Research

In week two of my researh class I have learned a lot about the different types of action research we as professionals can perform and the necessity of them. We grow so much as leaders and learners when we are forever trying to improve student learning. One area that really reached me is the topic of social justice. If we can find a way to reach, engage, and inspire those living a life inpoverty, then maybe we can stop that cycle and change the next generation to come. Providing a stable environment and interventions based on their specific needs is an effective way of doing this.

Educational Leaders Can Use Blogs Too

Educational leaders need a quick site to reference on a number of areas, especially those of concern. When trying to improve learning, we as educators have a responsibilty to provide information and findings we have discovered and one of the easiest ways of doing this is blogging. So blog on to discover all you can and remember to share any findings you have along the way.

Action Research is...

Action research is a systematic approach to improve student learning in school. This tool, when fully utilized, provides measurable results in the areas of instruction. It still follows the basic path when conducting a scientific inquiry: identify a classroom learning problem, research information already known, develop and implement a plan, collect data, analyze results, make changes based on results, and evaluated and share findings. The people conducting this inquiry are those directly involved with the students, so the results are more applicable to their specific needs. Administrators and teachers alike will grow greatly when using this tool. I will be able to use this when I find a discrepancy in student results in academics over what I expected to see and whenever I see the need for a systematic process to follow to get positive learning results.
Right now I would personally like to know the affects student teachers have on the classroom, whether they are positive or negative, and when a negative result appears, how can we change it. Another area I would like to explore is student absences and how it affects their success. More times than I can count, I have had parents ask me why their child is not performing up to standard and yet these are the same parents of these kids with massive attendance issues. I feel data based answers are the easiest to convey, especially when I am the one conducting and analyzing the research process.