Sunday, February 24, 2013

Thoughts on Action Research

After reading several texts like Dana's Leading with Passion and Knowledge, Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools from Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, and the article by Marjorie C. Ringler: Action Research an Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders, I've gained a deeper understanding of what action research is all about and the benefits it can bring in a school setting.

What I learned about action research is that it can be a very powerful tool to improve a plethora of areas within a school setting. In essence, action research is a systematic way to reflect on current practices, whether it’s as a student, teacher or an administrator. It starts with a question on a specific issue or problem and the reflection is what guides the data collection and analysis, as well as the selection and readings of literature that targets those issues. As you analyze and share your findings, you then proceed to choosing the best action to take in order to improve or bring change to areas of need. It is considered "good practice" and it is something that administrators would benefit greatly from since it allows for best practices to continue developing at their schools.

I also learned that there are many benefits that come with engaging in action research. Improving professional development amongst teachers, impacting student achievement in the classroom, implementation of curriculum, and improving leadership practices are just some of those benefits that can be obtained thru the use of action research. As a teacher, I found that I could use action research to analyze my current classroom practices to improve student achievement. I can also use it to determine which staff development trainings are yielding the best results in regards to curriculum implementation. Also, when it comes to standardized test scores, I can use action research to identify problem areas and develop an action plan to improve those areas.

 Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press




No comments:

Post a Comment