Week two of action research

This week I listened to different administrators discuss action research and it's uses.  They all had two common ideas that really stood out to me.  They all discussed the importance of ensuring that the research is meaningful and deliberate.  They all also discussed the importance data has on student achievement.  There are no surprises there-however it was nice to hear those concepts from different perspectives and levels of administration.  It was also clear that they viewed action research as a common everyday task of leadership.  It seems to be just another job of leadership.  This week brings me one step closer to looking at service learning from an action research point of view.

Blogs--How do they benefit leaders?

Blogs are a good forum for reflection.  They are also a good place to bounce ideas off of other educational leaders.   Blogs make it easy for leaders to seek out others' unbiased opinions and read about what other leaders are doing-all within the limits of their own terms and time.   They allow for leaders to express what professional development topics and exercises worked and didn’t work for them.  Blogs could be considered another resource for leaders.  

What is Action Research?

This past week I have learned quite a bit about action research.  I must admit that before this week, I would not have been able to tell you anything about it.  Now that I have read about it and saw some examples of it, I realized that I see action research in action often.  Action research is simply a process of research that allows a group to work together to determine a plan of action for improvement.  You start with an open-ended question and set about finding data that helps you determine some solutions.  Together you work collaboratively to break the data and information collected into the best possible plan for your quandary.  The next thing the group needs to do is to implement the plan.  Reflection should be an important part of the process throughout, but is should ongoing throughout the implantation of the plan.  During the final phase of action research, the group pretty much watches and listens and makes changes as needed.  I think the important thing to consider in regards to action research is that it is a joint effort.  It is crucial that everyone is participating and on board with the process.  You want buy-in.  Without buy-in your odds of the plan being followed through are slim.  I almost want to stop referring to the process as “Action Research” and call the process what it is- “Action Planning.”