As the son of a 20 year veteran administrator I have certainly been a supportive observer of all of the responsibilities that come with the territory. Action reasearch, however is something that is quite a new concept for me.
Over the past week I feel I have developed the beginnings of a solid foundation in the practice of action research. For starters I had no idea that 'research' could refer to the systematic study of ones own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry. I had always considered this a portion of professional development and not research. I have always known that to lead any institution in today’s fast paced world we must continually grow, however what I learned is that this growth can only take place when we take a detailed look into the ‘day to day operation’ of our institutions in order to improve our areas of need and sustain our areas of strength.
I have learned that there is a big difference between 'traditional' research and 'action research'. I have known that due to the specificity of each campus’ unique issues, there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution to the numerous educational problems we face today, however I have come to learn that action research's power lies in the ability it affords administrators and techers to work collaboratively to set vision, analyze data, formulate and institute a plan that will meet the needs of their specific campus.
Finally, I have come to understand several examples of action research in educational settings. Action research exists at it’s most basic level is in the classroom setting. An affective classroom attempts to create a learning partnership between a teacher and their students. Action research in educational settings can also exist within school departments. Teachers within a department share organizational, proceedual, as well as instructional ideas and methods in the attempt to meet group standards and goals. Yet another example of action research in an educational setting athletic coaching. Coaching involves the coordination of numerous individuals at both fundamental and advanced levels in the areas of discipline, organization, preparation and performance. It is crucial that an atmosphere of teamwork is developed both on the staff and team in-order for group success to exist. Several other examples of action research in educational settings are more attention paid to the details of the researce, more ‘buy in’ to the possible sugestions and solutions posed, and greater acceptance of action taken to make the positive change.
Overall, I feel that i have just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to action research. I intend to continue to grow in my understanding this process in the coming months.
It sounds like you have the feelings that most of us do. We did not really understand what 'research' really meant when we were going to use it in this course. We will all be learning how to perfect this together. I do like your comment "improve our areas of need and sustain our areas of strength." I was talking to my principal the other day and she made a comment similar to this. She was telling me that when she first started as an administrator, she was so worried about improving her weaknesses that she forgot what she was good at. She forgot to sustain her strengths and eventually had to work double time to get good at both again.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I would drop in a story I came across about sustaining your strengths. Good luck in you action research.