21st Century Perspective on Action Research: Navigating the Action Research Process: "Action research 'involves adding something new to what is already known about your topic. Specifically, it means going beyond the current bo..."
I like your thoughts on this. This was something that I never thought about after years of research. It is not necessary to start over with research that is already there.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Don't Reinvent the Wheel!
An epiphany from a lesson that I learned this week was to not "reinvent the wheel". I can't tell you the amount of times that I've had a research paper or topic due, and have spent days at the library or computer researching.
Dr. Johnny Briseno, a principal at Rancho Isabella elementary in Angleton ISD suggests that you find research that is already available on a topic that concerns you. I agree Dr. Briseno. This new information has given me the courage to continue my education. Thank you, Dr. Briseno!
Dr. Johnny Briseno, a principal at Rancho Isabella elementary in Angleton ISD suggests that you find research that is already available on a topic that concerns you. I agree Dr. Briseno. This new information has given me the courage to continue my education. Thank you, Dr. Briseno!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Action Research for T.E.A.M. (Teaching Excellence and Achievement through Mentoring)
Action Research is described as "articulating a wondering, collecting data to gain insights into the wondering, analyzing data, making improvements in practice based on what was learned, and sharing learning with others"(Dana 2009).
Action research is insider based, meaning that the principal takes ownership of what is happening in his/her school and is basing all actions toward student achievement based on data collected, books reviewed, or other information that has been shared with them. The Action Researcher is familiar with the school setting unlike other forms of research conducted by universities. In these studies, often the university researchers are not familiar with school settings or they are not fully aware issues that students, teachers, and administrators are faced with.
Action research also known as teacher inquiry, practitioner inquiry and is a powerful tool for both teachers and administrators and has furthered educational reform. These staff developments are focused on problem solving, teaching practices, leadership roles and inquiry, which in turn increases student achievement.
I plan to use action research as I submit a proposal for a mentoring program. When becoming frustrated when there was a lack of parental support for students. I later came to realize that some parents have work schedules that prevent them from supporting their child while others just do not understand the content of the subject. The students in turn show low academic acheivement and high discipline referrals.
During this time I also realized that I could not be a mentor to all, therefore I am stepping into the community to seek those who have a heart for helping children. I will seek the support of the administrative team, the campus improvement committe, counselors, and other staff who are willing to support the effort to increase student achievement.
Students will check in with their mentors once a week and discuss the progression or digression of academic and behavioral progress. Once a month, the student and a parent will meet with the mentor and teacher to discuss what is and is not working. Student feedback will be important to inform me of what changes should be made to improve the program.
Dana suggests that an online blog can be used as a journal in the form of a reflective, powerful data collection tool that can be shared with teachers and students. The online blog can also serve as a tool to link to other resources that may be beneficial to staff.
Action research is insider based, meaning that the principal takes ownership of what is happening in his/her school and is basing all actions toward student achievement based on data collected, books reviewed, or other information that has been shared with them. The Action Researcher is familiar with the school setting unlike other forms of research conducted by universities. In these studies, often the university researchers are not familiar with school settings or they are not fully aware issues that students, teachers, and administrators are faced with.
Action research also known as teacher inquiry, practitioner inquiry and is a powerful tool for both teachers and administrators and has furthered educational reform. These staff developments are focused on problem solving, teaching practices, leadership roles and inquiry, which in turn increases student achievement.
I plan to use action research as I submit a proposal for a mentoring program. When becoming frustrated when there was a lack of parental support for students. I later came to realize that some parents have work schedules that prevent them from supporting their child while others just do not understand the content of the subject. The students in turn show low academic acheivement and high discipline referrals.
During this time I also realized that I could not be a mentor to all, therefore I am stepping into the community to seek those who have a heart for helping children. I will seek the support of the administrative team, the campus improvement committe, counselors, and other staff who are willing to support the effort to increase student achievement.
Students will check in with their mentors once a week and discuss the progression or digression of academic and behavioral progress. Once a month, the student and a parent will meet with the mentor and teacher to discuss what is and is not working. Student feedback will be important to inform me of what changes should be made to improve the program.
Dana suggests that an online blog can be used as a journal in the form of a reflective, powerful data collection tool that can be shared with teachers and students. The online blog can also serve as a tool to link to other resources that may be beneficial to staff.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Achieving Student Success through Mentoring
When a student does not have parent support at home, how does this affect student achievement? As educators, when a parent does not support his/her child's education and it clearly shows through this student academically, what is our response?
Is the parent the blame for not showing interest, or is the student to blame for not following directions? What if the parent(s) spend their time working to provide for that student and that is all that they can give? What if that student can not focus academically because there is not a lack of support at home because the parents do not understand the content of your subject?
All of these questions forced me to change my relationships with students and parents. Answers to these questions also helped me realize that I could not help these students on my own, and that this was a school wide issue. When those in the community are willing to devote time to someone in need, in this case students who need someone to check on them, this directly affects student achievement.
I am proposing a mentor program for students who lack parent support. The student will check in with the mentor once a week and discuss academic and behavioral progression or digression. Students will also have a monthly meeting that will include their mentor, parents, counselor, and teacher to view logs of teacher recommendation and student progress.
The mentoring program will start with my students and I will monitor student achievement and academic ahievement in the classroom and propose that this become a school-wide initiative. I will ask for support from the administrative team and our campus improvement committee along with instructional specialists and counselors. Most importantly, I want to make sure that students have an active role in the program by receiving feedback on how to improve the program and on things that they would change.
Is the parent the blame for not showing interest, or is the student to blame for not following directions? What if the parent(s) spend their time working to provide for that student and that is all that they can give? What if that student can not focus academically because there is not a lack of support at home because the parents do not understand the content of your subject?
All of these questions forced me to change my relationships with students and parents. Answers to these questions also helped me realize that I could not help these students on my own, and that this was a school wide issue. When those in the community are willing to devote time to someone in need, in this case students who need someone to check on them, this directly affects student achievement.
I am proposing a mentor program for students who lack parent support. The student will check in with the mentor once a week and discuss academic and behavioral progression or digression. Students will also have a monthly meeting that will include their mentor, parents, counselor, and teacher to view logs of teacher recommendation and student progress.
The mentoring program will start with my students and I will monitor student achievement and academic ahievement in the classroom and propose that this become a school-wide initiative. I will ask for support from the administrative team and our campus improvement committee along with instructional specialists and counselors. Most importantly, I want to make sure that students have an active role in the program by receiving feedback on how to improve the program and on things that they would change.
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