EDLD 5301--Action Research in Educational Settings

We often say in education that we are lifelong learners. While that may mean that we learn new things and gain more knowledge and skills about our subjects or new technologies and strategies used in the classroom, I believe this also refers to examining what we do as educators and what results we receive. I once heard a statement that I thought to be so very true for teachers; if you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting the same results. This week’s readings and focus have been on conducting action research in an educational setting. In order to help students be successful, we need to reflect on our practices. Action research takes an initial situation or dilemma and seeks to find workable solutions. Once a situation is realized, i.e., “Why can’t my students turn math word problems into computations”, then strategies or actions are considered and implemented. Afterwards, we review the results. Did the action produce any new results? I can think of a couple of instances in my classroom where I say students struggling to read and basically pretending to read their books. They depended on class discussions to give them insight as to what was really going on in the book. I identified the problem, searched for possible strategies for solutions and put those strategies into action later evaluating the results. For one particular student, we realized that audio books produced amazing results. The student developed a love for reading and began to work diligently at gaining the skills he needed. I think I didn’t even realize it then, but it seems to me that I was conduction action research. Often I am guilty of wanting to do the same thing, teach the same way, and present the information the same with each student or class. However, when I take time to reflect on my lessons or on problems students are having, I realize that they lack the skills to empower themselves. It’s my responsibility to help them find what works. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting the same results.