First off - I named this blog No Boxes Allowed (because thinking outside one is too cliché) because I feel that action research is a way to think outside of what you normally do. It is a completely different mindset, to be able to accept when something is not working. It is foreign to educators to admit fault. We need to go beyond the box. More than thinking outside of it, we need forget the box completely.
To be perfectly honest, when we first started the action research project and what it means, my heart sunk. I, like many other educators before, started thinking about the uselessness of this latest and greatest professional development method. However, as I start digging in, I realized I was wrong.
Action research is, in my definition, self inspection of ones actions and methods using data, feedback, analysis, and planning. Many different types exist and can be used in all fields, but for the purpose of this blog and class, we will stick with Administrative Inquiry.
I hope to use administrative inquiry or action research to find a common thread in our high school that seems to be missing in terms of community support, involvement, and pride and to what methods may be used to combat this. I confess that this is my first action research project, and I am worried that the task may be too big.
I hope that I can use the action research and the tools I learn in this class to come up with a plan to help fix the problem we have at our school. We are a large 5A school in Texas
I welcome your thoughts and comments to help guide me down this path…wherever it leads.
I really like your research topic, smart phones and their use in the classroom. I personally think it is time to allow the students to use their phones as a technology tool in class. Look forward to reading your findings.
ReplyDeleteI, too, like your research topic and your blog is awesome! You will not find mine as welcoming. I am challenged and I admit it.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the results of your research, but I have to admit that I am nervous about the usage of smart phones in the classroom. It will be too hard to ascertain appropriate use vs. inappropriate use. Just this school year, parents were made aware of sensitive situations happening on my campus before administrators had time to respond. I view this the same way as I would a ticking, timed bomb.
I understand this concern, and it is a big topic that keeps popping up in my planning. Thank you for your thoughts, and check back often!
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