Research Plan on Google Doc

Week 3 Action Reserach Plan

This week has been very difficult. I have changed the focus of my topic a few times. I have finally settled on (for now) comparing the 1:1 community in a 7th grade math class with another school in the district that does not have 1:1. I will try to make all the other variables as similar as possible including the level of the students and the skill level of the teacher. Since I am set to finish the program in February, I plan on collecting all my data before the end of the 1st semester. Hopefully that will allow me time to interpret my findings and present a recommendation to my principal and perhaps someone at central office.

My plan of research can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=199VexuukNVnPeazvjERZVdU1x4mu7UJhwfOfTeqlUOY&hl=en

Week 2 Reflection

This week we explored the nine passions that could lead to an action inquiry. The thing that stood out the most to me was the use of data. All three speakers and Dana talked about the importance of data. Not only do you have to have the correct data but you have to know how to use it. Just because something worked somewhere else does not mean it will work on your campus or district. Knowing how to read the data will help you determine if the outcome is applicable.

Even after reading and thinking about many action research topics, I am still going to research the one I have already chosen: How come some teachers only use minimal technology, and how can I help them use more. This topic may change and evolve, but technology is my passion so that is where I begin.

Why should Educational Leaders blog?

The reason for creating a blog is to share information with others and receive their comments and feedback. Educational leaders use blogs for the same reason. They could post information about best practices they have discovered and receive input from others. For example, an administrator at a campus that embraces technology may blog about how it is being used on their campus. This could not only start up a conversation, but the blog owner may get more ideas through comments that others leave. A blog is a way to collaborate with total strangers, giving each other’s ideas and suggestion about how to improve daily practices.

Defining Action Research

At first the term "action research" was intimidating. I had no idea what I was in for, and was not looking forward to writing a research paper about anything. However, when I learned what an action research actually is, I'm looking forward to it. To put it simply, action research is discovering the core problem of an issue and developing actions for improvement. The word research is misleading, because it is not simply a review of complied resources that simply explains why something is the way it is. The ultimate goal of an action research, however, is student improvement. The teacher or administrator recognizes there is a problem and sets out to systematically determine the cause and offer possible solutions. And action research can be used anytime there is a perceived problem; for example, if a certain student group has lower scores than the average, or if there is an increase in discipline referrals. In my current class, I will of course be conducting an action research on an issue on my campus. However, it would also be beneficial if I conducted an action research on an issue that occurs in my classroom. For example, last year I noticed that as the day went on, the average scores of my classes decreased. By conducting an action research I could discover why this is happening and find possible solutions. The research will also help me grow as a teacher, which in turn will increase student success.