EDLD5301 Week 5

One of the things that I appreciated most about our course was the collection of videos from others who are currently using action research to benefit their professional practice. Watching these videos helped me to be able to some of the things that were common trends among all of the practitioners, as well as some things that were unique to each of them and their research methods.
Completing the discussion boards each week was also helpful to me in this course. It was good to be able to look at and comment on the ideas and work of my colleagues. On the same token, it was also good to be able to get their feedback on my ideas that I will be working with in my action research plan this coming year. Collaboration is an important aspect of good practice in general, and I found it to be especially helpful in this course. The same thing was true of posting on my blog. As I posted on my blog, I was able to articulate my ideas and then get additional feedback from others on what I had posted. I also got to do the same thing on the blogs of some other students in this course. In addition to looking at their ideas, I enjoyed seeing the way they set up their blogs for use in their practice in this course and beyond.
The videos done by the professors in this course gave us a good model for collaboration. The videos were done as a team and presented as such. Any action research that we strive to undertake will require the help and participation of others. We have to be willing and able to work well with others in order to be successful in completing our action research plans over the next school year. Even the videos that were done as simple summations were done in tandem by the professors. This model of collaboration is a good reminder for us as we go back to our districts and campuses and begin to implement our action research projects.
Both of the textbooks for this course provided some good practical ways to go about conducting action research. The texts went beyond simple theory and gave some concrete things that can and should be done when one is undertaking an action research project. The text also went beyond the project itself to look at ongoing assessment of the study in order to maintain any implemented changes. The Harris text also provided some very helpful free downloads that I will be able to use as I go through my action research plan. The Dana text provided some good exercises to be filled out with study plan specifics that act as templates to guide your study.
This course gave me a new idea of what the word “research” means. It took research beyond the web and reference books, and took it into my daily practice, making it more relevant and something that can truly change my practice as a teacher. I look forward to using the principles and steps that I have learned this coming year and beyond in order to improve myself as a teacher and improve the experience and success of my students.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2009). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 9 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education..

EDLD5301 Week 4

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