Reflection: My Continued Journey
As the process of implementing this action research project unfolded, I felt that introducing a job-embedded professional development plan was a good start to increasing attendance at Monroe County ISD professional development events. However, I soon understood that site-based professional development (in some cases, job-embedded), was instrumental in allowing teachers to focus on change over a long period of time (Gaible and Burns, 2005). Through the initial pre-survey information, it became apparent that job-embedded professional development may not only increase attendance at Monroe County ISD events but more importantly, it may positively impact teaching and learning in Monroe County. I discovered that teachers were twice as likely to attend professional development during the school day than at night and that they needed professional development that was relevant to where they were as a learner, both of which job-embedded professional development can provide.
As I continue to implement this action research project, it's imperative that I continue to seek feedback from participants on PD topics that will be relevant to them. Over half of all respondents said that they needed job-embedded PD to gain knowledge in educational technology, and job-embedded PD offers personalized knowledge for these teachers based on their experiences and needs.
I am interested to compare the pre- and post-survey responses from the participants of the action research project. Will the ISD see an increase in attendance at the ISD, or will we see something unexpected from this project's outcomes that we did not or could not anticipate beforehand? How will our professional development goals and objectives change at the ISD at the conclusion of this action research project? What will be able to learn from the research and data we garner from our participants, and from other job-embedded initiatives we implement from this project?
This action research project journey has been especially interesting to me because I oftentimes lack the time to research in depth topics that truly matter in my position as a teacher technology coach. I found an overwhelming amount of data that supported job-embedded professional development and, had I taken the time beforehand to research this, we might've had a leg up on the 2013 professional development updates in the state of Michigan. It has shown me the value of the research process. This action research journey has also identified the need for reflecting among colleagues using the data that we have. Prior to this project, we have never, as an ISD, used the data we received from our participants in our professional developments, to guide our professional development practices. When I asked a superior how we use the data we collect at our PD, I received a response that this person didn't think we used it all, it simply was there if we wanted it. This action research project has helped solidify my belief that the answers are in the data and it's essential to look at data often to help guide the path of the organization and in this case, professional development.
Overall, I've found the action research process to be incredibly powerful. It has helped me to see that there has to be a continuous cycle of evaluation and change within my position and career. It gives me a clear outline of implementation strategies and cycles to evaluate and update the processes and plans overtime in order to continuously improve myself, my programs, and actions. I am excited to see the outcome of the final evaluation of the programs that we have implemented. More importantly, I plan to continue to build upon and refine these implemented programs using the action research cycle throughout my career.
As I continue to implement this action research project, it's imperative that I continue to seek feedback from participants on PD topics that will be relevant to them. Over half of all respondents said that they needed job-embedded PD to gain knowledge in educational technology, and job-embedded PD offers personalized knowledge for these teachers based on their experiences and needs.
I am interested to compare the pre- and post-survey responses from the participants of the action research project. Will the ISD see an increase in attendance at the ISD, or will we see something unexpected from this project's outcomes that we did not or could not anticipate beforehand? How will our professional development goals and objectives change at the ISD at the conclusion of this action research project? What will be able to learn from the research and data we garner from our participants, and from other job-embedded initiatives we implement from this project?
This action research project journey has been especially interesting to me because I oftentimes lack the time to research in depth topics that truly matter in my position as a teacher technology coach. I found an overwhelming amount of data that supported job-embedded professional development and, had I taken the time beforehand to research this, we might've had a leg up on the 2013 professional development updates in the state of Michigan. It has shown me the value of the research process. This action research journey has also identified the need for reflecting among colleagues using the data that we have. Prior to this project, we have never, as an ISD, used the data we received from our participants in our professional developments, to guide our professional development practices. When I asked a superior how we use the data we collect at our PD, I received a response that this person didn't think we used it all, it simply was there if we wanted it. This action research project has helped solidify my belief that the answers are in the data and it's essential to look at data often to help guide the path of the organization and in this case, professional development.
Overall, I've found the action research process to be incredibly powerful. It has helped me to see that there has to be a continuous cycle of evaluation and change within my position and career. It gives me a clear outline of implementation strategies and cycles to evaluate and update the processes and plans overtime in order to continuously improve myself, my programs, and actions. I am excited to see the outcome of the final evaluation of the programs that we have implemented. More importantly, I plan to continue to build upon and refine these implemented programs using the action research cycle throughout my career.