Reflections Week 5

In the last week of 5301 we looked back over everything we learned in this class.

I liked the five quality indicators discussed in the text:
Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher
By: Nancy Fichtman Dana

They include:

1. Context of Study

This quality indicator will help me as the ”Primary Researcher” to remember to fully describe where my research came from, and include all information so that those who look into my research can fully understand where I was coming from, why I looked into it, and how it effects or will affect the school, district, teachers, students, content, and curriculum.

2. Wonderings and Purpose

This quality indicator helps the researcher to really prove the reasoning behind their project.  Here I have to ask myself if my question is one that has a solution and can create a change.  As for my current project, I know that it is one that my principal wants/needs the findings so that we can help and show improvement with the PLC process on campus.  I know that there is room to change things, but I need to research what is currently happening within departments so that I know how to help, or if help is possible at all.  This again is a step to show others where and why I came up with this project, and prove that the efforts will benefit our campus in some way.

3. Principal Research Design (Data Collection and Data Analysis)

Here the researcher gathers data from a variety of sources.  It is imperative that the researcher use different forms of research such as test scores, surveys, field notes, student work interviews, journal entries, and so forth. 

I have already planned for several of these within my matrix, and here assures that I do this to prove that I am using a variety of data to come to a well-rounded conclusion that assists with my final decisions.

4. Principal – Researcher Learning

Here researchers articulate clear, thoughtful statements about what they learned through their process.  Here you explain how your data and research did or did not support your claims.  Principal researchers also include personal reflections about their learning through this process.  This helps hold the researcher accountable for all claims, and all findings. 

This will help me to make sure that I explain all areas of my research so that it can be considered accurate.

5. Implications for Practice

Here the researcher gives detailed examples of change that they have made or will consider making based on what they have learned through their research. These changes would go hand-in-hand with the research findings that they have made.  Here researchers can also discuss new wonderings that may have arisen from the research conducted. 

This step proves that research is never done.  I am sure that as research begins new questions will arise to begin a new branch of action research.  I will need to remember to make sure to finish one project before beginning a new one!

Suggestion Box

If you have any suggestions or thoughts about Professional Learning Communities please leave them here!  I have no experience and little knowledge of them, and so this research will be an all new experience for me.  Please leave comments about successes or failures!  They will all be appreciated!!!

Leah

Force Field Analysis and The Delphi Method

This week's reading gave me a better direction for some of my research. 
On pages 94-96 of, Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action By: Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs, we find the following model ideologies that can help as we research and search for solutions on our campuses:

Force Field Analysis

This theory derives from Kurt Lewin who thought that, “there are forces that drive change and forces that resist change,” (94).  As educators, we have all witnessed the pockets of teachers, faculty, and staff that resist change, but in order to insure that we are doing what is best for our students we have to identify these forces in order to best facilitate real change within our schools.  In conducting Force Field Analysis there are 8 steps to take which include:

1. Describe the current situation.

2. Describe the proposed change.

3. Identify what will happen if no change occurs.

4. Identify the forces driving the proposed change.

5. Identify forces resisting change.

6. Determine whether the change is viable.

7. If change is viable, what is needed for implementation?  Will you need to reduce the strength of the forces opposing the change, or increase the forces driving the change?

 

I think that Force Field Analysis is something that most educators run into when making change, and this analysis allows you to note this and continue on toward change not being discouraged by the negative forces wanting to keep the status quo. 

I think that in my action research I will be able to see these forces right from the start.  While I understand that the administration and I see the benefits of implementing the PLC mentality into our planning, I hope to find that others on campus embrace this tough change so that further work is viable.

 

Delphi Method

This method is used in order for a group of people to develop a deeper understanding in a specific area.  This method requires usage of experts or those who would be affected by the change at hand.  This is done mostly through email so that people feel they can speak freely, and time is less of an issue.  The format is as follows (pg. 96):

1. Send a problem statement to the staff asking them to write down what he or she believe needs to be done.

2. Retrieve these comments from the staff, and reproduce everyone’s comments.

3. Return all comments to the participants, and write a synthesis of the various ideas (optional).

4. Collect the synthesis statements and make a list of these ideas.

5. Send the new list back to participants, and ask them to rank them in order of priority.

6. Collect and compute an average and frequency of ratings; returning the tallies to the participants to re-rank.

 

This should help the staff to come to a consensus on an issue in an easier less confrontational manner while immediately creating solutions.

I can consider using this method with my project, because what I am researching is something that is required of all staff, and is something that I assume we all have a difference of opinion upon.  This may be an effective way to come up with a solution.