Action Research sounds like an intimidating process but what it boils down to is teachers taking control of the issues they want to address in their classroom and conducting research to help understand and solve the problem. What I love most about Action Research: improving schools and empowering educators by Craig Mertler is the respect shown to teachers and their knowledge and expertise in the classroom. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard incredible academic scholars speak to a room of teachers, and they miss the mark because what they are preaching does not reflect the reality for most teachers. Teachers are constantly gathering data to assess lessons and student learning, and I appreciate the systematic method Mertler lays out to plan and gather data for a specific problem that teachers are experiencing in their own classrooms.

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I am focusing my action research on the effect that project based learning has on standardized tests as well as student interest in studying history. The data for this action research will be collected over the course of the next school year because project based learning is not utilized throughout every unit. I am grateful that action research fits pretty well within the system already (standardized tests every unit), but I am most nervous about the implementation of my project based lessons, as that is the focus of my innovation project. Implementing blended, project based learning is very important to me, and this action research will not only guide my teaching but will hopefully prove the benefits of blended, project based learning.  

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Below I have included links to each element of my Action Research process.