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).
No comments:
Post a Comment