (the classroom and school context, educational bills, decrees, etc., and the broader social context),
 * become clear of the particular aims and objectives of the school subject which they teach as well as of the aims and methodology of the other school subjects,
 * realize the curriculum model which best expresses their approach to education.



The field of communication is, of course, more clearly linked to Media Education as a subject. The reflective practitioner of M.E., who is not suffering from a ‘craze’ for technology and does not adopt a linear communication model, certainly needs to adopt a holistic and critical model such as the one which has been described above. With regard to Counseling, it is certainly a field of knowledge which can support the teacher promote self awareness, so important for reading texts critically. The M.E. practitioner, therefore, needs to develop her/his knowledge concerning the person who is involved in communication and Counseling can facilitate such knowledge. Finally, with regard to Research, the teacher as a reflective practitioner recognizes the link between teaching and research. The M.E. practitioner in particular needs to recognize the fact that analyzing images and producing alternative texts through creative practice should be organized systematically as a project where practitioners and students plan, implement, observe and evaluate, reflect and produce knowledge and theory.

From "Teaching Middle School Students to Be Active Researchers" by Judith M. Zorfass and Harriet Copel, we can consider to have four basic operative elements for an active research:
 * == **STUDY -** RESEARCH ==

|| || The best practices that we considered here (Afraid and Sustainable development) followed this methodology. The experiences were developed with italian students of about 15 - 17 years old, that means at the beginning of the Lyceum in the Italian in the Greek shool systems.
 * < 1. Pose questions after becoming immersed in compelling information : //students are provoked by what they are learning and want to learn more. By becoming immersed in ideas, students begin to pose questions or problems that drive the inquiry process. The questions or problems focus on content—but are also driven by social concerns or personally meaningful issues.//
 * < 2. Learn how to access varied resources and materials ** : ** //students develop a plan of action to guide their investigations. The plan draws on many sources of information and can change over time as new and unexpected doors to information appear and open.// ||
 * == COUNSELLING == ||
 * < 3. **Make meaning from the information they have gathered** : //students not only gather information from a variety of resources but also consciously organize and make meaning of this information. Constructing knowledge involves analysis and synthesis; these processes involve critical thinking.// ||
 * == COMMUNICATION == ||
 * < 4. ** Represent their knowledge in varied formats **: //using varied media, students express and display what they have learned to an audience. The inquiry process deepens the researchers' understanding of an issue or question and strengthens their skills as independent learners. In addition, by sharing information, students contribute to the knowledge base of others.// ||
 * [[image:afraid_story.jpg width="190" height="167" align="left" caption="Communication writing and illustrating a story in a collaborative way"]][[image:sust_dev_presentation.jpg width="262" height="161" align="left" caption="Through a discussion on a specific isuue in the website"]][[image:doria_4_elementi_p.jpg width="183" height="177" align="left" caption="A visual art communication"]][[image:trasporti.gif width="209" height="169" align="left" caption="A statistical communication"]] ||
 * [[image:model_active.jpg width="507" height="328" align="center"]] ||
 * < 4. ** Represent their knowledge in varied formats **: //using varied media, students express and display what they have learned to an audience. The inquiry process deepens the researchers' understanding of an issue or question and strengthens their skills as independent learners. In addition, by sharing information, students contribute to the knowledge base of others.// ||
 * [[image:afraid_story.jpg width="190" height="167" align="left" caption="Communication writing and illustrating a story in a collaborative way"]][[image:sust_dev_presentation.jpg width="262" height="161" align="left" caption="Through a discussion on a specific isuue in the website"]][[image:doria_4_elementi_p.jpg width="183" height="177" align="left" caption="A visual art communication"]][[image:trasporti.gif width="209" height="169" align="left" caption="A statistical communication"]] ||
 * [[image:model_active.jpg width="507" height="328" align="center"]] ||
 * [[image:model_active.jpg width="507" height="328" align="center"]] ||