Leaphorn said studying Chee "when we're working on
something, I want you to tell me everything. Everything. Don't leave
out stuff you think is trivial, or doesn't seem to bear on what we're
interested in. I want it all."
(p. 25) from Hillerman, T. 1993. Sacred Clowns. Toronto: Harper Collins
cited in Newman, J. 2000. Action research: Exploring the tensions
of teaching. Toronto/New York: Canadian Scholars' Press/Teachers
College Press: 1-24
In action research, teachers often choose
classroom problems, collect data and examine that data and craft
solution(s). Its purpose is to improve teaching practices and increase
student learning. In professional development schools, teacher
educators, professional teachers and preservice teachers frequently
work in teams to solve problems of practice.
Teacher research can take different forms.
Narrative inquiry allows the teacher/researchers to examine their
backgrounds and see how that impacts their current values and
behavior. Other investigations examine documents (journal entries,
students' works, school policy documents, or news stories) for effects
on teacher work. Case studies analyze teacher decision-making and why
with individual students or groups of students. Teachers may review a
range of sources: lesson plans, students' work, conferences with
families, and personal reflections.
Teacher researchers frequently ask these questions after
they have collected their data:
What were anticipated effects?
Were there unanticipated effects?
What have I learned from this?
What might I have to learn or unlearn?
What are the next steps?
(Appalachian
Education Lab)
