As I finalize my action research
plans, I worry: will I have the time—am I
even willing to make it? Have I thought
about all the ways to gather data? Do I
even know how to put the data into a readable format that will help me and the
advisory board draw conclusions? My
topic, increasing academy retention, is of high value to me, so I think I will
find the time. But will it even
matter? Will it help me change things to
make it better? From what I am reading,
I have to say yes, but we have only read success stories—what about those that didn’t
succeed? What did they do wrong? I want to know what not to do as well as what
to do. This week I have learned that
action research is widely practiced and valued in education. I had heard about it before but had never
given it much thought or reflected on its benefits. I hope, as do the objectives of this course,
that I become an effective action researcher and can make it part of my daily
practices so that I can continually better my practices. (By the way...I don't like blogging even though I realize its benefits...I feel like someone is reading my diary so it does not come naturally to me—hopefully this course will help with that as well.)
"Do I even know how to put the data into a readable format that will help me and the advisory board draw conclusions?"
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a concern that I, too, have. It seems we (teachers and administrators) are so bombarded with data now, the biggest difficulty I am having is disaggregating, disseminating, and putting it to use in a way that benefits my students.