Action Research and Its Benefits

This week I have been able to successfully learn and start implementing action research. Action research is a systematic approach that seeks out fruitful change by engaging in prior experiences. The process of reflection is a key component. Reflection allows an individual to use prior experience to tailor to the needs of the problem. Action research moves away from the traditional approach of using a generalized structure implemented by individuals that are unaware of our daily struggles. Each situation is different, for this reason the generalized, traditional technique lacks what the action research offers… ME! Nobody is better suited than ME to come up with a plan that affects MY students, MY workplace, and MY obstacles. Action research lets the individual tackle the problem systematically instead of shadowing a universal technique that was formulated by someone that is unfamiliar with the situation. Overall, action research consists of reflection, collecting and analyzing data, and implementing this data effectively. By sharing our outcomes with others, action research can serve as a great tool to work cohesively with others while improving team unity in the workplace! Action research has ample benefits including: promoting teamwork, room for re-evaluation, sense of ownership, it serves as a professional development tool, and many others. There are numerous ways I can start implementing action research in my campus. Though for class-purposes I will be focusing my attention on student discipline and communication between staff members, I can use action research in numerous ways. For instance, I am really interested in finding out if the assessments my students are taking are a good reflection of the knowledge they have mastered. It is really easy to be good at the “guessing game” in a multiple choice exam, but does it reflect content mastery? Maybe the use of an explanation of why they selected that answer choice will be beneficial. Also, regarding my discipline struggles at my campus, I am really interested in finding out if we are using the right strategies to tackle this issue.

With the current rise of technology, educational leaders could effectively use blogs for several reasons. First of all, blogging can be taught as technology-savvy journal. Through the use of these journals, our thinking unfolds and we are able to gain critical insights on what is really going on with our thought process. Also, blogs allow us to receive feedback. Whether it’s constructive feedback or a simple “good point” comment, feedback can be a source of ideas evolving. Blogs will also give us the opportunity to share our thoughts, plans, and ideas with colleagues which could lead to the evolvement of an inquiry. All these benefits simply for sharing your thoughts via blogging!