Using Action Research

     Before this class, I had never heard of the term action research.  Action research, though, has been a part of my teaching career without me realizing it.  As I stated in my homework assignment, the definition of action research can be simplified to studying yourself and using what you learn to change.  To me, it is basically "trial and error."  In my experience as a teacher, this is the basis of any classroom teacher.  Teachers try new lessons, forms of presentations, evaluation processes, and many other things on an extremely frequent basis.  The teacher must then evaluate the effectiveness and then make changes or adapt to the lessons learned.
     Action research would be very useful as an administrator.  I would use it to affect change in any area of my school that needed change.  For example, I believe professional development and trainings are of utmost importance to the development of effective teachers.  As a principal of a school, I would evaluate the school's current system of professional development and come up with ways to improve the system.
     As an educator and future administrator, I am most interested in teacher development and motivation.  I believe that they key to a successful and effective school is the teachers.  As much as everything in a school needs to be student-centered, it is the teachers who make that happen.  Therefore, one of the areas of study I am most interested in is teacher motivation.  A motivated teacher can make magic happen in their classroom and inspire learning from even the most unmotivated students.  I truly believe that increased teacher motivation will lead to increase in student motivation.