Action research ROCKS!

What action research means to me and how will I use it.

Action research reminds me of the circle of life. It is a continuing process that is forever changing. When you get to what you think is the end of that certain need, another need pops up for discussion. Action research lets us deal with the problems at hand and be productive problem solvers in order to make changes to fix the problem. The process that it takes to revamp the situation is key. Everyone needs to be on board with change, they need to embrace it and be comfortable with it when it occurs because change is needed in order to have successful results. We are always analyzing data for students so why not analyze our process and make changes as needed. Intervention with our students normally has a great success rate. Why not intervene on our own process and make adjustments as needed. We should always be adjusting our teaching styles and classroom procedures due to the needs of the class. As an administration the whole school is our classroom. We need to reorganize and make changes for the better of our classroom. What works for one school does not always work for another; however, we can learn from each other and get great ideas. The reflection process is such an important part in action research. Without the reflection process we will not get the satisfaction out of our final results. The circle of life is forever evolving and changing. It is always adapting to our surroundings and making those adjustments as needed.

My math interventionist teacher uses this style daily. I would use it to know what kids to pull for extra help. I would analyze the classroom data in order to move forward. Re-teaching is a form of action research. We reteach based off of our results and our data. If my students score low on a certain topic and my partner teacher's kids scored high then I would learn from him to better re-teach that topic or subject.


How can educators use blogs?

Educational leaders might use blogs in many ways. It would be a great form of communication for the staff. I would use it and update every week to relay what events are happening for the week. They may also use it for parents. It would give them some updates on school events or extra resources to help their children be successful. Each department could have their own blog to help align topics for parents as well. Many great ideas come to mind. We can learn a lot from other school districts by reading their blogs. Learning is a never ending process.