Action Research Is .......

Action research is a dramatic change from the typical book research that I am used to. I had not been exposed to action research till this class started. It is more than just going to books to find an answer to your problem. To me action research works a lot like a mechanic. When you take your car into the shop the first thing they look at is what is working. I think in education we often over look what is working because we are worried about the things that are broken. The mechanic then starts with the easy things and as he works his way through the easy things he starts to isolate specific parts to see if they are the ones that are broken. The mechanic may refer to books, but it is he know how and his ability that are going to fix the car. I feel that action research will work the same way as I gain understanding. It is not a complete and total makeover of everything at once. It is more of looking at what works at each campus and what does not and coming up with ways to improve the things that are not working. Just like the mechanic would not fix something that is working action research will only attempt to fix the things that are not working correctly.