"Simply stated, teacher inquiry is defined as systematic, intentional study of one’s own professional practice (see, e.g., Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993; Dana, Gimbert, & Silva, 1999; Hubbard & Power, 1993). Inquiring professionals seek out change by reflecting on their practice. They do this by posing questions or “wonderings,” collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others."
Fichtman, D. N., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2019). The reflective educator′s guide to classroom research : Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry. Corwin Press.
| Teacher Inquiry Step | Example 1: Student Discussion Roles (Adapted from work by Nikki Pugliese) | Example 2: Mindfulness in the Classroom (Adapted from work by Karina Davila) |
|---|---|---|
| Identify Needs and Opportunities | When my students engage in discussions, they respond primarily to me. I want students to have a shared ownership of discussion. I also believe that discourse is a key way to develop critical thinking. I would like to find a way for students to engage more directly with one another in discussion. | Students are facing increased stress because of COVID, current events, and social issues that directly impact them. |
| Select Evidence-Based Strategies |
The research states:
Research Question: Does assigning student roles during discussion make history discourse more dialogical? |
The research states:
Research Question: What happens to both teachers and students if I start implementing moments of meditation, movement or reflection in the classroom? |
| Plan for Implementation |
Students will be assigned roles during a history discussion. The teacher will provide instruction and framing to encourage peer-to-peer responses. The following data will be collected:
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Teachers and students will practice a series of mindfulness activities including breathing exercises, meditation and journaling. The following data will be collected:
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| Implement and Monitor | Teacher implements the plan above and collects data | Teacher implements the plan above and collects data |
| Analyze and Interpret Data |
In my findings, it was evident that discussion roles made discourse more dialogical:
A limitation is that some of the change may be simply because the discussion with the roles was later in the year and students were more comfortable with one another. |
Findings:
A limitation is that a percentage of my students did not show up to class regularly and were not able to engage in the mindfulness activities like their peers. |
| Determine Next Steps |
Implications:
Takeaways:
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Implications:
Takeaways:
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Listening to yourself and others can ensure that you select a research question that matters: to yourself, to your community, and to the wider world. Seeking outside perspectives can help you learn from others, avoid reinventing the wheel, and combat your biases.
Based on your reflections, identify a problem of practice or an opportunity to focus on for your action research.
Pine, G. J. (2008). Teacher action research: Building knowledge democracies. Sage. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/relay/detail.action?docID=997218
Safir, S., & Dugan, J. (2021). Street data : A next-generation model for equity, pedagogy, and school transformation. Corwin Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/relay/detail.action?docID=6453646
Pick a strategy to implement that will address the problem of practice or opportunity that you identified. Your reflections, community interviews, and previous research may have illuminated some ideas. In order to ensure that the strategy is evidence-based, consider conducting a literature review. It is important to see how the research you are doing fits into the larger context of teaching in science, and that you can make connections between your research questions and the published work of other teacher leaders. You should examine published work before launching research to see what others have learned. You can then conduct your own research and share what you have learned back out with the field.
When conducting a literature review, consider the following:
Ensure that your question is compelling, actionable, and testable:
Example Question Stems:
As you conduct your research, you will need to collect data to see whether your idea/strategy improved your practice.
Consider multiple sources of data that will help you answer your inquiry question, including qualitative and quantitative components and reflection (e.g., teacher journal entries). Triangulating (comparing/contrasting) data helps give you a more full picture and reduces bias. Here are some examples of data sources:
When you select each data source, be sure to evaluate it for its strengths and limitation in helping you answer your research question.
Example data sources for the inquiry question: "What happens to my students’ learning when I introduce Socratic Seminars into our history curriculum?"
Create a plan to implement the strategy you have identified, including collecting the data sources. It may be helpful to set a project plan or timeline to help you manage your time.
Consider:
Once you have finished implementing your strategy, analyze and interpret the data that you have gathered.
Now that you have completed the cycle, consider the implications of your inquiry and determine your next steps: