Prior to this course, I did not know what an Action
Research Plan was. As I reflect on the course content and its relation to my
action research plan, I find four key areas that seemed particularly relevant
and important to my understanding of what an Action Research Plan is: the
primary class text Leading with Passion
and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Nancy Fichtman Dana,
2009; the discussion board, the weekly
web conferences and finally the Facebook page.
According to Dana, “Action research refers to
research intended to bring about change of some kind.” This course provided me with intense
knowledge on the steps and hard work it takes to do action research on my
campus.
A major highlight from the
readings was in the Dana text, chapter 2, The Passions That Drive Your
Journey. This chapter contained important
information for me. The nine passions
helped me break down the components at our campus and figure 2.1 (Dana, 31)
provided a visual that helped me find my wonderings on my campus. I think that’s the hardest part. Choosing a topic or question / wonder
statement. There were so many things I
was interested in but this chapter helped me focus on an area that would
benefit teachers as well as the students. Table 2.1 (Dana, 65) served as
excellent guideline questions. This
provided excellent examples of inquiry questions. This table helped me focus. Forming an action research inquiry keeps your focus
on the right track. Ultimately the Dana text will continue to guide me through my
research and future research. It even
gets into ways to share my research with others
Once I chose my topic, the
discussion boards were very useful because many of my peers had very
interesting and useful suggestions. The
discussion boards helped me see areas that I could improve.
I also found the weekly web conferences essential to
my understanding and success in this course.
At the beginning of the first weekly conference I felt so lost and
confused as to what an action research plan was. By the end of the conference I understood
completely and even had a topic for my research action plan. I was not able to attend all of the
conferences, however I feel so very blessed that the web conferences were made
available by posting the recording of the conference.
Finally I feel the Facebook page that has been created
has been absolutely an essential component of my success in this course as
well. Anytime I felt I did not
understand something all I had to do was post it in the newsfeed and so many of
my peers would come to my rescue. One
week in particular I was not able to even start my work until late Sunday
evening. In this week one of the
requirements was to summarize your peers comments and suggestions from you
blog. However, I since I had not yet
posted in my blog, I was unable to complete that part of the assignment. I was absolutely mortified and so regretful
for not having started my assignment sooner.
I went on the Facebook page and explained my situation. Within minutes the comments on my blog
started flowing in. Two hours later, my
assignment had been completed and submitted.
Without the collaboration of my fellow peers, I would not have found
myself as successful.
In conclusion, through the four key areas: the
primary class text Leading with Passion
and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Nancy Fichtman Dana,
2009; the discussion board, the weekly
web conferences and finally the Facebook page, it seems certain that I have
increased my knowledge and my passion for doing action research as a result of
this course. I now have the tools necessary
to take the plan that I created in this course and see it through to its
completion.
References:
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with
passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwing Press
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