Action Research

Using Action Research I was challenged to become the researcher in my own classroom environment. With help from my cohort members, course instructors who were experienced in conducting their own action research, and The Power of Questions (Falk, Blumenreich) I walked through the process of developing a meaningful question to my science classroom, collecting and organize data, and then drawing conclusions from the quantitative and qualitative data collected. All in the effort to change and take action for the better of the students I serve.

With correct steps, action research is extremely effective and useful for teachers to reflect on what they wish they could change about any number of things in and around their classroom. Major ah ha's I took from the process:

• qualitative paints a picture of how the environment is changing around your action research question and is more beneficial than quantitative data in this process.

• Large quantities of brain learning research is located on the internet. My big ah ha is that a lot of it is done by teachers like me, through the development of a tailored, specific question in action research.

• Students can be partners in this process. Especially in my field of science I think it is valuable that students can be let in on the process to know that research is important and can make a difference in many different areas, not just the traditional "science" fields and areas of study.

Ah ha's that I can take into my classroom:

• teachers who do action research are modeling for students to do.

• without a plan for your inquiry, other classroom and teacher responsibilities quickly disable your ability to follow through with your research.

• Collecting data - this process includes both quantitative and qualitative. Both are important, but organizing them over time will make most sense to you at the end. A binder will keep these together and organized.

Strategies that I now use because of MBLI:

• with Action Research I was able to identify that I wanted the student groups developed in class to have more engagement by developing open-ended, cooperative learning tasks for student participation.

• conclusions around my question involve:

• routine encourages engagement.

• students with a sense of ownership in class make more confident decisions.

• teaching the process of learning in a group should not be assumed, but constantly taught as a skill for students to use in all areas of their life.

Where did this information come from?