Action Research Reflection

There is no problem or concern that ever totally goes away. Action research is the answer to working to improve the issue. A team can continually look at the advancements, what has worked, what has not worked, how the concern has morphed. Sometimes through study you will notice while solving issues with one concern that there is another that equally needs to be addressed or that the new concern was really the underlying reason for the first concern. Action research is an effective tool for improving teaching and learning. Educators can study their student’s learning and relate it to their own teaching so that learning is improved. Because of the continual reflection and action spiraling of this process it is an ongoing method to overcome a problem that may exist.
As an educator I would use action research because it is ongoing, makes use of those who are involved in the problem, uses current information to help problem solve, and has a semantic approach that utilizes data to better understand the issues at hand. Once a plan of action has been devised then it does not just drop the process as complete. Action research includes eight steps as Harris (2010) states; the most valuable in my opinion is step 8 “Sustaining improvement” which includes the annual diagnosis and continued attention to choices made to correct the problem. Our world as teachers involves is a dynamic field that is continually changing we must use a process to approach problems that lends itself to change and adjustment.