Teachers became teacher researchers in their urban classrooms.  They explored how they used teaching behaviors to respond to the needs of their students. They found that they increased their students' engaged learning process while understanding the specific social and emotional needs of their students. Participants asked, “How am I responding to the needs of the students in my classroom?”  They looked at problems and solutions in their classrooms from an action research model.  They discovered how their teaching and learning strategies ensured student success in their classrooms.

Teachers began to explore how they used learning and teaching behaviors in the urban classroom to the meet the academic and social needs of their students. They found that they increased their students engaged learning process while understanding the specific social and emotional needs of their students.  As action researchers, they discovered how teaching strategies ensured student success in their classrooms.

The participants became teacher researchers as they explored problems with their students/families from an action research model (Booth, Colomb, & Williams, 2003).  They began with the research question, “How am I responding to the social, emotional, and academic needs of the students in my classroom?”  They explored this question through the lenses of sociocultural theory (Ladson-Billings, 1994; Giroux, 1992) and reflective practice (Schön, 1982).  

The participants described their success through  the lenses of personal teaching efficacy (Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy & Hoy, 1998). Tschannen-Moran described the personal teaching efficacy as the teachers' belief that they could make a difference in their students' lives.  Teachers believe that if they do not reach a student in one way, they will continue to find ways to work with the child to be successful.  The personal teaching efficacy is about the teachers' beliefs in themselves.  General teaching efficacy is based on outcome expectancy beliefs and external outcomes.  They believe that factors outside of the teachers' control will affect the success of teaching a student.  

The participants in this study focused on their abilities to teach effectively rather than focusing on the capabilities of their students.  They reflected about teaching practices to explore ways to improve their practices when their students were not successful.  Through the action research process, the participants demonstrated personal teaching efficacy rather than the general teaching efficacy of looking at the external factors of their students.  They used several reflective practices such as sharing with teammates, coaching with an administrator, and videotaping their lessons to reflect about their teaching practices.  

Several of the participants responded to the action research study by looking back at their own learning experiences.  They found that as they reflected back to their experiences, they could decide what to keep or let go of in their own classrooms.  They had a deep understanding of the social needs of their students.  They responded to their students’ social needs in more empathetic ways.  After reflecting about their own cultural experiences in school, they wanted to give positive experiences to their students.  Also, the participants believed that if they did not create the right learning environment for their students, they search for other ways to teach them. 

Schön (1982) described this process as reflective thinking, or the process of using prior knowledge, expertise, and experience to reframe a problem. When the participants found patterns, or views from different perspectives, they arrived at new or different solutions. The participants developed intuition, emotion, and passion to follow through with necessary changes that caused them to approach teaching solutions in different and refreshing ways. The participants developed relationships within the classroom context and asked questions that led them to the action research process

References: Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press. Giroux, H. A. (1992). Border crossings: Cultural workers and the politics of education. New York: Routledge. Guskey, T., & Passaro, P. D. (1994). Teacher efficacy: A study of construct dimensions. American Educational Research Journal, 31(3), 627-643. Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Rico, G. (2000). Writing the natural way. New York: Penguin Putnam. Schön, D.A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy & Hoy (1998). Teacher efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research. pp. 202-248.