HSIE Teachers
  • Home

Ideas, resources, inspiration

Designing an Action Research Project

5/25/2022

0 Comments

 
Action Research is an inquiry process which examines a particular problem or issue, puts a series of actions in place and reflects upon the implementation of the action to determine success or failure.
 
Action Research allows us to engage current research, but is mostly focused on improving practice in our own local setting. According to DEC Action Research guidelines the process is made up of four main stages: planning, acting, observing and reflecting. Planning involves identifying an issue, examining similar projects and secondary sources, developing questions and methods. Acting involves trialing a change in practice, collecting evidence and adjusting the project if required. Observing involves analyzing the evidence, disseminating information and writing a report. Reflecting involves evaluating the process, implementing the findings and revisiting the process.
 
While a formal action research project can be labour-intensive, and time consuming, most decision making and leadership of teams should incorporate most of these elements anyway, even if just informally.
 
Running your action research project
 
Planning:
  • What issue/s are you going to address?
  • What data already exists at the school level to support your decision-making?
  • What research/evidence will drive your decision-making?
  • What questions will you ask?
  • What methods will you use?
 
Acting
  • What are you actually going to do to address your issue?
  • What specific strategies will you use?
  • What are the criteria/measures of success?
  • What are the plans for implementation?
  • What evidence will you collect to assess the success/failure of your strategies?
 
Observing
  • How will the evidence be analysed?
  • How will the information that you gather be disseminated to the whole school or wider community?
  • How will you document your findings? (this is important to ensure continuity of the gains you have made).
 
Reflecting
  • How will you evaluate the process?
  • How will you implement the findings - do they have wider implications? Can the strategy continue?
  • What are next steps?
 
Designing roles and tasks for your team.
Explore the Professional Standards for Teachers. Use the standards to help you identify the tasks and roles for the group. Consider that while you may have some very experienced staff members on your team, there may also be beginning teachers, or those who are already overstretched. Create opportunities that cater for a range of staff.
 
Choose a standard that is relevant to your leadership opportunity, and explore it at each level. 
  • How can this standard translate to activities for the staff in your team?
  • How can the standards drive the direction of your project?
 
Explore the standards here:
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards

Use the standards and your responses to the questions above to plan out your team's activities over an extended period. Ensure that you provide opportunities for staff at different levels of the careers. 

Action Research is a great way to undertake whole school projects to improve outcomes for students while also providing opportunities to build teacher capacity and provide opportunities for staff to address the standard at various levels.

You can read about some of the Action Research Projects I have been involved in here:
​BYOD
.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Louise Swanson

    Deputy Principal at a Sydney high school. Coordinating author of the Geoactive text book series.

    Follow @LouiseSwanson
    Follow @hsieteachers
    12 Geography
    Sustainability
    Urban and Rural Places
    Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    11 Geography
    Earth's Natural Systems
    Human Systems
    Human-Environment Interactions
    Geographical Investigation
    Geography Skills
    Legal Studies
    Studies of Religion
    Commerce
    History
    Changing Places
    Environmental Change

    Categories

    All
    10 Geography
    11 Geo
    11 Geography
    12 Geography
    12 Legal Studies
    6 Geography
    7 Geography
    8 Geography
    9 Geography
    Accreditation
    Adani
    Affordability
    AGTA2017
    AGTA 2022
    Ancient History
    ANZAC
    App
    Arctic
    Ashbury
    Asia
    Augmented Reality
    Australian Curriculum
    Australians At War
    Biophysical Interactions
    Buddhism
    Bushfires
    Business Studies
    BYOD
    Cabramatta
    Case Studies
    Catchment
    Catchment Functioning
    Change
    Changing Places
    Climate Change
    Cold War
    Commerce
    Consumer Choice
    Coral Reefs
    Cross Curriculum Priorities
    Cross Curriculum Project
    Cultural Integration
    Discrimination
    Economic Activity
    Ecosystems At Risk
    Elearning
    Environmental Change
    Excursion
    Fertility
    Fieldwork
    Gaming
    General Capabilities
    Geographical Investigation
    Geography
    Geomorphic Hazards
    Georges River
    Global
    Google
    Great Barrier Reef
    GTANSW2017
    GTA NSW Conference 2018
    Herculanuem
    Historiography
    History
    Homelessness
    Housing
    HSC
    Human Environment Interactions
    Human Rights
    India
    Insurance
    Leadership
    Learning Across The Curriculum
    Learning And Support
    Legal Studies
    Legal Studies Association
    Life Skills
    Light Rail
    Literacy
    Liveability
    Management
    Mekong
    Metroline
    Mining
    Modern History
    Modifications
    Natural Hazards
    Natural Resources
    Natural Systems
    New Nsw Syllabus
    Online Learning
    Outcomes
    Papua New Guinea
    Personal Finance
    Picture Books
    Place And Liveability
    Population
    Population Pyramids
    Preliminary
    Primary
    Professional Associations
    Professional Learning
    Program
    Project Based Learning
    Purpose
    Refugees
    Reporting
    Revision
    Rivers
    Senior Geography Project
    SGP
    Shelter
    Sia
    Social Media
    Solutions
    Stage 3
    Stage 4
    Stage 5
    Stage 6
    Studies Of Religion
    Sustainability
    Sydenham To Bankstown
    Sydney
    Teacher Wellbeing
    Tech
    Technology
    Tourism
    Transport
    Travel
    Urbanisation
    Urban Places
    Venice
    Video
    Virtual Reality
    Volcanoes
    WestConnex
    World
    World Cities
    World Heritage Sites
    Writing
    WWI
    WWII

    Archives

    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    June 2021
    March 2021
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home