Learning Activity 1.1

Research is something that I find to be challenging. In chapter one, Clark and Creswell discuss that research is sometimes the most difficult type of text for people to read because they are unfamiliar with the structure of research text and because it uses a type of language which is more challenging to comprehend. (Clark and Creswell, ). I find this to be true for me.

I did a little bit of research in my Bachelor of Education degree, however, I feel as though I need more practice and I look forward to learning to improve my research skills throughout this course. From chapter one and two, I have already discovered some strategies that might help me to break down the articles I am reading which allow me to better understand the research that is being presented.

A decision that I have made as a leader took place when I was acting principal of our school for two days. There is a student in our school who has a history of severe violence. During my time as acting admin, he had been given several chances and plenty of support to redirect his behaviour but his behaviour continued to escalate. I made the decision to suspend him from school for 5 days. I made this decision based on values, past experience and policy. These values included the safety of all staff and students that remained in the school and the need to provide other students with an environment in which they could learn. I also value an environment in which appropriate language is being used and an environment in which abusive behaviour towards staff is not tolerated. I also made my decision based on past experiences. I have previously had this child in my class and from experience, I know that his least successful times, are times that are high energy and times when normal routines are not in place. On the day that the incident happened, the students homeroom teacher was not present and there was a substitute in the classroom. It was also close to Christmas break and there were exciting things happening, such as Christmas concert practice, caroling and classroom games and excitement. This student does not function well when normal routines are not in place. Policy was also a factor in my decision.  Finally, as acting principal, I had the authority to make the decision to suspend him from school for 5 days.

After reading the required readings for this post, I am interested in researching more about this specific child. His needs are very complex and it would be beneficial for anyone dealing with him to read research that is strongly supported so that we can be more successful when interacting with him. The research would provide each individual with an increased knowledge base about students who face similar challenges and have similar needs as this child does.

References

Plano-Clark, V., & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.