Benefits of Action Research

It is only week one, but I am already learning a lot of valuable information about action research and its benefits. Action research is about asking questions and actively searching for insight through the analyzation of data to aid in making more informed decisions. The administrator is focused on learning about and improving the educational process from within, instead of trying to control from the outside. This type of research will be used in my classroom through the analysis of teacher and student learning styles. I have always wondered if the teacher's preffered style of learning is the method that they use to teach. If this is true, then there is a percentage of students in the classroom that learn in a different manner, who are not being given the same opportunity to learn as their peers. I want to discover is this is a problem in the classroom, and a cause of some students' poor grades. If I can figure out the dynamics of a typical classroom, then teaching strategies that reach all students need to be researched and used in the classroom. Inquiry based teaching needs to include collaboration with other teachers, and this action research would allow me to have meaningful conversation with other teachers, and determine if they are having some of the same struggles that I am having. If a problem can be fixed, it makes sense to share it with others. Action research allows for this type of collaboration through posing questions and taking action.