Session Information
SES I 03, Researching Teacher Practice: What on Earth Does That Mean?
Parallel Workshops
Contribution
This session, comprising a panel presentation and workshop, will explore some of the issues involved in researching activities and concepts used by teachers in the classroom. This is a difficult area for three related reasons. Firstly, educational research includes paradigms drawn from a range of disciplines, such as psychology, ergonomics, sociology, political activism and counselling. These have their own traditions and procedures which do not always fit neatly into the chaotic world of classroom activity. Secondly, teachers themselves have varying attitudes towards research, and cannot be treated as neutral ‘objects’ but must be given at least a degree of ownership of the processes and results of research. Finally, there are ethical issues around classroom research which are increasingly significant in the design and implementation of research projects.
The panel presentation will briefly explore the above questions with the central theme of: How can teachers and researchers achieve a shared understanding of each other’s worlds?
In the workshop, we will address this question via the central issue of language. Research instruments and inventories are frequently created in entirely different contexts from those in which they are used, whilst research interviews frequently reveal that teachers and researchers have different mental maps or conceptual schemas, resulting in mutual incomprehension. The workshop will provide some practical examples and we will work in small groups to illustrate and overcome possible problems.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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