student achievement and behavior

great article for my action research project - thanks Harry Wong!

2nd post

I am new to blogging, so I am not sure if 2 posts in 1 day is a lot or not, but here it goes....
I have been reviewing classmates blogs and I am amazed at what all everyone else is researching. I am hoping someone reads my blog and gives me some feedback. I hope I am on the right track!

Week 2 of Action Research

I am coming to the close of Week 2. It was a very hectic week! 2 days of technology training in Grapevine, my EC-6/ESL certification test on Thurs, this week's assignments, painting a bathroom, a flat tire, the hubby's birthday, a baby shower, and Father's Day!  Needless to day, I am looking forward to the slow pace for next week! 

This week, after an hour on IM with the librarian at Lamar, I was finally able to access some articles related to my action research topic. I also finally decided on a topic. My principal, some teacher friends and I all went to Grapevine, so with our years of teaching expertise, they helped me decide on a topic. Researching behavior was not my original intention, but the more I research and discuss the topic with colleagues, I realize what an impact it has on education. 

So here's to finding my research topic and to a slow paced week!

Educational Leaders and the use of Blogs

How can an educational leader use a blog?

To begin, an educational leader can build a blog for their campus. My Principal has built a blog for the staff to communicate on a regular basis. We can ask questions, post to her questions, etc. on the blog. I have found that many are willing to post here rather than send responses to “all” thru e-mail systems. I enjoy the convenience of her posting notes from faculty meetings, schedule updates, and updates to daily matters instead of faculty meetings. 

Another way an educational leader can use a blog is with homework. One can post videos, and information for students and parents to use at home.  Many of the students in our school population do not have resources available to help them at home. If they had the ability to watch a video on how to do something, or even review the notes from the teacher, many of the homework questions could be answered.

Next, I will be building a blog this year for our campus book study. In lieu of book study meetings, I will build a blog and post questions for responses. Book studies have not been popular in the past, and most teachers would agree they are a waste of time. However, I feel that if we can get on once a week, blog, discuss, and answer a question or two, that the majority of the staff would feel that their time was utilized wisely.

Action Research 5301

Action Research 5301

Why Action Research?

When I began this course, I have never heard the term “action research”.  After reading the texts, and working a little “Google magic”, I feel I have a better understanding and an educational connection to the term.  I have had an epiphany during this first week of study. I never realized that there was an entire cycle and world of research based education that was used to make decisions. I am very familiar with  Fichtman-Dana’s term “transmissive mode” (2009, p. 4).  Most of the staff development trainings I have attend the last few years have been modeled in this way; this is the way to do it,  it will increase learning, so just do it.  After research Fichtman-Dana’s book, Leading with Passion and Knowledge, I now know there is a research based world of implementing new educational strategies.  Turning educators into problem solvers, just as I teach my students, is the most beneficial to the whole. Allowing yourself to learn from others successes and mistakes, allow you to save time when implementing new programs and strategies. I am also accepting of action research because it takes less time to research others work than to try a new strategy for a year and realize it was not right for your campus. In the little research I have done to begin my own Action Research Project, I am learning that articles list new programs step by step, so I can fully understand if that would be right for my school.  Having to come up the answer is the hardest part of the action research for me.  Once the question or questions are posed, all one needs to do is seek educational articles to aid in answering the questions at hand.  The article, in hand with your research and feedback gives you enough knowledge to make an informed decision for your campus.


references
Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as the Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press