Week 2 of Action Research Class

My most important take-away from my readings and lectures/interviews I read and watched this week was to make sure that when you are performing/implementing an action research inquiry you should make sure that it is currently relevant to your campus and your students and faculty.

Action Research/Inquiry Reflection

Okay, so my first glance into action research or inquiry made me tremble a little, I thought I was going to be doing a huge research project and having to write some horrible paper over it. I felt like my students do when I pull out the good 'ole research paper. Ugh. But I persevered and stuck with the reading and the lecture only to come out the other end a little surprised. Action research/inquiry makes perfect sense to me, in fact it makes so much sense that I have already been doing it in my own classroom. Essentially it just wants you to stop, breath and take a look around you. Once you've done that, then you need to look inside you and question whether or not you are doing what you set out to do. Keeping your goal in mind should always be at the fore front but we are human so there are times when we falter. So you've taken a look at yourself and realized no I'm not doing what I set out to do. You just need to look inwards and question why not? What's going on that's keeping me from achieving my goal? Are there any outside obstacles, meaning forces beyond your control, keeping me success? Once you've identified these "flaws" or "obstacles" set out a plan before you to get through the blocked iron door of defeat or stagnation. Now that you have a plan you just have to follow that plan and continue reflecting over the process as you go, keeping in mind that you must have measureable results at the endgame to show whether or not you were successful.