"Most of all, teacher research is a gift: to the profession, in helping us change the way we see old problems and bringing us new solutions; to research communities, in showing us new research strategies and how to take risks in writing up research; to ourselves, in reminding us of the energy and passion in learning that made us teachers in the first place. It is a gift that we're all working hard for..."from "Living the Questions"Teachers know that the research they undertake in their own classrooms is a powerful tool for many purposes--from finding the best way to teach a subject, to organizing student work and activities, to assessing children's learning. And like traditional approaches to inquiry, teacher research is more than a way of thinking: it involves specific procedures and practices that lead to positive changes in teaching and learning."Living the Questions" is the definitive resource for the methods of teacher research. With a consistent tone that is eloquent and passionate, this guide for novice and veteran teacher-researchers will challenge and inspire educators at all levels to see the potential for inquiry in their lives.Part research text, part contributed collection, "Living the Questions" includes: research strategies illustrated in hands-on workshops; sample projects from twenty-eight contributing teachers in grades K-college; guidelines for setting up schoolwide inquiry groups; practical strategies for managing time and resources in research projects; innovative ideas for enlisting students and colleagues as co-researchers; ethical considerations in teacher research projects; advice from veteran teacher-researchers on building regional and national support networks; suggestions for getting research published; internet resources for teacher-researchers; the role of administrators in fostering teacher research. Teachers, school inquiry groups, and professors of research courses in education will find" Living the Questions" a rich source of ideas and processes for developing inquiry skills. This book will also help educators at all levels understand how and why teacher research is transforming the lives of so many teachers.

Living the Questions: A Guide for Teacher-Researchers. Second Edition.

This paper explores how action research theories and practices are remodelled in local contexts and used to support educational reform. From an analysis of 46 publications from the period 2000–2008, five ‘variations’ in the globalized theory and practice of action research are identified: action research in times of political upheaval and transition; action research as a state‐sponsored means of reforming schooling; co‐option of action research by Western governments and school systems to control teachers; action research as a university‐led reform movement; and action research as locally‐sponsored systemic reform sustained over time. A common feature in these ‘variations’ of action research is the importance each demonstrates of working towards a resolution of the impetus for action with the reflective process of inquiry and knowledge generation, to generate new practices. The paper also offers a framework to enable the analysis of how action research differs in local settings within and across national ...

Action research for educational reform: remodelling action research theories and practices in local contexts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of lesson study for the development of a science of teaching cast in the form of John Dewey's “laboratory model” of learning to teach.Design/methodology/approach – The early sections compare the “laboratory” with the “apprenticeship” and “rationalist” models of learning to teach, which emphasise the primacy of practice and theory respectively. The unity of theory and practice embodied in the “laboratory model” is outlined, linking the development of teachers’ theoretical understanding with the development of their practice. A distinction between pedagogy and teaching is drawn. The later sections examine the potential of lesson study to develop as a teachers’ based pedagogical science, particularly when informed by variation theory. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which different theories of learning can be integrated into learning study, and points to ways in which particular studies can contribute to the systematic construction of ...

Developing a science of teaching through lesson study

Participatory research (PR) encompasses research designs, methods, and frameworks that use systematic inquiry in direct collaboration with those affected by an issue being studied for the purpose of action or change. PR engages those who are not necessarily trained in research but belong to or represent the interests of the people who are the focus of the research. Researchers utilizing a PR approach often choose research methods and tools that can be conducted in a participatory, democratic manner that values genuine and meaningful participation in the research process. This article serves as an introduction to participatory research methods, including an overview of participatory research, terminology across disciplines, elements that make a research method participatory, and a model detailing the choice points that require decisions about which tools and methods will produce the desired level of participation at each stage of the research process. Intentional choices of participatory research methods, tools, and processes can help researchers to more meaningfully engage stakeholders and communities in research, which in turn has the potential to create relevant, meaningful research findings translated to action.

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Participatory Research Methods – Choice Points in the Research Process

https://shura.shu.ac.uk/8943/1/Boylan_Teacher_education_for_social_justice__SHURA_copy.pdf

Teacher education for social justice : mapping identity spaces

This handbook presents and critiques predominant and emergent traditions of Educational Action Research internationally. Now a prominent methodology, Educational Action Research is well suited to exploring, developing and sustaining change processes both in classrooms and whole organisations such as schools, Departments of Education, and many segments of universities.

The handbook contains theoretical and practical based chapters by highly respected scholars whose work has been seminal in building knowledge and expertise in the field. It also contains chapters exemplifying the work of prominent practitioner and community groups working outside universities.

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Susan E. Noffke

Papers

The SAGE handbook of educational action research