Defining a Topic

As this week's adventure began, I wondered what matters the most to me!  After reading about the nine areas of "passion", I jotted down some ideas. What topic should be the recipient of my time and effort? I knew that there was bound to be something that I would enjoy and benefit from researching. I've decided to focus on- What types of support help new teachers develop quality teaching practices and routines?

Action Research

I would define action research as teachers and/or administrators acquiring answers to questions that they pose themselves. It is beneficial because teachers and administrators can work collaboratively to conduct and collect data from their own classroom or campus. Action research done from the perspective of an administrator can lead to a positive impact on the campus and staff.  When administrators have identified a situation that needs to be resolved or improved, they choose a method to collect data that will elicit specific results that pertain to the identified area. There are many methods that serve as data collection tools. Interviews, field notes, portfolio artifacts, videos and assessments are helpful in the collection of data. By gathering current information and being an invested researcher, the data collected will serve as a tool of improvement. By implementing action research as a part of the staff’s professional development, members of the campus are reflecting on their effectiveness and finding alternatives to improve areas not as effective.  The use of the collected data will provide a clarified focus of what the teachers and administrators strive to accomplish on a daily basis at their campus.

Educational leaders can use blogs for a variety of reasons. Leaders can use blogs to share their own opinions, research findings, and pose questions to fellow blog readers. Blogs allow for easy interaction between people who have varying or similar opinions and experiences.