Reflection

     Being a life-long learner goes hand in hand with being an educator. A huge part of teaching is modeling. I have come to believe modeling does not only take place within the four walls of the classroom. Modeling being a life-long learner is a task that can be accomplished by an administrator, a veteran teacher, a novice teacher, or anyone who has a vested interested in the school community.  One does not have to be part of the administrative team to become a leader in a school. “These practices…aren’t the private property of the people we studied or of a few select shining stars. They’re available to anyone, in any organization or situation, who accepts the leadership challenge.” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p13). Creating and conducting an Action Research has forced me to take on a leadership role I otherwise would have been apprehensive in accomplishing.

     I learned the many benefits of inquiry. One benefit that gave me great insight was taking ownership. “…by engaging in this process, principals become role models for the teachers and students in their buildings. A critical belief about learning is ownership. Learning must be something teachers and students do, not something that others do to of for them.” (Dana, 2009, p. 12). I am in a place where I can question and take ownership of researching my wondering: In what ways will implementing Running Records during Guide Reading groups increase student achievement in reading? With the support of my site supervisor and my second grade level team, I believe the findings will benefit the students, the campus, and be an improvement to campus overall.

     Throughout my remaining courses and in my career as well, I will take the time to weave in reflections during the day. Reflection is an important aspect of action research because it allows practitioners to gain more knowledge from others knowledge. It enables us to make sense of and attribute values to the events of our lives (Rogers, 2002). Reflecting with others through an action research gives us opportunities for new learning. As stated in the School leadership Internship text, reflection through action research keeps us from repeating the same mistakes, instead of learning from our mistakes. The process allows you to be proactive and build a better community for all the stakeholders involved. I plan to continue my reflection through the blog created during this course. It will allow me to reflect on the comments made by my colleagues as well as my own thoughts. Another great resource that has allowed me to ask questions has been the Facebook group that was created by one of my colleagues. I was able to seek clarification through my colleague’s posts and by reading other questions that were posted. We have been able to bond with each other despite the miles of physical separation.     

     As I continue to research my topic, I will ensure to examine the 8 steps as described in Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 steps from Analysis to Action by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs. I identified more closely to the Delphi Method. The Delphi Method will allow me to sustain improvements while looking ahead at school needs. I will utilize the experts on my campus that will be affected by the changes that may take place and take their knowledge and input into consideration in order to improve the campus. I feel this method brings out more leaders that may not have been willing to share ideas in the past because ideas and thought are being shared in a confidential manner. I like the idea of the end product being on some level of a consensus.

     I found the interview with Dr. Johnny Briseno, the principal of Rancho Isabella Elementary in Angleton ISD very insightful. Dr. Johnny Briseno valued the confidentiality of the students when sharing data with other campuses and gave specific information to the teachers, so they in turn can identify the specific need of each student. I identified with Dr. Briseno’s belief that teachers are more likely to buy into change when they hear information from their peers. While Dr. Briseno was data driven, he recognizes the need to look at the whole child. Our passion after all is to make a difference in the students we serve. I will take Dr. Biseno’s suggestion and look online for articles that may have solutions to the same problems as my campus. I look forward to finding research that shares the same concerns and may help me, and not just in theory, but in doing!

      

Dana, N. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
  
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools, 8 steps from analysis to action.