Action Research

While reading about action research, I learned many valuable ideas to use to help make a school environment successful.  Through collaborative groups, professional learning communities, university coursework, and superintendent/district meetings, administrators are encompassing all available learning environments to help their schools become successful and develop an always learning environment. 

One of the ideas is the forming of a collaborative group to help in building a culture of collaboration coupled with educational reform, accountability, and improved standards that require visionary and strategic planning.  Not only does it involve the principal but it also encompasses the school community.  The group meets to share problems, responsibilities and decision making.  With this collaboration comes a sense of not being alone when trying to deal with problems and in making the right decision.  Together, the team can continually learn together and in turn encourage others to learn. 

A professional learning community consists of six to twelve professionals that meet on regular bases to learn from structured dialogue and are always engaged in a never ending learning cycle.  It involves the articulation, wondering and collection of data to make improvements in practice based on what is learned and shared between professionals during these meetings.  These meetings also serve as support for each other in school and leadership practices. 

Through university coursework, students begin to bond with each other over experiences.  They also can lean on each other, learn from each other, and help each other through each aspect of the inquiry process. 

There are many ways that I can use action research in my school.  By forming these different groups in my school, I am working collaboratively with others to gain insights into the inner workings of what is going on in the school.  Through this collaboration, we can form solutions to issues that are problematic and find ways to make an open and successful learning environment.  
University course work helps with keeping current in professional development.  It also encourages the bonding of others outside of the school that are experiencing the same type of processes needed to be successful.  Developing relationships with others that are going through  similar experiences enables you to lean on and learn from each other also. 

Educational leaders could use blogs as a form of communication with the school community.  It would be a positive and "safe" place for everyone to voice and share their opinions and ideas without feeling on the spot or pressure to participate until they are ready.  It would also give the school community a place to share positive information about each other.  This could be the springboard to building a positive and encouraging environment.