Blogs for Educational Leaders
Blogs are a new way of life. Blogs are used for leisure, research, and a great tool for educators. Educators can use blogs for many purposes. I can use a blog for my Specialized Behavior Classrooms that I support. We can use this as a tool as a way to post social skills lessons plans that all teachers can access. As educators we can use this opportunity to share research, experience, and knowledge in the classroom. The possibilities are endless for the use of blogs in education and life.
Action Research Overview
As I began the readings for this week on action research, I felt inspired by the process. The reading and the philosophy of action research goes right along with my style of leadership. I use some forms of action research currently in my position. I like to do surveys to see the needs of the district for professional development trainings and also look at research based strategies and curriculum that can help the district move forward. The great thing that I took away from the readings is that action research has several other steps that I am not using, that will really help lead me forward in my work.
Action research is the practice of using engaged systematic studies of the current practice and determining through research and inquiry what action is going to be taken to move forward. Action research is collaborative and utilizes that current staff in the building or district. This group of people will get together to seek out change by posing questions, collecting data, and analyzing the data. Based on their findings, this group will research the literature and best practices to determine the best methods that meet the needs of their staff and student population. The process of inquiry will come next where the group will share their ideas and thoughts with the others to come up with a solution for change. Actions research is powerful tool for moving the teachers forward also because they have a “buy in” for change and why the change is necessary and positive. One of the hardest things for administrators is to gain time for inquiry. The heftiness of the job and the constant crisis’ that pop up on a daily basis can definitely get in the way of setting aside time for inquiry. As I look at inquiry time, it reminds me of life in general. If we don’t take the time to take care of ourselves and do the things that are important to us several things can happen. We can become rundown and ineffective, or we can miss out on the important things in life that we may regret later. For me, using this thought process will help me to be an administrator that sets aside time of inquiry and using action research as a way of life.
References:
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps From Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.
References:
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps From Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.
