Action research was not a word that I was familiar with until
taking EDLD 5301, a course devoted to developing principals to become action
researchers. I have gained valuable
insight into the positive aspects of developing your own plan of action instead
of adopting a plan created from someone “outside” the walls of the school or
district. I have learned that action
research, much like the scientific method/process that I teach in class,
helps you to identify your problem, gather and organize your data, create a
plan, analyze results and make adjustments as needed. This process can be
completed on your own, but greater gains can be met through the use of collaboration among others. By
collaborating with others you have increased the amount of experience and knowledge, and don't they say "two heads are better than one"? Action research is a take charge approach to
solving problems or issues concerning school improvement. Allowing those who are inside facing the
challenges daily help to develop a plan of action will create a sense of
ownership and pride, developing a stronger sense of school community. I look forward to developing my own action
research plan to share with others on my campus so they too can see the value behind implementing this
process. I believe it will be a positive
experience for me and prove to be very beneficial in my learning as well.
Blogging is a word that is not in my everyday life, until now. I have been thinking about how to incorporate blogging into my classroom and on my campus. I am thinking I can use this as a classroom teacher to communicate with my parents and students on a much broader spectrum. I can blog about the activities from class, or upcoming information. Parents and students can use the blog to post comments, questions or suggestions. Parents at the middle school level express their concern for not knowing what is going on, feeling lost or in the dark about school matters. Blogging would be a great way to open up the lines of communication between parents and teachers and creating a sense of togetherness.
References
Dana, N.F., (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
References
Dana, N.F., (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining
what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps to improve our schools. Eye on
Education Press.
Patricia- Blogging has not been in my life either- until now. I have made the mistake of staying away from almost all technology - but... we don't have a choice anymore with these classes. I have been very proud of myself for what I have done so far with g-mail accounts and blogging. I agree that blogging can help us connect with so many individuals, especially parents, colleagues, and administration. Good luck with this course and your site is so pretty! Have a wonderful week- Elda Flores- Group 3
ReplyDeleteI was apprehensive too, but it became easier the more I typed lol! Once we develop our little blog network, we'll become more and more at ease with this technology- one that I think will help us communicate better as both teachers and administrators. Imagine how much this will help with collaboration!
ReplyDeleteAgain, I can't believe I didn't think to cite my sources in my blog! I will definitely go back and will do that this evening. It will be a great crash course on APA, something I haven't used since 2001!
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