Ok, so at the beginning of this week and towards the middle I was in a no-motivation funk. Now that I have completed my assignments and sat back to reflect on what just happened, I must say it wasn't so bad after all. I motivated my self the past two mornings with Starbucks, always a great way to get the creative thinking juices flowing, even if it is decaf.
So let me say this about what I learned from this week:
1. Don't reinvent the wheel.
2. Noemi R. you are a godsend and a true buddy in this class.
3. I have been doing informal action research for the past 15 years, I just didn't write a report for it.
4. Don't do research to appease someone else, do something that is of interest to you and that can have a positive impact.
5. There is a lot more to learn, and I have the next 16 months to learn part of it, and it's okay if I don't know everything by the time I graduate, because learning is a lifelong experience. (okay so the last part I already knew)
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Last week I thought long and hard about my action research project,
and after meeting with my site supervisor I have narrowed it down to one
that I believe will have a positive impact and can offer valuable
information for my campus. My principal wanted me to do something
global on the campus that truly I think I would have failed at because
of the enormity of the project. So I chose to do do a small scale
version of his idea. Inquiry: What are the most effective intervention
strategies for struggling students? Through this project I can: 1.
Meet with my Special Education Department (we do co-teaching on my
campus) and collect data, 2. Get feedback from those that are in the
classes and can offer me valuable insight into the happenings in a
variety of settings, 3. Meet and collaborate during our PLC time on the
strategies that are effective in a variety of settings and can we cross
those over into another setting to determine if the can be effective
there. I have access through our Eduphoria on test scores, cba's,
benchmarks, as well as the strengths and weaknesses on readiness
standards. I can send out teacher feedback forms every 3-6 weeks to
have them share what works/doesn't work for some of the learners in
their classes. How do the special education teachers in the co-teach
classes offer guidance that can benefit all learners and not just the
students served in Special Education within those classes.
This could benefit the campus as a whole, it could possible provide learning communities that collaborate to share ideas and spread knowledge across the content areas. It would also track the effectiveness of PLC on our campus this school year. If we can identify and implement strategies that serve the needs of the students, and their score increase as well as their working knowledge on the material outside of taking a test, it is a definite positive for the campus and learner as a whole.
What I have learned this week so far is the internet is my friend, and the rubric is my guide.
This could benefit the campus as a whole, it could possible provide learning communities that collaborate to share ideas and spread knowledge across the content areas. It would also track the effectiveness of PLC on our campus this school year. If we can identify and implement strategies that serve the needs of the students, and their score increase as well as their working knowledge on the material outside of taking a test, it is a definite positive for the campus and learner as a whole.
What I have learned this week so far is the internet is my friend, and the rubric is my guide.
Friday, July 19, 2013
How leaders can use blogs.
My principal and I were recently talking about communication, and how he can do more than send out emails that get piled up and overlooked in the inbox of a busy day. I feel as though some of his thoughts could be put into a blog and shared with the staff in a manner that is engaging, and not one where we think "oh here is yet another email". He could put his motivational information he sends us as well as the day to day grind of whats going on in the legislature towards education in a blog. He could set up a blog to share with parents a variety of information that might be engaging to them, and allow them to feel connected to the campus that they send their child to each day.
My principal and I were recently talking about communication, and how he can do more than send out emails that get piled up and overlooked in the inbox of a busy day. I feel as though some of his thoughts could be put into a blog and shared with the staff in a manner that is engaging, and not one where we think "oh here is yet another email". He could put his motivational information he sends us as well as the day to day grind of whats going on in the legislature towards education in a blog. He could set up a blog to share with parents a variety of information that might be engaging to them, and allow them to feel connected to the campus that they send their child to each day.
What I have recently learned about action research is that is doesn't have to be scary, stressful, or down-right ridiculous work. It is something that can be engaging and fun, and enrich my growth as an educator in a variety of facets. Action research is there to stimulate my thought processed, and allow for improvement. It is not limited to a teacher or an administrator. It is there to work collaboratively among those that have a vested interest in the betterment of a campus, classroom, and most of all a student. Education is a life-long ongoing process, and action research is just another way to enrich that process.
Action research is a process, and that process is defined in an article published in the AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice as such: 1. Define an issue to study, 2. Review of Professional Literature,
3. Take Action, 4. Use and Share Results (Ringler, 2007) . Action research is not something you can do alone without input from other sources if you want to deliver accurate results. You do not need to make time for action research, it should be ongoing. One way to help ease the tension of time is to make inquiry a part of your daily practice rather than a separate part of it (Dana, 2009). Another suggestion I read in the book, Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as an Action Researcher is to make it a part of your normal administrative practice and formulate a study based on something you must do anyway (Dana, 2009).
I intend to make action research a part of my classroom. Some inquiries may be more extensive and involved than others, but I know I can be more effective if I am drawing from my experience and challenging myself to dig a little deeper.
Action research is a process, and that process is defined in an article published in the AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice as such: 1. Define an issue to study, 2. Review of Professional Literature,
3. Take Action, 4. Use and Share Results (Ringler, 2007) . Action research is not something you can do alone without input from other sources if you want to deliver accurate results. You do not need to make time for action research, it should be ongoing. One way to help ease the tension of time is to make inquiry a part of your daily practice rather than a separate part of it (Dana, 2009). Another suggestion I read in the book, Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as an Action Researcher is to make it a part of your normal administrative practice and formulate a study based on something you must do anyway (Dana, 2009).
I intend to make action research a part of my classroom. Some inquiries may be more extensive and involved than others, but I know I can be more effective if I am drawing from my experience and challenging myself to dig a little deeper.
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