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Action Research: My Perspective
After reading articles and texts that focus on the topic of action research in education, I have furthered my understanding and can assert that I am definitely a believer. Being a researcher is not what I thought I was getting myself into when I became an educator, but as it turns out, that is precisely what I am. Research is such a frightening word for people in any field, but through several of the articles I read, my fears have been eased and put to rest. Research becomes an invaluable tool when you know how to begin and you know what steps to take. I wish to be the best teacher I can be, and my ultimate goal is to help my students achieve their highest potential. I believe that when teachers and administrators collaborate,use action research and reflect on their practices, everyone involved is a winner.
In my school as well as in my district, we conduct research regularly, and we collaborate as a grade level and with administrators to ensure that students are on the right track. I progress monitor my students biweekly on their letter identification and sound knowledge as well as other knowledge that fits with our kindergarten grade level expectations. I then share during collaboration time and discuss strategies that may work for various student needs. We use an online program called AIMS web, which produces graphs and charts and class reports that help me to see where students are struggling and where they are succeeding. Once I know where my student’s needs lie, I can re-evaluate my instruction and lessons to meet those needs. Then, when I progress monitor students again I can determine if the changes that I have made in instruction have been a success or if they need to be modified further.
Before this course, I thought that collaboration and AIMS web were the only tools necessary to be a teacher researcher and a reflective practitioner. Now I see that it is just the beginning of countless ways I can use research and data to better my classroom practices and maximize student learning. I also now believe that differentiation is a key component of enriching instruction after the research has been conducted. An article by Carol Tieso, Through the Looking Glass: One School’s Reflections on Differentiation, shows that teachers had success using action research to help them in the classroom. "[teachers] were differentiating instruction based on interest, learning styles, and ability; were modifying questioning strategies; and, finally, were enriching their curriculum by compacting students out of work already mastered, offering choices and alternative products, and utilizing small, flexible groups based on choice, learning styles, and expectations"(Tieso, 2004, p.62). This is encouraging to me in so many ways, and seeing that other people are successful makes me more apt to try action research on my own.
Many of the articles I studied gave clear steps to follow in order to be a successful teacher researcher, and I look forward to using these regularly in my classroom. I discovered that to conduct action research, the teacher needs to identify a problem, collect data that pertains to that problem, analyze that data, reflect, and make changes or an action plan to fix the original problem. Now that I have a more clear understanding of action research, I know that it does not always fix the problem on the first try. Action research is a process, a cycle, that continues indefinitely. In the article, Don't Be Afraid! Take Action to Improve Your Educational Practices, author Kristi Preisman states that action research "allows you, the practitioner—whether classroom teacher, principal, or counselor—to take the lead in improving and better understanding the inner-workings of your classroom, school, or students" (Preisman, 2007, p.102). Becoming a researcher will continually benefit my students and help me take control of what happens in my classroom. Overall, I feel that action research will give me a better understanding of myself as a teacher and of my student’s needs, which will in turn, improve the quality of learning that takes place day to day.
After reading articles and texts that focus on the topic of action research in education, I have furthered my understanding and can assert that I am definitely a believer. Being a researcher is not what I thought I was getting myself into when I became an educator, but as it turns out, that is precisely what I am. Research is such a frightening word for people in any field, but through several of the articles I read, my fears have been eased and put to rest. Research becomes an invaluable tool when you know how to begin and you know what steps to take. I wish to be the best teacher I can be, and my ultimate goal is to help my students achieve their highest potential. I believe that when teachers and administrators collaborate,use action research and reflect on their practices, everyone involved is a winner.
In my school as well as in my district, we conduct research regularly, and we collaborate as a grade level and with administrators to ensure that students are on the right track. I progress monitor my students biweekly on their letter identification and sound knowledge as well as other knowledge that fits with our kindergarten grade level expectations. I then share during collaboration time and discuss strategies that may work for various student needs. We use an online program called AIMS web, which produces graphs and charts and class reports that help me to see where students are struggling and where they are succeeding. Once I know where my student’s needs lie, I can re-evaluate my instruction and lessons to meet those needs. Then, when I progress monitor students again I can determine if the changes that I have made in instruction have been a success or if they need to be modified further.
Before this course, I thought that collaboration and AIMS web were the only tools necessary to be a teacher researcher and a reflective practitioner. Now I see that it is just the beginning of countless ways I can use research and data to better my classroom practices and maximize student learning. I also now believe that differentiation is a key component of enriching instruction after the research has been conducted. An article by Carol Tieso, Through the Looking Glass: One School’s Reflections on Differentiation, shows that teachers had success using action research to help them in the classroom. "[teachers] were differentiating instruction based on interest, learning styles, and ability; were modifying questioning strategies; and, finally, were enriching their curriculum by compacting students out of work already mastered, offering choices and alternative products, and utilizing small, flexible groups based on choice, learning styles, and expectations"(Tieso, 2004, p.62). This is encouraging to me in so many ways, and seeing that other people are successful makes me more apt to try action research on my own.
Many of the articles I studied gave clear steps to follow in order to be a successful teacher researcher, and I look forward to using these regularly in my classroom. I discovered that to conduct action research, the teacher needs to identify a problem, collect data that pertains to that problem, analyze that data, reflect, and make changes or an action plan to fix the original problem. Now that I have a more clear understanding of action research, I know that it does not always fix the problem on the first try. Action research is a process, a cycle, that continues indefinitely. In the article, Don't Be Afraid! Take Action to Improve Your Educational Practices, author Kristi Preisman states that action research "allows you, the practitioner—whether classroom teacher, principal, or counselor—to take the lead in improving and better understanding the inner-workings of your classroom, school, or students" (Preisman, 2007, p.102). Becoming a researcher will continually benefit my students and help me take control of what happens in my classroom. Overall, I feel that action research will give me a better understanding of myself as a teacher and of my student’s needs, which will in turn, improve the quality of learning that takes place day to day.