Reflection - Week 5

I approached this course I bit hesitant because of the very nature of the course – action research.  Prior to taking it, I had very little knowledge about what an action research entails, even though I was aware of the term. I have learned a lot in this course; the books, lectures, blogs, and discussion forums have been very helpful and excellent sources of information concerning how to conduct my action research.

The two books we used, “Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher” by Nancy Dana Fichtman and “Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action” by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs both contain a wealth of information on everything about conducting action research. However, I must say that I preferred reading the Dana text as it provided extremely useful information when I was trying to decide which area to pursue for my action research and how to formulate the wonderings.  For the principal or aspiring principal, this book will open your eyes on how to be a cut above. It encourages you to be open, to wonder, and to research effectively to maintain a trajectory of excellence in your school.

Another area which I truly enjoyed was creating my blog; something I have never cared to do before. Reading the blogs of my online colleagues and sharing comments has invariably led to a great exchange of ideas, suggestions, recommendations,  and has also served as a regular source for support and motivation. The discussion boards for this course also contributed to the exchange of relevant ideas. It also helped that the discussion prompts were of a reflective nature. These discussions provided yet another opportunity throughout the course to have some reflective time – something this graduate program emphasizes we must do to be successful administrators. As part of these interactions, there were at least two suggestions from the blogs and the discussion boards that I decided to apply to my own action research.

At this point, I no longer feel the hesitation I felt at the beginning of the course. Although there is much I have to learn about the process itself, I believed this course has changed my original perception about action research. I have found this course to be very helpful and relevant to my professional career.

Reflection - Week 4

This week we were asked to reflect on specific challenges we foresee when implementing our action research study. Like many of my online colleagues, I anticipate TIME to be the major challenge with this project. To implement this action research study effectively I need to have plenty of time for data gathering, analysis, self-reflection, etc. Needless to say, time is going to be a major challenge in completing this task. In an attempt to address the “time” challenge, I plan to include an action research block in my weekly schedule when I must commit to work on matters related to this plan. The actual time and amount of time will be determined after I speak about this challenge with my assistant principal.

 

Reflection - Week 3

Truth be told, I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed with the action research process; I didn't  know where to start or if I was even going in the right direction. However, this week the simple act of putting thoughts on paper has helped me a great deal. The action research plan draft is the tool that I needed to start organizing my thoughts and processes.

Action Research Plan

Goal:  What is the relationship between students’ participation in the afterschool intervention program and their success in the TAKS test?
Action Steps:	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Meeting with Principal and Assistant Principal	Letty Roman, Jenni George, and Sonia Erazo	Jan. 18, 2012 – Feb. 1, 2012	Meeting Place and Time	Meeting discussion notes.
Create a pre-project survey for both administrators and teachers involved in the afterschool intervention program.	Sonia Erazo Jenni George	Feb. 6, 2012 – Feb. 17, 2012	Surveymonkey.com	Submit survey to principal and assistant principal for approval.
Contact assistant principal to gather available data related to program attendance for the past two school years (third grade only).	Sonia Erazo, Jenni George	Feb. 6, 2012 – Feb. 17, 2012	Email System SEED (Smith Elementary Extended Day) Attendance Records	Afterschool intervention program attendance records.
Compile benchmark test results for past two school years (third grade only).	Sonia Erazo Jenni George	Feb. 20, 2012 – Mar. 2, 2012	DMAC Database	Student Responses Report
Compile TAKS results for past two years (third grade only).	Sonia Erazo Angela Soper, Literacy Coach	Mar. 5, 2012 – Mar. 16, 2012	DMAC Database	Trend Report(s)
Prepare preliminary findings report to be shared with the principal, assistant principal, instructional coaches, and teachers.	Sonia Erazo	Mar. 19, 2012 – Mar. 30, 2012	Access computer software such as Microsoft Office.	Preliminary findings report.
Presentation of action research findings to administrators, coaches and teachers.	Sonia Erazo	Apr. 2, 2012 – Apr. 13, 2012	Presentation Meeting Place and Time	Distribution of preliminary findings report. PowerPoint Presentation highlighting key action research points.
Follow-up meeting to determine future course of action relating to our afterschool intervention program.	Letty Roman Jenni George Angela Soper Jennifer Kartak Sonia Erazo	Apr. 16, 2012 – Apr. 30, 2012	Meeting Place and Time	Meeting notes including future action plan.
Communicate action research finding and outcomes of school staff and colleagues.	Sonia Erazo	May 1, 2012 – May 11, 2012	Faculty Meeting Personal Blog Site	Written report on action research findings and outcomes.

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Reflection - Week 2

For me, this week it was very helpful to read about the nine areas of passion described in the Dana text. The assigned reading provided lots of insight into the many opportunities that we may encounter, as teachers and/or administrators, which are conducive to action research.  Also, listening to what the three school leaders in the videos had to say about action research was of great help in narrowing down what action research study to pursue. This, coupled with my conversation with my principal, opened my eyes to the fact that my original action research was too ambitious; it could have turned out to be an overwhelming endeavor. Therefore, after reflecting on the assigned reading, videos, and principal meeting, my action research was changed to - In what ways has the after-school program affected the student performance in the TAKS test?

What is action research?

Action research is about practitioners (in this case, principals) striving to understand and to improve their practice.

Action research proceeds through a process of planning, action and reflection upon action. This can be thought of as an action-reflection cycle.

Action research involves the gathering of evidence about practice.

Action research involves practitioners trying to see the effects of planned change in their practice.

Action research strives to be systematic and rigorous.

Analysis and knowledge formation in action research belong to the practitioner.

Principals use action research because they want to change their practices or those of the school. The principal may be concerned that things might not be going as he/she wishes, or he/she may simply need to implement a new initiative but is unsure how to do it effectively. Action research provides the opportunity for reflection and action. The aim of the action researcher is to bring about development in his or her practice by analyzing existing practice and identifying elements for change. The process is founded on the gathering of evidence on which to make informed rather than intuitive judgments and decisions.  One important aspect of action research is that the process enhances the practitioner’s professional development through the fostering of their capability as professional knowledge makers, rather than simply as professional knowledge users.

Educational Leaders and Blogs

Simply stated, a blog is communication venue or tool that provides educational leaders the potential for increased access and exposure to quality information.