Week 3 Action Research Revisions

TOOL 7.1 Action Planning Template

GOAL: How can we effectively utilize GLC’s (Global Learning Communities) to provide on campus training, support, collaboration, and communication of best practices, teaching, and strategies?

Action Step(s)/Activities	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation	Revisions to plan
1.Introduce action plan to staff during faculty meeting during professional development days before the start of 2010-11 school year.	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	August 17 10-12pm High School Campus	$200 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation	Feedback questionnaire collected from staff, action research blog introduced and comments encouraged
2.Provide staff a guideline of teaching strategies and preferred methods of assessing GLC’s and monitoring student progress	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	August 19 8-10 am High School Campus	$150 for breakfast, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation, GLC binder with handouts of best practices	Feedback questionnaire collected from staff, action research blog comments	Might need to consider providing more extensive training over various websites that would also benefit increased globalization such as www.comindworks.com, www.ning.com, and www.flatclassroomproject.com
3.Introduce students to GPS and the concept of GLC’s	Individual classroom teachers	August 26 Advisory period	Classrooms, laptops, LCD projectors, student handouts	Online Graduate Portfolio systems, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.	Might need to provide an outline or powerpoint for all teachers presenting so that the entire school is on the same page.
4.Monthly staff meetings to assess, discuss, and interpret data and student GPS progress	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	2nd Wednesday of each month in their professional learning communities or in staff meetings from September to April (more dates added if needed), individual appointments encouraged	$200 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation	Online Graduate Portfolio systems, attendance rates, referrals, test scores, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.
5.End of year summative report presented to staff, Asia Society representatives, ISSN coaches, and school community members	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself, participating teachers	June 2010, end of school	$300 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation, CARE model handout, present summative report and set goals for next school year	CARE model handout, Online Graduate Portfolio Systems, attendance rates, referrals, test scores, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.

Harris, Sandra, Stacy Edmonson, and Julie Combs. Examining What we Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2010.



PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST CHANGES!

Week 3

Hello all,

I have made it to week 4! This past week was a difficult be rewarding assignment. I struggled with settling on an action research idea due to the fact that I am unaware of the needs of my new campus. I decided to go with a question my principal asked at a recent conference we had with the Asia Society in Washington, D.C. He asked, "How can we create a globalized learning evironment? I want our kids to think in a globalized way so that it is like drinking water or second nature." So, my action research idea was born. Please see my plan in the previous post and help me make changes! Thanks.

GLC Action Research Idea....suggestions welcome!

TOOL 7.1 Action Planning Template

GOAL: How can we effectively utilize GLC’s (Global Learning Communities) to provide on campus training, support, collaboration, and communication of best practices, teaching, and strategies?

Action Step(s)/Activities	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.Introduce action plan to staff during faculty meeting during professional development days before the start of 2010-11 school year.	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	August 17 10-12pm High School Campus	$200 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation	Feedback questionnaire collected from staff, action research blog introduced and comments encouraged
2.Provide staff a guideline of teaching strategies and preferred methods of assessing GLC’s and monitoring student progress	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	August 19 8-10 am High School Campus	$150 for breakfast, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation, GLC binder with handouts of best practices	Feedback questionnaire collected from staff, action research blog comments
3.Introduce students to GPS and the concept of GLC’s	Individual classroom teachers	August 26 Advisory period	Classrooms, laptops, LCD projectors, student handouts	Online Graduate Portfolio systems, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.
4.Monthly staff meetings to assess, discuss, and interpret data and student GPS progress	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself	2nd Wednesday of each month in their professional learning communities or in staff meetings from September to April (more dates added if needed), individual appointments encouraged	$200 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation	Online Graduate Portfolio systems, attendance rates, referrals, test scores, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.
5.End of year summative report presented to staff, Asia Society representatives, ISSN coaches, and school community members	Principal, Dean of Curriculum, myself, participating teachers	June 2010, end of school	$300 for lunch, laptop, LCD projector, PowerPoint presentation, CARE model handout, present summative report and set goals for next school year	CARE model handout, Online Graduate Portfolio Systems, attendance rates, referrals, test scores, teacher and student feedback on action research blog.

Harris, Sandra, Stacy Edmonson, and Julie Combs. Examining What we Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2010.

Week 2 entry

This assignment was long, but interesting. Throughout the assignment I was able to create new and interesting action research questions. I have decided that I will attempt the following question, but I am not certain. I am concerned that I do not know enough about my new campus to make an educated decision.

How can we effectively utilize GLC’s (Global Learning Communities) to provide on campus training, support, collaboration, and communication of best practices, teaching, and strategies?

valuable link

http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+school+bloggers

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Using a blog can help educational leaders share and discuss ideas and issues that they encounter and might need peers to share their thoughts with. With a section for comments, other school leaders are able to collaborate and support each other in an open forum. Creating a blog or a journal can allow valuable time for self-reflection as well as open collaboration.

Description of what I have learned about action research

Administrative inquiry or action research is an incredible tool for principals, administrators and other school leaders which allow them to collect and analyze data that can help him or hear identify areas of their leadership that might need change. This type of inquiry or research empowers the school leader by ensuring that they remain a lifelong learner throughout their careers or lifetime. Administrator inquiry allows school leaders to “take charge of their own professional development, and become the head learner of their school” (Dana, 2009). School leaders should conduct action research to allow some time for self reflection on how effective their leadership is on their campus or district. Administrative research also provides current and updated information for professional development planning. Administrative inquiry is modeled on teacher inquiry which has been proven to be highly effective.

Action research is different from traditional research in that administrative inquiry targets issues or concerns with a real school/district issue within the actual school community, as opposed to school leaders trying to implement the findings of an outside research project into the school or district. Traditional educational research methods conducted by higher level institutions are often detached and foreign when implemented inside a traditional school setting. Although traditional educational research is a valuable tool for connecting ideas between theory and practice, it allows very little, if any, room for those practices or people being studied to actually be involved in the research taking place.

Administrative inquiry allows school leaders to interact and collaborate with colleagues and teachers in a positive manner in order to reach a common goal for the good of the entire school community. Setting the foundation, analyzing data, developing a deeper understanding, engaging in self reflection, exploring patterns, determining direction, taking action and sustaining improvement are the necessary steps that should be taken by the action researcher in order to be successful with their inquiry (Harris, 2010). The action research conducted by an administrator is a great way to model for the school community and can lead to improved school leadership techniques that allow the school community to achieve the vision of the district.

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