NEXT STEPS & FUTURE CYCLES:
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
CHAPTER 7
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
• Action plan—formal or informal plan for some type of action,
implementation, or revision that follows from the results of an action
research project
• Formal or informal may depend largely on purpose of project
• Informal action plans
• Brief statements or simple descriptions of plan to revise or implement new
educational practice
• Plan to share results with local audiences
• Formal action plans
• Complete written report for presentation or publication
• Plan is strategy for putting into practice changes resulting from action
research project
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
• Possible, and common, outcomes of action research studies:
• Greater understanding of situation is developed
• New problem is discovered
• Plan, program, method is found to be effective
• Plan, program, method is found to need modification
• Plan, program, method is found to be ineffective
• “Based on what I have learned from my study, what should I do
now?”
• Note the integration of reflection yet again
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
• Complete “Steps to Action” chart (see Figure 7.1) as a guide
• Levels of action plans:
• Individual action planning
• Results from individual teacher-researchers engaged in the process
• Guided by professional development, leading change in their classroom or school,
coursework, or grant activity
• Primary audience is typically the individual teacher
• Conducted the research, but also target of action plan
• Others may still be interested in results
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
• Team action planning
• Action research conducted by teams of teachers
• May result from networks of teachers, perhaps in different schools or districts
• Typically will share a common area of interest
• Sometimes easier to facilitate, since labor is divided up
• Realize that this can also be a disadvantage
• Commitments from all team members is critical
• School-level or districtwide planning
• All members of a broader group decide on a common focus within the building or
district
• Becomes a communitywide effort for school improvement
DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN
• Action planning and REFLECTION
• Reflection on where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and where you’re going
• Potential to lead to much more action research/professional development
activities
• Important questions:
• What were the intended and unintended effects of your actions?
• What educational issues arise after examining what you’ve learned about your
practice?
• REMEMBER: all of this has stemmed from systematic inquiry into your own
practice
ACTION PLANNING TEMPLATE
• Action Planning for Practice and
Next Cycles of Action Research
Action Planning for Practice &
Next Cycles of Action Research
1. The purpose of my study was to…
2. My research question was…
3. A summary of my research
findings include…
4. Something I learned from my
study was…
5. Recommendations for changes to
my practice include…
6. Recommendations for future
cycles of action research include…
Reme mber…
A ll a s p e c t s o f y o u r s tu d y a n d i ts d e s i g n m u s t b e P A R A L L EL ! !
ACTION RESEARCH CHECKLIST 7
Action Research Checklist 7:
Action Planning for Practice and Future Cycles of Action Research
☐ Revisit your research question(s).
☐ Sketch out an answer to each research question, based specifically on the results of your data analysis.
☐ Spend some time reflecting on the process of conducting action research.
☐ What did you learn about your topic that you didn’t know before you started?
☐ Did you experience any unintended consequences from your action research study?
☐ Did this process force you to reevaluate any preconceptions you may have held about your practice,
your students, or education in general?
☐ List several possible recommendations or ideas for changes to your practice that might result from your action
research study.
☐ List several possible recommendations or ideas for your next cycle of action research.