The notion that the secret of success in the profession of teaching is to continually grow and

learn is a fascinating one, and one that I strongly believe in. It would be hard to prove that good
teachers do not change their techniques along their careers. The majority of great educators around the
globe never stop learning. To my mind, the most important developments in teaching and learning come
as a result of serious studies in the form of action research. This is why; I would like to conduct a
classroom action research about the use of metalanguage to better prepare Proficiency Preparation
students at the CBA this year. My reasons will be carefully explained on this essay.

On the first line, action research is a way for any teacher to continue to grow and learn by
making use of his or her own experiences. I am committed to collect and analyze data. It is a fact that we
do not know why only some of our students get high scores on the TOEFL test. During my two years
teaching advanced courses, I noticed that pupils who know the names of grammar structures are the
ones who are more successful. They not only get higher scores on the structure section but also on the
reading and listening sections. As a result, after a careful process of research, we will discover better
ways of guiding our CBA students to an increased knowledge of the English language.

To continue, taking action following the scientific method will improve teaching and learning.
The results of my research will most likely show what is working and what is not working in the way we
instruct advanced students. I am willing to adopt a professional stance that is centered around inquiry
asking questions about things that others might take for granted. Who is learning? Who is being left
out? How does our curriculum provide opportunity to learn? Even though many of these questions
might be uncomfortable to ask and they may bring uncomfortable answers, I am sure that we will not
make significant improvements in our classrooms if we do not ask them and try to get measurable
answers. So, in short, action research is a way of learning about myself as a teacher, as a person, and as
a guide to learning and development for our students.

Finally, my research is designed to start whenever you grant me permission to begin; and it will
continue for six months. I plan to collect data about answers on practice tests and real tests as well as
analysis of the questions proposed on our booklets. If you decide that conducting a classroom action
research for the first time I our institution is important, I will share all the data after each term is
finished. Therefore, I would need to be assigned to Proficiency Preparation 1 and 2 on our two intensive
schedules for at least six consecutive terms.

Just to end, I would like to tell you that I always listen when you ask teachers to write for
Forum magazine. One way of doing this is to have solid scientific data to show. I am sure that we are
able to produce knowledge and not only to deliver it at the CBA Santa Cruz.

Thanks for reading,

Rosmery Ribera Ferrier

CBA English Teacher