What is action research? I have come to find out that I have been participating in action research for a number of years now in my district, only with different names. Under Baldrige we called it Plan-Do-Study-Act, where we looked at our systems, made a plan to improve them, studied the results and then took action based on those results. As a teacher I have been involved in Appraisal by Collaboration where I would pose a question each year and then study that question by gathering qualitative and quantitative data to see what, if any, impact my action made. Both of these system as examples of action research and have helped me understand the process.
As a teacher I want to continually improve how I do my job to benefit the teachers and students I work with. Action research will allow me to do just that by reflecting on my own practices and situations to seek out ways to improve areas of weakness. Once I have determined an area of need, the next step would be to pose an open-ended question that I would investigate over a certain period of time. I would then gather data about the question and find literature to support my learning more about the topic. Once all the pieces of information were considered, I would then determine action steps to begin taking with the goal of improving the identified area and monitor the results throughout the time period.
This process can be an important part of professional development by giving me an active part in stretching my knowledge about the situations I am in and actively trying new things within the educational system.
It has been interesting reading this week, learning the basics of action research, and the steps involved with this process. I agree that this process can help us to identify and improve areas of weakness; I also feel it would be great in helping us identify our strengths.
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