This week, I have been focusing on the question, "What is action research?" After reading various texts and journals, I have come to the generalization that action research is a systematic approach to inquiry in an educational setting. It is basically reflecting on your teaching, leadership style, or student performance and creating an active plan to improve any situation. Action research consists of four basic steps: define your problem, research your problem using professional literature, develop and carry out your plan, and report your findings. There are many benefits to performing an action research project including: conversing with colleagues to reach a common goal, ensuring the achievement of students, and setting a good example for others in your learning community. Action research projects can vary in subject. They can be very broad such as, "How can I improve test scores?" To a specific question like, "How can I help Sally improve on multiplication?" Because of the flexibility in range, teachers and administrators are given a wide range of options and the freedom to really research and inquire about problems that pertain to them. Some school districts are even using action research as professional development to really get teachers and administrators involved in their own campuses.
I believe I can use action research in many different ways on my campus. Even though we are an exemplary campus and have been for many years now, I think it is important to remember that there is always room for improvement. I could use action research to improve upon the campus culture surrounding the faculty on my campus, the need for resources on my grade level, or how I can ensure I am providing the best possible instruction for the students in my classroom. Currently, I am a 4th grade teacher and we are preparing for our TAKS writing test. Six weeks prior to each test, we hire outside tutors (retired teachers) to come in and tutor our struggling students (excluding kids who are already receiving assistance in other programs) for 30 minutes, twice a week. These students are pulled out of our classrooms and are missing instructional time to receive tutoring. My wonderings about this subject have led me to some of the following questions: How is tutoring being monitored? Is it the best situation that students are pulled from our rooms? Can we possibly pull them from PE or music? Should the school be spending money on outside tutors with all of the budget cuts, or are classroom teachers capable of providing the same level of support for students? Action research will help me find the answers to these questions, and many more I am sure!
How long has your school been hiring outside tutors to come in and work with students prior to the TAKS tests? You stated that your school has been 'exemplary' for some time now, and I was wondering if your administrators tied the success of that rating to tutoring without really diving in to see if that was the factor that was making it happen. I believe that 'budget wise', money could be used to provide teachers with better resources or provide additional training for the staff that they already had. I think this a great action research topic and very interested in following your research and findings.
ReplyDeleteMy son is a 4th grader who is preparing to take the TAKS writing test. I visited his music class last week and the music teachers were doing a lesson having to do with using more descriptive words. This was their way of helping with the TAKS test. Even though I teach band, I do 5 social studies lesson with my students through out the year. Every elective is teamed with a TAKS tested class and is expected to do at least 5 lessons to support their TAKS partner.
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