After feeling a bit fuzzy in my understanding of action research last week, this week's lectures, readings and assignments helped clear up some of my confusion. First, this week's lecture featuring a discussion between Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Arterbury answered several questions I had. It seems as if last week's activities provided a glimpse into action research while this week's activities began to fill in the details. I thought their explanation of the purpose versus the significance of an action research project was clear and concise, and it helped me formulate my own questions to pose as possible topics. The interviews with the three research experts, Drs. Briseno, Chargois and Lewis, also provided more clarity into the process of action research. Their ideas for topics combined with their suggestions provided some things to think about as I begin my own project. First, I made sure to select topics that were relevant to my campus. Then I made sure they were topics I was interested in. I also made certain the topics I considered were rich with data gathering and analyzing possibilities in order to have a tool to measure success. Finally, I weighed the ideas I had to be sure that the research project would lead to increased student performance. I found the information provided by the three experts to be invaluable as I formulated my ideas and sent them to my site supervisor to get her feedback. While I was pretty certain about which of my three ideas I wanted to pursue, it was nice the get that confirmation from my supervisor. She's as excited about the project as I am, and we're both looking forward to getting it started and pursuing it throughout the next school year!
Our reading from the Dana text was very informative, as well. As I read about the nine passions, I recognized those passions as the foundation of many initiatives of which I've been a part over my years in education. I can recall great staff development opportunities I've had. I've had the opportunity to participate in collaborative curriculum development. There have been trainings on how to be a more effective teacher as well as strategies to teach students with a variety of skill and interest levels and learning styles. A couple of years ago our district provided training so our teams and departments could move to the more collaborative, cohesive PLC model. We've been offered opportunities to grow as campus and district leaders with our Leadership Academies and the three-day RRR conference. Through Capturing Kids Hearts, PBIS and Building Better Relationships, we've grown to become better classroom managers. Learning to gather and analyze data, including improved software and programs to make this more accessible, has allowed us to focus on strategies and interventions to improve school performance. Finally, trainings and seminars that have been offered regarding the changing diversity in our district, as well as understanding the framework of poverty, have increased our cultural proficiency and helped us better meet the needs of ALL students.
All in all, I feel much better prepared to move ahead with action research than I did before. I'm looking forward to what the next assignment brings!
I felt the same as you while I was reading the Dana text. As I read the examples, my thoughts kept going from, "that reminds me of..." to "what a great question; I could see doing that action research as well." Like you, this week has helped me clarify what I will do in the weeks to come.
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