An openness to new ways of teaching and learning is vital for growth among English language teachers, teacher educators, teachers in training, and students. This volume in the Language Teacher Research Series (Thomas S. C. Farrell, series editor) shares the studies and reflections of teacher researchers working in Middle Eastern countries with…

This handbook shows how the curriculum can be improved through action research and that teachers and other practitioners are best placed to conduct such research. Chapter 1 explores that historical and philosophical foundations of the action research movement. Chapter 2 discusses the teacher as researcher and professional, and offers criteria for…

Based on the experience of two early childhood teachers in a research-based collaborative effort to join a preschool class with a first-second grade class for various learning projects, this book offers a model for an approach to early childhood curriculum. The curriculum integrates art, science, gardening, celebrations, intergenerational program…

This book is about learning--about one educator's experiences learning to teach, to observe, and to make choices. It is a portrayal of a life in action and of the intertwining of professional work and personal experiences. The educator portrayed in the book has explored many aspects of education, searching for where she might make the most…

Over the past decade there has been a substantive change in the role of practitioners in educational research. Grassroots efforts in action research highlight the importance of educators' own understanding of their practice. This book, which stems from a school-university collaboration, describes the theory and methods for conducting…

Noting that raising standards for teaching is a key to education reform, this guide outlines a tested plan for helping practicing teachers upgrade and fine-tune their own performance by systematically studying their own classroom methods and the student learning that results. Following an introduction, the guide discusses research group…

This book presents an inside look at the "white talk" of teacher education students, presenting information from an action research project in which student teachers and faculty explored white racial identity, examined the meaning of whiteness, and confronted the difficulties of thinking critically about race and racism. The book strives to deepen…

Based on studies conducted by teachers and graduate students at Northeastern University, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the kinds of research being conducted by writing teachers, as well as extensive information on how this research has affected their professional lives. The chapters are divided into five parts dealing with the…

This book presents a fresh view of action research as a methodology uniquely suited to researching the processes of innovation and change. Drawing on twenty-five years' experience of leading or facilitating action research projects, Bridget Somekh argues that action research can be a powerful systematic intervention, which goes beyond describing,…

This book focuses on how to meet the challenges of education in a pluralistic society, presenting the Bridging Cultures framework, which is designed for understanding differences and conflicts that arise in situations where school culture is more individualistic than the home value system. Six sections examine: (1) "The Bridging Cultures…

This collection of papers focuses on collaboration in two interconnected themes: the improvement of teaching practice through collaborative research and reflection on the role of collaboration in educational change. The 19 papers are: (1) "The Collaborative Lens: A New Look at an Old Research Study" (Phyllis Kapuscinski); (2)…

This book presents information on action research for teachers and administrators. Chapter 1, Reflective Professional Practice, discusses reflective professionals, urges active use of solitary dialogue and personal journals to enhance reflectiveness, delineates concerns of maturing educators, and summarizes meditative steps of reflective practice…

The idea of the teacher as researcher is presented from several different perspectives--the teacher's, the administrator's, and the university based researcher's--to convey a sense of what it means to be a teacher/researcher. The following chapters are included: (1) The Teacher as Researcher--A Historical Perspective (Mary W. Olson); (2) The Door…

Focusing on the reading-thinking-learning process, the classrooms in which such processes occur, and the means for studying these processes, this book presents essays on teaching, learning, and assessing the reading process. The first section contains essays on learning contexts that are interactive and participatory, while essays in the second…

This book illustrates how teacher education can dispose prospective teachers to be critical and continuing students of teaching. There are 10 chapters in two sections. The book begins with (1) "Getting Oriented." Section 1, "Preservice Teacher Education," includes methodologies for exploring self: (2) "Life Writing"…