Action Research - How can it be used?

The purpose of action research is to become a better teacher by improving methods of instruction so the students can be more successful in class. The process begins with a question about the lesson and how it can increase student achievement. By collecting and analyzing data, problem areas for students will become apparent. Researching about one of the problems, a teacher can then create a plan for solving the problem and implement it. The final step in the process is evaluating the results and sharing the information with others. A principal or educational leader, to solve a problem on a campus or in the district, can apply this same process (Dana, N. F., 2010, p. 2-4).

There are several areas on my campus I can visualize using action research as a technology facilitator/leader. Our campus is technology rich and yet the teachers are not taking advantage of it with their students. Though we do have teachers that use the technology make presentations to the students or with the students for basic productivity (research and word processing), very few have integrated technology fully into their curriculum. As part of my internship, I am looking at activities that encourage teachers to embed technology into their lessons. 

One idea for action research is to monitor the students’ achievement when interactive white boards (IWB) are integrated into the teaching in a way that the students are interacting with the information being taught. Another area of inquiry would be the use of Web 2.0 within the instruction. In using these tools, will student be more engaged and increased scores than those using paper and pencil activities. One final area to explore using action research is implementing “Partnering” a form of problem-based learning described in Marc Prensky’s book, Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning “ (2010), within a math or science classroom. As with the other inquiries, increased student achievement would be the expected outcome.

 

These are just a few of the ideas I have been considering for my action research. As we go through the course and learn more about the process, I hope to narrow it down to one to begin my research.

Dana, N. F. (2010). Leading with passion and knowledge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, A SAGE Company.

Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, A SAGE Company.