- Action research is a process in where questions are formed, data is collected, and sources are used to aide in the process of change. The processes involved in this type of research requires the input of stakeholders, collaboration, and self-reflection are key to help gain insight and deeper understanding of problems and their solutions. Results may answer the first question but the results usually lead to many more questions. This is why it is important to help make sure the research has depth and is carried out fully. I realized why Dr. Abshire said in the web conference that the action research could not just be a yes or no question.
I have been doing action research since I started teaching, because I adapt my teaching based off the data and collaboration with my students and teachers. I constantly reflect on my lessons and look at the possibility of changing it for the next or for the next year. The readings from this week made me realize why reflecting is so important if you want to meet the needs of every student.
Very nice posts. I agree with you fully that results always answer the 1st question but what about the questions that come from that. I believe that it does need to be taken to depth and that is exactly what action research does!! As for your second post, that is almost exactly what I put. As a teacher, we are already doing action research. Develop plan, administer plan, assess plan and adjust to what you learned. Reflection is very very important part of the lesson as well!! Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to read about action research and to have this push within our class. Like you, I was doing "action research" without knowing it had such a term. I taught Reading Recovery where I was required to do multiple assessments,identify the largest problem within the student's reading problems, write a plan, devise my lessons with that issue at the forefront of the lesson, take anecdotal observations,perform daily running records and reflect on each lesson in order to plan my tomorrow's plan. It was teaching at it's finest and I never knew it was action research but I knew that with that type of reflection and analyzing my teaching at every turn, it was powerful. This is going to be an interesting year!
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