Draft Action Research Plan

 

Goal:  What effect does the iPad program have on student engagement and overall student achievement of 6^th grade students at Earheart Middle School? 


 
1.    Are the teachers integrating iPad use into their curriculum?


 
2.    Are the students more engaged in their classes than other students?


 
3.    Do the students show improvement significant improvement since the program was implemented?

 

Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Observe classroom use of new iPads.	Blair Wilson	April/ May2012	None	Observation of classroom use. Blog reflections of observations.
Teacher surveys on how they are integrating the iPads into their curriculum and perceived results from classroom use.	Blair Wilson 6th Grade Teachers	May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflections of survey results, propose additional questions. Blog reflections of research progress.
Student surveys on how they are using the iPad in class for their schoolwork.	Blair Wilson Students	May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflections of survey results, Assess if additional questions are needed. Blog reflections of research progress.
Collect and analyze test results from both class and state wide exams on both before and after program was implemented.	Blair Wilson Teachers and Administration	May /September 2012	Exam scores	Analyze data, reflections of exam results. Assess if additional data is needed. Blog reflections of research progress.
Use my blog as a reflection tool for research progress.	Blair Wilson	April/ September 2012	My Blog http://blaircw.blogspot.com/	Post frequent reflections as I conduct my research.
Analyze results to determine if the new program is successful at improving student achievement. Share the results of the research.	Blair Wilson	August/ September 2012	Observation notes, teacher and student survey results, blog reflections, testing data	Analyze results of overall research. Assess if the research has led to further research areas that need to be assessed. Collect the information into a final presentation to be shared with others.

Week 2 Reflection

This week I learned more about possible action research projects. I learned that there are many aspects to research within a school.  A few of these were staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers or students, leadership skills, management, school performance, social justice, and community/ culture building. The biggest thing I learned during this week’s course was from the interviewed scholar practitioners. All of these individuals stressed the importance of action research in their jobs. They all also stressed the need to look to other people’s work for answers to any question that arises. This work can serve as a basis to solving a campus problem and save valuable time during research.  Something else I found interesting was the fact that many schools will not make any decisions without some data behind the change. This is where teachers need to use action research and be able to show proof behind anything they would like to try. This week I also worked more on trying to develop my action research plan for my internship. Although nothing is decided on between my site mentor and myself, I look forward to setting it up and hopefully doing work that the district will find useful.

How Educational Leaders Use Blogs

Blogs are an important tool for educational leaders. Blogs serve as an online journal and is a good tool for teachers reflect on things they learn. They are a good way to collect research that can be reassessed at any time. They are also a good way to collect research because they can be open to a wide blog community, allowing for feedback from larger groups.  Blogs are published instantly and are a good way to keep others up to date on information in real time. They can be used to share relevant information within a group of educators. Blogs also allow for multiple data forms to be displayed making them a very interactive tool for sharing information. Feedback is also easily collected through blogs because the format allows for others in the group to leave comments. One way my district uses blogs is to keep invested parties up to date with technology implementation. Blogs can also a good source for educational leaders to find information other educators have shared from their own experiences.

Action Research an Important Educational Tool

I have recently learned a lot about action research. When I first heard the term I was apprehensive about what it is because of the terrifying word “research”. I was afraid that it would entail sitting in a library or on my computer for hours on end reading educational publications to find a predetermined answer about something in the school system. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it is merely a tool used to examine and improve personal practices within a school. Action research starts by asking a question and then delving into finding the answer to that question. Once a question is proposed the researcher collects and assesses data on the subject. They then make changes to reflect what was learned during the assessment. Finally, it involves sharing the results with colleagues. Action research can involve any situation that arises within a school system from examining curriculum to assessing how to improve student abilities. It is also a good tool that can be used to find the successes or failures of new programs added into the school. Action research is a great tool for both teachers and administrators because it gets them actively involved into professional improvement. The biggest benefit of action research is to find best practices in your school. Without action research a school’s continual improvement will remain limited causing students to suffer in the end.