Week 2: Nothing to be Scared of!

After viewing the interviews of the different school personnel, I found it very interesting how real-world action research really is.  It is not something that should be scary or intimidating.  I found that in most cases, discussed in the interviews and the readings, the research topics are things that effective teachers ask themselves on a daily basis.  This put the term action research into something that already is done on an everyday basis.  It is done for the betterment of student and teacher success alike. Anytime you want to better any aspect of your campus, you naturally ask yourself what have we done before, what has and hasn't worked, and what have others done?  Action Research gives this planning a framework to follow. All three of the Administrators interviewed emphasized the importance of not "re-inventing the wheel" and looking into what others have already done. Action Research ultimately is for looking into how to improve what you are doing.  Not near as scary as I thought it would be!

How Educational Leaders Can Use Blogs

Blogging can be very useful to an educational leader.  It is an easy and effective way to keep your staff current and in-the-know with any action research that may be taking place.  By seeing the administrators show an interest in journaling and reflecting on their own thoughts, the staff in turn will see the importance and relevance it.  (Do as I do, as well as I say.)  Blogging can act as an easily-accessible online dairy for self-reflection.

Action Research

Action Research is a decision-making cycle that guides instructional planning for the school and individual classrooms.  Unlike traditional research that comes from people who are typically not in the everyday classroom, action research is conducted by real teachers and administrators.  It focuses on the concerns of the teacher for the learner. 

As a school teacher and leader, it is important to understand the action research process and how to make it an effective tool for improvement.  According to Examining What we do to Improve Our Schools (2010), there are eight major steps to the Action Research Process: setting the foundation, analyzing data, developing deeper understanding, self-reflection, exploring patterns, determining a direction, taking action, and sustaining improvement.  It is important to keep the foundation of your research in the forefront of all of the steps to make sure that your research is focused. 

I will be doing my action research on the progress made this year from our math benchmark to our 3^rd term content based assessment compared to last year.  Starting this semester, our campus is piloting a new math framework.  I will be assessing the data collected to report back to my administrators for them to use with the district to determine the new programs effectiveness.  I will also be using this opportunity to take note on the staff’s acceptance to this dramatic change.  I am looking forward to working with math teachers across different grade levels to collect my data and then share my findings with them. 

Harris, S., Edmondson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our Schools:8 Steps to improve Our Schools. Eye on Educaiton Press.