Reflections of EDLD 5301

EDLD 5301 has been a pleasant surprise.  Before starting this course, I worried over having to complete some monotonous research over something that had little to do with my circumstances or me.  With the first lecture, I realized this was going to be different.  The first week introduced the concept of action research.  The steps of action research were related and tips were provided with each step.  Dr. Arterbury (2012) suggested we meet with our site supervisors to discuss issues on our campuses that could be researched and resolutions found to improve the student-learning environment.  When presenting my site mentor with my ideas, she nixed two of the three and said she wanted me out of my comfort zone because that is where the real learning takes place.  Week two brought learning on the criteria used when selecting our action research topic.  Dr. Jenkins (2012) discussed the purpose and significance of the research.  By putting it in “English” and giving us the “will do” or “what we will look at” for the purpose and “so what?” question for the significance (Arterbury & Jenkins, 2012), I was better able to devise my topic of concern relatively stress-free.  The tools presented here, provided an easy way to devise a good quality topic. Steps to follow in our action plan were the focus of week three.  More information was given about the 8 steps as outlined in the text Examining what we do to improve our schools:  8 steps from analysis to action by Harris, Edmonson, and Combs.  Each step was explained and examples were given which served as a practical resource to the book.  The fourth week lecture brought a clarity that we were not expected to be experts yet, which relieved my anxiety of the need for the research to be perfect.  The topic of challenges was addressed with helpful examples of some of the challenges we might face.  I learned that through my challenges, others would benefit as well. The focus for our last week’s lecture was the importance of meeting with our site supervisors to discuss our research plan.  The connection between the research and internship was made and the expectation to immerse one’s self in as many leadership roles as possible to gain valuable experience was related as well.   In meeting with my site mentor again, she posed several very good questions about my data collection tools dealing with student engagement and student success.  I was prompted to go back to literature for similar research on the topics.  The assigned readings were given from two texts, which were extremely helpful in this process.    Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher by Nancy Dana Fichman fondly termed The Dana Text contained a wealth of information.   For example, the data that I will collect for student engagement will be through observations.  I was planning to look at the video and divide the class into 15-minute intervals.  Fichman (2010) suggests when this type of data is being collected, individual activities should be looked at every 2-3 minutes.  This does make more sense to me and endorses a reasonable method of collection.  Another paradigm comes from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action.  This text gives us tools to get us through the steps of research.  A trust inventory is a tool provided in step 1.  Leaders are able to reproduce this to ensure their environment is barrier free when preparing to implement change (Harris, Edmonson, Combs, 2010).  This would be a useful tool for our school since a majority of the staff is suspicious of any new reform the administration wishes to execute.  Once the teachers are open to inquiry and change, the subsequent chapters provide further tools to guide leaders to create the culture of inquiry on the campus and to set the environment for success. The weekly discussion boards gave me a chance to cogitate about specific topics that pertained to my action research.  Normally, when not required to do so, the thinking process seems to be the last thing that occurs; consequently, products come out substandard.  Due to specific topics given each week that pertain to the weekly assignment, I am allowed the time needed to think things through, express my thoughts and ideas, and get feedback from my colleagues.  For example, the first discussion board question required me to think about and discuss why my topic for research is beneficial to my school.  Even though I thought I had my plan complete, each successive week made me think about new avenues and forced me to make some adjustments.  Overall, the discussion boards are a valuable activity to students. Another asset to us is the blogs.  The more I use them, the more familiar I become with how useful they can be in many aspects of my job and life.   In EDLD 5306, we used them to reflect on the new things we were learning; however, in EDLD 5301 we actually are using them as a tool for our research.  It is a minute difference between the two, but when I am using a tool to help me reach a goal as I am with my inquiry, then it becomes more meaningful.  In Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, Fichman (2010) discusses the usefulness of blogs and compares it to the pensieve used by Professor Dumbledore to revisit memories, thoughts, and to seek new ways of thinking.  After reading this and making that connection, I created a blog for each one of the teachers I am coaching as our own “pensieve” of knowledge.  I also went back to mine and made it more usable to my research goals. The assignments are appropriate to the objective for each week.   By assigning specific readings from the text and then having us reflect on uses of the material in our own practices, served to reinforce the importance of the information being given.  My frustrations concerning time constraints were eliminated because the activities were doable in a week’s time in addition to working a full time job.  I feel like I have gained a deeper understanding of the content being presented through the presentation methods (web conferences, assignments, and blogs), discussion boards, readings, and lectures.   The curriculum for this course scaffolded and completed the overall goals. Overall, the assignments, texts, blogs, lectures, and discussion boards served as a guide through the material and ingrained new information into my leadership repertoire.  By designing each piece to support the other, I feel I have achieved success. Arterbury, E. & Jenkins, S. (2012). Week 1 introduction (PDF file).  Retrieved from    https://lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=2408928 Arterbury, E. & Jenkins, S. (2012). Week 2 introduction (PDF file).  Retrieved from   https://lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=2408928 Fichman, Nancy Dana.  (2010).  Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as     action researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press. Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our    schools:  8 steps from analysis to action.  Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.