Action Research Reflection

Action Research was nothing like my first feelings about it. To be honest, when I saw research, I wasn’t excited at all, because I have done much research in the past and felt it would be more of the same. I must admit, it was so much more exciting. I now realize that action research is taking something we do daily and just expounding on the issues we feel the strongest about. I love the fact that the research can be ongoing and that it is applies to my questions.
Through the lectures and the readings in this course, I have learned how to go about conducting action research. I have learned that it starts off as just a wondering about an area of concern that grows into journaling and then on to research if it needs further investigation. Each assignment in the course taught me more about the process of research. I loved the fact that they gradually added more and more information in conjunction with the readings and lectures for the course, so that I never felt overwhelmed.
The readings were enjoyable and informative. In the book, Examining What We do to Improve Our Schools: 9 Steps from Analysis to Action, I enjoyed learning about the strategies for sustaining improvement in reading, especially Force Field Analysis and Nominal Group Technique, as expressed by (Harris et al 2010). These strategies for gaining consensus and looking at future needs were most interesting to me. I found them to be very logical and easy to carry out. I also gained much knowledge each week from the reading in the book, Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Dana. According to Dana (2009), “Simply stated, administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry.” This truly sums up the process of action research and I am anxious to conduct my own.
The discussion board was a great tool for me. I really enjoyed both reading others comments and having others give me feedback on my ideas. I believe great learning takes place when one receives constructive feedback. It was also helpful to realize that others struggle with many of the same frustrations or fears I had. It reassured me to see that I wasn’t alone, and that others sometimes felt unsure about different aspects of the course such as blogs initially.
My favorite part of this course was learning about blogs. I had heard briefly of them before this course. I think they are amazing. It is so wonderful to realize that I can post my feelings, insights, or ideas and have people respond and give me ideas and suggestions. I also loved learning about blogs because I had no idea how to create a blog. That was so much fun to me. I plan to use blogs in my classroom this school year and also suggest using them on my campus.
I can truly say that the combination of video lectures, readings, searches, assignments, discussion board, and blogs, I learned so many exciting new things about action research and am truly anxious to make action research a part of everything I do in future educational endeavors. I also think it would be beneficial on a smaller scale, to apply it to my role as a mother and wife.




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

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Supervisor Comments on Research Plan

My site supervisor, Kelly West, was very excited about my action research plan. She was very pleased that I would be seeking alternatives for our district to improve behavior. Basically the only additions she wanted me to make were the following: She wants my focus to be on finding behavior plans that teach students how to make better choices in the many situations they find themselves in. Parenting skills are weak in our low-economic district and children just aren’t taught the correct decisions to make in situations. She wants the plan we choose to have lessons that are taught in the classroom on choices. Finally, she wants me to find a program that also has a parent component with it. She was extremely supportive and gave me the name of one program called, “The Right Choice”, she wants me to research as one of the possible choices. She offered her support in any way needed throughout the process. I plan to make these changes to my plan.

Action Research Plan:What effective behavior management plans are most successful for middle school aged children?

Action Research Plan
1. Examining the work: Setting the Foundation- The first step would be to study behaviors and create list of students who have spent time in ISS, ASD, Saturday school or OSS. This will help determine how many students are actually disrupting class enough to have to leave and miss instruction in the classroom.
2. Analyzing data-A variety of data will be used for this research project. I will interview administrators from districts with similar demographics to see what plans they are using. I will also do online research and study effective behavior management plans for students in grades 5-8 to see what is working without students losing classroom learning time. In addition to this I will seek out readings, magazines, books, etc. showing effective management plan research results. I will then survey classroom teachers, the ISS coordinator, the principal, and parents to see what concerns or recommendations they have.
3. Developing deeper understanding-To gain a deeper understanding I will set up a committee with a teacher from each grade level, the ISS coordinator, and the Middle School principal. I will have them discuss the top three behavior modification plans and choose the one they wish to implement. After studying the results and choosing the new behavior management plan for Alto Middle School, we will provide in-service training for faculty and put the new plan into action for the next three months. We will closely compare the number of student referrals to past numbers during this time.
4. Engaging in Self-Reflection- At this point, I would take time to answer the following questions?
*Does the new plan have proven results that decrease repeat behavior problems?
*Does the new plan increase student learning by decreasing time out of classroom?
5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns-Throughout the next few months, I will continue to monitor the results and to conduct interviews with students, parents, and faculty to see if the new behavior plan is being effective. I will also make changes in areas not being successful and continue to seek improvement ideas through further research.
6. Determining direction-This action research plan will start this year in August. I will plot the data until the end of October. During that time I will be conducting research and narrowing down the most effective behavior management plans. The committees will then meet and voice concerns and ideas and the final plan will be chosen.
7. Taking action for school improvement- In-service training will take place in December. In January, the new plan of behavior management will be implemented and data will be documented to see if the new plan has the desired outcome. Teachers will meet monthly to discuss concerns or improvements in behavior they see. I will continue to monitor and report the data taken from the number of referrals compared to the former system.
8. Sustaining improvement-I will continue to monitor and report the data taken from the number of referrals compared to the former system. Discussion will then take place with all faculty members to see if the new behavior management plan is increasing student time in the classroom with fewer disciplinary disruptions.

Action Research 2

I had no idea there were so many wonderful things to do action research on. I learned so much this week. The vidoes from Dr. Kirkpatrick, Dr. Johnny Briseno, and Timothy Chargois gave wonderful suiggestions. I learned to always choose a topic that I feel passionate about. I also learned to always use qualitative data along with standard testing data when analyzing instruction needs. It is also crucial not to ever reveal identities of students or teachers when posting result from data. Finally, I now understand the importance of using action research for new projects or when making purchases. What a great tool action research can be for district.

Administrator Inquiry

Administrator inquiry is a very important process a principal should utilize in order to be more effective. Self-reflection is necessary in order for meaningful change to happen in schools. The first step according to Harris (2010), is for a principal to pose questions or "wonderings". From there data can be collected and analyzed and new solutions can then be recommended and tried out. It is better than traditional research because it is more personal. It requires one to examine an issue or problem that he/she feels strongly about and then seek out meaningful ways to "fix" the problem. It can be used in a variety of educational settings from educational course assignments, to principal/superintendent meetings, to professional learning communities (PLCs). It serves as a type of therapy for an administrator because it forces one to step away from the daily required tasks and focus on fixing one problem. It can also be done by one individual or can be worked on with a group who are concerned about the same issue. As a future administrator, I will use this process monthly to reflect on areas I see that I need to improve as an administrator. I will keep a journal and jot down areas needing improvement and strive to work on 2 items on the list the next month. I will re-visit at the end of the month to see how I did and seek out new areas or continue with the same problems until they are fixed. I will also use it to guide my inservices. I will try to use PLCs to encourage my teachers to work together to fix grade level problems and concerns.


Administrative Uses for Blogging

Educational leaders might use blogs for many purposes. Blogging can be a wonderful reflection tool because administrators can re-visit it, and it is also a powerful tool for collecting data. It could also be used by the principal to share a love of writing with students and faculty members. Finally it could serve as a wonderful feedback tool. Blogs can receive comments and suggestions by other administrators, by campus faculty, and even by community members. They would provide a great place for input by others. `Blogging also provides the collaboration of ideas with others and support for one another.

My Bio

Hello. I'm Martha Gresham and I am currently taking my 5th class in pursuit of a principal's degree at Lamar University. I am married and have two sons. I teach 5th grade Language Arts and have taught for 21 years.