Write a reflection describing the highlights
of this course. It sounds simple
enough and I could rattle on about how I was not comfortable about using a blog
because I never had, or how I learned the steps to an action research plan, or
even approach the idea that I have learned about my topic that I have chosen to
make my research plan out of.
After pondering many of these ideas, I would simply like to reflect upon
three main ideas that I feel stand out above the rest: what exactly is “action
research,” how do I select something for an action research plan, and
self-reflection.
To be completely honest, I was not excited
about this class. Any class that
involves the word “research” makes me think of a lot of extra work that I do
not have time for. Fortunately, I
attempt to start every new quest with an open mind and I am glad that I
did. From the first assigned
reading of the Dana text pp 1-15, I realized the role of action researcher was
not to be like a scientist, but rather a self-motivated learner who wanted to
know if his/her actions were being successful or how to assess issues that may
be happening at the school. Once
my mind grasped this concept, things started looking up for me in the class. Action research was just that. An inquiry that is to be studied to determine
an ACTION. Novel idea, I realize,
that the definition is within the title, however, like many educators, I was
over analyzing the situation. Or I
feel like I was until I learned exactly what the main concept is behind this
type of research. Needless to say,
my mind became more at ease after week one.
However, I was still apprehensive because of
the idea that I had to have my own research plan and I had no idea what I
WANTED to research. There were
many ideas that I COULD research, but nothing that engaged me. After meeting with my site supervisors
several times, blog comments, and discussion board writings, I finally narrowed
down a few choices that interested me.
The next major concept that I really feel like I learned was how to
analyze my options as to what would be the most beneficial to the school for
student achievement. Through the constant review questions and supervisor
interviews we needed to ponder and reflect upon, my inquiry got continuously
refined and directed to something that I was not only interested in, but also felt
was a benefit to my school.
So, through actually learning what the
research plan was and what my role was supposed to be, this class developed
into something I started to find useful.
While continuing on the journey of action research, I also learned a lot
about myself. One of the major
concepts behind action research for the principal is self-reflection and making
time for it (Dana, 2009). I not
only agree with this, but also believe it should be a major concept of any
teacher. Self-reflection is a
difficult concept to grasp because you have to look within yourself. So many times, people are to one
extreme. Either they completely
ignore their actions and how they affect others, or they dwell on every single
thing they do and still do not see their affects. Self-reflection is a great way to keep anyone on target with
their daily activities and I appreciate the opportunity through readings,
discussions, and class assignments to have had the opportunity to build this
skill.
Overall, the three most important things that I
have learned set the foundation for my research plan to move forward. All of the assignments, readings, colleague
engagement, interviews, discussions, and blogs were useful and necessary for
these to be aligned in my mind.
This is not one of those classes that would be everyone “hooting and
hollering” in anticipation about.
Coming into this class with an open mind was the best decision I could
make because now at its conclusion, I feel as if I know more about myself, and
how to continue to be self-motivated to become the best school leader that I
can be. I may not have “hooted and
hollered” in the beginning, but I will “sing the praises” of this class in the
end.
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