Action Research...let me count the ways. Put simply, treat it as daily exercise. Just as we would strengthen our bodies, so too should we strengthen our understanding of our craft.We shan't just close the door and put our feet upon our newly-earned principal's desk, take a nap, and hope the world behaves, but instead, systematically craft reflective thought of our current objectives or what we perceive to be threats or impediments to our learning community. Educational settings offer a plethora of opportunities for investigation. From personnel issues to student discipline, we have plenty to chew on throughout the course of a school day. This electronic age should be a continual workstation of our thinking. Non-linear thinking and data collection from across town or across the country is possible when we are investigating and crafting our thoughts in this age of 24/7 instant access. I have noticed administrative emails rolling out at 3:30 or 4:00 a.m., so I know that this type of ongoing engagement and cumulative thinking never ends with the ringing of a school bell. Action research doesn't just involve yes/no scenarios. There is no one size fits all solution for campuses. The dynamic of who/what/where/when/why/and how makes us Sherlock Investigator on our respective campus. Collaboration with others never hurts, but each campus is unique in its needs. Fair and balanced visionary thinking allows the administrator to take ideas and scenarios from infancy (with whatever level of skill we possess) to the final implementation and analysis stage, whereby we have gained an incredible amount of perspective which is then applied to the next situation. Reflect, practice, collaborate, model, and reflect. Full circle activities like concentric rings bind us to past and future experience. Action research should be seen as a way to prepare for a marathon of developing successful life learners. Self preservation will come to the administrator who is willing to take on new opportunities and hard work. As an aspiring administrator, I see it as the only way to adapt to the demands of an ever-changing educational paradigm. Just as we would email our friends with what we have been up to, our educational blogs are imperative to our success as professional collaborators. Instantaneous problem solving prevents more damaging or complex situations from festering. I think of action research as a clot buster in the artery of life. With blogging and action research, we become part of a larger and more dynamic educational think tank.
How educational leaders might use blogs
Educational Leaders should be drawn to blogs for their functionality alone. Mills (2003) recommends four cornerstones for personal inquiry writing (pp. 164-165): Clarification, Empowerment, Generative, and Accomplishment. Each of these stepping stones allows for reflection and pedantic detail when a practitioner is analyzing a situation. These inquiry moments while blog writing allow for non-linear thought and planning that doesn't necessarily have to be picked up or worked on the very next day. Blogging opportunities allow a practitioner to review the tapestry of how and why they have arrived at this current moment in their work history. This process allows them to mentor up-and-coming administrators, just as a teacher would help a new-teacher mentee; The process also allows "Big Brother"/school board or the superintendent to keep their finger on the pulse of their "Head Learner" on any campus at any time; The process of blogging might also help to bolster confidence of the blogger as an educational contributor in a fast-paced educational world. Credibility within and beyond the district might also be a lagniappe in a professional vita. Multitasking is the greatest advantage to the needs of immediacy in our fast-paced, 24/7 world. Dana (2009) offers "...this principal accomplished multiple goals simultaneously..." in Data Collection Strategy 7: Reflective Journals and /or Weblogs. Promotion and reciprocation of information and problem solving is facilitated at a much higher rate for the head principal position which is shared by no other on that campus.
References:
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading With Passion And Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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