Real Life Research Action Examples - Week 2

I have enjoyed reading and watching videos about action research projects this week.  I found it extremely helpful to hear Dr. Lewis' advice that it is important for us to look at what research others have done and figure out what may apply to our research.  As Dr. Briseno said, "Why reinvent the wheel?"  If we use both sets of research data to make comparisons, it will guide our own inquiry process.  Dr. Lewis' action research project is designed around the premise that we need to change the way we deliver instruction in order to ensure that students are understanding at a deeper level.  The professors on video had a lot to say that made sense to me.

What I learned is that the bottom line about research and what we need to ask ourselves is:  Will it help increase student performance?  This is the ultimate educator's dream: to impact students in such a way that they not only increase in knowledge and become academically successful but that they mature into well-rounded citizens that positively affect their community by contributing their gifts and talents, some of whom will no doubt lead and teach with excellence the next generation of learners.

My Action Research Plan Purpose

The purpose of my action research will be to assess the roadblocks that stand in the way of teachers at SMS working together as a sharing, cohesive body of educators.  Additionally, as a strategy to break down those barriers, I plan to create a school blog for the purpose of teacher and staff communication and collaboration. 

The creation of the blog will be provided as a voluntary alternative to formal, grade-level and subject-specific weekly meetings and presented as a non-structured "meeting place."  In lieu of the weekly meetings, teachers will be asked to commit to a weekly post of a positive -- i.e., a teaching strategy that went well this week -- and  to comment on two other teachers' ideas, strategies, etc.  (Can you tell that I like the pattern of this Discussion Board?)  

My research will evolve from these questions:  How can I assess the lack of collaboration and climate of disjointedness between teachers at our middle school and provide a unstructured, nonthreatening forum (i.e., a school blog) where teachers will engage in communication and begin to see the benefits of sharing ideas, advice, teaching strategies, etc.?  Along that same vein, How can I persuade teachers that their participation in collaborative work will improve the overall climate of the school, lessen the stress level of teachers working independently, and, ultimately, improve student moral (a trickle-down effect as the communication of school leaders improves)?

The creation of the blog will be provided as a voluntary alternative to formal, grade-level and subject-specific weekly meetings and presented as a non-structured "meeting place." In lieu of the weekly meetings, teachers will be asked to commit to a weekly post of a positive -- i.e., a teaching strategy that went well this week -- and to comment on two other teachers' ideas, strategies, etc. (Can you tell that I like the pattern of this Discussion Board?)

This school blog will provide all staff the opportunity to: share lesson plans across the curriculum, give and receive advice, engage in conversation about teaching strategies that do or do not work, and in any other way communicate with fellow teachers (something that is currently not going so well).

I will begin my action plan with a survey to gather feedback about the faculty's perception of a lack of cohesiveness as a body of educators; to gauge their attitudes toward holding the newly-mandated, grade-level and subject-specific meetings; and to ascertain whether faculty would view the blog as an attractive means of "meeting" informally, at their convenience, as opposed to weekly meetings after school.

The stated purpose of the school blog will be to provide an attractive alternative "meeting place" for teachers; however, I will use the blog as the base of my study to monitor its effect on communication and collaboration throughout our school. Additionally, I will use surveys intermittently to assess teacher attitudes toward their capacity to teach effectively coupled with their perceptions of student ability to learn.

My goal is to transform teacher attitude from the lackluster and solitary approach to teaching (as it presently exists) to a body of educators working in one accord for the same purpose: to raise awareness of our need for one another and the strength that our unity will afford us; to boost the moral of teachers by changing the climate of the school from compartmentalized, disjointed, and uncommunicative to a climate where the common mindset is that "we" are "working as a team"; to address teachers' perception of their successes or failures, specifically that it is not based on individual teaching ability but on the whole body of teachers succeeding or failing together; and, as a trickle-down effect, transform teacher perception of students' ability to learn -- as teachers grasp the idea of collaborative learning and model this concept for our students -- into one that embraces the idea that "our students can all achieve academic success," through communication and collaboration, as the cornerstone of education in the 21st century.

I believe the time is ripe for addressing the lack of communication and collaboration at our school and that it will be fruitful to embark on an journey to shape our approach to teaching based on the groundwork that we will appreciate one another and find fulfillment in working together as a team.

I believe creating a school blog for the purpose of communicating and sharing will achieve several goals:

1.   Teachers will see the blog as a non-threatening, informal place to share (as opposed to “mandated” meetings).

2.   Teachers will begin to see the benefits of working together – albeit, at an “arm’s length,” so to speak, through this blog – and begin to develop a concept of a “unified and cohesive approach” to teaching and, thereby, acquire an appreciation for how working together will help lessen individual burdens.

3.   Teachers will begin to conceptualize how helping one another will strengthen our body of teachers and help us prepare to transition into the future world of teaching, where the “lone ranger” approach to teaching is no longer an option. 

4.   Teachers will view collaboration as a positive, enabling, facet of our school and a means to not only undergird our faculty but to realize a trickle-down effect to our student body, as an atmosphere of discord transforms into a climate in which the norm is appreciation for each person's contributions to the body of educators as a whole.

5.   Teachers will individually, as a result of this study, find other ways to continue to contribute to the team atmosphere and bring the staff together in a more cohesive and unified body with one common vision of where we are headed academically.

How Can Leaders Use Blogs?

The essence of blogging is to share information, which, in the realm of educational leaders, amounts to sharing experiences; and so when educational leaders blog, they give and receive experience, one of the key elements to professional growth.

The utilization of blogs in education provides an excellent avenue for connecting with fellow educators.  It allows interaction between group members, which makes it very attractive for educational purposes.  Teachers could use a blog to pose questions and opinions, receive feedback, and share ideas.  Blogs can be a medium for reflection and play a communicative part in an action research plan.  For instance, posting surveys on a blog would be one way to gather data for an action research plan.  I especially like the idea of creating a blog for educators at my school to share cross-curricular lesson plan ideas.

Principals could use a blog to keep the whole school abreast of issues of importance, post a calendar of events, and provide notice of professional development classes, to name a few.  I know that I am tempted to keep way too many emails because I am afraid that I will delete something important.  This would be a great way to keep everything in one place, so to speak.  In that respect, it offers leaders a forum to organize information that can be easily accessed by all staff members at any time and even at the same time!

Action Research

Action research is a means to an end. It is a tool educational leaders use to delve into their own professional practice, through deep inquiry in the form of self-probing questions, in order to gain insight and, as a result of the insight gained, make changes to improve professionally. 

Action research is a self-reflecting, but structured, learning process with the driving force being the desire for educational growth through change. Educational leaders who commit to an action research journey are willing to look at themselves and honestly identify areas needing improvement, and they are committed to bringing about the necessary change in their professional practice for the betterment of the educational environment of which they are an integral part.

When immersed in the day-to-day course of never-ending tasks, any number of unpredictable crises, mounting paperwork, and pressure to increase student scores, it is hard to maintain enthusiasm for the idea of true educational leadership: to lead by example and model a love of teaching and learning.

Yet the very complex pressures that befall our educational leaders are what underscore the dire need for leaders to rise to the challenge and lead (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003). Action research is the tool that educational leaders use to help untangle the web of the "to do" list and focus on "their leadership in teaching and learning" (Dana, p. 2)

Though action research begins with asking a single question of oneself, it is not an overnight adventure but more akin to following a map on a road trip. Your trip will include: structured research in the form of reading pertinent literature, gathering and analyzing data, and making necessary changes based on not only the data but on the personal understandings found during inquiry (Dana p. 3).