Reflecting on Action Research

            Throughout the course of this class I have gained a wealth of knowledge and confidence.  I feel not only more confident in myself as an emerging leader but I feel that now I have a purpose and focus to concentrate on throughout my internship.  I also feel this course has helped open lines of communication between my site supervisor and me.   She has always been very supportive, but by having the multiple interviews and reflective conversations, I now feel very comfortable in asking for any advice or assistance that I might need.

            I feel that the area that I grew the most in is action research.  Before starting this course, when I heard that term I pictured going to the library or internet and doing massive amounts of research.  I would basically cringe at the thought.  After learning and discovering what action research is I am very excited to get started and participate. I am so appreciative that the focus of my internship is actually something I will use in the field and will be beneficial to not only me but the entire school as well.  Because my action research plan is something I have desired to implement as a leader, this gave me the perfect opportunity to put it into action with an immense amount of support from my Lamar community and my campus administration as well. 

            I feel one area that I would still like to learn more about is different types of meetings and how to help lead the meetings to where collaboration occurs.  I would like to feel more confident in how to lead my co-workers without them feeling that I am trying to be another boss and tell them what to do.  I am going to try the different strategies on the different types of meetings but I am a bit concerned that there may be some resistance or a lack of motivation to participate.  I plan on using the advice of my classmates on ways to help motivate and I hope to be able to get even more specific feedback as I progress through my plan and have more specific questions to ask. 

            I have really enjoyed reading and participating in the blogs.  This has been a great way to communicate openly and informally with others that are working on the same thing.  I plan to continue to blog and communicate with my classmates.  I also will work closely with my site supervisor and other administrators on my campus that are helping me implement my action research project and are guiding me through my internship.  I have found that they offer a wealth of knowledge and are my best resource at the time any problems occur because their feedback is immediate and specific to what is occurring in our school.  The course professors are also a wonderful resource and I have gained so much knowledge and confidence because of them.  I feel focused and prepared and I know that is greatly because of the readings and studies they have chosen for the courses.  I will continue to focus and take in every bit of knowledge and information that they offer or suggest.

            I have truly enjoyed this class and I am hopeful that the remainder of my courses will continue to enlighten and prepare me as this one has.  I feel I know my classmates better and really trust and value their opinions.  I also appreciate how involved Dr. Mason has been with our class.  She has made me feel more comfortable just by taking time to respond on my blog and the personal touch and assistance she offers each week with the video conferences.  I look forward to moving along with my classmates and internship.

week 4-moving right along

This course has been a great motivator for me.  Each week I feel more and more prepared to implement my Acton Research Plan successfully.  I have also noticed the collaboration that we are having with our classmates to be very helpful and supportive.  Not seeing each other face to face, this is a great way to bounce ideas off each other and get some feedback on our own ideas too. 
This week learning about the strategies to stay successful was a positive experience as well.  The more I read, the more I realized that I have already used these stragies to some degree without even knowing them yet.  I was pleased though, to get some insight on exactly how to use them and how to use the results they provde as well. 
Thanks for all the comments and on the blog and in the discussion forums!

Week 3--feeling good!

As we end up week 3, I am feeling really confident and excited about my action research project.  I guess since it was something that I was so interested in before is the reason it has been so easy to get everything in place.
My site supervisor and AD have been very supportive and have agreed to all aspects of the program.  I guess Dr. Lewis was right last week in the video when he said choose something you are interested in and it will be easier to be focused and you will do a better job. 
I am excited to start meeting with the coaches and discussing the program to hear their thoughts.  From the informal conversations that I have had with some of the coaches, I really do believe that most will be on board and be willing to buy into the program. 
I hope things continue smoothly next week.  Any comments or suggestion on my AR plan will be greatly appreciated.  I hope everyone has a good week.

Action Research Plan

Any and all feedback is greatly welcomed!

Goal: Will implementing a leadership council and program in the athletic program have a positive effect on discipline and character issues?

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	Benchmarks/ ASSESSMENT	Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
Analyze discipline problems over last year	Coaches and administrative collaborative meeting	Discipline records of reports within athletics and on HS campus	Principal, Athletic Director, Barrier	July 2012	Type minites and finding to share with members of meeting
Adapt and revise SLC’s leadership program to fit needs of Athens	Collaborative meeting with all coaches	SLC’s leadership program documents	Athletic Director, Barrier	August 2012	Produce a final overview and document
Gain community and parental support for Leadership Program	Have a parent meeting introducing leadership program and benefits	Power point presentation, facility for meeting	All Coaches-led by athletic director	August 2012 (prior to 2 a days)	Parental feedback and surveys
Introduce Program to Student Athletes	Team meeting discussing qualifications required for leadership council	Power point presentation, video testimonials for SLC athletes	All Coaches- led by Barrier	August 2012	Athlete feedback and response
Nominate and elect leadership council	Team will nominate and vote on leadership council	Team meeting, voting criteria, meeting and training with council canidates	All coaches led by athletic director and Barrier	August/September 2012	Council nominations, meeting outcomes
Collaboration and communication between student athletes and coaching staff	Leadership council and coaches meetings	Meeting rooms and times, agenda	All coaches led by athletic director and Barrier	September 2012-April 2013	Student feedback and issues resolved/discussed at weekly meetings
Students learn leadership characteristics and how to be a leader in difficult situations	A series of meetings to teach students what a leader is and how to be a positive role model using positive peer pressure	Councilor, college athlete testimonials, local community leaders testimonials	Barrier will set up meeting times and recruit speakers for each meeting	October 2012-March 2013	Students surveys after each meeting
Determine is Leadership Program has been a beneficial addition to the athletic program	Analyze and compare discipline reports.	Discipline report data, coaches input forms, teacher input forms, principal input forms, student/athlete input forms	Barrier will collect all information and all coaches will meet with Athletic director to discuss the findings	April/May 2013	Data comparison, input forms

Wrapping up Week 2

Through out this week I have narrowed down my action research topics and with the help of my site supervisor, selected one.  I chose to select the topic that I shared last week on the discussion board. 

AR- How will implemented a leadership program with in the athletic program have positive effects on the students, programs, and schools?

After meeting with my site supervisor and watching Dr. Lewis' video this week it was very clear to me that this was the topic I wanted to choose.  This topic is one that I have been thinking about and putting together since the concept was first introduced to me at coaching school last summer.  Now the action research project gives me the perfect opportunity to implement the program and (hopefully) see the great benefits!

Although the details are still being put together, it is a great feeling to have a definite focus now. 

week 1 Action research thoughts

After reading the texts this week I can best describe action research or inquiry (as the two terms were used interchangeable in text) as a process that allows leaders to reflect back and examine some of the challenges they have faced and how they have handled them.  They create wanderings or questions and share those with others.  They take these wanderings and examine them deeper by seeking input from others and reading literature when necessary.  They then take this information to decide if and what changes may need to be made.  This model engages everyone involved and tends to be successful because everybody can take ownership.  All can be certain that the changes that are being made are after careful review and studying of their unique situations and challenges. 

Learning about action research really excites me!  There are so many different situations that are running through my head about where and when I can implement action research.  Since I am a football coach and the offensive coordinator, much of the time I feel like it is my job to figure out what to do, make the decisions, and then tell the coaches exactly what to do.  I feel like as a coaching staff we can use action research to go back and look at what we did last year offensively.  We can look at stats, film, and take input for others.  This will be a time that all coaches can have their input and help decide what changes need to be made.  I am excited because I feel this may help the performance of some of the coaches as they are coaching if they take ownership of the offense and direction it is moving!

Educational leaders and blogs

Educational leaders can use blogs to communicate or advertise the good stuff going on at their school.  They could also use blogs to share information with colleagues and receive feedback as well.  They could use the linking blogs to connect with other leaders and get ideas or information.