My Action Research Plan

I've been having a lot of trouble getting this to post, but this should do the trick. I've uploaded the plan into Googledocs. You can view it from this link: My Action Research Plan

Action Research--Week 2!

This week in our action research course, we listened to veterans of action research describe some of the "dos and don'ts" of conducting research in a school setting. I found their comments and thoughts to be very insightful and helpful. As I'm headed into a new school year, teaching a TAKS tested subject for the first time, I noticed a focus on data and the value of using data to drive instruction. All of the experienced administrators talked about teaching teachers to use data to make real-time adjustments. Most of the people who have been in education for a number of years are just learning how to do this for the first time because it wasn't such a focus in education classes twenty years ago. I appreciated the reminder that we need to be data driven in our instructional choices.

My biggest takeaway from this week's work is that when we research, we are working with real people. Although we might look at an AEIS report and see numbers, what we're really looking at are children and teachers. This is not to say that we should stop doing research because we're experimenting on children. Rather, this means that we need to take care if and when we share our findings. We have to make sure that we are treating everyone in the equation with dignity--researchers, administrators, teachers parents and students. Our kids are not a means to an end for us as researchers. They are the end.

Blogging Principals

I think more principals, and educators in general, should take time to blog. There are so many great ideas out there and this is the perfect forum for them. Living so far away from other high-performing charter systems means that I often forget that we're the only ones out there trying to work in this type of system. Getting online and reading the reflections of other educators in similar situations relieves some of my feelings of isolation.

Given that NCLB is a national law, many principals face the same challenges in trying to maintain high test scores and meet their AYP. If principals could share their ideas and information more effectively, a culture of shared genius would develop in education. Principals could swap best practices and suggestions as well as network to find the best teachers available.

Action Research

This week in my new graduate school class, we are discussing the concept of action research and how principals can use it to increase their effectiveness. Basically, the main tenant of action research is that the principal is the lead researcher, rather than an outsider from a university or research firm. It’s used primarily in small groups (like Professional Learning Communities or Leadership Teams) and college classes. Given the steps required in action research, it makes more sense for a principal to use the strategy in “real time” rather than simply for an education program. The results of the study either are or lead to actionable steps that the school can take to improve student achievement. Rather than be asked to take part in a study, action research is run by the principal so everyone takes part. There are fewer complicated steps to follow when you’re researching your own school rather than coming in from the outside. Student achievement data and information from confidential sources (like IEPs or 504 documentation) is all accessible because the researcher is working at his or her own school.
After learning about action research, I really like the concept. I love the idea of choosing a hot spot at my campus and then problem solving around it. I also appreciate the idea of being data driven and focusing on the needs of my students throughout the entire project. The last thing I like about it is that it’s all run by the principal. The fact that the principal owns the process will keep investment higher, both for the researcher and any colleagues that are included in the process.

Final Course Reflection

When I began this course a month ago, I looked at the title and assumed I would be learning about how to make decisions about teachers’ classrooms, professional development tools and how to run a school where students would learn and grow. While I certainly learned all of this, it wasn’t in the context I expected. What I realized though, is that to meet the needs of the 21^st century learner, teachers and instructional leaders need to perform all their traditional tasks, but find new ways to accomplish them. Oftentimes, integrating technology into our schools’ instructional and procedural systems will help us reach more students and families to ensure that all stakeholders’ needs are being met.

To some extent, I achieved the outcomes I expected. I thought I would learn how to be a strong instructional leader. I anticipated finding out how to create a professional learning community where teachers share ideas and collaborate freely. By completing this course, I thought that I would be on my way to becoming the kind of leader that teachers trust when she provides feedback on their instruction. I didn’t achieve these outcomes in traditional ways. I learned how to create a wiki so that my professional learning community could communicate. I realized that as a digital native, I can go into a teacher’s classroom and provide feedback on his or her use of technology. I’m still unsure of exactly how to build the community and how to create the level of trust I know my school will need, but I do know how to use technology to foster the kind of collaboration I’m looking for.

The objectives of this course clearly relate to my work at school. When I realized what my course would be about, I spoke with one of my students who has traditionally struggled. Isaias was the only student who failed my course last year and is repeating the ninth grade. I talked to him at length about my coursework and asked him a lot of questions along the way. From conversations with him, I ascertained that our teachers do not spend enough time using technology in the classroom. As a grade level chair, I feel responsible for this deficit in my teachers’ practice. I need to lead my team in the use of technology. I should be the one experimenting with new practices and modeling for my team at meetings. This coursework has been meaningful because it means that Isaias and all of my students will have the access to technology that they deserve.

Because I was so motivated by my students’ needs, I have felt very successful in this course. I feel that I have achieved all of the course objectives. Similarly, I found that if I completed the reading and participated in discussions, I was able to easily complete the assignments. Although I found the number of articles and number of discussion posts to be a little overwhelming, I worked hard to ensure that I was posting the quantity needed while retaining quality. More often than not, I believe that I succeeded in posting quality ideas to the discussion board. I felt especially successful in working with STaR charts and other data to ascertain my campus’ technology needs. From here, as I look at the scope of my own professional development, I plan to work on using technology to assess students. I can think of lots of ways to make this happen, I just need to learn a few basic skills to make online assessment possible for my students.

However, I realized that I know more about technology than I thought I did. After reading other people’s stories and comments about the articles, I realized that I’m actually a digital native. I remember when we get our very first computer with internet. I was in the third grade and it was 1991. There were only two people I could e-mail with (two of my dad’s friends from college), but I had e-mail! We had a CD-ROM drive before we ever had a CD player, so I listened to all my music on the computer. I can’t envision a world without e-mail. I don’t know how I would have learned without games like "Mavis-Beacon" and "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?". When my students express a desire to learn “off a screen,” I can sympathize. When Isaias asked me if he could do his homework on soft copy, I told him it was no problem. That’s how I’d prefer to work, too. Being a digital native puts me in a unique position to offer ideas and suggestions to my digital immigrant co-workers. I realized that I need to consider more fully how I’ll broach this subject with my colleagues. Many are very protective of their instructional strategies and are somewhat skeptical of a young teacher coming into their room to offer them feedback on instruction. I’d like to role play some of these conversations with another leader to ensure that I won’t alienate my senior colleagues.

One thing that I’d like to model for my colleagues is the use of blogs in the classroom. I tried to start a classroom blog last year and wasn’t able to maintain it. This year, I want my students to create blogs. Most already know how to create and maintain a blog from their digital publications class. I wouldn’t have to do a lot of teaching up-front, just regular encouragement for students to post. I think that putting the blogs in the hands of my students, making kids producers rather than consumers of the information, will allow my next blogging project to be more effective.

While blogs are excellent for sharing information in a timely manner and encouraging kids to write in short, focused bursts, there are several concerns. First, access is a concern. If I ask my students to blog, I need to ensure that all my students who don’t have internet access at home are able to get to a computer. Equal access is one of the largest challenges. It is also important to protect my students’ identities. People should not be able to find my students’ names or discover personal information about them. Protecting that blog could be a challenge, but there are several options. There are special blogging programs just for schools, there’s intranet, and password protection.

As I continue to develop myself as a leader, I’m looking for opportunities to communicate with my students and their families. I currently use a wiki to communicate with the team that I coach. When we’re going to have an extra practice or an important meeting, I’ll post the information to the wiki. Other students have posted their own study sessions and other helpful information. I love having the wiki for my team and am considering how to integrate it into my classroom.

In the realm of technology, I have a long way to go before I am the kind of leader I want to become. I’m hopeful that I’ll continue to grow in this area to ensure that my school is preparing its students for the 21^st century university experience and the workplaces of the future.