EDLD 5301 reflection

My learning from the action research course has included insights that I will immediately implement in my current role as an academic facilitator. I have experienced leadership from past principals who exemplified the importance of continual action research to seek improvement in the academic environment. Throughout the course, this importance was evident. As a participant in educational change, I am appreciative of the follow through and observation of new programs in order that they may enhance learning in an effective manner.     Throughout the course I have recognized the importance of involving campus staff in the action research project to enhance motivation and understanding of the educational improvement and change process. (Dana, 2009). One tool that I am planning to use in my action research project is the Delphi Method. (Harris, Edmonson, & Combs, 2010). As my campus coaches provide professional development in the balanced literacy approach, we will utilize the Delphi Method combined with assessment results to refine our professional development throughout the year. One important idea in the mission of action research is to reach goals of improvement and by employing this method, we will be able to focus efforts on the appropriate area for success.     It will also be very pertinent for me to involve campus teachers in the process of research to validate and confirm their efforts for improvement. For this reason, I found the information on sharing the research particularly helpful. According to Nancy Dana (2009) “Reflecting on practice to become more intentional about what principals do is the foundation of engagement in action research” (p. 150). The actual process of creating a blog with a research focus was a helpful assignment and caused me to thoughtfully consider my progress along the way so that others may be involved.    Overall as I complete the process of an action research project, I hope to instill long lasting principals of the research cycle into my work. My goal as an educational leader is to lead change and impact a culture that breeds questioning into best practice. I believe that leading through the practice of constant research and evaluation will model that behavior for teachers and students.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge, the principal as action researcher.                         Corwin Press. Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools, 8              steps from analysis to action.