What I have learned about action research and how I might be able to use it.

    Action research, in my opinion, must be a tool that is used by all administrators. I have sat through many staff developments throughout my seventeen years of teaching. I have grown more and more frustrated each year as we paid people to come speak to our staff. These people brought us their models of how to fix our school.

    Over and over again, ideas were infused into our daily rigor. But before we could get one implemented in an effective way, here came another. We did not change from one plan to the other, yet we added one and were doing multiple tasks half heartedly. Obviously, staff interest and morale were not at their best.

    As time has gone on, a question has resonated in teacher’s minds: “what are you going to add to our plate now?” As we moved on to a new year, a new presenter, and a new program, teachers became less and less determined to “buy in” to the new agenda. Now, the chances of success began to slip away. So many dollars, hours, and positive attitudes were lost throughout this process.

    Action research takes an active approach at fixing “our problems.” And if taken on correctly, presents teachers with something worth working towards. It involves everyone. It holds personal interest to the people in our district. We become the presenter, researcher, implementer, and solution to what we cherish in our community.

    Action research is a way to seek change and reflect on practice by posing questions (wonderings), collect data to gain insight into wonderings, analyze the data and read relevant literature, make changes based on new understanding, and share findings. I plan on using this process to continuously challenge myself to seek out the “problem areas” in my school to keep moving forward towards the most productive learning environment that I can provide.