A role for teacher research in initial teacher education
edgehill.ac.uk
Professor Tim Cain, Edge Hill University
edgehill.ac.uk
Main messages1 Teacher research, as a form of insider research is
different from other forms of research
2 Understanding this provides possibilities for considering what mixed-method teacher research might look like
3 Mixed-method teacher research could transform teaching by transforming teacher education
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Teaching: ontologyTeachers inspire development
-Thinking, understanding, Knowledge, Action
An authority (content)
In authority (relationship)
Teachers’ expectations
Students
Influence of peers
Influence of institution
Supra-institutional influence
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Institution
TeacherPast experiences/
knowledge/
expectations
StudentsPast experiences/
knowledge/
expectations
Beyond
Pedagogy/Regulation
Teacher research researches…
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Teaching: epistemology Ready access to data
All data mediated through the teacher’s self
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Problems when TR is used to generate knowledge
Methodological:
self-confirming tendency
power relationship issues
‘teaching’ data vs. ‘research’ data
Teaching ethic trumps research ethic
Practical:
Tendency to ‘research’ technical improvements, divorced from aims & values
‘mission creep’
Research can become individual
Research not prioritised
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Teaching knowledge Research knowledge
Procedural – partly tacit Propositional
For developing students For understanding situations
Practically-driven Theoretically-driven
Messy Focused
Situation specific Generalised
Quick Slow
T R
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Tripp, 2003
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ExamplesJo Mattock: Behaviour management
Mel Holmes: Formative assessment
Alison Larrett: Freedom to learn
Satisfy the conditions for one-turn action research, based on literature
However, quite insular
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Mixed methods?
Would a combination of Teacher Research and ‘outsider research help to connect the two worlds more effectively?
If so, what might it look like?
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