Action Research: What I've Learned

After delving into the readings on action research, I've learned that I unintentionally engage in action research more frequently than I ever thought. Action research empowers the practitioner, myself, to verbalize a question or problem that I think is crucial to the success of my colleagues and students, and then collaborate with other practitioners to research potential solutions and also implement the necessary changes for transformation. I prefer action research as compared to traditional educational research because as an educational leader, I am the person in the trenches with my students, parents and coworkers. Although I am grateful for researchers and theorists outside of my classroom looking into certain areas for me, until we as practitioners take off the training wheels and explore these areas for ourselves, true transformation will never take place.