This article describes an in-service training program in action research designed for mature teachers returning to college to upgrade their teaching diplomas and complete their BEd degrees. The initial impetus was the need to develop a student-oriented pedagogy based on and enhancing the extensive professional experience of these teachers, returning as students after years in the field. The program was the collaborative initiative of two instructors, one specializing in qualitative research methods and the other in applied rhetorical analysis. We describe the course's origins, structure and methodology, and present six brief case studies. The description of the six students' small-scale action-research projects exemplifies and outlines both the process and the outcome of this pedagogical synthesis of action research and applied rhetorical criticism. (Contains 3 notes.)