What is administrative inquiry or action research?
Action research is a method of investigation in which the administrator asks certain questions, collects data, analyzes and examines, acts, and the revisits and does further action if required. This is done as school improvement (Harris, 5).
It is a 6 stepped process:
1. Identifying a focus/purpose
2. Collecting data
3. Analyzing/interpreting/examine data
4. Taking action/
5. Evaluating results on the action taken
6. Identify next steps/next direction
This makes the administrator develop a plan of action that will improve the school. The teacher would do an action plan that improves teaching and/or student learning and work.
This involves a doing, a getting involved personally for improvement of school or self as a leader.
How does action research differ from traditional educational research?
Action research has to do with an action taken as in directional steps from identifying certain questions, collests data, analyzes and examines, acts, and the revisits and does further action if required. Action research is results oriented. Meanwhile, traditional research is the basics of identitying a focus, collecting data and writing about it. Tradional research is more knowledge based with the action steps to fix a problem.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
three examples of action research in educational settings/benefits of conducting action research
Assignment part 2:
Give at least three examples of action research in educational settings.
Examples for action research in an educational are as follows:
1. Administrative teams
The administrative teams shares leadership responsibilities with the principal. For instance, policy development, managing programs, and decision making, etc. (Dana, 2009)
2. Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
A group of faculty members who gather on a regular basis to share more effective learning and teaching practices with certain protocol to assure dialogue of student learning and student work (Dana, 22).
3. Superintendent and District Meetings
In Pinella County, Florida, A portion of the monthly administration meeting is devoted to the principals’ action research and celebrations of it. Principals are asked to identify one area of study. They meet in groups of twelve regularly and is considered an action research in PLC (Dana, 22).
Describe the benefits of conducting action research.
Action research leads to reflection and reflection leads to the expertise level.
Another benefit is the collaboration between teachers, administration toward better learning and teaching.
Teachers reflect on their own practices to improve student learning. The teacher knows exactly what learning in happening in the classroom (Ringel,2007)
Give at least three examples of action research in educational settings.
Examples for action research in an educational are as follows:
1. Administrative teams
The administrative teams shares leadership responsibilities with the principal. For instance, policy development, managing programs, and decision making, etc. (Dana, 2009)
2. Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
A group of faculty members who gather on a regular basis to share more effective learning and teaching practices with certain protocol to assure dialogue of student learning and student work (Dana, 22).
3. Superintendent and District Meetings
In Pinella County, Florida, A portion of the monthly administration meeting is devoted to the principals’ action research and celebrations of it. Principals are asked to identify one area of study. They meet in groups of twelve regularly and is considered an action research in PLC (Dana, 22).
Describe the benefits of conducting action research.
Action research leads to reflection and reflection leads to the expertise level.
Another benefit is the collaboration between teachers, administration toward better learning and teaching.
Teachers reflect on their own practices to improve student learning. The teacher knows exactly what learning in happening in the classroom (Ringel,2007)
Describe why reflection is an important skill in leadership
A. Describe why reflection is an important skill in leadership.
Martin, et al in the book, “In School Leader Internship”, Reflection is described as, “the ability to think more deeply about a problem, and the ability to take action or make adjustments accordingly.” (Martin, et al., “In School Leader Internship,” p. 104, 2005)
“It allows one to learn from experiences while acquiring administrative skills from a combination of theory and practice.” In School Leader Internship, Martin, et al (p. 105)
Reflection is a process that a leader should take time and be committed for it leads to informed decisions. Dana states that one should schedule time to reflect and do inquiry. (Leading with passion, p.18-19)
This leads to school improvement, curriculum development, professional development for both teachers and principals.
B. Why is reflection an important aspect of action research?
Action research is more of a personal growth system which allows the leader to inquiry, collect date, examine and analyze, take action and then reflect of the outcomes and adjust if necessary. Reflection is part of the process.
It is through time that reflection leads to expertise. Martinet at., goes on to express that reflection is a cognitive process that goes through three stages, declarative (concepts and facts), associative stage (growth in organization and interconnectedness of knowledge), and finally the autonomous stage, (making decisions become more automatic or second nature). This process leads to expertise and is acquired overtime. (105-106).
Martin, et al in the book, “In School Leader Internship”, Reflection is described as, “the ability to think more deeply about a problem, and the ability to take action or make adjustments accordingly.” (Martin, et al., “In School Leader Internship,” p. 104, 2005)
“It allows one to learn from experiences while acquiring administrative skills from a combination of theory and practice.” In School Leader Internship, Martin, et al (p. 105)
Reflection is a process that a leader should take time and be committed for it leads to informed decisions. Dana states that one should schedule time to reflect and do inquiry. (Leading with passion, p.18-19)
This leads to school improvement, curriculum development, professional development for both teachers and principals.
B. Why is reflection an important aspect of action research?
Action research is more of a personal growth system which allows the leader to inquiry, collect date, examine and analyze, take action and then reflect of the outcomes and adjust if necessary. Reflection is part of the process.
It is through time that reflection leads to expertise. Martinet at., goes on to express that reflection is a cognitive process that goes through three stages, declarative (concepts and facts), associative stage (growth in organization and interconnectedness of knowledge), and finally the autonomous stage, (making decisions become more automatic or second nature). This process leads to expertise and is acquired overtime. (105-106).
Action Research Empowering Writer's-WHY?
Problem
There are over a dozen low performing schools in writing in my local region within the district. One of the areas which students seem to have trouble in is writing. Teachers state that student do not know how to write a well formulated sentence much less a story.
Why is the problem a critical one?
In our school district, we are hearing quite a great deal of college and career readiness. If students do not know how to write an essay then writing at the college level becomes a challenge especially when it has been done for nearly all classes!
At the elementary and secondary levels, knowing that the students are tested on writing on standardized tests and are performing poorly is to me quite troubling.
How can change occur?
The district has purchased, Empowering Writer’s. This is a writing program which promises to use a methodology which has students writing stories from kindergarten. Empowering Writer’s also promises to raise standardized test scores in writing. This program has been in use here in the district for two years now. It has also been in use around the US for thirteen years.
Research Action Question
Does using the Empowering Writer’s methodology effectively prepare students for standardized tests and ultimately groom students for college and career readiness?
There are over a dozen low performing schools in writing in my local region within the district. One of the areas which students seem to have trouble in is writing. Teachers state that student do not know how to write a well formulated sentence much less a story.
Why is the problem a critical one?
In our school district, we are hearing quite a great deal of college and career readiness. If students do not know how to write an essay then writing at the college level becomes a challenge especially when it has been done for nearly all classes!
At the elementary and secondary levels, knowing that the students are tested on writing on standardized tests and are performing poorly is to me quite troubling.
How can change occur?
The district has purchased, Empowering Writer’s. This is a writing program which promises to use a methodology which has students writing stories from kindergarten. Empowering Writer’s also promises to raise standardized test scores in writing. This program has been in use here in the district for two years now. It has also been in use around the US for thirteen years.
Research Action Question
Does using the Empowering Writer’s methodology effectively prepare students for standardized tests and ultimately groom students for college and career readiness?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Description of what I have learned about Action Research. How I might be able to use it.
Action based research is helpful for school and professional improvement through reflection and data and the constant reexamine of self which leads to a change or betterment in a school setting through best practices. It is important that a problem is identified, measured over time while collecting the data, analyze and interpret the data, take an action on the data, examine the results and consider a next step through reflection. An leader may focus on the following: Teaching and learning, capacity building, community building and policy and management.
It is also used for new leaders who are in internships to accumulate data on leadership skills and pertinent data so informed decisions are made. These leadership skills are learned and refined through training and experience over a long period of time in a field based setting.
As a leader, I would imagine using action research to not only develop leadership skills but to also make informed decisions. I would identify a problem at school, collect data, analyze and examine, take a course of action to fix the problem. After a period of time, I would then check the results and decide my next steps through reflection.
Analysis of how Educational Leaders might Use Blogs
To the educational community, blogs provide a plethora of real time, up to date information pertinent to its users, educational leaders.
To its readers, blogs offers educational news, technology, policy and inspiration to its readers.
It is a world unlike itself where leader’s world-wide may read the latest news concerning problems and its solutions.
Innovative news, ideas and the latest technology based resource for the classroom, school or school district may use.
Leaders may read about teacher and/or education policy changes.
A leader in the US may help offer inspiration to someone in Indonesia. Leaders also connect with each other and read about each other.
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