Week 2: Action Research

As of this week, if we didn't really understand Action Research before, we certainly do now.  We've studied all the major areas that leaders tend to focus their projects on and had some reflective time to apply them to our own school situations.  I do think that my personal action research project has been decided.  It was on my agenda for the coming year anyway, but now I will have a formal structure to help guide me which should make me more successful.  I am planning to work with my 4th grade team to help our students raise their math assessment scores.  Because of STAAR, our district is restructuring our math curriculum anyway, so changing the way we group and plan for differentiation will be the perfect timing.  I think I need to get researching so that I have some great data when the year starts!

Action Research

This week I've been able to give a new name to something that to some extent I've already been doing for a long time.  As an educator I am constantly identifying problems, looking up solutions, asking other professionals for help, then implementing something new and reevaluating.  This is essentially action research.  Action research requires one to be self evaluative, and honest with oneself in order to grow and improve.  One of the ways that I plan to use action research this year is to realign our math instruction in our grade level.  Our curriculum is set by the district, but the ways that we implement it is up for interpretation.  I want to work with changing the way we group students for interventions and hone in on differentiation strategies.  If we want all students to grow, we have to find a way to meet each student at their level.  I believe that my team will be supportive and bring ideas to the table to help us plan our differentiation strategies and above all implement them with validity.

Leaders blogging

I think a blog is a great way for Leaders to share their thoughts about all the things they notice or wonder about on their campus.  The best part about blogging as opposed to just keeping a journal is that staff members or other leaders can comment on your blog post.  It's a great way to get immediate feedback from the staff and possibly "nip a problem in the bud."  It can also help a leader know if something is a wide spread concern that many share of if it was simply an isolated event.  I hope to get to utilize a blog in my future as an educational leader.