How far do we drill, Mr. Fibonacci?

As I become more familiar with the process of action research and all that it entails, details and avenues suddenly appear where none existed just moments before. The key seems to be the reflection process and what comes from that. As I dig into the concept of the proposal, new ideas spring forward and cause additional pondering. Maybe, just maybe, there is no bottom. Think about that. The possibilities keep on coming with no end in sight.

With these opportunities come new territory and fresh air. We have a chance to make a positive change in someone's ability to learn. How cool is that? We get out of the rut, dust ourselves off, and make that change. Our level of drive and desire to make the transition a reality is essential for this process to have any degree of effectiveness. Consistency and diligence are the motor that power our exploration and, to the end, reflection.

Drill, baby, drill.

Let me count the ways

The power of web based information continues to skyrocket. Much like Independence Day fireworks, our opportunities to communicate is exploding in all directions. Blogs are but one streamer with rays of light flowing to many destinations. As an administrator, it is incumbent upon us to optimize this process in order to create an improved learning environment. 

These channels could include your weekly thoughts and comments newsletter that can be embedded or linked on the school website. This is a commonly used and effective practice to stay in touch with the community. There may be an issue of concern that is in need of clarification. A blog can aid greatly in getting the message to the masses.

Blogs can be useful when you have the need for self-reflection and personal improvement. They can be used much like a journal, simply for the purpose of collecting and organizing your thoughts. It is important that you maintain a level of confidentiality and security in regards to access should there be any information that could be deemed sensitive. 

The ability and opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with other professionals is one that can’t be understated. I greatly lean on the garnered experiences of my colleagues in order to improve my job performance.

Action Research, what's it all about?

Traditional

            The mere presence of the word "research" many times conjures thoughts and notions of prior tasks embraced much in the same manner as a crossing of the Sahara. Too many times our research delivered nothing more than a regurgitation of facts, figures, and a bar graph or two. There was what was referred to as a solution, albeit nicely camouflaged somewhere just this side of the annotations. This solution was designed and manufactured by an incredibly well qualified professional whose calling in life was to find resolutions that would cure what ailed you. No matter how the proximity of similar facts fell. Did it matter that there was little or no commonality with many or most of the issues, key or otherwise? Traditional research tells us no, it really doesn’t matter, take two pills and don’t call us in the morning. The theoretical world of the ivory towers has spoken. 

Action research provides a completely different perspective and opportunity to resolve the problem in a much more effective, long term manner and delivers additional benefits that the traditional methods simply cannot.  The principal’s inquiry begins the process of personal involvement with the community directly impacted by the issue by gathering data and interpretation of that data. These same people become collaborators and find themselves seeking remedies and learning more about the problem itself. This community finds itself committing to the solution based simply on the gained knowledge and the entailing learning process. Some of the additional benefits include strengthening relationships with your peers, discovering other opportunities for action research, and the exposure of the process to others.  No matter the solution or how effective it may be, the single most important aspect is reflection. Without reflection, your solution could very well be a band aid on a broken bone. Reflection inherently provides the opportunity for adjustments and whatever tweaks found to be necessary. Reflection also produces monitoring for the long term. The world of education will forever be evolving, so must be our solutions as well.