1. Lectures- During week two, I got to listen to 3 different school leaders being interviewed. The two that stand out the most are Dr. Johnny Briseno, Principal of Rancho Isabella Elementary in Angleton ISD and Dr. Kirk Lewis, Superintendent of Pasadena ISD. Dr. Briseno made a couple of key points during his interview, the first being to find out what exactly is the problem encountered in a school and what is the source of the problem. An example he gave was if a teacher came to him with a problem he/she is experiencing with a second grade class and their behavior, not necessarily academically, he will have that teacher collaborate with other teachers to try to find out what type of learners these students are and compare different strategies that work in other classes. Another statement that he said was to use different search engines, like Google, to find answers to questions you may have. Look at other individual’s researches and findings; don’t try to re-invent the wheel. “Others success can be your success” (Dr. Briseno).
Dr. Kirk Lewis has had the opportunity to be part of a brilliant program called “Expectation Graduation”. In this program, Pasadena ISD gets their 9th graders in classes in such a way, that it guarantees almost all students to graduate. With this program, teachers are able to look at specific data to work with issues that individual students struggle with. Like Dr. Briseno, Dr. Lewis also recommends that we look at data and research that others have done and figure out what we could apply to our district to help with certain similar issues. Even though every district is unique, we could always find some similar patterns to compare the two. One main concept that Dr. Lewis mentions stands out the most for me, “base your action research on something that is practical”. You want to research something that the outcome will benefit your campus and apply it directly to student learning to ensure student success.
2. Readings- The one reading that stands out for me the most, is the four critical tasks that one must perform when sharing my inquiry/action research plan with others. The four tasks are 1) Providing Background Information: in sharing my action research plan with my colleagues I must provide them with as much background knowledge as possible to set the premises of what and why the action research is taking place and how they too can be a part of it. 2) Sharing the Design of the Inquiry (Procedures, Data Collections, and Data Analysis): in this process, I will conduct formal and informal presentations with the involved participants to share the action research project and how they can help in collecting the necessary data. I will provide to them the necessary questionnaires, journals, literatures, strategies, etc. to help conduct the study. 3) Stating the Learning and Supporting the Statements with Data: it teaches us that we must actively look for literature that will support our findings and share with the involved participants. I must provide proof of why I state certain findings in order to have more credibility in my action research project. 4) Providing Concluding Thoughts: throughout this process, it is important to have periodic meeting to discuss the progress of the plan and disseminate our finding. Usually, our findings will lead to more research and not necessarily a “final” conclusion.
3. Searches- During the process of searching for an action research question, I considered and researched a few topics before finally choosing one. I considered some topics that affect some of our teachers at our campus and after careful examination I decided to pursue the topic of “what else can we do as educators to motivate our students”. After making my topic decision, I searched as many search engines as possible to find different strategies on how to motivate students in the classroom. This search process is on going, so I expect to learn something new everyday.
4. Assignments- The one assignment that definitely had my interest right from the beginning was creating my own blog. Never had I thought that I would have my own blog, I have to admit that I like it. At first, I was hesitant as to why I needed to have a blog and thought that it was going to take too much time and effort to keep up with it. After creating it and learning how to use the blog, it really is a great benefit for networking. If ever I have a question in regards to my action study, I get the chance to ask other classmates and get almost immediate responses. It is an extraordinary source of communication, especially in this day and age of technology.
5. Discussion Board- The discussion board is another great source of communication. Since we don’t have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our classmates, we use the discussion board to answer weekly questions and give one another feedback on our answers. We had the opportunity to talk about our topic of choice for our action research and got tons of information and feedback from my classmates. The discussion board is a great resource for immediate feedback and receiving classmate’s suggestions and recommendations.
6. Blogs- The blog is a great way to communicate with fellow colleagues and classmates. Having such a great source of communication at your fingertips is very helpful. It has come in handy when I have had to travel out of town and needed to get ahead on my assignments. I am able to get into my blog and seek the assistance of other classmates with questions I may have in regards to my assignments. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to get introduced into the world of “Blogs” during this Research course.
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