Action Research

I have learned many things about action research and the power that it can have in creating positive school change. Action research is a process that follows the scientific method of inquiry to find problems and create solutions in a meaningful and systematic way. By examining our own practice in reflective manner and examining the data while asking quesitons that get to the heart of the issue at hand, we can have a significant impact on students and teachers alike. Once the issue is discovered the process of understanding the issue, determining a direction and creating the plan of action begins. From the action plan, as steps are implemented monitoring and evaluation then lead to beginning the process again to further refine the solution.
Action research is a grassroots movement. It involves those that work in schools day in and day out with students to look at practice and create action plans that have significant impact on a school community.
As a teacher who worked for a distict that implemented continuous improvement, I am reminded of how this impacted my practice in the classroom, my students and also how it impacted me as a school leader. We used our model systematically in a way that mirrors the things we have learned this week about action research. As we put our practice under the microscope and make the time necessary to reflect and improvement, great things lie ahead for us as leaders.