Reflections on Research Course

Before I post the reflection below, I must share that this week has been a series of small inquiry projects for me.  I took over another teacher's class while she is on maternity leave and knew next to nothing about the students.  In addition, I had the "well-behaved" advanced kids in my normal classroom, but now I am in a  room with a wide array of ability levels as well as behaviors.  Looking back on the week, I realized that I have used the inquiry methods from this course, albeit in small amounts, to bring order to this classroom as well as discover some new means to reach and teach the variety of learners that I have during my time in this room.  Now to the reflection.

Reflections on EDLD 5301-Research

                When this course began, I was quite concerned that it would be all about statistics and other data collection methods requiring all sorts of mathematical abilities that I fear I don’t possess.  Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about action research and what it entails.  It was especially enlightening to learn that action research, unlike traditional research, uses an inside-out approach that focuses on the needs of the school rather than those of the researcher (Dana, 2009). Also, after reading Johnny Briseno’s dissertation in Week 2, my eyes were opened to the differences between traditional and action research.  Briseno interviewed a number of principals from successful schools with the same demographic and was able to glean insights from these interviews that could be applied to his own campus (Briseno, 2010).  This, to me, was research that had immediate impact.  While there are still concerns over my own project, I know that what I am doing has the potential to impact the school as well as my professional life.   

                During week 2, one of the main focuses was on what Dana (2009) describes as “wonderings.”  These are questions that the leader has developed regarding real world observations and dilemmas.  These wonderings can be driven by a number of different passions that the leader may have.  I found it helpful to examine wonderings from the various passions in the Dana text and develop my own in each of these areas.  This process has changed the way that I look at situations and caused me to regularly develop wonderings. In fact, I have more wonderings now than I can possibly research.  Maybe some can be picked up by others and used for school improvement.

                During Week 3, I learned the value of using a set format for developing the action research plan.  I chose to use the Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template from Harris, Edmondson, & Combs (2010).  This form provides a set process for thinking through the steps of the plan, as well as the people, resources, and timelines necessary.  Without this form, it would have been difficult to logically create my plan. As a person who likes to jump in feet first and test the water once I hit, it was helpful to have a template to pull me back to the task at hand.  I know that I will continue to modify this as I move along in the process of implementing the plan. 

                During the Week 4 video, Dr. Elvis Arterbury and Dr. Steve Jenkins discussed the value of collaboration and sharing of ideas among peers.  They made two points that stuck with me.  First, a graduate course such as this one should be a safe place to share thoughts and ideas as well as make mistakes (Arterbury & Jenkins, 2011).  I have been impressed with the levels of expertise of my peers and very encouraged by their comments.  I have also been moved by the amount of help that people seek from and give to peers as they work through this course and ultimately, through their project.  The use of blogs has also been a way to help share and receive effective comments regarding the project.  In addition, our group has set up a Facebook site to help each other with questions and concerns and to just vent, when needed.  All of these work together to create a community of learners who help each other even though we may never meet outside of the digital world.  In fact, it was two of my peers who, through their discussion board comments, helped me decide to change the scope of my project.  I am grateful to them for their honesty. The second point that was made in the video is that this collaboration is a reflection of what should be going on at the campus level (Arterbury & Jenkins, 2011).  The experience of openly sharing ideas and concerns with peers now should be a model of what can happen between leaders, teachers, and other stakeholders in the school.  This will be the ideal to shoot for starting even before becoming an “official” campus leader. 

                From this point forward, my main concern is going to be developing a work schedule for completing this action research project.  This will take some focused effort on my part, but with the help and encouragement of my supervisor and peers, I know it will be done effectively.  I look forward to reporting the results on this blog as this process continues to completion, or at least to a point where new questions can be developed and researched. 

Resources

Arterbury, E. & Jenkins, S. (2011).  EDLD 5301 Week 4 Lecture.  [Online video] Lamar University.  Retrieved from https://lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=21401

Dana, N. F. (2009).  Leading with Passion and Knowledge:  The Principal as Action Researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Harris, S., Edmondson, E., & Combs, J. (2010).  Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action.  Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education

Briseno, J. (2010).  The Effective Practices and Beliefs of School Principals in High Achieving Hispanic Majority Mid-Level Schools (Doctoral dissertation).   Retrieved from https://lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=21401