Week 5 Reflection!!!

The last five weeks have given me an opportunity to learn about the terms “inquiry” and “action research”. In Leading with Passion and Knowledge, Dana sums up this concept best by stating, “Inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions or ‘wonderings,’ collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others” (Dana, 2009, pg. 2-3).  I was better able to gain a perspective of this learning process through multiple outlets such as lectures, readings, internet, assignments, discussion boards, and blogs. Each avenue was valuable in its own way.   Lectures by Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Arterbury gave a brief overview of what to expect for the week. The lectures also provided helpful tips and reminders to be successful in this course as well as with our action research project. I also took advantage of the video transcripts by reading them after the presentation to ensure I had a grasp of the concept for the week.   The Dana text and Harris text had great information. It was well organized and clearly stated. I feel the Dana text served to be very useful towards completing my action research template and helping me narrow down a research topic. Not only did it provide multiple case studies, but it also gave the results of each one. Also, it had multiple useful tools, ideas, and recommendation for getting my action research project started and sustaining progress throughout the duration of the assignment. One of the better quotes that I took away from the Dana text states, “Clarifying, pushing, and extending thinking helps lead to informed, positive change in traditional school practices—the critical action part of the action research and the reason you began this whole inquiry journey in the first place!” (Dana, 2009, pg. 136). This sentence sticks out to me, because as an action researcher one must continually be thinking “outside the box” in order to make a motion towards educational reform.     The last opportunity to learn involved the assignments/activities, discussion board, and blogs. Next to the book, I was able to use my blog to communicate and get feedback from my classmates. I have to admit that I have never used a blog before. However, after this class, I plan on sharing it with faculty at school. My hope is that it will serve as a learning tool for the students. It will give them the ability to respond to a teachers question and respond towards their peers. All the discussion board postings seemed to be similar. However, each one was a little different. In addition to my blog, this was useful in getting feedback from my peers. This also gave me an opportunity to identify my target group and recognize any challenges that may occur along the way.   Overall, the information presented in this course was very informative. I plan on using many of these techniques and recommendations toward my project. I also feel that the information presented will help me with my personal learning community as I inform them of my project. I know that I will have to incorporate my time management skills when school starts back in the next few weeks.   Citation: Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.