Action Research: What I learned and how I can use it

In all honesty, upon starting this research class and noticing such an emphasis on action research, I had no idea what to expect. It is a term that I had not heard being used before. After reading Leading with Passion and Knowledge (Dana), Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools (Harris), and the article Action Research an Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders (Ringler) it offered a more in-depth study of what action research is. The first thing that came to mind when reviewing action research was that I typically apply action research to my everyday classroom setting. For instance, if one of my students is encountering difficulties understanding a concept that I have explained in various different teaching techniques, I will self analyze by asking myself several questions on how to approach this problem. Then I will consult with the other special education teacher, seek her knowledge and ask how she would teach the concept and also search on-line for support. After exploring other ways of how to present the concept I will pull the student one to one and start new. Once the student has had a chance to acquire this knowledge via a new method of instruction, I will administer a classroom-based assessment to determine if the student demonstrated understanding. Having the technique of action research as part of my everyday life has definitely helped me resolve some problems in my classroom. At this point, what I would like to strengthen would be applying the same concept of action research in the leadership field.