Better Late Than Never!

OK I've just figured out I posted the wrong thing last week. I neglected to put my Action Research on my blog..... Here it is, please post comments.

https://acrobat.com/#d=qaKX*Oa-jDT15trcfMXDSA

COLLOBORATION & REFLECTION

I think the most important parts of an Action Research Plan is the collaboration and the reflection parts. Change must never be done because someone thinks change is necessary or simply to change things, change must always happen because the change will make a situation better. To ensure a smooth change, your stakeholders must "buy-in" to the change; this buy-in is encouraged when you ask and receive collaboration from your faculty and staff. Therefore, collaboration is vital to a successful implementation of the Action Research Plan.

Reflection is other important part of an Action Research Plan. Every step of the plan must be thought out thoroughly to avoid any potential pitfalls that might exist to thwart and impede the plan. Reflection is also important to an administrator as it helps the administrator (or anybody for that matter) a "do-over."

Overwelmed!

I have been feeling overwhelmed this week. I started this course on the same day that I began teaching AFTER having my teaching assignment and classroom location completely changed the Friday before we started school. To top it off I have 165 students and I swear I have every special student with an IEP AND a BIP! I am really feeling like I have bitten off too much this time. My idea for an action research project is to try and increase parent/guardian involvement, especially the involvement level of the parents of our lower socio-economic and/or minority students. I feel like these groups tend to be the ones who are most often overlooked. I have heard other schools discuss parent training program so that parents can help their students with their homework, even though this might be more applicable at lower grades, I still feel parent training would be beneficial for the parents of secondary students. I just wish we could more parents who often feel they are not good enough to volunteer or help involved in our positive school activities, instead of just discipline or academic problems. I really feel positive interaction would increase student performance, if only because parents would be more knowledgeable about what their student is doing.