Unit 5: Creating a plan of action

Objectives:

7.0 Using their collected data and results, participants will create a written plan of action.

7.1 Participants will be able to identify the steps needed to create a plan of action.

Overview: In this final unit, you will discuss how you will act on your evidence and create a plan of action.

You can make a big difference by following the steps of action research!

At this point you should examine your investigation and determine what to actually do.

Johnson says that based on the data you have collected and reported you should now ask yourself what does it all mean?" "What is it that you know now to be true?" "What can we deduce from the data you have presented?" Your conclusion:

"Your conclusion is often no more than a paragraph or two describing your current state of knowing or a list of things you have come to believe as a result of your study." (Johnson, 2008, p. 128)

In the discussion board, write one/two paragraphs about your conclusion. Please comment on at least pne classmates post.

Now that your conclusion is written, you can begin doing something about it! Essentially, you should act on your evidence!

Act on Evidence(taken from Action Research by Eileen Ferrance)

"Using the information from the data collection and review of current literature, design a plan of action that will allow you to make a change and to study that change. It is important that only one variable be altered. As with any experiment, if several changes are made at once, it will be difficult to determine which action is responsible for the outcome. While the new technique is being implemented, continue to document collect data on performance." (p. 12)

Click here to view the entire article: Action Research This article is also a great review of what action research is and why it is important. I suggest that you read the entire article!

When acting on your evidence, it is easiest to create a plan of action. This plan contains many steps and when organized, can help you act on what you learned.

Your plan of action should include:

1. Your findings: what you learned from the investigation

2. Recommended action targeted to findings: Based on your conculsion, what should you do now? This is usually broken down into each individual finding. For example, if you found that reading a list of commonly used words increases student reading fluency (your finding) then your action is to have your students read the list of words each day. If another finding is that knwoing sight words increases reading fluency then your action, based on this finding, is to increase your sight word instruction.

3. Who is responsible for the action? Examples can include the teacher, a team, the department head, principal, parents, students.

4. Who needs to be consulted or informed? Examples can include the teacher, a team, the department head, principal, parents, students.

5. Who will monitor/collect data?Examples can include the teacher, a team, the department head, principal, parents, students.

6. Timeline: the dates when the actions and monitoring will occur.

7. Resources: any resources that will be needed to carry out the actions. Do you need to make flash cards? Do you need record sheets, books, the use of a computer?

Please complete your plan of action and include all of the above steps. Post it to the discussion board and comment on at least one of your classmates.

Now that you have your plan of action, act on it! Follow what you decided to do, reflect on what is happening, and change what needs to be changed. The action plan is not a set plan, it is an idea of where to go. You may suggest something that simply does not work. When this happends, chage the action! If your action does not give the desired results, again, change it! REFLECTION is key- always look at what you are doing and ask yourself, are these the results that I want? Is this working? Collect data and progress monitor- gather information to either prove that your action is working or that it is not.

Also, always go back and see if there is new research! People are coming out with new studies everyday, use their work to your advantage!

I hope that you are now more familiar with how to make changes in your classroom! Although there are many steps to take, successful change in the classroom or school is worth the hard work!

The steps of action research include identifying the problem, gathering information, planning, acting on your plan, reflecting, changing the plan, acting again, reflecting again, and so on...

Congratulations on the completion of this course!

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