Professional learning with action research in innovative middle schools

Abstract

This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1) appropriate scope, (2) a collaborative approach, (3) accountability, (4) various data sources, and (5) a clear link to practice. Action research with these characteristics can help middle grades educators address emergent problems in 21st-century classrooms and respond to the evolving needs of young adolescents.

Keywords:

• action research
• professional development
• middle grades
• technology
• 21st-century schools

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Steven Netcoh

Steven Netcoh is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. E-mail: [email protected]

Mark W. Olofson

Mark W. Olofson is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. Email: [email protected]

John M. Downes

John M. Downes, Ed.D., is the associate director of the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. Email: [email protected]

Penny A. Bishop

Penny A. Bishop, Ed.D., is a professor of middle level education at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. E-mail: [email protected]