As I was celebrating and giving thanks this week, I began reading our text for this weeks assignment. It amazed me as I read more and more about action research, how much it paralleled with life. In life we have decisions to make and what do we do? We look at all of our options (data), we use our background knowledge and research to make our decision. We may even talk to others to get their opinions. Will this be good for me? our family? our future? To answer these questions, one must take time to reflect on the situation. Sometimes our decisions take minutes, hours or even days. But they are require research, inquiry and reflection. Most of the time we encounter a few bumps in the road and have to solve problems. It is a constant cycle, just like action research.
According to Harris, in action research, we go through the following steps.
* Identify the Problem
* Gather Information
* Analyze Information and Hold Discussions with Stakeholders
* Reflect on Finding
* Formulate Solution
* Begin Action Research
* Monitor Project
* Maintain and Make Adjustments as needed.
I also realized the importance of scheduling a time for inquiry and reflection to make action research successful. Just as in life, we must take time to make sure that we are taking the necessary steps to accomplish our goals and make our decisions.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmondson, S., & Combs, J. (2009). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.
Your life sounds happy and full ~ what a blessing! I appreciate your comparison of action research to life. Life is, too, recursive just as action research. We gain knowledge, we go through experiences, we reflect, and either change our methods and techniques based on what we've learned or not. Action research is learning in action.
ReplyDeleteI love the layout of your blog! I wish I had done something more like this. It is very creative and colorful. Great job. I love how you related action research to life. This is a great way to look at this process. It makes this not so dull. Love it!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to summarize action research. I agree that it is a skill that we use in everyday life, at least if we are trying to do things better each day. Great layout also.
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