Action Research Week 5

When I first began this course, the concept of action research was foreign to me.  I suppose I knew that professionals are always informally assessing situations and looking for avenues to better themselves, the facility, those around him/her, etc.  In my journey to make a decision on what my research topic may be, I had several eye-opening experiences.

Upon reading further and further into the text, “Leading with Passion and Knowledge,” I found that there was a never-ending supply of inquiries just waiting to be pursued.  The process is simple, straight-forward, and familiar compared to any other attempt to improve an establishment, but there were a lot of questions I would not have thought to ask when assessing the quality of my work.

The next most important and helpful part of my learning experience was the peer-to-peer connection aspect.  Through the use of discussion boards, blogs, and Facebook, I gained a lot of insight and constructive tips from the others I am working alongside.  Facebook was remarkably beneficial because of the response rate.  People are very quick to respond on the social network.  The blog was very likely the least helpful because so few commented on what I had written.  The discussion board allowed my peers to give me helpful feedback on my ideas; through it and speaking with my site supervisor, I was ultimately able to make a decision on my research topic.

Lastly, I enjoyed the assignments the most.  They were designed in a manner that guided me through the learning process.  Now, I have a strong, needed topic about which I can inquire.  They led me through the steps of discovering the importance of action research, how to find a topic, how to narrow it down in order to not lose track of what’s important, the steps in which to execute the process, they gave me questions to ask to ensure quality, and lastly means of maintaining the improvements that I have established.

Action research will prove to be a rudimentary function for me as a leader in my school.  Now that I have begun one process, there is no way I can stop making improvements to my school!