When starting this course I did not even know what
action research was, let alone what it entails.
I now truly understand the process and determination for improvement
that work together to create action research.
In week one I learned about what action research is
and the steps that are implemented to conduct it. Administrative inquiry is “…the process of a
principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own
administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she
learns as a result of the inquiry” (Dana, 2009, p. 2). Basically administrative inquiry is meant to
bring about a change on a campus based on the needs. This process involves identifying a problem,
generating an action strategy, implementing the strategy, and focusing on the
outcome or changes that were made.
In week two I was introduced to the
idea of choosing appropriate action research topics. After reviewing a lot of
examples of action research, including video interviews, I was able to narrow
my ideas down and discuss these with my site supervisor. These ideas included: behavior management, professional learning
communities and the use of personal devices in the classroom. One of the interviews that I viewed was that
of Dr. Johnny Briseno, a Principal in Angleton ISD. He discussed how a lot of teachers view a
change in standardized test scores as an issue and wanted to investigate what
causes these changes. He went on to say
that we need to look into the outside factors that are affecting that student’s
life. One of the ways in which he
addressed this issue on his campus was to set up time for teachers to
vertically discuss student achievement and student groups. The teachers often have the quantitative data
but not the qualitative data. Instead of
having to figure a student out each year it makes sense to discuss past
achievement with former teachers. He
reinforced how important it is for education professionals to research topics
or issues that come up within their schools.
In
week three I determined my action research topic and plan. I choose the topic: How do PLC’s, as they are
implemented at de Zavala Middle School, benefit teachers and students? How can we improve PLC time to better serve
the teachers and students? We then constructed
our action research plan and shared with our peers. After going through the process of brainstorming and
actually constructing my action research plan, I found that one of the most
valuable components of this course was to share my plan on my blog. I was lucky enough to get a multitude of
comments from my fellow students. They
brought up so many different ideas, suggestions and questions. Since I am conducting my action research over
the way in which Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are implemented on my
campus, many of my peers wanted to understand how we currently conduct
PLCs. I received feedback that included
questions in which I should include when I survey my staff and interview
different members of the administration.
I really liked that one of my fellow students took the time to think
through ideas for me to include in my survey.
Another suggestion that I came across was to observe a PLC on another
campus. Since my campus’s PLC practice
is a little different than the traditional PLC this could be a really
interesting practice. I really
appreciated all the suggestions that I received and used them to reflect on my
action research plan as well as to brainstorm future problems or concerns that
I may run into after starting this process.
In week four we reviewed the strategies in order to sustain our action research. My
action research plan is somewhat centered around the use of questionnaires and
surveys. The Harris text explains that
“questionnaires provide excellent opportunities for gathering information and
opinions quickly” (Harris, 2010, p. 94).
I was happy to gather information about further ways to continue
improvement.
Dana,
N. F. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading with passion and
knowledge: the principal as action researcher (pp. 1-15). Thousand Oaks,
Calif.: Corwin Press, a Joint Publication with the American Association of
School Administrators.
Andrea, In your third paragraph you talk about Dr. Johnny Briseno: "...setting up time for teachers to vertically discuss student achievement and student groups. The teachers often have the quantitative data but not the qualitative data." This is very similar to the project that I will be working on with my campus principal. We are establishing folders for each student that each teacher will have to track that particular students data for each six weeks. The folders will then follow the students in their progression through the grade levels, given each teacher qualitative data.
ReplyDeleteThis analysis will be completed during PLC time every three weeks. (Another good use of PLC time.)
When I attended the Dufour conference last year, one of the things I noted all the principals from very successful schools had a 20-30 minutes all "hands on deck" intervention. They would meet discuss what students needed help in the PLC and each teacher took a group, from the gifted and talented to the ones that were really struggling. Every principal that spoke at the conference seemed to have the same thing going on in their PLC's.
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