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.