It's Time to Get to Work!

Well, during this week (Week 3) I have had the opportunity to pause and reflect on, "Oh my goodness, what have I gotten into?"  The short answer would be that I have gotten into an amazing process of learning and discovery.  A longer answer would be that I have engaged in something I didn't realize I do most everyday; just polishing it up a bit.  I am starting down a path and rolling up my sleeves to uncover and discover information that could potentially improve mentoring and classroom culture throughout the school.  In the readings this week, I was exposed to methodology supporting the process of action research and I enriched my understanding of the formative and summative evaluations.  I am looking forward to the inception of the action research and getting down to business.

Ready. . .Set. . .Action (Plan)

 

SCHOOL VISION:  To create a school environment that continues the commitment to building a culture that increases and promotes individuals and teams to meet their maximum professional and personal growth for the betterment of student achievement.

GOAL:  To use “indirect mentoring” as a behavior intervention in order to reduce repeated, disruptive classroom behaviors that typically require frequent parental contact and/or office referrals

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT(S)	Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
Cite sources for indirect mentoring as a behavior intervention	Review existing data on indirect mentoring as a behavior intervention	Online databases and journals	Deirdre Woolard	Prior to beginning of school year – June 2013 – August 2013	Comparison of resources to current action research topic for previous discoveries and completed action research	Coinciding with action research activities; based on discovery of existing action research in elementary setting
Preliminary identification of student sampling	Conferencing with teachers and administrators to identify at-risk students	Teacher notes; copies of conduct cards; copies of office referrals, parent correspondence/concerns	Deirdre Woolard Teachers Administrators Counselor	August 26, 2013 – October 25, 2013	Not applicable at this time	Coinciding with action research activities; revision factor might include large number of students eligible for sampling
Student sampling determined	Identify student population for indirect mentoring	Office referrals, teacher input written/verbal, parent input written/verbal	Deirdre Woolard Teachers Administrators Counselor	October 28, 2013- November 1, 2013	Student Code of Conduct, Office referrals, conduct cards	Coinciding with action research activities;
Initial student data complied	Compile student data noting identified behavior  - severity, frequency, duration	Teacher input, office referrals, counselor input	Deirdre Woolard Teachers Administrators Counselor	November 4, 2013 – November 8, 2013	Not applicable at this time	Coinciding with action research activities
Students receive indirect mentoring	Mentor (Deirdre Woolard) initiates visits with identified students	Mentoring log of date, time, setting	Deirdre Woolard	November 11, 2013 – March 14, 2014	Review of initial student data, ongoing indirect mentoring data, office referral data and teacher data to determine success of indirect mentoring	Ongoing and coinciding with action research activities and will include continual review and assessment of office referral frequency and parent contact – verbal or written
Determination of action research success	Mentor (Deirdre Woolard) compiles data to compare placement data to exit data	Office referral data, teacher input	Deirdre Woolard Teacher Administrators Counselor	March 24, 2014 – April 4, 2014	Assessment of final data – office referral frequency data, teacher tracking data	Coinciding with action research activities; review and assessment of all data in all formats
Dissemination of findings	Results of indirect mentoring shared	Electronic and hard copy of results	Deirdre Woolard	April 7, 2014 – April 17, 2014		Coinciding with action research activities

Research - Week Two Reflection

Hmmm. . .what have I learned this week?  I'm not sure there is enough space or time.  To say I learned "a lot" might not seem like a very professional response, but it is an accurate one.  This week I discovered different ways administrators use action research to improve the quality of the environment where teachers work as well as education students receive.  Effective leaders are always looking at problem solving from an action research perspective using the new questions that emerge to guide additional research.   Action research is the cyclical process that spurs change and growth.  Listening to Dr. Kirk Lewis, Superintendent, Pasadena I.S.D.,  I was reminded that action research provides results that are not only practical to one's environment, but participants take a vested interest in it due to its nature and relevance. 

After visiting with my site supervisor, I have decided to conduct action research in the area of indirect mentoring as a behavior intervention.  Results of such research should prove beneficial to both staff and students as well as school climate.  Additional areas of action research could focus on behavior data and parent communication.  I am looking forward to implementing my action research and discovering new information. 

How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs

At the core of the blog is communication.  Educational leaders can use blogs as a medium for communication - with teachers, parents/students, staff members and other educational leaders.  The communication might look like a simple dissemination of information without need for comment.  On the other hand, the communication might require feedback and take on the appearance of a conversation.  Educational leaders can share documents, photographs, charts, etc. as information can be shared with the click of a few buttons.  Educational leaders choose blogs for jotting down thoughts and ideas - reflecting.  Blogs are a valuable tool to educational leaders as a source of reflection and communication. 

What I Have Learned About Action Research

I have learned that action research is an ongoing process.  It is a process that gives birth to new ideas and new areas of discovery.  It is not a process where one stands on the fringe, watching things happen, taking a few notes and then report on what was seen or read.  It is a process where one puts on a pair of work gloves and gets right in the middle of it all – working through the question, actively seeking answers, taking notes, conducting literature review and solving problems, and then reports about what was done and the impact it had, the new learning that took place and what is next.  I have learned that through action research relevant, current problems are solved and questions answered by those closest to it, “ . . .practitioners play a part in the research process, which makes them more likely to facilitate change based on the knowledge they generate” (Dana, 2009, p. 5).

I’ve always thought of myself as a problem-solver.  I always find myself looking at my classroom layout, pulling apart the latest benchmark test, and dissecting behavior data.  I find I am constantly searching for ways to improve classroom logistics/dynamics, help students improve test sores, seeking new strategies and ways to improve classroom management skills.  Now I understand that all this time I was conducting action research.  I must admit, my research was sorely lacking in formality, but it was action research nonetheless.  I have learned that action research is something I do everyday not only for my benefit but also for the benefit of my students, our classroom, the school and our district.  I learned action research is a cycle of discovery.  I will continue to use action research to explore solutions to problems and answers to questions, adding to it the missing “formal” components - bringing it full-circle.  I will include others in this learning process to create communities of learning – communities for change.  

References

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.