EDLD 5301 - Week 3 Reflection

I enjoyed creating the "how to" this week.  I stressed over the initial question/topic phase but now that I know what I am researching I am excited to design how I am going to do it.  I have found a lot of interest in the other topics being presented through the discussion board.  I look forward to seeing what they discover.  Our reading assignments this week were very insightful.  The Dana text was very educational on sharing our data.  There are a lot of ways to disseminate the data.

Action Research Plan - 4/26

  

Background Information

I have struggled this year with getting my kids to connect what we are learning and without connection there is no retention. If the kids do not retain what they are learning then they do not perform well on tests. I started searching through educational journals and found a lot of research about reflection journals and their impact in the classroom. I want to conduct a study in my class next year comparing test scores of students who take time to reflect on what is going on in class versus those that do not.

Design Plan

Action Research Plan
Goal: The goal of this action research is to determine if the use of reflection journals increases test scores.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Discuss Action Research Plan with Site Supervisor	M. Van Vossen D. Papadimitriou	March 2013/March 2013	Topics	This step will help identify my action research topic and supporting inquiries.
Perform background research	M. Van Vossen	March 2013/August 2013	Internet, library	This step will help review relevant information to aid in beginning formulating action research inquiry objectives
Develop additional inquiry questions	M. Van Vossen	August 2013	Research	This step will help identify any additional inquiry to identify in my research.
Develop the plan to be carried out, determine the data to be collected and how it will be collected.	M. Van Vossen	August 2013	Research	This step will help identify the steps needed to conduct the research in the classroom and what type of data that will be used.
Develop an analysis plan	M. Van Vossen	August 2013	Computer, Data	This step will help determine how to anaylse the test scores collected.
Determine the participants.	M. Van Vossen	September 2013	Course listing	This step will help identify three classes to keep journals and three classes that do not.
Interview students in both groups to evaluate student perception.	M. Van Vossen	September 2013	Survey Monkey	This step will provide qualitative data for which to compare students who kept reflection journals to those that did not.
Gather baseline data on all six classes. This will include last years benchmark scores, STAAR scores and semester averages for both groups.	M. Van Vossen	September 2013	Eduphoria and gradebook	This step will provide qualititative data as the starting level so we can compare back to this in the end.
Gather comparison data over the course of the first semester. This will include benchmark scores, STAAR scores and semester averages for both groups.	M. Van Vossen	September 2013/December 2013	Eduphoria and gradebook	This step will provide qualititative data througout the semester to compare.
Interview students in both groups to evaluate student perception.	M. Van Vossen	December 2013	Survey Monkey	This step will provide qualitative data for which to compare students who kept reflection journals to those that did not.
Prepare a report that will explain comparisons of the two groups of students. Report will include quantitative and qualitative data gathered throughout the semester.	M. Van Vossen	December 2013	Data collected, Microsoft Office	This step will present data collected to justify the decision to retain or cancel the reflection journals.
Share the report, the data and decisions.	M. Van Vossen	May 2014	Data, Report	This step will provide a comprehensive collection of my findings.

EDLD 5301 - Week 2 Reflection

This week in EDLD 5301 has been enlightening.  At first, I had no idea where to begin when coming up with my action research plan.  There were a million different directions I could take and it was hard to focus on a few.  The Dana reading was extremely helpful as was talking with my site supervisor.  I also found the interviews informational as well.  It is nice to hear from professionals who have been on both sides "field" and what their experiences are now that they are in an administrative role.  The most help came from our web conference.  I was able to hear a lot of different ideas and get immediate feedback from Dr. Abshire.  I look forward to the weeks ahead and seeing all of the projects start to take shape. 

EDLD 5301 - Week 1 Blog Assignment

What I have learned about action research and how might I be able to use it?

Action research is an intentional study of a practice of interest. With action research, an interest is established; data is collected, analyzed, and reflected on.  Possible changes are made and then shared with your peers.  The design, research, and reflection are done by the person or persons directly involved with the inquiry.

Action research can take place in numerous settings and cover a whole host of interests.  This style of research has many benefits:  the research is reality driven and practitioners are invested making them more likely to change based on their findings.   

Action research is a spiral of reflection and action much like topics are spiraled in a classroom throughout the year.  The practitioner continues to revisit the research and then change how it is used based on new findings.  When the researcher feels invested in the project, they are more likely to reform and revise their actions and be engaged in the process. 

I feel that action research can be used on a small scale and a large scale in the educational setting.  I plan to use action research to improve practices in my classroom on anything from daily procedures to differentiating instruction.  I also plan to meet with our campus improvement committee to learn about different campus concerns and look for ways employee action research. 

How might educational leaders use blogs?

Educational leaders can us blogs to share information in a fun and creative way with vast amounts of people, quickly.  Blogs can link to other educational blogs and create a whole community of people working for the greater good of education.