Revised Action Research Plan

I met with both my high school principal and the elementary school principal (where my action research plan takes place) this past week. I was amazed at how supportive they were! Everything fell into place beautifully. I have a 2nd grade teacher who volunteered her class for my project and we will start after labor day. The only change to my action research project is the amount of time I will spend with the class. Originally, I planned to meet with the 2nd grade class 4 times per week 20 minutes/day. We revised that to 3 times per week. The principal suggested that the 2nd graders could come to my high school computer lab when they had reached a milestone. I thought that was a wonderful idea. They will absolutely love to come to the high school! We even discussed projects they could do once they have learned the keyboard such as digital story telling. I am really excited about the project and can't wait to begin.

My Action Research Project

GOAL:

Are students in grades K-5 receiving adequate keyboarding instruction in order to meet the Technology Applications TEKS for keyboarding?

What type of instruction ensures that students will master the Technology Applications TEKS for keyboarding?

Setting the Foundation - Meet with mentor and site supervisor to discuss research topics. Timeline: July 19-29, 2010.

 

Analyzing Data - Review literature, interview teachers at all grade levels to get their opinions, survey other districts regarding their elementary keyboarding programs using Survey Monkey, and research possible keyboarding software to implement in our district. Timeline: August 13-27, 2010.

Developing Deeper Understanding -  Go over the interview data, summarize survey data, and determine the keyboarding student groups for keyboarding instruction. Timeline: August 13-27, 2010.

Engaging in Self-Reflection - Questions I will respond to on my blog (Timeline: August 27, 2010):

1. Is this a feasible research project?
2. What issues stand in the way of implementation?
3. Why is this topic important to research?
4. What are the possible outcomes?

Exploring Programmatic Patterns - Meet with site supervisor, elementary principal, and two elementary teachers to discuss outcomes. Timeline: August 31, 2010.

Determining Direction - Meet with site supervisor and elementary principal to go over action research plan. Timeline: August 31, 2010.

Taking Action - Implement the plan with two 2nd grade elementary classes. I will need access to a computer lab (1 computer per student) with a keyboarding program installed. I will meet with each class 20 minutes per day/4 days per week. I will complete a skills inventory on each student in both groups at the beginning of the project to determine pre-existing skills. One group will be taught keyboarding skills using only the software program with no interaction with the teacher. The other group will be taught keyboarding skills using the software program but will also receive correct demonstration, modeling, and positive feedback from a certified keyboarding teacher regarding keyboarding techniques and posture. Once both groups have learned the keyboard, I will complete a skills inventory on each student in both groups to determine which type of instruction yielded the best results. Timeline: September 1, 2010 - May 31, 2011.

Week 2 Reflection

I enjoyed watching the videos of the three educational leaders and the action research that is going on in their school districts. It is always good to see what other school districts are doing. All three leaders had great advice. The one piece of advice that stood out for me was not to reinvent the wheel. Look at what other districts are doing and see how you can apply it to your district. I completely agree. Following that advice will save a lot of time.

Wonderings or inquiries come from observations and dilemmas that are faced in school. According to Dana, there are 9 different areas of passion that can be a starting point to help find your wonderings. They are staff development, curriculum development, individual teacher(s), individual student(s), school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance and social justice. By examining each of these areas, it is easy to come up with several wonderings. Often, we are so busy trying to meet deadlines that we don't take the time to think about them. If we just took the time, we would start the process on making our schools better through action research.

Dana, N. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Ways that Educational Leaders Can Use Blogs

Blogs have become very popular in recent years. It is an excellent way for educators to communicate, as well as collaborate, with each other. There are many ways in which educational leaders can use blogs effectively. They are a great way for leaders to communicate with members of the community, as well as their faculty. Others can subscribe to the blog and get instant updates when new posts have been made. They are a great way to see how other schools are addressing issues such as school safety, educational policy, decreasing drop-out rates, increasing test scores, etc. When leaders are successful in overcoming a problem, they want to share the great news with others. What better way to share the news than through a blog? Blogs are a great way to get new ideas to make your school a better place.

What I've Learned on Action Research

Today, I started my 6th class in my Educational Technology Leadership Master's program, EDLD 5301 Research, which is a course on action research. I have learned a great deal on action research from the required readings this week. Typically, when most people think of educational research, one word pops into their head: boring! I must admit, I have that same tendency. It brought back memories of my college days and all the educational research we were required to learn about. In fact, while I was reading Nancy Fictman Dana's book on action research, I could definitely relate to her description of traditional educational research. Principals are not expected to be problem solvers but are to refer to outside experts to solve their schools' problems. The outside experts are almost always university researchers who don't have a clue about what goes on inside the school on a daily basis (Dana, 2009). I have found more times than not that most theories sound good on paper, but generally don't work in the classroom. That's why I was intrigued by the action research method which is also known as practitioner inquiry. It focuses on the concerns of the principal or teachers (not outside researchers) and engages them in the process. Basically, they question a practice and reflect on it. They then collect data to gain insight into their inquiry, analyze the data and read relevant literature about it, make changes in the practice based on the new understanding during the inquiry, and share their findings with others. By engaging them in the process and allowing them to come up with solutions to the problem, they will buy in to the changes that need to be made. The focus is on student achievement and how improvements can be made to the school as a whole. It supports reflection and provides opportunities for peer collaboration. As a teacher, I can definitely use action research to help make me a better teacher, thereby increasing student achievement. As a technology leader, I can use action research to help teachers incorporate technology into the curriculum, provide meaningful professional development on using technology, and provide teachers with ideas on how to use technology to individualize instruction.

Dana, N. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.