What is Action Research?

            
         You may ask yourself what the difference is between a good teacher and a great teacher.  The answer is research.  Research is needed to collect data and set up the avenue for change. Action research  is a systematic approach to reviewing data, recognizing a problem, implementing a change based on research, and reflecting on the change that has been made. Action research is a process of problem solving led by educators to improve the way they address issues, solve problems strategies and practices.   Fichman refers to inquiry or action research as the process of an administrator getting involved in a systematic form by questioning, collecting, analyzing data, reading related materials and collaborating with others,(Fichman, Nancy Dana (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, pg 2-3.  Teachers are the best source to gather information on students and schools, “when teachers stop growing, so do their students” (Fichman, Nancy Dana (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, pg 32.

            Research is not meant to be done by only one individual. It takes a group of dedicated educators to make the research beneficial and successful. Action research is more relevant to the educational process because you can use the data and to make informed decisions about your school.  This is how teachers learn with and through others.  In other words, an action research plan can help "administrators gain a deeper insight into their practice and their leadership roles in school improvement efforts" (Fichman, 2009).  By being part of the research you take responsibility on the implementation, you interact with those who are affected and you assist with teachers who are involved.   Action research can benefit a school more quickly than an outside approach as unnecessary steps can be avoided and more focus can be directed to finding a custom solution to your  area of need.  Through action research, diagnosing the problem and implementing a solution will allow the administrator hands on approach to finding solutions  to situations within the school. It allows principals and teachers to be involved and take ownership in their research. Action research allows a deeper insight into our practice and leadership roles in school improvement efforts.

                                                              Why Use Action Research? 

               We use action research when we want to change a practice. If you are concerned that things that might not be going as you wish, or you may need to implement a new initiative but are unsure how to do it effectively, action research is the way to go. This is a method to collect and analyzes data to find possible solutions.  Action research allows for changes to be made so there can be improvement.  The goal of an action researcher is to focus in on his or her practice by analyzing existing practice and identifying areas for change. This process is founded on gathering evidence and making informed decisions rather than judgments of practices. One of the most important aspects of action research is that the process enhances teachers’ professional development through gathering information and analyzing it to look for positive outcomes.  In other words, action research involves a continuous cycle of planning, action, monitoring and reflection. From the perspective of action research, the best way to think about practice is the way you carry out your professional actions. This is what you do and why you think you should be doing things the way you do.

            We use action research to do many things on our campus.  We collect data on students RTI and discuss within our grade level teams and school as a whole the interventions that students’ are responding positively to. This data drives our classroom instruction as well as small group instruction within the classroom and in pull out programs.  Without this research the interventions could not be as successful because we would be doing the RTI interventions “blindly” and not knowing what had a more positive response from a particular student.

            Action research is used to collect data on student reading levels.  On our campus we are constantly collecting data and charting the data to see where areas of concerns are.  We chart data by student reading level, ethnicity, economic status and special populations.  The teachers review the data to see trends within our grade level and discuss ideas to make all students successful readers.  We use this data to consult with reading specialist on our campus for intervention ideas. Also, if we see that a particular teacher is overloaded with low readers we split those readers into smaller groups that may require the student to read with another teacher a few days of the week.

            Our entire campus uses action research to come up with a common area of concern each year.  We focus on this goal or area of need for the entire year and collect data within each grade level and each classroom to improve the problem of practice. Periodically throughout the year we meet to discuss the problem of practice and gains or regressions that have been made in the area. We look at student achievement, teacher input and various other instructional aspects to help improve our problem of practice.  This is action research used on our campus in an effective manner.

            I have seen first-hand the positive outcomes of action research.  Action research is a vital part of the success of our school.  I am very excited to be able to lead my own action research project and see what evidence is revealed.

                                                     Why Do Teachers Blog?

          Blogs are powerful communication tool in education.   Blogging provides a format for reading, writing, thinking and reflecting.  It empowers the teacher and student to participate in discussions both in and out of the classroom.  A big part of blogging is being reflective about the topic at hand. When a teacher is blogging he/she is sharing ideas and communicating with an audience.  This forum forces teachers to make sense of their thoughts and further elaborate on topics. Through modeling reflective practice, a blog can create a public community where powerful sharing and communicating can take place.