I believe that I have learned much about action research including its purpose, process and value. Completing action research projects can lead to further inquiries and that leads to better schools. Understanding the problems helps facilitate the solutions and action research helps us understand both!
I am looking forward to my action research project, and hope that I can put the things I have read about into real practice to improve my campus and district.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Suggestion Box
I welcome any and all constructive criticism, ideas, suggestions or questions. Please let me know if you are unable to leave comments through the in-class discussion board for all Lamar U students enrolled in ED5301-Research.
Thank you for your valued input!
Thank you for your valued input!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Action Research Overview
ACTION RESEARCH PRJOECT
Process Overview
Stakeholder Perception of the Value of Agriculture Education Programs
- Setting the Foundation-During the Texas Agricultural Science Leadership Institute the perception of AgEd programs was discussed at length. This brought the idea that perceived value could influence reality to the forefront of my thought. In talking to Mr. Richard Katts, the CTE Director for the Nebraska Department of Education, and other guest speakers I learned that it is important to understand the perception of the AgEd program in order to garner support. Therefore, I am resolved to conduct a thorough action research project on the perceived value of the AgEd program within my school district. The ultimate goal to be implementing a plan of improvement to increase the perceived value and match that with a realized success. Eventually I would like to recreate this project on the statewide level for all agriculture education programs in Texas. This aspect of the project has been completed.
- Analyzing the Data-I will use surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to gather data from the following groups of people: students, teachers, administrators, counselors, business leaders and community members, and government officials. I will also use literature available from the Nebraska DOE perception study. In addition to this I will analyze the enrollment and participation of students in the AgEd programs in the school district. The results of this data will likely prove that the perceived value of those outside the AgEd experience is lower than those directly involved in agriculture education. Data will be gathered from 08/15 through 10/15/11. All eight AgEd teachers, including myself, will conduct the questionnaires with our respective campuses.
- Developing Deeper Understanding-Using the data collected in step 2 I will conduct additional interviews, possibly in the form of Focus Groups and add more documented information such as previously published perception studies. I will likely have more questions and perhaps a couple of clues into AgEd perceived values. This portion of the project is likely to be completed during late October, 2011.
- Engage in Self-Reflection-Once perceptions are documented and understood I will probably have the following questions:
*Do I have the contacts required to conduct more in-depth analysis of the results to this point?
*If I discover that an improvement plan will help the perceived value of the AgEd program do I have the skills to develop and implement an effective plan?
*If I don’t have the skills required can I acquire them?
The timeline for conducting this section of the project should be early November, 2011.
5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns-I will discuss the results with Mr. Richard Katts (Nebraska DOE CTE Director) and Mr. Gerald Young (Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas) and with Mrs. Hunt (school district CTE Director). With their assistance I hope to develop a plan for improvement that will increase the perceived value and therefore support of the AgEd program. I expect to complete this step in the months of November and December.
6. Determining Direction-I will answer the following questions:
*Am I clear on the purpose of my project?
*Have I adequately addressed the resources and skills questions?
*Have I established a collaborative approach to the issue?
*Are the timelines realistic?
*Do I have a reasonable plan for monitoring the project?
*How will I evaluate the success of the project?
*How will I revise the plan based on monitoring and evaluation?
Through an honest response to each question I will be able to identify areas in need of improvement. This step should be completed by the end of December 2012.
7. Taking Action for School Improvement-I will establish a committee of other AgEd teachers in the district to help implement an agreed upon plan for improvement. Working together we’ll institute the plan, summarize the results and and evaluate the success of the plan. I hope that the improvement plan can be implemented in the spring semester of 2012.
8. Sustain Improvement-I will share the results with the other AgEd teachers in the district and also with the Executive Director of the VATAT; which helps promote AgEd in the state of Texas. The aspects of the improvement plan that are successful we will encourage other AgEd programs to implement. With continued use of this plan the perceived value of our district’s AgEd program should increase which will garner more support both from the school district and the community. This aspect of the project should be ongoing.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Ready, Set, Action Research!
This week I learned that action research has many applications to educators. I also learned that it is important to start at the beginning and work through the project with purpose and focus. Developing a functional inquiry is the all-important first step, but understanding that this inquiry will likely evolve during the project is just as important. Once a suitable "wondering" has been established conducting a literature review can be helpful so that you don't "reinvent the wheel" as we have all so often heard. It is possible that someone somewhere has wondered the same thing and already conducted valuable research and practice that you can use to further your own project. Conducting the project is also just one step, as it will only have real value and meaning if the results are analyzed and shared with others.
So, to summarize here are the things I learned:
1. Action research is valuable to educators for improving learning and professional growth.
2. Action research projects should be flexible enough to change or evolve but focused enough to remain measurable and doable.
3. Use what is available to aid in the project, don't do more work than is necessary.
4. Reflect, reflect, reflect.
5. Share, share, share.
So, to summarize here are the things I learned:
1. Action research is valuable to educators for improving learning and professional growth.
2. Action research projects should be flexible enough to change or evolve but focused enough to remain measurable and doable.
3. Use what is available to aid in the project, don't do more work than is necessary.
4. Reflect, reflect, reflect.
5. Share, share, share.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Educated Blog: How Educational Leaders Can Use Technology
This is now officially my second blog post! Funny, I never imagined I would use this technology because to be perfectly honest I never saw the value of it. My thoughts, publicized for the "world" to see....why?! What could I possibly have to say that would be of any interest or importance? But, I'm learning that we all have something to share, and I do have a passion that might ignite someone else's fire to learn and grow, so here I am-typing thoughts and earning a grade at the same time. :)
Of course, since this is my second blog post it is quite obvious that I am no expert on blogging, but I do think it has some value to educational leaders. How many times have you read something related to educational reform, school improvement, professional development or curriculum training and thought it was something more people should know about? Blogs are a great way to share your newly acquired knowledge with everyone. Not only could you help other professional educators but you'll also improve your understanding of the topic, now that's a win, win!
So, here's how I see educational leaders using blogs:
1. sharing literature reviews
2. posing questions
3. collaborating with other educators
4. solidifying understanding
Of course, since this is my second blog post it is quite obvious that I am no expert on blogging, but I do think it has some value to educational leaders. How many times have you read something related to educational reform, school improvement, professional development or curriculum training and thought it was something more people should know about? Blogs are a great way to share your newly acquired knowledge with everyone. Not only could you help other professional educators but you'll also improve your understanding of the topic, now that's a win, win!
So, here's how I see educational leaders using blogs:
1. sharing literature reviews
2. posing questions
3. collaborating with other educators
4. solidifying understanding
What is Action Research? My View
I can honestly say until this course began I had never heard the phrase "action research." As I started reading about this type of professional/personal development I started with resistant and then eventually moved to accepting of this idea. Here is what I've learned about action research.
Inquiry is something we all do, some of us do this every day by asking questions about ourselves, our performance, our results, our relationships and more. But, often it stops with the question or "wondering" as it is sometimes called. As our students might say, that's an "epic fail." Instead of just posing a question about our work we should move forward, forming a focused question then reviewing literature that pertains to our question along with analyzing readily available data. Reviewing the literature helps us avoid duplication of effort, or reinvent the wheel so to speak. Often there is existing data and information that can help us with the research and save time in the process. Along with a literature review and data compilation it is likely that subquestions or an even more focused question could arise. Once these steps are accomplished a plan can be formulated and put into action. This plan needs to be related to the data and literature, aligned with the question and measurable. As we progress through the plan evaluation and refinement will be necessary. This might lead to more literature review and data collection, which in turn may result in a more specific question. This cyclic process is where the improvement begins to occur, and as changes are implemented and improvements noted these should be shared with colleagues. Sharing the results in the final step in action research and just as we tell our students that teaching is the ultimate sign of learning, sharing solidifies our learning and may be beneficial to our fellow educators. Action research is a vital method of development for educators because it is personalized, relevant and meaningful.
I plan to use this new knowledge of action research to improve our district's agriculture education program. In the future I know that I will also be able to self-evaluate my performance and my school's performance which will lead to increased student learning and community support.
Inquiry is something we all do, some of us do this every day by asking questions about ourselves, our performance, our results, our relationships and more. But, often it stops with the question or "wondering" as it is sometimes called. As our students might say, that's an "epic fail." Instead of just posing a question about our work we should move forward, forming a focused question then reviewing literature that pertains to our question along with analyzing readily available data. Reviewing the literature helps us avoid duplication of effort, or reinvent the wheel so to speak. Often there is existing data and information that can help us with the research and save time in the process. Along with a literature review and data compilation it is likely that subquestions or an even more focused question could arise. Once these steps are accomplished a plan can be formulated and put into action. This plan needs to be related to the data and literature, aligned with the question and measurable. As we progress through the plan evaluation and refinement will be necessary. This might lead to more literature review and data collection, which in turn may result in a more specific question. This cyclic process is where the improvement begins to occur, and as changes are implemented and improvements noted these should be shared with colleagues. Sharing the results in the final step in action research and just as we tell our students that teaching is the ultimate sign of learning, sharing solidifies our learning and may be beneficial to our fellow educators. Action research is a vital method of development for educators because it is personalized, relevant and meaningful.
I plan to use this new knowledge of action research to improve our district's agriculture education program. In the future I know that I will also be able to self-evaluate my performance and my school's performance which will lead to increased student learning and community support.
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