What Does it All Mean?

As we sat down at one of our last School Improvement Team meetings for the year our discussions revolved around putting our research into action. It's amazing to see a plan come full circle, and we can actually apply what we have gathered in our research. This is the piece that makes the research feel worth it!


Pre-K Hallway- Ms. Kelly Bryant

First Grade Hallway- Ms. Aprell Adams 

I have to admit when we first embarked upon this journey I did not ever think I would be able to utter the words, "It is all coming together." When gathering your initial thoughts and resources to conduct an action research project it is an overwhelming process because most times you are looking at the big picture. However, when I approach this task again I will keep in my mind the baby steps that led to the success of the final product. Taking each section at a time and reflecting on where you are in the process is very important because it allows you to remain focused on your research topic and questions. The success you feel once you have put everything together is beyond words. The excitement to spread the news of your findings and offer solid recommendations to fellow colleagues is rewarding! Doing your part to make a difference in the world of education and the lives of learners is what being an educator all is about.

Third Grade Hallway- Ms. Stacey Seiler

In a recent discussion at our last school improvement team meeting we were all excited about applying our results.  However, it is important remember that our findings may not always result in a clear action plan or positive result.  After reading chapter 10 in the Glanz text, we thought it was important to keep in mind is that the results of action research shouldn't be exaggerated. Glantz cites Foshay (1994) in a quotation where he writes, "Education is not yet a science and may never be, given the differences in individual human behavior: There is very little about education that we can claim with certainty" (p. 177). The effects that our treatment have on students should not always just be interpreted by sheer numbers, just as a student's worth should not be implicated only by a test score.  Like any human interaction, there are many facets that can contribute to any interaction, and multiple types of evidence should be considered.  Just some important food for thought as we wrap up our research! 

Fourth Grade Hallway- Mrs. Jaime Lambrinos

This evening as I read Chapter 10 of Action Research, I realized that my months of hard work and dedication to one set of research questions is all coming together.  As the title suggests, I really am "Putting It All Together"! This is now my opportunity to share with my colleagues what I have discovered and learned from my research plan.  For sometime now, teachers in my school have been talking about using interactive notebooks and how fun they are but now I have the opportunity to share with teachers that interactive notebooks are so much more than that...they are proven to increase student achievement.    I now have the opportunity to make a recommendation that could potentially affect so many children and educators for the better.  My chance to make a difference...this is terribly exciting!

Fifth Grade Hallway- Mrs. Rebecca Young

After reading Chapter 10 of Jeffrey Glanz's Action Research, I thought the chapter title, "Putting It All Together:  What Does it Mean?," describes exactly how I'm feeling.  I just spent a few months engrossing myself in this topic, I can see the finish line, but now I have to put together and explain in words what I was able to find.  If I was actually completing my action research I imagine this step would be rather exciting because you would finally see what your data tells you and be able to make decisions and recommendations based on that data. Because my action research review of the literature had limited information on my topic of NSLP aiding in student attention I would be thrilled to provide insight into if a correlation exisits or not.  Also, my first research question which asks if students attitudes will change towards healthy foods after participating in nutrition integration lessons had conflicting research from across the world.  I would be excited to add my findings to the debate.  This is it...the home stretch in action research.  I can see the finish line now.