Upon the fifth and final week of this course, I have had an opportunity to reflect on some important ideas, concepts, and conclusions that I will walk away with. These reflections are based on the course as a whole and will prove to be continually useful throughout my educational leadership experiences.
In week one, Dr. Arterbury describes that many times individuals see conducting research as reviewing a magnitude of related literature and then compiling it in a sort of a review of the findings. Actually, I now know that researching a topic is adding something new to the existing findings to help add to or improve the subject matter. In week two Dr. Arterbury and Dr. Jenkins suggested that when conducting action research plans, you should always consider who will benefit from the plan and who are the key stakeholders. Week three Dr. Arterbury and Dr. Jenkins also indicated that there are key, systematic steps that one must take when conducting action research. They followed in week four by stating that when conducting action research you can anticipate challenges or disruptions in your timeline. In week five they conclude by telling that site supervisors may not always agree with your proposed action research plan, but it is important to reach a decision that will be mutual. The lectures from the five weeks provided me with key concepts that made the task of developing, creating, and beginning to implement the plan a little easier.
Also in this course, the required text proved to be important in the development of the action research plan. Nancy Fichtman Dana’s book, Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher, provided a constant guiding hand throughout this course. Dana’s directly stated instructions on how to develop an action research plan were useful and laid out in a way that they will be easily assailable for future use.
In the developmental stage of the action research plan I searched multiple sources on the Internet. In searching the Internet for related topics for my action research plan, I discovered that there are little to none on my specific topic. I found several key concepts that I plan to adopt, but none that is directly relevant. I may not be searching under the correct subject matter. I hope to get the majority of my information and advisement from individuals with expertise in the needed areas.
During this planning process I discovered that your action research plan is and should constantly be in the revision stage. You should never fall in love with your first draft because I found that it changes often. I also found that it is important that you continually reflect on your work and seek advisement from key individuals. Additionally, you should always be mindful of the individuals that will benefit from the plan and work to make it to their full benefit. I think that communicating with supervisors and receiving feedback will help you make conscious decisions regarding vital aspects of the plan.
A final reflection from this course is that communication with peers is essential in the planning process. Through my blog and the discussions I have received good advice and many encouraging words to help me through the process. I have also enjoyed giving advice and ideas to my classmates. One classmate is conducting research on how to motivate teachers and staff members to obtain and maintain healthy lifestyles. I suggested an activity that we do at our school, the biggest looser contest. My classmate was thankful for the idea and hopes to implement it in her action plan. That gave me the greatest joy.

Action Research Plan:

Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation:
Goal: Develop an alternative summer school program for third grade students.

Objective: The students will show academic progress by experiencing hands on learning, community based instruction, and nontraditional teaching approaches to better prepare them for fourth grade.


Activities designed to achieve the objectives

1.Speak with third grade teachers to see what skills are particularly lacking or areas of weakness
2. Look at data from benchmark tests
3.Research methods of teaching the skills that the third grade teachers suggested
4. Identify ways to teach the needed skills through community based instruction
5.Reflect on progress of program development and identify methods of improvement and meet with site supervisor to review progress
6. Write a grant proposal to fund the project (Navasota ISD Educational Foundation)
7. Write a curriculum that linked the suggested/needed skills and community based activities
8. Develop a method to evaluate student performance as well as program performance
9. Have third grade teachers identify 8 – 10 students that would benefit from the program
10. Gain permission from parents and begin the program
11.Share results with third grade teachers, principal, and campus curriculum director

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on this week's course work, I found that regardless of your position within a district you are capable of conducting effective action research. I also found that you must identify a topic that you have a particular interest in. If not, the project will not live up to its potential and may possibly dissolve over time. The final thought is that the concept of action research seems complicated and overwhelming, but in all actuality it is achievable and doable when you allow the time to plan, research, and reflect.

I have narrowed down my choice for my action research plan.
In a nut shell: I taught 3rd grade math summer school this summer. I identified several students (8 - 10) that appeared to be gaining anything from my teaching. I wondered if it was my teaching, the curriculum, or their motivation. These particular students were also seen as a behavior problem. The plan is to design a summer school curriculum that would involve several things...hands on learning, community involvement, exposure to certain situations, character education, and finally the needed academic skills that they were lacking. It would be a combo of all the items listed above. Achievable??? Lets hope so!!!

Educational Leaders and Blogging

Educational leaders can use blogs to:
1. A way to document your thoughts and ideas
2. Connect and get feedback from students
3. Connect and get feedback from parents
4. Keep your staff informed
5. Allows you to be more open and welcoming within the school community

What in the world is action research?

In a nut shell, action research is taking ownership of your own learning. How many of you have participated in professional development workshops where the speaker is telling you all kinds of good ideas and advice, but you walk away with the feeling that it did not exactly relate to your current problem? Or have you read journal articles that involved the researchers crunching numbers from a controlled sub group of students? Do you seek change within your school? Action research is the base for changes in schools. This approach is different than the traditional approaches because you are making decisions and finding solutions that directly relate to your identified problem. Action research is a organized way to solve problems. This proactive approach to research is centered around the data you collect, investigations you make, collaboration with staff within your school, and the all important...self reflection. In my opinion, the best thing about action research is that the change you are seeking or the new learning you are hoping for is based on an observed problem within your school. Yes, you identify the problem...collect the needed information....create the perfect solution. This method will also allow school leaders to take time within the hectic school day to deliberate and consciously work on problems that reside within the campus.

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