I enjoyed this course :)

This course has been insightful for me because it has changed my way of thinking.  Whenever I used to think of research, I would think of finding literature on a certain topic and reading through it.  I would then relate that literature to what I was learning and move on.  Action research is different from traditional research in the sense that it provides an opportunity to look at current data and literature that is relevant to the wondering.  I believe that action research can be vital to any administrator because it gets everyone involved and learning.  Many times teachers are looking for solutions to their problems and want a quick fix.  This type of mentality does not work with education because each child and classroom is different.  Action research is like differentiating instruction.  We differentiate instruction for the students because they all have unique and different needs.  The same should be applied to research because we need current research that is going to help those wonderings come to light. 

The weekly videos that we watched were also very informative.  I was able to learn from the scholars on how they use action research at their level. One of our weekly videos had an administrator at a campus, Dr. Briseno.  Dr. Briseno discussed how at his campus he lets teachers have the opportunity to present to other teachers.  They can present what is working in their classroom and how it may help a fellow teacher. He feels that when teachers have the opportunity to show others what they are doing it will be more likely that the teacher will try it instead of him telling them what to do.  Dr. Briseno discussed the importance of action research and how teachers or anybody interested can go into the Internet and Google what they are looking for.  He said that there is no reason to “reinvent the wheel” and simply by looking in the Internet will open up endless research on the topic sought.  This research that is found will be up to date and can help a teacher be able to see what helps the most.  I admire the way that Dr. Briseno allows his teachers to teach each other.  This is definitely something that I would like to do as an administrator.

This course also allowed us to learn from our peers, which can be very powerful.  I was able to go back to my action research plan and determine what I needed to improve with the comments that my colleagues suggested.  This is one of the comments that I took into consideration,” You have made yourself available to the teachers and that will help them understand what you are trying to even further”.  Teachers are overwhelmed at this point and are frustrated and I feel that I can ease that pain by making myself available for them.  A simple visit to their classroom to see how they are doing goes a long way.  I will keep this reply in consideration because I want to make sure the teachers feel comfortable in implementing the SIOP model. I think that you have an effective plan on the challenges that will affect your action research.  After reading your post, it has had me reflect a little bit longer on mine.  You have made yourself available to the teachers and that will help them understand what you are trying to do even further.  I wish you luck in your continued pursuit.  After reading this I was able to go back and reflect on what changes were necessary for the plan.  Changes that perhaps I would have not made on my own.

We were able to see the comments that our colleagues made on the discussion board and blogs.  It was my first experience with blogs and at first did not know if I was on the right track.  I enjoyed reading the blogs that other posted because it made me feel at ease to see that I was not the only one worried about the action research plan.  Reading the blogs also gave me an opportunity to see how others were moving forward with their plan.  One of my classmates shared with me how I could make changes to my action research and again I took it into consideration and made the appropriate changes.  This is what she commented,” Hi Sophia, I would probably add a few more steps the plan. You could add the collection and analyzing of data as 2 steps, & a final step of creating the report and sharing the results with others. Another suggestion is to rephrase the goal. The goal statement should be the goal of the action research project. For example: To determine the effectiveness of implementing the SIOP model on increasing student achievement.
I hope this helps!

The videos, discussion boards and blogs have helped tremendously in the learning process for this course.  I have enjoyed what I have learned and can’t wait to see how the action research project continues. 

We have come to end of our course and beginning of our action research!!

We have quickly come to the end of this course but have begun to venture into the world of action research!

I wish everyone the best of luck in their action research project :)

These are my thoughts from this course......

• What really caught my interest in this coarse is the way that research has changed from traditional research.  This new type of research intrigues me because it allows for questions to arise and solutions to be found.  These solutions are specific to what the researcher is looking for and not a traditional solution that may be outdated.  This type of action research is also ongoing and can involve as many participants as needed.  It is not a one for all type of research. 
• I would still like to learn to involve others in also doing action research, especially teachers, because they are the ones that feel so overwhelmed.  Administrators have to be the one motivating the teachers to continue their hard work even on days when it all seems lost.  I think that is administrators and teachers get involved in action research it will benefit our number 1 priority, Students. 
• To continue to build my knowledge in this area, I plan on looking at administrator and teacher relationships.  How do they work together and what goes hand in hand in order for a successful outcome.

Still working on action research plan...

1.    Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – in other words, identifying needs or topics for action research and this may emerge from the Site Based Decision Making Committee, or from needs like those identified in your intern plan. The need for the action research plan has arisen from the need to see ELL student achievement for AYP. 2.    Analyzing data – you have had many opportunities to do this, and you  examined at least 9 data gathering strategies from your text in Part 2 of this week’s assignments I will be getting my data from walkthroughs, online usage reports, AYP and STAAR. 3.    Developing deeper understanding – these are additional data collection techniques, as well as, examining qualitative data through active listening, focus groups, etc Interview the director of Bilingual ESL and the administrators. 4.    Engaging in Self-Reflection – this summarizes much of what you have been doing in this course, and throughout the program, beginning with your many self-assessments of leadership in EDLD 5311 ·         Do I possess the resources needed to conduct a successful action research plan? ·         How will the teachers react to the implementation of SIOP? ·         Will administrators be willing to look at SIOP as a model that will help student achievement for all students or only the Ell’s? 5.    Exploring Programmatic Patterns – This includes asking the appropriate questions, identifying data patterns and gaps, and learning to address equity issues I can have conversations with the administrator and director in regards to the pros and cons of the SIOP model. 6.    Determining direction – Working collaboratively to address action research questions, monitoring progress, and assessing achievement I have all of these components ready for the action research plan.  7.    Taking action for school improvement – Using appropriate steps or templates like the SIP or PIP Plan of action to guide the action research I am using the 7.1 template for my action research plan. 8.    Sustaining improvement – Learning to use the tools of action research as an on-going process for professional development and school improvement. Share the results with the director, administrators, online and other instructional specialist in my department.

A change to my action research plan.....

This is the draft of my action research template.  I keep going back and forth with what action research plan will be more beneficial to the ditrict I work for. Please let me know what you think.  :) Thank you!!