What have I learned about Action Research ?

At first, I thought I was unfamiliar with Action Reasearch. However, I realized very quickly that this happens in our school and  our school district quite often.  It is a common practice in our district with action teams, and our schools do this to make sure we are doing what is best for our students. 

One of the most important aspects of this is the collaborative piece.  We know that working together brings about better results. Teachers tend to work collaboratively and not even think about it. I know that when you transfer over into the administrator role you will need to continue this process and bring in your staff to help problem. We need to always remember, "It takes a village to raise a child." We can't face problems alone, and working together in this process is essential.

Teachers are very good at collecting data.  In fact,we have become experts at it, especially since we have the high- stakes testing. One thing I noticed was the importance of using not only the data,  but also to review professional literature on the topic you are researching. After you gather all your quantitative data and professional literature comes one of the the most time-consuming parts.  The best way for me to describe this part of the process is  taking all your information , and passing it through a funnel. What you hope comes out is the most essential key points needed for the success of your students.  I think this has to be one of the hardest parts of this process. I am currently working on a district action team, and we have so much information on our topic, it is hard to get it down to just what is necessary.

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Educators and blogging.

Blogging is everywhere, and you can find a blog about anything . Many educators have started to post blogs about their lessons, games, and activities. Some of these teachers let you have their lessons for free, while others charge you. Pinterest has opened up a wonderful way that educators can share their idead with each other. My district has opened this site up to us to use for ideas, and you can see all the great ideas along the hallways. I am amazed at the creativity of people in our profession and the willingness to share. There are not too many professions that have this trait.
Educators can also use blogs in the class and have students blog on a particular topic. They can post a comment to a video or a question by a teacher. Teachers  use a variety of Web 2.O tools to set this up for their learners. Blogging is becoming a new method of teaching in many classrooms today. It addresses the learning styles of our 21st century learners, and their need to be connected to technology. I have not done a traditional blog in my classes per se, but I have started using Edmodo where my students can post answers to videos and such. It is new way for me to teach , but the kids really enjoy it.


Citations:

• Dana, N. F. (2009). Adminstrator Inquiry Defined. Leading with passion and knowledge the principal as action researcher (pp. 2-7)(pp. 20-25) . Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, a Joint Publication with the American Association of School Administrators.
• Ringler, M. C. (2007). Action Research:An Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders. Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 4(1), 27-44.