Action Research Reflection

As I reflect back on this course, I find that I have made many strides in my journey of becoming a master teacher and strong administrative candidate. When I first began this class, I was not familiar with the concept of inquiry—I had never heard of action research. However, as I began reading my assigned texts and listening to the lectures, I realized that action research is not a new idea; many administrators in my district use action research to develop positive change. And, at times, I have been a part of those processes. When developing an action research plan of my own, though, I have found the process to be somewhat tedious. To begin with, as an administrative intern, I will be given the task of selling my ideas to my colleagues. As I have learned in my first two Master’s courses, there are often times people who are not interested in promoting change; they prefer to stay with the status quo. Therefore, when attempting to develop my plan, I will need to be intentional in practicing patience with others and allowing them to take ownership in the process. I have also learned that it is difficult to gauge how much time one will need in order to be successful. Like planning lessons for a classroom, it is sometimes impossible to know how long a task will take or how effective it will be when implemented in an assigned period of time. Therefore, it is also important to be flexible with the inquiry and open to changes that may need to take place.

Most of the assignments for this course revolved around the development of the action research plan. In the midst of completing the work, I sometimes felt that it was redundant; I felt like I was repeating myself over and over again. This applied to the weekly assignments, the discussion boards and the blogs. However, in hindsight, I now realize that the process was crucial to the development of my action research plan. When responding to the discussion boards, for example, I was able to “stretch” my mindset of what needed to be taking place in my inquiry. In a way, I was forced to find additional insight that I originally did not know existed. While the process was frustrating at times, it did allow me to develop a finished product that is much better now than it was five weeks ago. The blogs worked in the same in the fact that they allowed me to gain insight from others and determine what alterations needed to be made to my plan. Though I originally thought that my plan was stable, my peers’ feedback did open my eyes to the complexities of my inquiry and ability to achieve my goals in my designated amount of time. Initially, when I read the comments posted on my blog, I was discouraged. All five comments focused on concern regarding the feasibility of my plan; it is monstrous. However, after reviewing the comments that were left, I realized that I was overexerting myself and my probability for being successful. Therefore, I met with my site supervisor and decided to make some adjustments to the plan. I am now left with a stronger and more feasible action research plan; and, the blog played a major role in allowing that to happen. In regards to the weekly assignments, I feel that they definitely supported the “work in progress” concept. Each week’s assignment allowed me to develop my understanding of action research and apply that knowledge to my own action research plan. Throughout the five weeks, I was able to “grow” my plan into something that will hopefully bring about positive change on my campus. Without the assigned processes, I would be implementing an action research plan that lacked feasibility. Fortunately, because of the coursework, I am not in that position.

Overall, I enjoyed this class and what it had to offer. I valued the comments that were left for me on my assignments; and, I enjoyed the professor and the feedback she was able to offer during the web conferences. I felt like I was supported in my endeavors and that I was not left to figure things out on my own. Being that this is an online course, I applaud any efforts that lead me to that realization.

I look forward to getting started with my action research plan. Though I know there will be bumps in the road, I am confident that I can make progress in the development of my inquiry. And, I have this class to thank for that.