In the second week of recognizing the importance of action research in today's education system, I found it quite interesting to read in Dana's book that inquiry can take place in a multitude of topic areas and is extremely relevant to the teachers of today and tomorrow. I had difficulty thinking about an area for my action research plan until I began reading "Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as an Action Researcher". The chapter titled "Finding a Wondering" was very insightful as to the areas and experiences that most of us already encounter on a day to day basis. This means wondering, thinking, and posing questions in what Dana (2009) as nine areas fit for inquiry - staff development, curriculum development, teachers, students, leadership, management, community and school culture, school performance, and social justice.
The idea of action research is to identify those experiences (both positive and negative) that could be taken to the next step. Take the good things occuring on campus and ponder about how this can impact more students, more community members, instruction, and so forth. A leader should be learning from the "good and the bad" to make the best possible impact on student instruction and should be using data to drive those decisions.
I also found Dana's text beneficial in realizing that these ideas occur in our every day lives. I also like your comment about having to learn from both the positive and negatives. A leader must be able to identify and admit that his organziation has a problem if it is ever going to have a chance for success. Good job!
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