Facilitating critical reflection on practice through collaborative research

Abstract

This paper emanates from a study that analysed the critical reflection of teacher researchers as they talked about their investigations of the home cultures and literacies of a small group of children from socioculturally diverse family contexts. The collaborative research enterprise was undertaken by university and teacher researchers. The important role that collaborative teacher research and social interaction played in the critical reflection and co-construction of professional understandings in theproject is the focus of this paper. The teacher researchers' theorising about the complexity of their work as a result of the collaborative enterprise is discussed. Through the voiced research and critical reflection of the teachers, it has become obvious that their life's experiences and resources are powerful in their pedagogical theorising. Teachers comment on the way in which they are positioned by 'the system' as technicians and how they experience tension between their own professional and primary discourses and that of the system. It is suggested that teachers be given opportunity within their work sites to enter the conversations about curriculum, pedagogy and change in knowledgeable and meaningful ways that are grounded in collaborative reflection and research. Thispaper explores the critical reflection and the social construction of new understandings about the complexity of teachers' work that occurred in a collaborative research project carried out by a university-based researcher and four school-based early years teacher researchers. It will show how the collaborative research process facilitated critical reflection on previously unquestioned or unconsidered issues about the teachers' work.

Tanárképzés Finnországban

“…A pedagógus hagyományos szerepe, vagyis az iskolai fejlesztésekkel kapcsolatos befogadó személy lecserélődni látszik. Olyan pedagógusok iránt mutatkozik igény, akik tisztán látják az iskola komplex folyamatai közötti összefüggéseket, akik elemzik saját pedagógiai gyakorlatukat és reflektálnak rá, akik képesek az iskolai közös-séggel kollaboratívan dolgozni (Gray, 2002;Niemi, 2002;Niemi és Nevgi, 2014;Potter, 2001). Ezeket a pedagógusokat az élethosszig tartó tanulás jegyében a folyamatos szakmai önfejlesztés jellemzi.…”

Educational research for professional practice: More than providing evidence for doing ‘x rather than y’ or finding the ‘size of the effect of A on B’

“…This discussion seeks to raise the practical knowledge embedded in tradition to the level of reflective awareness and through critical argument to correct and transcend the limitations (Carr 1987). Potter (2001) describes a project involving collaborative teacher research. She describes some of 'the tension between what they thought was best for their students based on their professional judgement and what "the system" required' (2001, p. 130).…”

Investigating Knowledge Exchange amongst School Teachers, University Teacher Educators and Industry Partners.

“…The significant role of reflection supporting teachers' professional learning is supported by Cuesta, Azcárate and Cardeños (2016). It is the opportunity to engage in reflection that may lead to changes in pedagogy grounded in collaborative research (Potter, 2001). Similarly, such reflection is beneficial for the participating teacher educators.…”