Week 2 reflection

This week has been a very trying week for my action research topic.  It seems that I have changed some aspect of my original topic a hundred times.  I am excited to get started but it felt like I was experiencing writers block when it came to starting my action planning template.  I know that we have attendance issues and I feel that I have good ideas that will help provide a solution.   This week's reading really helped me focus my attention on the nine passions to guide my research and I am looking forward to week three and nailing down my research plan and showing how it will help with our campus attendance and referral problems.

How can an educational leader use blogs..

Educational leaders need to be involved with some sort of social media, in this age of technology and use of social media by parents, students well just about everyone has some outlet to a social media.  What better way to get the word out about an academic achievement, changes to the school day/event, or what new and exciting innovation that is going on at your campus than to blog about it.  By sharing ones own experience with education and technology through a blog, a campus leader can better understand how technology can improve students, staff and their own learning.  Administrators can discuss issues and share ideas with other administrators and educators, which will create a living collaboration of thoughts from around the globe.  Blogging is also a great way to build your network of professional acquaintances, reflect on your own work, and keep in touch with current research and trends in education.

Action Research.. what I have leared

Have you ever noticed that someone else’s solution, a book, or seminar might work in their situation but it is never just right for you? The answer to many of our problems or curiosities can be unwrapped with the use of an action research study. Action research is a group of research methodologies that pursue change and understanding.  It is a cyclical process that alternates between action and critical reflection. This is a very exciting component of action research.  First an area of curiosity or interest that calls for improvement is found, a plan for solving the problem is created, implementation of the plan is completed, and finally the results are evaluated or reflected upon.  While reflecting on the process and evaluating results of the action research, new inquires can be found.  This creates a constant evaluation of practices that will ensure that the most influential practices are being used in a school. 

Action research is a valuable tool for administrators as well as teachers to help address their problems or curiosities which will lead to improving students and staff performance. Action research, when used correctly, can create an avenue for collaboration between administrators, staff members, and even students when the research calls for it.  This collaboration of discussing issues and how to solve them will remove “the wall” between teachers and administrators and will ultimately foster a school climate beneficial to all stakeholders.  By facilitating an action plan from the collaborative decision making process will help increase a staff’s willingness to participate in the changes the research indicates that needs changing.