During this course, I learned
about how to effectively conduct Action Research on my campus. During the first
week, I will admit that I was very confused on what would be required of me in
this course of study. When I heard research, I thought paper, but as I read the
material it did not present itself as writing a paper. After watching the first
couple video lectures, I began to get a clearer picture of what I would be
working on and these videos were very helpful. As a coach and Math teacher, I
teach with lots of hands on to reach my visual/tactile learners and this is how
I tend to learn best, as well. The videos gave me the visual learning aspect
that I needed to fully engage and tied together the readings for me. Along with
the readings and videos, I found the discussion boards and weekly overviews
very helpful in understanding what was expected in each assignment. The final
piece that helped with this course was the ability for my wife and I to discuss
the course and figure things out together. We are working toward our Masters
degree together and this has proven to be very valuable because what I don’t
understand she usual does and vice versa.
This inquiry further emerged from
a need seen on our joint Junior High and High School Campuses. This is a
problem that needs to be addressed because we have adopted a new CSCOPE
curriculum that involves teaching the students via engaging hands on
activities. Their being out of class means that they will miss these valuable
lessons. The student’s lack of in class participation has led to decreased
scores on benchmark exams, as well as daily assignments and class work. Sending
assignments out to In School Suspension does not provide the students with
adequate information and when they come out they are behind. The pace of the
curriculum does not allow much time for back tracking or re-teaching.
One thing I am going to have to
watch for is my personal biases. I am going to have to be careful to not let
the actions of a few detract from the learning of the group. I could see that
my concern for the whole group could affect the results that I collect. Those
are the two big things that I will have to watch. I will have to watch for
biases passed on by hearsay about students from other coworkers. I can’t let
their opinion affect my thoughts regarding the student. I learned through this
course of study that I will have to do a lot of self reflection to ensure that
I am not allowing my biases to push my study one way or the other. This will
also help me to learn more about myself and help to illustrate the relevance of
my study upon completion.
Besides bias and teacher buy in,
I am concerned about finding time to complete my internship hours, coursework,
and research inquiry. As mentioned previously, I am a coach, as well as a
teacher. This means that during football and softball season, I work over sixty
hours a week. I will have to be very diligent with my time management to ensure
that everything gets done and I will have to be certain to get as many
internship activities completed in my off season and summer vacation, as
possible. I have considered asking if I could take a leave of absence from
coaching for a year, but with budget cuts as they are, we are very short on
coaches and this is quite unlikely. As much, as I would like to be able to just
teach and focus on my Masters, I will most likely not have that as an option in
the school district where we currently work. As I like to say, it is what it
is. I will do my best to keep ahead of the game so hopefully this will not
become an issue.
As my other favorite saying goes
and the title of my blog suggests, I will continue to work to keep it real.
Learning all that I can. Teaching students and athletes what they need to know
to succeed in life and at the end of the day, I will hope that I have made a
difference that will last.
References
Dana,
N. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action
Researcher.
California: Corwin.
Dewey,
C., Gregory, A., Fan, X. & Sheras P. (2009). Practical Findings From the Virginia High School Safety Study: How are
suspension rates related to dropout rates?. University of Virginia School
of Education. Retrieved from http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/high_school_safety/pdf/vhss-one-pager-issue-7.pdf
Harris
S, Edmonson, S. Combs, J. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our
Schools: 8 Steps From Analysis
to Action. New York: Eye On Education.
Jeffrey, J. (2009). Race, Gender,
School Discipline, and Human Capital Effects. Allbusiness.com. Retrieved
from http://allbusiness.com/education-training/teaching-teachers-primary/12786638.1.html