EDLD 5301 Research - Final Reflections

EDLD 5301 Research - Final Reflections

When this course began I was a little apprehensive given my archaic definition of “research”.  I have learned so much about the purpose for practitioner inquiry and the importance of action research during this 5 week course.  As each week approached and a new challenge unfolded, I began to understand what it meant when I read that action research simply meant, “Systematic, intentional study of one’s own professional practice.”  (Dana, 2009, p. 9) and was delighted to discover that I have been actively doing this for several years now.  I just didn’t realize until now that research can be fun, exciting and inspiring not to just me, but to others I am sharing it with as well.

As I reflect on the course content I realized that I have been fortunate in that I have been a part of leadership (campus and district level) for over thirteen years now that embraces change and is continually improving based on inquiry.  The idea of being an active practitioner is what my site-supervisor has been teaching me all along.  During this course I have learned the importance of being a reflective practitioner.  I can clearly see the benefits of action research for campus and district leaders.  I even know how to create a blog and share my progress in a more updated and meaningful way!  My favorite highlight hands-down! 

I learned to be self-reflective and that my action plan is intended to be a “living document”, not something to be completed, considered finished and then forgotten about later.  I learned that as I research I need to take the appropriate action to change it or plan a change because of it.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to other practitioners who are active in the process of being reflective practitioners describe how they do it at the campus and/or district levels.  There is nothing better when you can hear how it is actually working in “real world” situations.

What I really enjoyed about this course was that we were encouraged to create an action research project intended to be a part of our own self-discovery as future leaders, and it didn’t need to be apart from what we are already doing either in the classroom or otherwise.  In fact, we were encouraged to pick a topic and develop a clear and concise research question that fits into our already existing responsibilities so that it wouldn’t add to the ever demanding work load as educators.  That was a HUGE highlight for me.  As I have stated in previous reflections I applied for a new position as our district’s coordinator for RtI and this course has already helped me in preparation for the plan to revisit and revise our district-wide implementation of RtI.  T

In closing, I will admit that prior to taking this course, I had my own idea of what action research entailed.  Although similar in most ways, through the texts, lectures, blogs, and discussion forums I have been given the additional knowledge I needed to really understand the process.  I have found this course to be helpful and relevant to my professional career, and one that has certainly enriched my professional life.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.