In the context of school-university partnerships, action research takes on the qualities of collaborative inquiry for achieving partnership. The article describes one partnership project, explaining the importance of action research and examining two studies conducted by school practitioners and college personnel that show the power of action…

University faculty members, an elementary teacher, and a school psychologist used bookmatching, an innovative form of action research, to help a kindergartner cope with sexual abuse. The project created dramatic breakthroughs in the student's behavior. His classmates all grew in their knowledge of strategies to apply if confronted by abuse. (SM)

Describes four inquiry projects used to facilitate undergraduate student teachers' development as inquiring practitioners, examining participants' reactions and products they produced. Data from student teachers' field and interview notes, comments and feedback from panel and poster sessions at a conference, student teacher surveys, student…

Action researchers teaching a required preservice physical science course attempted to develop feminist pedagogy for science instruction that reduces female students' apprehension and insecurity about science, tests methods of stimulating greater interest in science, and counteracts the inherent gender-bias in the discipline of science. (38…

Describes how seven teacher educators and an outside consultant used action research as a framework to develop and implement a collaborative interdisciplinary methods course for preservice elementary educators. The article documents their struggles to develop curriculum and implement different teaching methods. (SM)

Ideally, every teacher should engage in teacher research. The paper describes how one university placed preservice teachers with teacher researchers who shared common curricular interests. The partnership provided teacher researchers with extra resources for conducting their inquiry and preservice teachers with mentors who engaged in…

A mentor teacher, student teacher, and university educator collaboratively examined factors that guided student teacher actions, analyzing data from conferences, interviews, and dialog journals. Results indicated benefits of supporting sustained mentor/student teacher conversations, engaging in action research for mentors and student teachers, and…

A researcher and four elementary teachers conducted collaborative action research to explore, implement, and document practitioner initiated change. The article highlights the political nature of action research linked with reform, noting that peers and principals can silence teachers' voices. Collaborative action research groups may provide…

Describes an action research project designed to rethink student teaching practicums by infusing critical inquiry, team teaching, curriculum change, and changing roles. The project combined student teacher preparation with inservice opportunities for cooperating teachers. The paper reflects on the important professional impact the collaboration…

A conversation between graduate students and their teacher educator highlights the centrality of political belief and action in action research. Action research creates more democratic classrooms and institutions and enhances individuals' teaching. The paper discusses the meaning of action research in educators' lives and its potential…

This article describes one teacher's use of case studies with a class of secondary student teachers, examining her efforts to assess and better understand the effects of case method in teacher education. The challenges and possibilities of reflection on practice are discussed through the examination of case method. (Author/SM)

Two teacher educators utilized professional standards to inform their teaching. They used reflective dialog, action research, and critical inquiry in a standards-based language arts curriculum to support revisions and improvements in classroom practices and curriculum development. This led to new ideas about collaborative structures and stimulated…

An action research project emphasized the centrality of teachers' values in teaching decisions. After identifying grading papers as a source of tension, a teacher opened decisions about grading to democratic decision making, resulting in more positive professor-student relationships, more emphasis on learning, and improved student evaluations of…

Proposes restructuring preservice teacher education programs to include the preparation of teacher researchers. Teacher educators redesigned two existing programs to include research methodology instruction. The paper presents methods of inquiry and strategies used to teach about research, offering examples of student work and evidence to support…

Describes one university's Field Based Masters Program. Designed around intact cohorts of experienced teachers who meet weekly over two years, the program involves integrated curriculum and action research projects. The paper describes how group process and collaboration are integral to teachers' learning experiences and ongoing professional…