What I Have Learned About Action Research and How to Use It

While doing search on what action research is and how much of an impact it has on the classroom I‘ve found that you have to pick an area of question. The first question that many of you may have asked yourself in the classroom is, "Why do my fifth period students come into class everyday bouncing off the walls?" When you know what you are trying to solve, working through it will be much easier because now you can focus on an issue and not a broad topic like class management. If you can control this class when they first come into your classroom it may change the entire class period. You must also gather any and all information you can. Start collecting data on your class and the problem that you are studying. Count the instances, occurrences, individuals, and events that surround your problem. Arrange the information that you gather by grade level, classes, etc. As you collect the data, write it in the form of a diary or journal. Sometimes just by seeing the information in another format allows you to get a new perspective on your problem. You might consider using podcasts or video recording your class. During this step, you could also gather information directly from your students through a questionnaire. You may interview your students or even have an internal class focus group. When gathering information, attempt to identify all of the reasons that could lead to the problem. You must also set a timeline.Create a step-by-step time plan of actions and intervention(s). Establish times that allow for evaluation and monitoring. This could be a day, a week, or a month. Identify components of your project that you can measure to determine success. You might have your class come into the room and go directly to their seats. Set up a timeline that establishes successful accomplishment of this goal within one week. And lastly you must reflect.
Reflect on what has been accomplished. How has the situation changed? Is your problem solved? Have you seen positive results? Do you need more time? Do you need to start over? Don't be afraid to do the process again.