Reflection
Action Research, an exciting, engaging, and empowering way to collect informative data about your own classroom and turn it into student feedback, growth, and long-term gains, is an incredibly important and valuable tool to have as a teacher. Understanding the process of research based planning, student data as feedback, systematic and real-time altering of instruction, and critical examination and reflection will enable me to be a much higher quality teacher in the future.
As I now reflect upon this action research investigation, several thought-provoking themes emerged. They are:
As I now reflect upon this action research investigation, several thought-provoking themes emerged. They are:
Reflection is Constant
In many teacher preparation classes, professors will require student to keep logs, often suggesting that they pause at the end of the day, before their drive home, and jot down some notes. Great teachers reflect constantly, as this is a part of monitoring instruction effectively, not just at the end of the day. That being said, great teachers must also be flexible and humble enough to change their instruction the moment their reflection tells them they are no longer guiding students on the most effective path towards learning, which brings me to my next point.
Flexibility is Key
In your own classroom, with your own carefully laid out plans and the best intentions, it is easy to get caught up in the frustration of “but this was supposed to work!” and lose sight of your true goal – student learning. Many teachers are flexible in changing instruction, but changing instruction by the second and adapting in real time is something that I have seen many teachers, including myself struggle with. Especially with the well-researched and planned nature of Action Research, it took swallowing a hefty dose of pride to turn my theory of writing planning upside down and alter it until it clicked with the students. It was all more than worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but it is well worth going into my next project with several sets of plans – and the expectations of going in an entirely different direction all together.
Data Collection Shows More than Memory Alone
Having students’ writing pieces from each week, and being able to physically walk through their progression was empowering, and pointed out things I didn’t observe the first or even second time around. This is where I think portfolio assessments and writing journals would have greatly improved data collection. A pile of paperwork all over my floor showed me this wondrous growth – but not my students. Having students keep a writing portfolio and journal is definitely something I will invest in when I have my own classroom next year.
Closing Remarks
In closing, I would strongly advise any teacher reading this to cultivate their own understanding of action research and begin introducing projects into their classroom. Driving educational practices towards research, data, and proven results can benefit us greatly as reflective, adaptive educators, and our students even more, as they grow and learn from the best practices for them in their current realities. I would like to thank Bobbi Hansen at the University of San Diego for first introducing me to how to implement this in my own classroom, and empowering me to be a driver of educational growth and change across the globe.