Action Research

I love the idea of Action Research! I remember about 3-4 years ago when our Superintendent met with us to inform us that we as 4^th grade were going to start team teaching instead of being individualized, because based on research it was most successful to be departmentalized. We had been having the highest 4^th grade TAKS scores (Math, Reading, and Writing) of any other school within our district, with some schools calling asking us to share our teaching strategies and resources with them. I remember like it was yesterday, respectfully asking him, “Why can’t other schools use us as research data, and follow us, instead of us using them as research data, because we are the one school with the highest TAKS scores?” To this day, I have never understood why we made such a decision based on “success according to research” when if anyone would have considered our 4^th grade in the collecting of data, we would have been the class act to follow “according to research”! This whole scene flooded my mind as I read this week, learning the difference in traditional educational research and “action research”.

Action research involves, not looking outside for data, but using your own data within, to answer questions of “what” and “how” can make us a better campus, smarter students, and greater educators. Action research takes time to search deep, consider long, and ponder, “what is making us great in all areas, and what few areas could we even become greater”? Action research takes collaboration of planning with invested stakeholders to cultivate a school and community to be most proud of! When stakeholders are involved and take “action” in the process – it is then that a community sees and experiences lasting, positive change!

I am hoping to use action research concerning implementing technology during ARD meetings, and starting a CFGs (Critical Friends Group) meeting monthly, vertically aligning "teaching strategies" in math, reading, and science.