Week Two Reflection

This week we watched various videos and read several pages on the numerous topics of action research in the school setting.  The nine areas of passion did indeed prompt my first wonderings and revealed to me areas I had not previously considered.  The information shared though the videos of the administrators also provided important tips for us as we conduct action research.  When considering the various topics to choose from for my own action research project, the main concepts that stood out to me were in regards to not reinventing the wheel and choosing ideas that are practical and personal to me.  As pointed out, we can always use what others have done as a resource to pick through to find a way to translate portions of it to fit into our own environment.  In keeping it personal to what interests us individually and practical to our setting we can discover the good and bad of methods that others have tried and revamp it to fit our needs.

How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs

In the technological age in which we live in, blogging is an excellent method to keep students, parents and the community up to date on news and events that are taking place in our classrooms, our school building, and with programs related to our campus.  Blogging is also a great way for educators to journal experiences and share ideas with other educators.  Discussions on topics in which an administrator wishes to learn the perspectives and opinions of the teachers of his / her campus can also be done through blogging.

Action Research: What I've learned so far

Prior to starting this course I had not heard the term action research.  However, I had witnessed others on my campus use this form of research.  I just had not made the differentiation between the types of research.  I know now that action research is a process through which administrators examine their own educational practices and then initiate and proceed with changes based on what is learned from their study.  When situations arise within the school it is a powerful tool in helping educators to find solutions to a specific problem.  It is also helpful in finding methods for improvement and increasing student achievement.  Action research is a process that includes collecting and analyzing data, reviewing relevant literature, implementing changes based upon the inquiry, and then sharing the results with others.  This process is beneficial to administrators in helping them gain a better mental picture and understanding of teaching and practices occurring before them.  I am excited to use action research as I am someone who enjoys finding solutions that not only benefit myself but also those around me.  Knowing that some are resistant to change, what better reason is there to implement change than after gathering data regarding problem areas and solutions to them that are specific to our current situation?