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Allied Online High School Blog
ANHS Embraces Research-Based Process for Improvement in Online Learning
Posted: 25 Sep 2012 09:20 AM PDT
By JACQUELYN SANBORN,
Dean of Instruction at Allied National High SchoolAllied National High School instructors are about to begin a year-long action research project as part of their professional development for the 2012-2013 school year. The instructors will work together as a professional learning community to improve instruction throughout the year.
According to Pepperdine University’s Center for Collaborative Action Research, action research is:
“…a way of learning from and through one’s practice by working through a series of reflective stages that facilitate the development of a form of ‘adaptive’ expertise.
“This form of research then is an iterative, cyclical process of reflecting on practice, taking an action, reflecting, and taking further action. Therefore, the research takes shape while it is being performed. Greater understanding from each cycle points the way to improved actions.” *
We will be applying principle of action research at ANHS by having teachers collect work samples from their students, analyze the work samples, and then reflect collaboratively on their findings. Instructors will also reflect on their teaching practice using the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP), and then grow professionally by participating in professional development activities based on the CSTP.
After they have sharpened their teaching skills, teachers will be asked to choose a strategy they learned during their professional development and apply it in their courses. They will continue to collect data on the effectiveness of this strategy and share their findings throughout the online school year.
The end product of this action research project will be a digital portfolio that instructors will create online, using our Blackboard system. The portfolios will showcase their research outcomes, and how they have improved learning in their courses.
Through this detailed cycle, Allied National High School will continue to raise its standards for instruction and improve online learning for our students.
*Riel, Margaret. “Understanding Action Research.” Center for Collaborative Action Research. Pepperdine University. 2011. Web. 20 September 2012 <http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html>
