Action Research Update

This whole experience of pursuing my master’s in educational administration has been a world wind of emotions.  There have been times that I’ve felt overwhelmed by teaching and coaching while balancing the demands of course assignments and then there have been times that I’ve felt in control and organized and the realization of reaching this goal has seemed close.  I have been fortunate that my principal trusts me and has given me the opportunity to fill in for her and the other administrators when they have been out at district meetings or have been sick.  I feel that this hands on experience has been extremely valuable and has made me more aware of the multiple demands that an administrator must face on a daily basis.  As a result of these increased leadership opportunities I have not progressed as far on my action research project as I had planned. 
I have presented the research plan to the participating 7^th and 8^th grade teachers during a team meeting and they have completed the survey.  I have collected the surveys and I’m currently compiling a list of the results.  I still need to share the results of the survey with those that participated.  Next, I will ask a smaller size (approx-100) of students in 7^th and 8^th grade to take a survey in which they rank the top 10 positive relationship building methods that teachers currently use.  Then I will compile the results per grade level by calculating the average mean ranking for each positive relationship building method.  Finally,  to get back on track for the month of April I will review the results of the rankings with a small focus group comprised of 5 students at each grade level.  So far I have completed about 10 hours while implementing this project and probably have another 20 hours to go.  I am hopeful that I will get caught up this month and will get back on track.  The only changes that I will need to make to my action research plan is the month in which I will be completing the activity.

Week 4 Update

I met with my site supervisor and we both agreed that no revisions were necessary at this time.  We both felt that the steps in place were accurate and fully explained what was going to occur and how the data was going to be collected and presented.  I was given a book entitled," Under-Resourced Learners" that she felt was in line with my topic.  We also talked about how we would be discussing this topic further in some of our staff development meetings throughout the year. 

Thank you to those that have posted on my blog, I have appreciated the feedback.  I'm also thankful for having a great principal that is always willing to take time out to help me and is supportive of my goals.

My action research plan

 Week 3 has been tough.  With teaching and coaching I've worked 56 hours in 4 days, missed my sons birthday because I was the administrator at a volleyball tournament for two days and had this lovely assignment waiting for me.  I felt that I had it all planned in my head, but putting it down on paper turned out to be a little different.  I feel confident that my action research will help demonstrate to our entire staff the importance of having a positive relationship with their students.

Please feel free to give me any feedback you can think of!

 

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To determine the ways in which teachers work to build positive relationships with their students and gather student input on the most beneficial methods.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Discuss topic with site supervisor, Billie-Jean Lee	Mark Wilczynski & Billie-Jean Lee	October 2012	-  Time -  Teacher Surveys	Agreed that the results will warrant action to be taken by many to help build positive relationships
Examine current or existing research in this area.	Mark Wilczynski	October –November 2012	-  Time - Periodicals -  Databases	Investigate existing research in this area to develop a deeper understanding.
Present research plan to all 7th and 8th grade teachers during their team meetings.	Mark Wilczynski & all 7th and 8th grade teachers, counselors, nurse, and administrators	December 2012	-  Time - Powerpoint explaining my research -  Printout of powerpoint for those who are not present	Ensure that all parties involved understand the process and what information is needed for me to conduct the research.
Ask all 7th and 8th grade teachers to complete a survey on the current methods they use to build positive relationships with their students and the frequency in which they perform these tasks.	Mark Wilczynski & all 7th and 8th grade teachers, counselors, nurse, and administrators	December 2012	-Time - Teacher Surveys	Ensure staff that no teacher names will be used in evaluating data and encourage them to be honest in their assessments.
Collect all teacher surveys and compile a list of responses.	Mark Wilczynski	January 2013	-Time - Spreadsheet software	List the top 10 most prominent responses along with other suggestions that were included in the survey.
Share the results of the survey to all those that participated.	Mark Wilczynski	January 2013	-Time -Results	Keeping all members involved in the action research updated with data collection.
Ask a smaller size (approx-100) of students in 7th and 8th grade to take a survey in which they rank the top 10 positive relationship building methods that teachers currently use.	Mark Wilczynski & 100-7th grade students, and 100-8th grade students.	February 2013	-Time - Student Surveys	Keep all results anonymous among surveyors to ensure the most honest responses.
Compile results per grade level by calculating the average mean ranking for each positive relationship building method.	Mark Wilczynski	March 2013	-Time -Spreadsheet software	Calculate the average mean ranking for each positive relationship building method.
Review the results of the rankings with a small focus groups comprised of 5 students at each grade level.	Mark Wilczynski & Focus Group	April 2013	- Time - Active listening	To gather suggestions on how qualitative data could affect the rankings and what should be considered by staff when building positive relationships with their students.
Share findings with site supervisor	Mark Wilczynski & Billie-Jean Lee	April 2013	-  Time -  Computer with presentation or printout of presentation	Explain the results to my principal.  Discuss the findings and examine if there is need for additional information.
Present findings to department heads and team leaders.	Mark Wilczynski, Administrators, Department Heads,  Team leaders	April 2013	-Time - Computer with presentation or printout of presentation	Explain the results to the leadership team.  Discuss the findings and examine if there is need for additional information.
Implement appropriate changes to help build a more positive relationship between staff and students.	Mark Wilczynski & Billie-Jean Lee	August 2013	-  Time -  Present changes and research to staff at beginning of year staff meeting.	Implement new ideas brought forth by the action research.
Evaluate the progress and need for additional action research in this area.	Mark Wilczynski	Ongoing	-  Time	Continue to evaluate the relationships between students and staff and monitor school climate.

Updated Action Research Topic

After meeting with my site supervisor she let me know that my original action research topic regarding test scores after late night extracurricular activities might be hard to complete since the teachers are encouraged not to give major test or quizzes after an event.  She did however like another topic of mine that she gave me input on about teachers building positive relationships with their students.  So my new topic will be - "In what ways can teachers work to build positive relationships with their students?"  I thought of this topic becasue as the Athletic Director at my school, I'm normally notified by the teachers when they are having academic or behavioral trouble with an athlete.  I started wondering if any of these teachers had ever been to one of our football games or if any of them have ever tried to develop a  positive relationship other than the one they experience everyday.  I think just asking how a player's game went the next day, or asking if they scored, or if they were planning on attending the social  after school would really go a long way in that student/teacher relationship.  I truely believe that when you have that positive relationship with those students they try harder for you and give you more respect becuase they don't want to disappoint you or do anything to hinder that relationship.

How educational leaders might use blogs?

Educational leaders can use blogs to tract their own thoughts, data collection, and interact with other bloggers.  This allows them to receive feedback from anyone else that reads the blog.  Blogging is also a good way of looking back at previous post or thoughts and reflect or improve on what was stated prior. 

What I've learned about action research

I've learned that action research is very different from what you might think when you initially hear the word "research".  This word normally takes you back to Science class when you were assigned to research the chemical element silicon in 7th grade.  You may have checked out a book from the library or simply "googled it" now a days and wrote a two page paper on why it's classified as a metalloid and how many electrons surround it. 

Action research however is so much more hands on and is conducted by the teachers and administrators who care and are invested in finding the best practice.  Dana states that the process of action research is," articulating a wondering, collecting data to gain insights into the wondering, analyzing data, and making improvements in practice based on what was learned."  When following this process in school with all the uncertainties and moving parts, you really get the most accurate data possible and are able to adapt and formulate new wonderings as you constantly reflect on what is learned.  The use of inquiry is not necessarily a new approach in education, but using it as a leading tool in action research is certainly gaining momentum in education. 

As a future administrator I will definitely fit action research into my schedule.  I feel it is important to lead by example and to be the "head learner" in an educational setting.