After reading about the nine "passions" that drive inquiry outlined by Dana (2009) and watching online videos as assigned in my Research for Teachers class, I have noticed a common thread regarding how to choose my course of inquiry: personal interest.
- At the end of his interview with a University of Lamar professor, Dr.Kirk Lewis’ advice to researchers is to look at what is practical for you. “What do you need to know in order to apply directly to student learning?” He goes on to say that if the research is relevant to what you’re doing, you are more likely to apply it in your instruction.
- In Johnny Briseno's interview with a University of Lamar professor, he suggested that researchers “read in their areas of interest as much as possible.” He went on to say that when you’re struggling with something to go out and see what research already exists that can offer insight to your problem.
Anyone who works in a school building could point out weaknesses that need attention or generate questions regarding improvements they see that need to be made. The process of action research requires enduring, ongoing attention... gathering data, reflecting on data, tweaking the question for inquiry, gathering more data... and on, and on... if a practitioner's heart and focused attention aren't on the research, the data is likely to be incomplete. When choosing a topic of research, an inquirer must sift through all the issues lying before them and locate the one that piques their curiosity and generates an energy within them. The process has to be a priority. With that in mind, researchers need to focus on issues they have a heart for and are willing to not only put the time in to research but are also willing to take the effort to exert the change resulting from the research.
Resources:
Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
University of Lamar & Briseno, Johnny. Interview retrieved from online course materials.
University of Lamar & Lewis, K. Interview retrieved from online course materials.
Well said! If we can key into one of our passions, we will have the strength, fortitude, and determination to see the project through to the end.
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ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have learned from week two interviews is that action research is data driven. I have a CIP meeting this week and I am excited to learn and collaborate some things.