Teacher InquiryFor the past three weeks we have been looking at how you can use research in order to develop an evidence-informed practice. For the next five weeks the focus shifts from using research to becoming a researcher in your own classroom or school setting.
In your practice you are constantly deciding what to do and how to act. You will be evaluating and reflecting (either consciously or subconsciously and often both) on your teaching practice and making judgments on what you should do next. Adopting the stance of teacher-researcher formalises these evaluative and reflective processes. As Wilson (2013) explains:
"Researching our practice presents the opportunity to problem-solve more intelligently, through drawing on existing research findings and by using rigorous methods to collect evidence which helps clarify our thinking. Experiences of participating in an informed way, and acting freshly, offer the teacher for whom teaching has become a routine a sense of freedom, of meaning, of worthiness and consequently increased self-esteem." (Wilson, 2013, p.5)
Concept of teacher as researcherThe concept of the teacher as researcher has a long history in the academic literature. Schon (1983) developed the concept of the reflective practitioner, while Stenhouse (1975) popularised the idea of teachers acting as researchers, believing that ‘educational knowledge exists in, and is verified or falsified in, its performance’ (Stenhouse, 1984, p.110).
Lytle and Cochran-Smith (1992) built upon and extended Schon’s (1983) theory of the reflective practitioner to suggest that teachers also learn and create new knowledge by assuming an inquiry stance within their practice. Teachers conduct inquiry projects into their practice to create knowledge that is applicable and relevant to their teaching context.
The importance of teacher research/inquiryThere are two main themes dominating discussions of why teacher research is important. The first relates to the importance of teacher-created knowledge for improvement in teaching and learning, and in particular student outcomes. The second centres on notions of teacher professionalism.
Two models of Teacher InquiryTeacher inquiry is where teachers inquire into their own practice and use evidence to make decisions about ways to change that practice for the benefit of the student . You may recall the following two models from the Leadership course (week 13).
Teaching as Inquiry
Teaching as inquiry is a process that involves educators investigating the impact of their decisions and practice on students. The New Zealand Curriculum describes it as a cyclical process in which questions are posed, evidence is gathered and decisions are made. Aitken & Sinnema (2008) describe teaching as inquiry as a systematic process for teachers to use in their classrooms, which draws on successful experience of teachers and research sources.
Teaching as inquiry is a process that involves educators investigating the impact of their decisions and practice on students. The New Zealand Curriculum describes it as a cyclical process in which questions are posed, evidence is gathered and decisions are made. Aitken & Sinnema (2008) describe teaching as inquiry as a systematic process for teachers to use in their classrooms, which draws on successful experience of teachers and research sources.
Teaching as Inquiry goes beyond the reflective practices teachers regularly employ to develop a more systematic approach for investigating and evaluating practice. Figure 1 summarises the Teaching as Inquiry cycle, which consists of three iterative stages. (Ministry of Education, 2009)
Figure 1: The process of teaching as inquiry
For more information about teaching as inquiry read the background paper by Aitken (n.d.) (Download from this web page).
It is also worth watching a video Graeme Aitken has made on teaching as inquiry. It is worth noting that his interpretation of Teaching as Inquiry is not quite the same as the model outlined above, and on the rest of the TKI website.
The following resources each include some short videos or articles discussing various inquiry projects that teachers have been involved in which may give you some further ideas.
- Albany Senior High School – teaching as inquiry as a model of professional learning
- St Patrick's College, Silverstream – Teaching as inquiry case study
- Teaching as Inquiry - Ask yourself the big questions
The Spiral of Inquiry
Figure 2: Spiral of inquiry (Ministry of Education, 2015)
This is described on the MoE's TKI website as “a fresh rethink on the structure of teaching as inquiry.” (Ministry of Education, 2015).It emphasises involvement of learners, their families and communities and developing learner agency. It states that engaging in inquiry is a process of developing collective professional agency either within a school or across a cluster of schools. The approach is described in Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014). Figure 2 shows the stages of spiral of inquiry. "What’s going on for our learners?" and "How do we know?" are key questions that the spiral of inquiry addresses. By observing students (scanning) and finding an area to change (focusing), teachers can use intuition to consider the reasons for the current situation (developing a hunch), then referring to research (learning) to help determine changes needed (taking action). Checking is done during and after any changes have been made: "Have we made enough of a difference?" (Ministry of Education, 2005).
For more information about the spiral of inquiry, read the paper by Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014).
ReferencesAitken, G. (n.d.).The inquiring teacher: Clarifying the concept of teaching effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Leadership-programmes/First-time-principals-modules/Module-2-Teaching-effectiveness
Aitken, G. & Sinnema, C. (2008). Effective Pedagogy in Social Sciences: Tikanga ā Iwi: BES. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
Cochran-Smith, M. and Lytle, S. (1999). The Teacher Research Movement: A Decade Later. Educational Researcher, 28, 15-25.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. London: Routledge.
Lytle, S. & Cochran-Smith, M. (1992). Teacher Research as a Way of Knowing. Harvard Educational Review, 62, 447-474.
Ministry of Education. (2015). Before You Start. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Teaching-as-inquiry/Before-you-start
Ministry of Education. (2009). Teaching as inquiry. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-stories/Case-studies/Teachers-as-learners-Inquiry/Teaching-as-inquiry
Sachs, J. (2003). The activist teaching profession. Buckingham and Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.
Stenhouse, L. (1984). Artistry and Teaching: the Teachers as Focus of Research and Development. In D. Hopkins and M. Wideen (Eds.), Alternative Perspectives on School Improvement (pp. 67-76). Lewes and Philadelphia: Falmer Press.
Timperley, H., Kaser, L. & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry. Centre for Strategic Education. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/content/download/74475/611763/file/Spiral%20of%20Inquiry%20Paper%20-%20Timperley%20Kaser%20Halbert.pdf
Wilson, E. (2013). School-based Research: A guide for education students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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