5301 Reflections

Looking back over the past five weeks has made me realize I got way more than I bargained for from EDLD 5301. I had an idea of what a class titled “research” would consist of, but I found my ideas were far from what I ended up learning. Overall, the class provided me with a very clear definition of action research and what I feel is a wealth of information on implementing action research in my professional career. Through lectures, readings, discussion boards, and blogs, I’ve developed a deep understanding of a tool I’ll be sure to use immediately.

The assignments in this course really allowed me to review and reflect on the valuable information found in both the lectures and readings. Although I sometimes found myself spending hours wrapping my brain around a specific writing assignment, I always ended up with a deep understanding of the topic being addressed. Aside from the usual writing assignments I had each week, the action research plan (ARP) template I had to fill out in week three was extremely helpful. Filling out the ARP template really gave me a vision for the scope of my research. It allowed me to take a step back and see my plan as a whole and made it easy for me to see gaps that needed to be filled in, specifically in the area of data collection and analysis. This template was also crucial in allowing others in my class to provide comments and thoughts.

Everything this course offered me really helped me to understand action research. I know I will be promoting action research within my school this year as we face old and new issues. I’m thankful I have plenty of great resources from this course to offer anyone interested in the topic, and I look forward to developing an even deeper understanding of the power of action research.