Action Research
I have learned a lot this week about action research. First and foremost, great schools lay the foundation by having a vision that is shared by all. After this vision is known and shared then the next logical step is inquiry or action research. The first step is determining a problem. The teachers become active learners and are an integral part of the process. We should be shifting from the one size fits all workshop to tailor meeting our staff development to the unique problems of our own schools and determining the course of action through research, data, collaboration, and reflective practices. Action research is a systematic process that engages and empowers members to facilitate change a solve solutions to problems. I currently have many ideas of different action research projects. One problem that our school is encountering is the lack of rigor and higher level Bloom's lessons. Another problem that we are experiencing is different opinions on homework and very inconsistent practices among grade levels. The last is a biggie. Many of our teachers have difficulty finding the time to document data in our RTI tracking system. How can we make this more teacher friendly and still be effective? All of these problems in my opinion would make great action research projects. Now to pick just one!
