Week 2 Reflection

Effective action research is all about finding data that is practical and applicable.  Not only do teachers have to collect data, they have to be able to desegregate, analyze data, and determine if it is applicable to their district, campus, and classroom. 

I also thought it was interesting that central administration, principals, and teachers all look at the same data.  However, they are all looking at it from different points of view.  This allows for very few gaps when looking at data.  It also allows for a type of "checks and balance" in the process.  Like it was noted last week, the action research allows for a school to be a learning organization.  This also spreads the accountability and responsibility out to all levels of a school district.  No single level can be held responsible when they are all working together.

An Educator's Perspective on Blogging

Blogs can be used by educators as a form of journaling in which they can capture their thoughts and experiences.  By blogging their thoughts and experiences, many users from all over the globe can reference and reflect upon the blog in an attempt to apply the information to practical situations in their schools.  Weblogs also allow for the formation of informal learning communities as one blogger can link and refer to other bloggers with similar experiences.

What I Have Learned About Action Research

Studying the process of action research over the past week has opened my eyes to the systematic process of reflection and action based upon an inquiry that identifies an area of need.  The one thing that jumps out at me the most is the fact that the process involves finding and accepting responsibility for areas that need improvement.  That means that one must admit to having faults.  In most settings, admitting faults is a sign of weakness.  However, under the pretense of an action research investigation or inquiry, the ability to find one’s own fault is a good characteristic because it is the first step toward improvement.

As a teacher of low-level and underachieving students, I try to explain to my students that having faults or deficiencies is not a sign of stupidity.  Instead, it creates an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual.  I find that students limit their own ability to learn because of their trepidation toward asking questions.  A lot of times, my students do not ask questions because they think they will look stupid in front of their classmates.  Thus, the students continue to live in a state of ignorance (not knowing) because they do not inquire about a topic, and therefore cannot improve their lack of understanding.

Both teachers and students alike must be willing to admit areas of lack and ask questions to take action toward improvement.

Although I did not know there was a name for the process, I have been using action research for the past six years as a head basketball coach.  Immediately after the season, my assistants and I look through every game film from the perspective of an opposing coach so that we can identify areas of weakness.  With the intention of seeking out our weakness before an opposing coach does, we formulate a plan for improvement and implement it during the offseason. 

During the season, we use the result of a game and the statistics to tell us whether or not we are heading in a positive direction.  A win can be used as positive reinforcement to the players that what we are doing is working, while a loss can be used to show that we need to do more to keep improving.  This helps the coaching staff keep the players focused on the process of improving, not just on the result.  If all we do is become focused on the results, we can lose focus of how the result occurred.  Whether we win or lose, we use the statistics to look for areas of strength and weakness.  Practices leading up to the next game are designed to reinforce areas of strength and address areas of weaknesses.  If I want to be successful as a coach, I have to possess the ability to identify weakness and make adjustments during the season, not just before or after. 

Reflection also is used in the process of action research to improve our team’s performance.  After every game, I look at my efficiency as a decision maker and how well I adjust to game situations.

Although the process of action research that I have been using is not related to the academic progress, I can take the same approach into my classroom.  In a similar manner that practice is used in sports, homework and quizzes can be used as either positive reinforcement or as a means to address areas of weakness.  Then, after I give a test, I can use the results to guide my next plan of action.  Do I move on, or do I need to spend more time on the material tested to allow for student mastery?  Maybe my investigation would tell me that the class needs to move on, but I need to spend a little more time tutoring individual students.  That is the beauty of action research.  It can lead to an intervention plan that is tailored to the needs of my specific students.

On a side note, I used to despise the concept of retaking a test.  I thought students should be prepared for their first chance to display mastery.  However, after looking at a successful model in athletics where students are allowed to look at the results of a game and then practice for improvement before the next game, I am starting to change my stance on retesting.  With the purpose of mastering a topic, I think retesting is understandable.