Week 4

My plan is staying the same (see previous post). My principal loved it and did not have any changes to make. I would love some comments if you have any.

Action Research Plan

Sorry if this is small...I don't like that I can't cut and paste from a word doc to the Blog...

Week 2

I have learned this week that there are 9 different areas of passion where you might have a wondering for your action research. I also learned that it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to figure out what I want to research.
I look forward to trying some of this out when I get back to school this fall. I am a little frustrated this class happens in the middle of the summer!

Why Leaders Should Blog

Educational leaders should blog because it fosters that two way communication. It might be a less intimidating environment for some stakeholders to have their view seen or heard. My principal has a blog on our school website for our Book of the Month. Teachers, students, and parents are encouraged to read the book and then to respond to it online. In our district we also have a technology blog to share ideas on how to use technolgy every day in our classrooms. These types of communication are crutial in our information world where face to face interactions are getting less and less.

I have learned that action research is necessary for school improvement. It is a reflect and to take action. The first step is to identify the problem. This may include the whole school or just a few students inside one classroom. Then, the strategy that will be used is decided upon based on research and data. Next, the implementation of the strategy happens and the effectiveness is evaluated, so that more data can be collected. Last, the situation has been clarified and teachers reflect on what has been done. This might pose more questions and other action research, but that is the nature of the protocol. It acts as a spiral. As more and more teachers participate in this type of actiity it makes them more likely to investigate their own problems and thus become likely to make the changes that are necessary to improve student achievement. Learning is something teachers should do consistently. Thjis type of activity fostersthat professional development. Often times teachers attend professional development and don't take anything back to their classroom. Since action research directly impacts their own classroom, they may see it as tedious and time consuming at first, but as time moves on and they do it more and more, the benefits outweigh the time constraints. when student achievement improves, all stakeholders are happy and the benefits are clear when the data is reported.