Administrative inquiry or action research is “investigating in a systemic way” (Harris, Edmonson, Combs, 2010). When administrators or teachers reflect on the outcomes of their current practices and identify areas that need attention, action research provides a vehicle which can be used to facilitate change, improvement, and continuous growth. The process involves questioning, collecting data, analyzing the data, reading literature that can provide understanding and answers, making changes based on the total analysis, and sharing new understandings and answers with others. It is a tool that offers professional development opportunities that directly connect to the specific needs of the administrator’s campus. It empowers all inquirers and investigators to take ownership of their practices and outcomes. It provides opportunities for collaboration and helps principals to become role models for learning in their schools. The principal becomes the “head learner of the school” (Dana, 2009).
It is
so easy to get caught up in the day to day happenings on a school campus. There are never ending fires to put out. No matter how hard one may try to prevent
issues, there are more than a few that manage to slip by. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut and not
even believe that there is a way to change things and have more control. An action research plan presents the perfect
opportunity to decelerate and shift gears.
When you ponder an issue and analyze the data, you must be
systematic. Being systematic requires
attention to detail. It should not be
rushed or haphazard. Scheduling time to
meet and collaborate gives a sense of order.
These meetings should be focused on the issue at hand. Reading professional literature and recording
reflections and notes in a journal require uninterrupted periods of time and
space. Following through with the
process and seeing positive results from your research validates the time spent
and motivates you to revisit the process again and again. Although we must keep our fire extinguishers
handy, we can know that we are addressing and resolving greater issues that
will have a lasting impact on student success and school climate.
How I May use Action Research
I may use action research to reflect on instructional
practices that I currently use in my classroom.
I constantly reflect on my teaching and make adjustments – sometimes on
a daily basis. However, I have not ever
developed an in-depth action research plan. Following the process of action
research would provide me with much more information and insight. Reading
professional literature will present perspectives I may not have previously considered
and provide more alternatives for action.
This learning process will positively affect all other areas of my
professional growth. 
I think it's a great idea to start reflecting more on what you are doing in your classroom and developing an action research plan to carry out any necessary changes. Good ideas!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what we have been reading, action research can be a time to reflect on ourselves. I am interested to hear what literature you will use and how the literature will impact your teaching style and action research project. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to develop an action research plan for your classroom. Last year I wondered how requiring students to use an interactive notebook would increase scores on student unit test. What I found was that, at first, students complained heavily about being forced to use the notebook. As the semester proceeded I started getting comments from other teacher asking about the notebooks because the kids liked them so much. Getting kids engaged in high school math can be very frustrating. However, using the notebooks the kids considered it a sort of scrap booking activity. Their engagement increased and so did there test scores. I adopted the notebooks for all of my classes and have even dedicated a page for the students to record their progress on benchmark test. I don't know what you have planned yet, but it is a suggestion
ReplyDeleteReflection is a key component, I think that is why someone coined the phrase "hindsight is 20 20". I think that by reflection does offer valuable insight into your direction at the time and is interesting to compare to current direction and then it helps you make adjustments as needed in order to reach your goal. I know for me that reflection will become a daily occurrence.
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