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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Final Action Research Plan
After lots of thought and many discussions with others on campus, I finally came up with my final Action Research Plan. I will set up a
mentor program where staff members are assigned one student to be paired up
with. We will have five big meetings throughout the year. (Back to school,
Halloween, Winter, Valentines, and End of year celebration) At these meetings,
mentors and students will do a craft or activity, enjoy a snack, and catch up.
Mentors will also be expected to check in on their mentees once every week. This
can be done through a note, stopping by at their lunch break, or making a quick
stop by their classroom to see how their day is going. I will rely greatly on
teacher recommendations for students who are in need of this program. I will ask
teachers, the counselor, and other people on the leadership team to nominate
students who they feel would benefit from the program. Students with low self
esteem will benefit the most with a mentor. I will create a questionnaire in the
beginning of the year for students to evaluate how they view themselves in
school. They will also answer the same questions at the end of the year. I will
use these results to see if their self esteem and views of themselves increase
throughout the school year.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Deciding on an Action Research Topic
This week I
discussed a few topics with my mentor.
1. “In what ways can I bring together teachers from all grade levels to collaborate, diversify, and share new ideas?”
It is so important that a school have a strong
community of teachers and staff. Being at a school where everyone is not
working together or on the same page can really make going to work hard on
everyone. By finding ways to bring people from all over the school together to
work for a common goal, administrators are in turn creating a stronger
community. This infectious culture will be passed on through the kids and the
parent involved and can make a positive change for everyone involved.
2. “What can I do to keep outstanding students on track?”
So many times our attention
as teachers is drawn to the students who are struggling academically or
behaviorally. Some of the greatest students in our class are often looked over
because we are spending our time dealing with a behavior problem. Creating a
program aimed to support and praise exceptional students could really benefit
students that are making great choices.
3. “Will a mentor program help struggling students become more
successful in school?”
Many students have
very rough home lives with no support for them academically. I believe that
starting a mentor program will help these struggling students become more confident
and become more successful in the classroom.
My mentor and I both thought
that starting a mentor program to see if the relationships built would help
students become more successful was the perfect thing for our campus. We have
plenty of students with very low confidence and very little support at home. We
believe that having someone here on campus support and push for them will make
them more successful.
My
Final Topic for action research
“Will a mentor program help struggling students become more
successful in school?”
I will be starting a program in the school where teachers and
other staff members are assigned a student who is struggling. I will see if
this student becomes more successful with the push and positive reinforcement
from their mentor.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Why educational leaders should use blogs
Blogs can be used as
a way for people to express themselves and share their ideas with others.
Leaders, such as administrators and teachers, can uses blogs as a way of
communication. They are able to communicate with parents, teachers, and staff
on issues that arise in any area. By keeping others informed, they are able to
stick to a schedule and be held accountable for the goals they set. Bloggers
are also able to reflect on past experiences by looking back at old posts. This
is a way for them to learn from mistakes in the past, or remember changes that
worked to benefit others that they had done before. Also, by regularly blogging
they are able to get lots of followers. The feedback from other professionals
in the blogging community is a great tool in using corrective criticism and making
changes you may have not thought about. Getting prospective from other bloggers
can open your eyes to new ideas and actions you may not have otherwise thought
about.
A first look into Action Research
Administrative inquiry, action
research, is constantly striving to find new ways to better your and in turn
find ways to benefit the school, staff, and students. Inquiors are always
looking for ways to improve by making a change. This can be done by reflecting
on experiences and finding ways to change what they feel is not the best
practice. Not only should you learn and reflect on your own actions, but also
from professional development such as study groups, professional literature,
and data collection. Continuing your studying is a great way to see others
prospective and help yourself grow. You are able to take ideas and actions from
others to help you grow in different areas.
One of the hardest thing is for
an administrator to find time for action research. Scheduling time, like
finding time to go for a run, is key in making sure you are actively trying to
make the right change. Some examples of action research that administrators
could do are, Joining a university course, participating in superintendent and
district meetings and being actively involved in leadership teams.
The benefit of conducting action research is you are constantly
expanding your knowledge and finding ways to help create a positive change in
yourself and the community you are working in. You are able to evaluate
yourself and focus on the best ways to benefit your staff and students. Change
will happen with action research because administrator have a better understand
of how to set and achieve their goals and objectives.
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