My Action Research Plan

Renee Suire Action Research Plan

5301 Week 2 Reflection

This past week was our first week back to school, so I've had some difficulty juggling my job work and grad school work.  I hope to begin managing my time a little better in the coming weeks.

I can't beleive that week two is already over!  This course is moving by so quickly and I am pleased about how much I've learned so far.  I been enjoying our reading assignments, but this week I enjoyed the videos much more.  I feel like listening to the administrators talk about their real experiences "stuck" so much more than the readings.  I hope there are more real videos to come!

I'm a little nervous about my action plan.  I haven't had much time to sit down with my advisor because she's been busy, too.  I hope to schedule a meeting with her this week to help me fill out the action plan template.  Now, I'm anxious to start week 3!

5301 Blogs and How They Might Benefit Educational Leaders

     Since our previous course, I have become much more aware of the use of blogs by fellow educators.  I have been glued to my computer exploring the fabulous resources that other teachers are making available through their blogs.  The more I research blogs, the more I see their potential as wonderful tools for all education practitioners, especially leaders.
     Leaders could use blogs to share information with his/her faculty, staff, or any other school stakeholders.  Blogs would also offer a wonderful reflection tool for leaders to keep record of their thoughts and experiences.  Blogs could also aide leaders in implementing staff development courses and collaborative activities.  
     I believe that blogs have a lot to offer our educational leaders to make their jobs a little easier.

5301 Action Research: What Is It and How Will I Use It?

     The more that I read about action research, the more interested I am in finding out more about it and utilizing it myself.  Action research is a form of research where the practitioner studies his/her own procedures and policies and looks for problems or ways of implementing them better.  The researcher uses steps which involve identifying a problem to be resolved or situation to be improved, forming strategies to make the improvement or solve the problem, applying the strategies and assessing their value, and then reflecting on the process and it's outcome to look for further areas of improvement.
    
     I see many opportunities for my own utilization of action research.  I feel that I would greatly benefit from an action research plan because I am still fairly new to the teaching profession and have many areas in which to improve.  I also see great potential for action research in the new school that I have recently transferred to.  The school has been awarded a school improvement grant and will be implementing many new programs and strategies from raising student achievement.  I would particularly like to research the implementation of technology into daily lessons by the entire faculty.  Each teacher has been provided with several technology tools and are expected to utilize them in their instruction.  I hope to study the use of these tools and the effect they will have on student achievement.