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.