After plunging into the world of educational leadership, I have been introduced to a term that I have never been exposed to. The term is known as “action research”. Honestly, I completed related to the descriptions of the misconceptions of this term that were discussed in the Dana text (Dana, 2009, p. ix). When I first heard the term, it conjured up thoughts and feelings of being told to participate in writing some boring research paper that would take many days to find information for and many more days to write a paper on the topic.
What exactly does the term “action research” refer to? I have come to understand that it is not the typical “research paper”. In fact, it almost the complete opposite. Instead of researching for information that someone else has written, you (the leader) are writing the information yourself. It requires a leader to evaluate his/her position and school environment and search for circumstances that are successful that need maintaining and those that are unsuccessful that call for change. It allows the leader to create, analyze and reflect on data pertaining to their topic and determine and act upon a plan. Once they have implemented a successful strategy, then they must focus on continually maintaining improvement.
I am excited about the possibilities of using this type of research as a technology leader in my district. Action research will not only help me to evaluate my own performances, but also allow me to assist others leaders, teachers and schools in assessing their performances as well. I anticipate using action research to discover any concerns that our district is facing regarding technology and reflect upon and generate a plan to improve those concerns. I feel that this recently gained knowledge will play a vital role in the success of my career as a leader.
Shawntee' Cowan
Reference
Fichman, Nancy Dana (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action
Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment