Final Reflection-Week 5

I have learned a great deal in the past 5 weeks. Previously, I was ignorant as to what an action research plan was. The books, lectures, blogs, and discussion forums have been helpful during the course and in my current action research on the effectiveness of extrinsic rewards to motivate students to return homework.

       The two books we used, “Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher” by Nancy Dana Fichtman and “Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action” by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs both contain more than enough information about conducting action research. Of the two, Harris et al.'s book is the more real-world one because it provides an actual framework for conducting action research. As the title implies, it names eight steps in a school improvement action research and while both books contain questions for reflection, this book has the questions at the end of each step, sometimes in “Tools” or labeled as “Reflection Questions.” Put another way, it takes a more orderly approach to reflection and clearly outlines everything involved in action research. If I were to highlight just one thing, it would be the “CARE Model Planning Tool” This tool, where CARE is an acronym for Concerns, Affirmations, Recommendations, and Evaluations, specifies a clear and usable framework for planning for school improvement (Dana, 2009).

       Another thing I have gained from is blogging. Reading and participating in discussions in my classmates' blogs has allowed for an informal environment where we did not have to worry about formality and led to the free exchange of ideas, suggestion, recommendations, and a little motivation. The addition of the FaceBook  page has also proven to be very useful and helpful and contributed to the exchange of relevant ideas. The FaceBook page coupled with the blogs gave me a few ideas that I will apply to my own action research.

       Overall, this course has been both helpful and relevant to my professional career as an educator.

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

My Action Research Plan…

Action Research Plan
Goal: To study the extent to which extrinsic rewards effect the motivation of fifth grade students to complete homework assignments
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Student survey to assess what students describe and/or which motivation techniques they prefer	C. Elliott	Six Weeks	Student Motivation Survey	Compilation of the findings to gather ideas that can be used for rewards in the classroom.
Teacher survey to assess what teachers describe and/or which motivation techniques they prefer in the classroom.	C. Elliott	Six Weeks	Teacher questionnaire.	Compilation of the findings to gather ideas that can be used for rewards in the classroom.
Focus group for the purpose of sharing classroom motivation techniques.	C. Elliott	Six Weeks	Compiled results from teacher and student surveys.	Listing of suggestions and concerns about each student motivation techniques.
Blog reflections to process and log effectiveness of actions in my classrooms.	C. Elliott	Six Weeks	Blog	Blog
Document to tally data: which students do/do not submit homework by the given deadline.	C. Elliott	Six Weeks	Tally Document MS Word/Excel	Organization of data to compare and analyze.

Reflection...Week 2!

The assignment this week was helpful in the area of identifying possible action research topics.  I had a few ideas in mind but it is a huge task to decide on just one.  A few of my ideas are simply not feasible on a small scale (for use on my own campus) but I could tweak them to fit the needs and concerns at my school.  One of the most important things I learned this week was the idea that we do not have to try and find completely unique research that has never been done before.  Some of the most effective action research projects involve taking research that was done elsewhere and applying it to the needs of one's own campus. This may be the way to go.

Action Research, what is it?

The nuts and bolts...

Action research is a method of professional development in which administrators pose questions, collect data, analyze the data, make changes, and share their findings. Using this blog, I can communicate the discoveries I make while doing research.

Action research represents a change in the way that research is used in education. Previously, research was completed by outsiders then given to administrators to be used in their districts. It was a cookie cutter method.  Administrators were given the findings and had to figure out how to use the information for their particular school community. With action research, teachers and administrators have an opportunity to be hands on because they know what their unique issues are and have a better way to come up with solutions. This process of action research allows administrators to use what other researchers are saying about various issues coupled with what might be actually working for their campus or district.

How will I use it?

I will use action research to explore the different effect of rewards on student achievement. Specifically, I want to measure the difference between intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards in my school community. In my limited experience as a teacher, I’ve done mini experiments with rewards. Using the action research model will enable me to not only explore the phenomenon but also reflect fully on my findings.

Why educators should blog?

Blogging by educational leaders is tech savvy. It provides a vehicle to share information and collaborate with others on a global scale.  It can also be used as a journal to fine-tune research and to reflect. Feedback, which is instant, can be collected and used to improve teaching practices.