The search for action research.

I think the whole action research topic has been very enlightening and refreshing.  I now have a name for something I have done in my classroom throughout my ten year career.  I was able to see examples of action research in my school and in my school district.  I saw I had been involved in action research as both a researcher and as a participant.  I saw how informal action research was used by my administration to improve faculty meetings and teacher inservices.  I also saw how formal action research is used to plan for the year within the school and by the district.
One specific area in which I want to learn more is using action research to improve as a leader of adults as opposed to a leader of children.  If I decide to go into administration the style of leadership I use with the kids will have to be altered to lead adults.  I am constantly observing our administration to see how they handle themselves in different situations. I watch how they talk to faculty, staff, students, and parents.  
In order to improve on my leadership skills I plan on seeking out more leadership positions.  Recently I took on the task of organizing our school's Pre Advanced Placement scheduling.  Students were offered the opportunity to take a test which score along with the students grade point average and teacher recommendation would determine if they were eligible for Pre AP.  I had to work with teachers to obtain their lists of qualified students and to organize a Pre AP night in which parents and students came to get a general understanding of Pre AP and to sign district created contracts to be apart of the program.  Once contracts were signed it was my responsibility to give our registrar a list of the students and the courses they had agreed on taking.

This was an action research project in which I learned how important communication is in order to create a successful event.  I jumped into the situation with both feet and I had a tremendous amount of help from a colleague who did the organizing last year.  I did learn that I have to improve on my communication skills.  I also learned the timing of the communication is very important.  I look forward to making more mistakes and learning from them in a leadership role.