Research? Action? Two Words...Scary Words...

The part of the Master's program I have been dreading.  I am old, out of touch and tired.  Research requires time, I don't have enough.  Who decided we should put action behind the research?  So, my journey into worlds left behind 24 years ago (I said I was old) begins.  I understand research, after all I am an educator.  I research for everything I do before I teach my students.  I research to find out what my students are lacking and why; what new I can offer them?  But, action frankly threw me for a loop. Not to panic, I discovered that action research is in fact what I do regularly.  According to Dana, "..The practitioner inquiry movement focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question." ( Leading with Passion and Knowledge).  Coined "action research" by Carr and Kemmis (1986), this way of solving problems in the school begins with a question.  1.  What is the problem that needs to be solved or improved?  2.  What action(s) can be employed to improve the    situation?  3.  After identifying the strategies, put them into practice.  Did it facilitate the change?  What can the knowledge learned do to empower more improvement?  Of course my version is very simple.  I teach elementary so I tend to "dumb" information down to reach a wide variety of young thinkers.  However, I understand that action research is in my hands to bring about a desired change in my classroom, school, or district based on literature research.  Now my head is really spinning!  Wow, I have the power to affect change in a positive way and try those things I have often wondered about.  Where do I start?  Oh yes, the question!  What do other practitioners have to say about the problem?   Good question, now to get started....