Tuesday, February 21, 2012

This is my final reflection on our course Action Research.



This class has made me reflect on my career and the wonderings that I have about it.  I have been in the education field for over 20 years.  I started out as a special education teacher assistant, then became a classroom teacher, then a GT/Title I coordinator then back to a teacher, then I become an Instructional Coordinator then I went back to the classroom.  All this experience really got me thinking.  What has changed?  How is teaching now and teaching in 1989 different?  I thought and thought and concluded that it was campus culture and how that affect student instruction going on in all classrooms; PK-12.  As my career has evolved, I have played both sides of the coin and see the need for state accountability but see the pressure that everyone goes through to achieve success on this rating.   I have felt the pressure as a campus leader and as classroom teacher.  I believe everyone will benefit from this type of research, districts, schools, principals, teachers, parents, and students because it will strengthen our self-confidence and lead all of us to making the changes necessary to improve and/or resolve this issue affecting everyone in the education field. 

I have also come to realize the power reflection has.  Reflection is a vital skill leaders should have.  They need to be able to reflect, adjust and modify their practice accordingly.  Reflection is a key role in action research because it allows the administrator time to reflect on his/her own data, and experience.  With reflection comes action, action that will ultimately impact everyone on campus, teachers, students, parents, and principals.
 
Blogging is something that I also found to be very useful.  I had never used it and really didn’t know what it was all about.  Now I see how it can be a great tool to get your information out there and receive feedback as well. 

Something that I found very interesting was what Dr. Johnny Briseño, Principal, Rancho Isabella Elementary, Angleton ISD suggested.  Dr. Briseño suggested that we should reach out to the web and other resources of research that has already been done about any topic we wish to research. There is probably already a school or organization that has encountered the same problem and has developed an idea that has worked for them.  You can take their idea and modify it to the needs of your campus.  Starting from scratch will definitely take you more time and you will take the chance of doing too much “trial and error”.  I will definitely do this as I carry out my action research plan.

I also discovered that that I would do research on almost any given area on a campus. 

I really like the suggested strategies to support and sustain action research that Harris, 2010, explains in his book.  They are Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method and Nominal Group Technique.  All these strategies will help resolve many issues in schools. 

The weekly discussion boards were also very helpful.  They provided background information and different points of view on some of our same wonderings.  It also made us reflect on subjects that we hadn’t even thought about researching but are impacting us as well. 

Finally, I really appreciated the web-conferences we had with Dr. Abshire.  She was able to provide us weekly guidance on this very important task we are about to take on; Action Research.    

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Action Research Plan


Action Step(s)
Person(s) Responsible
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
1. Create inquiry for action research plan.

Dinora Espinosa
January/February 2012
Idea(s) inquiry plan
Approval and recommendation from site supervisor
2. Look at Campus data that shows the teacher mobility/transfer/ leaving the field rate.
Dinora Espinosa
January 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Previous years’ data.
Analyze and Review Data
3. Formal Interviews
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Prepared Interview Questions
Teachers, Parents, Students
Analyze and Reflect on information shared
4. Informal Interviews
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Teachers, Parents, Students
 Analyze and Reflect on information shared
5. Create a blog with my action research question.
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
googleblogspot
Receive input and points of view from different people then reflect on their input
6. Read relevant literature to learn how and what some campuses are doing to promote campus culture in spite of state accountability.
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Lamar University Library
Analyze and Reflect on Literature to see how it is similar to my findings in my interview and surveys
7. Create field notes on observations on teachers, parents, and students’ comments,  actions and decisions
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Teachers
Analyze and Review Data
8. Create a focus group
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
3rd, 4th and 5th grade Teachers
Reflect and Review information shared
9. Reflective Journal
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Journal
Review Reflections
10. Surveys
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Teachers, Parents, Students
Evaluate and organize information gathered
11.  Interview campus leaders, to see what initiatives they are doing to lessen the burden on their teachers.
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013
Different Campus’ Principals
Reflect and Review Initiatives Principals are currently doing.
12. Present findings to administration and Discuss input I received from teachers, parents, and students.  Share the ideas that I read about and the initiatives already being done at other campuses.
Dinora Espinosa
March 20, 2012 – May 30, 2013

Receive feedback and suggestions from site supervisor

Saturday, February 4, 2012



Week 2 was very fascinating to me.  Dr. Briseno, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Chargois have similar views when it comes to research.  They recommend that we use the research that has already been done and apply it to whatever we want to research ourselves.  With today's technology all this research is at the tips of our fingers.   This will save us time and effort that will in the long run lead to student success.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012



Action research is a great way for anyone to improve their practice.  It is a great way to grow professionally.  It is a process in which you reflect on your problems and situations that lead to real changes.   It is practical and designed to your needs.  It is a reflection on what you are already doing and what you need to change.  

I will definitely use it in my teaching practice.  First, I will start the process by defining an issue to study; asking myself critical questions of a learning issue that I may have in my classroom.  I will organize, study and analyze the data that I have.  I will reflect as to why the issue is happening and look for any trends or patterns.  Second, I will study some professional literature on my issue and interpret the information to find a possible solution.  Third, I will take action; creating a doable plan and a timeline to carry it out.  Finally, I will use and share my results with my principal and colleagues, so that they too learn from my experience.

I believe that this type of research leads us to have more ownership on what we learn as professionals and makes our learning more relevant to our daily lives.

Educational leaders might use blogs to get teachers' input on future professional development, to get input on current programs being used, and to share news.  This certainly will establish a sense of community and everyone who is involved will learn from each other.