Blogging and Action Research

Action Research

Action research is taking an active role in identifying and solving situations that are unique to your working environment.  Many teachers already participate in action research under the name “Learner-centered instruction.”  Instruction for these teachers is guided by concrete data from summative evaluations and review of the information relayed by the data.  Continued classroom instruction is informed by the data and lessons are planned according to the successes of the class and not by a premeditated timeline.  Action research is also known as inquiry research and it closely follows the scientific method taught in science courses.  It differs from traditional educational research because the “researcher” in action research is a stakeholder in the outcome and the discoveries made have a direct impact on both the researcher and the pupils.  In traditional educational research, the principal investigator is often interested in why something works or does not work and is looking for a broader application; while this is important to the overall field of education, it does not have the minutiae that impact individual classrooms immediately that can be seen in action research.  With spirals of revisions, action research can guide educators on a journey of discovery through the selection process of a specific question, informal and formal observations, implementation of possible solutions, reflection on outcomes from changes and tweaking solutions for continued improvement.  Action research can be an impactful form of change for educators that is self-driven and informative.

Blogs and Educators

Educators may find blogs to be useful as sounding boards for ideas.  By creating a blog, an educator is forced to formalize thoughts as they prepare them for posting.  It is also an opportunity for educators to get an idea out and have an opportunity to discuss it with other readers.  Through this dialogue with others, ideas might become more solidified or errors in thinking may come to light.  Either way, ideas are discussed and/or opportunities for change and improvement develop.