Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal: Will increasing the use of visual aids/sign language increase student learning
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Talk with teaching assistants to determine their knowledge of sign language	myself	Beginning of six weeks	Sign language video/app Color flashcards with signs
Six week study	Myself, teaching assistants	Six week time frame	Color word for each of the 5 weeks; flashcards; book about each color, sign(ASL) for each color	Flashcards; color word coloring sheet
Collect student data	Myself, teaching assistants	Informal assessment for student knowledge	Color flashcards; color word coloring sheet	Completed by student with minimal assistance
Chart for data	Myself, teaching assistants	Six weeks	Chart to record data for each week of subject recall after each one-on-one session	Data analysis

Selecting Action Research Topics

 

Wow! I had no idea there were so many subjects/ideas that could be used for action research projects. I am almost afraid that the topic I picked is "too minor". But to me it is very important and I feel like I am probably not the only one who  thinks that. I have choosen to do my project on " Using different teaching methods to enhance student learning". I work with special needs students who have a lot of different learning/communication problems. I want to look at different ways other than the "traditional" ways to teach my students and help them to be successful!

How might Educational Leaders use Blogs

There are so many ways for educational  leaders to use blogs, but I wll name just a few to keep it short and simple. Blogs are a great way to share ideas. You can interact with all kinds of people, both people involved in similar situations as yourself, and people who might not even be in education but who can give you fresh insight on what you are talking about. A blog can be a good outlet for discussions and to share ideas and thoughts from other peers. Using technology is such a great tool and we as educational leaders need to utilize it as much as we can. Blogs provide many resources for more expereinces, actions, and reflections.

What I know about Action Research

In a short time I have learned quite a bit about "Action Research". Action research is a problem solving technique that can help an administrator and/or teacher to implement changes to help students/faculty be successful. In action research you define the problem, determine a course of action, take action, gather data, and then reflect on the success of the action.
Action research can be looked at as active data collection to solve a problem. As an administrator or teacher I can use action research to improve student performance (or staff/campus performance). I can as three questions: What is the problem; What can I do to improve the situation; How will the finished product look/How will I know I have achieved my goal?
In action research, "action" is the key word. You must do something. Implement a new procedure, try a new approach to a situation, try something you haven't done before, or do something in a new way. Then you have to look at the data that you have collected from the actions and determine if the changes made a difference. Was the problem solved? Did the situation change? Were the changes for better or worse? If the action you took didn't affect the change you were looking for, then you at least have found what doesn't work. If the changes gave you the results you were looking for, Hooray! Problem solved! Action research is an essential tool that will allow you to implement changes effectively and to solve problems.