5301 Week 5

After reading the overview of the course, I admit that I was a little overwhelmed.  I had a completely different idea of what research meant and did not totally understand the meaning of action research.  I really got nervous when I found out that I actually had to plan and start an action research project instead of just learning about what it meant and studying it.  In fact, my site supervisor said that when he was going through his Master’s program, he did not actually have to do a complete action research project.  He now wishes he had because he sees the value in learning and actually completing a plan.  My main concern was that I would not have enough time to do a good job on my action research project because of my teaching, coaching, and other internship duties.

Week 2 Blog

Look at research others have done and see how it applies to your setting an make comparisons.  Teachers presenting to teachers is more meaningful than outsiders because teachers are interested in what works in their peers classrooms with the same students.

How Can Educational Leaders Utilize "Blogs"
Educational leaders can use Blogs to share findings and ask questions of other educational leaders.  Blogging allows administrators to collaborate with administrators from other campuses, as well as other districts to add to their inquiry and help find solutions to their problems.  Many administrators feel isolated on their campuses, so, blogging is a tool that will allow administrators to reach out to their peers for ideas and support.  It is also a way to share successes from their own action research projects.

Action research is a "hands on" approach to research that involves reflection and action.  It can clarify and diagnose a practical situation that needs to be improved or a practical problem that needs to be resolved.  The action researcher becomes a collaborator by investigating their own problems which makes them more likely to facilitate change based on the knowledge they generate.  Theories and knowledge are generated from research grounded in the realities of educational experience (Dana, 2009).  It helps administrators reflect on what is happening on their campuses more often than when they relied on outside sources for research.  This is important because they are involving themselves in finding those solutions rather than relying on others.  Principals can lead campus improvement committees in directed and campus specific areas to find solutions to campus specific concerns.  For years schools and districts have brought in outsiders to perform teacher in-service training.  Many times the tips and techniques taught by these outsiders may or may not have practical applications on that campuses issues.  By conducting active research teachers and administrators can collaborate and identify areas specific to their campus and generate real solutions to facilitate change or improvement.  "Rather than someone else telling me what I should be doing to my teachers and to my students, through engagement and inquiry, I'm learning with my teachers and with the students in my building by closely taking a really hard look at what I'm already doing and what I need to do to change it" (qtd. in Dana, 2009).  Action research puts theory and knowledge into practice by using practical experience from the practitioner.

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