Context

Evidence of the professional growth of teachers has been difficult to collect. Basing their growth on the standardized test scores of children is not appropriate but unbiased observation of classroom practice is also difficult to achieve as most educators watch a class through the lens of their values, whether it is conscious or not. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) state that "teachers learn when they generate local knowledge of practice by working within the contexts of inquiry communities to theorize and construct their work" (p. 250). My experience facilitating and supporting teachers engaging in action research leads me to agree. (Black et al, 2002; Black & Knill-Griesser, 2002; Black, 2003; Black & Delong, 2003)

While action research is a valid means of providing evidence of the professional growth of educators, the former provincial government wanted something more direct. The government implemented a program of evaluating teachers on a regular basis with the aim of improving the quality of education. Their evaluation process consisted of three parts. First, every teacher's competency in the classroom must be evaluated by their principal. Second, each teacher was responsible for earning professional development credits by attending approved workshops and conferences. Third, each teacher was responsible for creating their own "Annual Learning Plan" (Ministry of Education, p. 18) outlining their focus for their personal professional development.

The first aspect consisted of the principal evaluating the teacher's competency by observing a classroom lesson. The principal is expected to meet with the teacher about the lesson to be observed to discuss the objectives and curriculum expectations to be observed. There is a form to be completed as a record of that discussion. After the lesson observation, the teacher and principal meet again. This was an opportunity for the principal to make suggestions, compliment the things that were going well and once again, complete a document recording the discussion. If there were concerns or questions, another classroom observation may be arranged. Finally at the end of the term, the principal must create a Summative Report which outlines the strengths and next steps for the teacher. This is filed with the area superintendent along with the Annual Learning Plan of the teacher. The whole process must be repeated in the second half of the year.

The second aspect is the Professional Learning Plan for each teacher. The Ontario College of Teachers kept a record of the professional development by each teacher that involved certified 'providers' of such credits. The credits must span seven competency areas and each teacher has five years to collect the credits. This aspect of the program has been dropped by the new government. The teacher federations believed that such a program meant that they were not being treated as professionals able to take responsibility for their own learning.

The third aspect of the program, the Annual Learning Plan, is still in effect. As a teacher writes their plan for personal professional development, they are expected to include potential workshops and professional reading that they will then apply to some aspect of their professional practice.

This context is important, because I have seen the effectiveness of teacher research in improving the learning of their students. I believe in the process of teachers researching their own practice and have seen that ownership create greater and deeper changes in professional practice. I am proposing that action research can fulfill the remaining two components of the teacher evaluation program. The teacher's annual learning plan is just their outline of their proposed research. They only have to keep track of their reading and learning, and the resulting changes in their practice. The principal's observation of a lesson can be that of a critical friend, helping by being an objective observer noting things of which the teacher may not be aware.

The difficulty arises in that a teacher's engagement in action research must be voluntary in order to be effective. My experience in facilitating teacher research has taught me six things (Black, 2003).

• Mandated classroom research will not have the same impact on a teacher's professional practice. For deep learning to occur, voluntary engagement is necessary.
• Teachers must feel valued and respected as they are supported in their research.
• They must write during the research process and they must write about their completed research.
• Sharing their research with colleagues validates their learning and encourages others to engage.
• Sustained support is important to ensure completion. That support can take the shape of resources, release time or regular meetings to share frustrations and celebrate successes.
• More teachers complete their research project if they have a critical friend or fellow research in their school.

Personal Experience

I am in my second year as an elementary school principal. Before gaining this position, I realize I was idealistic in my potential capacity to change a school culture within my first year in a school as a new principal. The reality of the situation is that there are many demands placed on a school principal. As my year began, I spent a great deal of time supporting the learning resource teacher as she worked to create programs for all the special learners in the school. My philosophy is that if students are being successful in class, they are less likely to misbehave on the playground. My theory was devised with the thought that once students were successful and discipline issues decreased, then I could get on with my plan to shape the culture of inquiry. However, that was not to be! As some students began to experience some success, more students began to struggle. I began to wear myself out trying to be proactive with discipline because of my lack of experience with elementary school discipline, and my reluctance to suspend students.

The discipline and programming aspects of my role are only a couple of issues that demand my time. The list of duties is very long. The main items include: timetabling, scheduling, purchasing, analyzing standardized test results, helping with fund-raising, public relations work with the community, inspecting the playground, supervising staff and students and teaching. These duties and more eat up massive amounts of time. As a consequence, facilitating the research of the teachers is very difficult to do and as I am struggling to juggle the aspects of my role, I'm not convinced that I am doing an adequate job of modeling my own reflection on my practice. However, I have realized that I approach aspects of my role differently due to my research experience and that indirectly, I am working to enhance the credibility of action research in my school.

Data Collection in a School

There are many aspects of a school day that provide opportunities for the collection of important data. The collection is necessary in order to make "informed decisions" (Olson, 25) about programming and deployment of resources. Both academic and behavioural issues need appropriate data collected to ensure concerns are addressed.

The first week of school, I placed blank behavioural checklists in the mailbox of every teacher. I was interested in discovering where the issues were so that if I had any discretionary educational assistant time, I could deploy that resource to the best advantage. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was sending a message to teachers that if they wanted extra help or support in their classroom, they were expected to prove the need for that support with appropriate data collected. Also, in order for a student to be identified as having a behavioural disorder, a minimum of six months of data must be collected to support that identification. A child with behavioural issues can have a negative impact on the learning of every student in the class and so in the event that we had students with those issues, the data collection should be started as soon as possible.

Another method of collecting behavioural data is by tracking the patterns of students being sent to the office for discipline. We developed a discipline plan for the school in which a teacher must complete a short form when referring a student to the office for their behaviour. That form is listed and filed. In one binder, all the information is compiled. At three reports, a student must take a letter home to their parents explaining their inappropriate behaviour, and at five reports, a suspension is automatically issued.

Teachers also collect data to ensure that appropriate programming is established to meet the specific weaknesses and strengths of students in their classrooms. There are many methods of collecting that data. The various assessment tools which can be administered by teachers, are chosen based on the age-level of the students and the area of concern regarding programming. Without describing each one, it is sufficient to say that the choice of the appropriate assessment tool is an extra element of the professional judgement of the classroom teacher and the learning resource teacher. Our provincial standardized test results for Grades 3 and 6 are returned to our school every November following the May test. This information gives us information about the child's achievement in reading comprehension, mathematics and writing. While administered by teachers in each school, the results are scored and returned to each school for analysis and action.

Teachers as Researchers -- Making Informed Decisions

Using the data collected gives teachers confidence. They are not putting programs into place because of habit, availability or based on a nebulous feeling that something is needed. Collecting the data and making informed programming decisions allows them to gain confidence as professional educators with evidence of their own growing knowledge and improved practice. Qualified teachers are frequent participants in additional qualification courses. An expectation of each course is the collection of data surrounding an area of concern in the teacher's classroom. That data and the resulting shift in professional practice must be documented and submitted as evidence of professional growth.

Special education support staff visit our school every month to meet and discuss students who are struggling in our school. Since they do not know the students personally, they rely on our data in order to make suggestions that will help us address the needs of our children. In order for a child to be identified as needing an Individual Education Plan (IEP), various tests must be administered in order to prove the need for that plan. The classroom teacher of each child frequently attends the meeting. They have valuable information to aid in the discussion, but also see the importance of gathering information to make the appropriate decision. Making informed decisions about programming changes for students with behavioural issues and special learning needs are possible with the improved collection of data in our school and that informed decision-making is an important aspect of action research, especially when the data collected helps to improve professional practice.

Connected to Annual Learning Plan

The following is an excerpt from a paper presented in a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Diego, in 2004 (Delong, & Black, p. 9).

"In the role of principal, Cheryl has many responsibilities and thus being the sole facilitator for a new action researcher is difficult. Learning the relatively new role of principal while trying to build relationships within the school community means that she frequently feels reactive rather than proactive and unable to make the time she would like to sufficiently support her staff member as he researches his classroom practice. However, as a secondary support and critical friend, she is able to act as a sounding board and offer some additional support for the researcher. Most important, though, is that she models the behaviour by researching her own practice and builds that culture of inquiry in the school.

Paul is researching his practice and looking for ways to improve his classroom management using the action research methodology and completing his Annual Learning Plan (ALP). Measuring the effectiveness of classroom management strategies would be very difficult but if sufficient curriculum is covered, a higher percentage of assignments are completed, and Paul is less tired at the end of every day, chances are management strategies are being successful. The following journal entry demonstrates Cheryl's role as critical friend with her grade 7 teacher:

As Paul meets me in the hall or at the photocopier, the equivalent of the office water-cooler, he does not hesitate to tell me of his successes or frustrations. My constant refrain is, "Did you write that down?" He is reflecting and acting on a daily basis, but I fear that he is not documenting the roller coaster ride of improving classroom management in a Grade 7 classroom. In fact, just last week, he despaired of his students behaving to his standard, but was able to state emphatically, that the rate of completed work and assignments had increased substantially over that of last year's class. He was not seeing the forest for the trees. I had to remind him that his definition of classroom management did not only include better behaviour, but also adequately meeting the academic needs of all of his students so that they enjoyed increased success in school" (Personal journal entry, January 31, 2004).

Provided Evidence of the Growing Knowledge Base

In answer to the question asked by Hiebert, Gallimore and Stigler (2002), a "knowledge base for the teaching profession" (p. 3) already exists. The accounts of teachers researching their practice in their classrooms, are being published and posted on websites in countries all over the world. Japan, Canada, UK, Australia, to name a few.

In the Grand Erie District School Board, one superintendent, Dr. Jacqueline Delong, with the support of our Director of Education, Peter Moffatt, has been instrumental in creating a culture of inquiry. Teachers have been encouraged to investigate their own professional practice and to share their learning with others. Using the cyclical self-study model of action research (McNiff, Lomax, Whitehead, 1996), teachers have created research questions based on the stem, "How can I improve the quality of my practice here?" (Whitehead, 1989). Over the last six years, many have presented their knowledge at local and international conferences, such as the Ontario Educational Research Council (OERC), and have had their accounts published in numerous journals and books, such as Passion in Professional Practice Volumes I (Delong, 2001), Volume II (Delong & Black, 2002) and Volume III (Delong, Black & Knill-Griesser, 2004) available at: www.actionresearch.ca, as well as online in the Ontario Action Researcher at: www.unipissing.ca/oar.

I have presented a copy of volume II to each teacher in my school and made mention of those papers that might be of specific interest to individuals. Teachers have also visited the websites mentioned above and read aspects of my research and of other teachers listed there. I have also announced that Volume III is out and available on the website. The teachers at my school know some of the authors included in the latest publication. My aim in passing this information on to the teachers is to make the process more approachable thus encouraging more to engage in researching their own practice.

Introduced the Process

Last spring, as teachers were finalizing their current Annual Learning Plans from the current school year, I introduced the process of Action Research at a staff meeting. First, I placed a videocamera on a tripod in the corner of the room to document my interest in improving my ability to introduce the process to them. I then handed out journals and asked them to write about a critical incident that happened in their classroom within the past couple of weeks. When I recognized that some had begun to slow in their writing, I suggested that they take a partner and go to another place to tell the stories to each other. The partner was to help the writer discern values evident in the story. They were to work on each other's story in this way then return to the group. When they came back, one volunteer gave us her story and we discussed the evidence of her values so that they all had the experience of working through that step as a group. My hope was that this would strengthen their learning. After our discussion, I suggested that using this model to start, they could elicit an issue in their classroom that they would either like to replicate or to prevent from happening. This would create the basis for their Annual Learning Plan for the upcoming school year.

Was this introduction successful? Two teachers expressed an initial interest taking on an action research project for the fall of 2003. However, before any more discussion could take place, a work to rule was imposed on the teachers and they were not allowed to discuss their learning plans with me unless I provided a supply teacher in their class. As a result, the last part of the school year slid by too quickly to do justice to the follow-up.

This year, as already mentioned, one teacher is taking part in an action research group supported outside of the school and two others are working through research for an additional qualification courses. While not directly using the action research process, they are researching their ability to improve the reading ability of selected students. They are using the data collected to make informed programming decisions and to shape their practice. An example of the impact is from the Grade 1 class. That teacher selected a struggling reader as a focus for her study. She chose him because we were concerned that he might have to be retained due to his lack of reading ability. He was evaluated near the beginning of the year, so improvement could be noted. Recently, his teacher has retested him and compared his scores. Because of her interest, she has the data to prove the great gains he has made since the beginning of the year.

The Benefits of Teacher Research

The shift to a culture concerned about making informed educational decisions has been a gradual process initiated by our provincial government's desire to appear to improve the quality of education for our students. While the government was imposing standardized testing, Dr. Jacqueline Delong, a superintendent in our board, was encouraging teachers to participate in action research as a means of improving student learning. (Whitehead, 1989) Gathering evidence to show improved student learning must be contextual. The techniques and resources utilized with one group of students may not be as effective with another class. The government felt that standardized test scores would provide the data to show improvement in the quality of education. However, those scores are really only a snapshot of a student's ability. A true picture of a child's ability must be based on data gathered over time and must consider the specific context of that child. Action research allows for the lack of replicability possible when working with a classroom of children. Dr. Jack Whitehead (1989) asks the question, "How do I improve the process of education here?" (p. 3.) He realizes that each group of students has different needs, strengths and abilities which impact on classroom dynamics and makes comparison with a control group very difficult. If each teacher were to research their own practice, they could account for the specific contextual issues in their classroom while still providing evidence of improved student learning.

The desire to continue to improve student learning is also driven by the implied threat that government funding for education may become contingent upon the standardized test results from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). While that is still not the case, the expectation is that the EQAO results will improve in every school as teachers strive to adequately address the specific needs of their students. Schools are expected to collect the data to predict the future test scores of their students as a means of increasing the accountability of educators for the improvement of student learning. Using action research to research professional practice and determine 'what works' for specific students then sharing that information with colleagues will add to the growing knowledge base.

Reasons for Action Research

My reasons for striving to interest my teachers in using action research as a means of providing evidence of professional growth include change for improvement, the development of professional expertise and improving the application of educational research by narrowing the gap between theory and practice. In order for lasting change to occur, the change must be sustained at the system level, teachers must have a degree of ownership of the change and the improvement must involve "teachers beliefs" (Coburn, p. 4).

Sustainability of change for improvement is the first point. Coburn (2003) believes "teachers are better able to sustain change when there are mechanisms in place at multiple levels of the system to support their efforts. This includes the presence of a supportive professional community of colleagues in the school"(p. 6). As a group of teachers work together and support each other as they research their practice, they model for their students, life-long learning. In our school board we have the system support. As mentioned previously, the publications and websites are evidence of the quality of teacher research in our board. More importantly, however, research is included in the base budget of our school board. There is substantial money available for teachers who wish to research their classroom practice. This money may be used for release time, resources and equipment to research the improvement of student learning.

The second point is the necessity of teachers to have ownership of change for it to be effective. Coburn(2003) believes that conditions must be created to "shift authority and knowledge of the reform from external actors to teachers, schools, and districts" (p. 7). When a teacher has collected data to prove that an adjustment in their professional practice has improved student learning in their classroom, they increase their professional confidence. At the annual conference of the Ontario Educational Research Council in November, 2003, Lindsay Huyge presented her research. She is in her second year of working as a learning resource teacher. In her presentation, she described the partnerships that she had created within a school to improve the reading abilities of some Grade 2 students. Her face glowed as she told of her learning and her impact on the learning of the children. That confidence in her professional ability was markedly different from the beginning teacher that I had met and worked with the year before. She 'owned' the improvement in the reading of those children (Brantford, Ontario, November 28, 2003).

Coburn (2003) states that the nature of change is more effective and deep if the change "goes beyond surface structures or procedures ... to alter teachers' beliefs, norms of social interaction and pedagogical principles as enacted in the curriculum. As a teacher reflects on their research and the resulting improvement in student learning, they must consider why they chose that particular aspect of their practice for a research focus. Reflection on their practice, usually results in an increased awareness of their personal and professional values which will have a permanent effect on their teaching practice. Years ago, Lindsey Stewart was struggling to improve the computer skills of her children yet could not start her work because she had not developed her desired classroom dynamic. The school did not contain a computer lab, so in order for the students to work on the desired skills, they had to spread out over the school. She wanted to be able to trust them when they were working in the back of other classrooms, knowing that they would not disturb those teachers and students. Lindsey knew that she valued computers, but did not realize until the discussion that she also valued a responsible, community of learners. The resulting awareness of another aspect of her philosophy continued to shape her teaching a year later when I was placed at her school as vice-principal(February 2002).

Hatano and Oura(2003) have summarized some common characteristics of developing expertise. Although all apply to action research, I will choose two points. The process of "gaining expertise requires years of experience in solving problems in the domain, with concentration (often taking the form of deliberate practice)" (p. 26). The systematic gathering of data as evidence of improvement in learning, adds to the professional knowledge of the teacher and increases their expertise. Expertise is also shaped by teacher beliefs. "The acquisition of knowledge and skills is accompanied by socioemotional changes (such as in interest, values and identity)" (p. 26). As with that young teacher mentioned earlier, by undertaking an action research project in her first year of teaching, she made great gains in establishing her professional identity as a teacher, to herself. Developing expertise as a teacher does impact identity and researching practice is a way of systematizing that development. This is significant because Catherine Snow(2001) believes that "the knowledge resources of excellent teachers constitute a rich resource, but one that is largely untapped because we have no procedures for systematizing it" (p. 9). Action research is the means of systematizing that knowledge. Teachers who have deliberately collected data, observed the actions of students in their classrooms and reflected on improvements in their professional practice, are systematically investigating 'what works' and the numerous completed projects available at www.actionresearch.ca are evidence of that fact.

My final reason for endeavouring to enhance the credibility of action research for the teachers in my school, is to help close the theory and practice gap. Burkhardt and Schoenfeld (2003) believe that "research could be more useful if its structure and organization were better linked to the practical needs of the education system" (p. 3). Action research makes that link. Teachers who research their classroom practice, begin to develop their own "living educational theory" (Whitehead, 1989) about 'what works' and that theory informs their practice.

Conclusion

The creation of a culture of inquiry is a long, slow process which must involve the careful building of relationships within the school building. Enhancing the credibility and visibility of educational research involves making classroom research approachable for teachers. A major component is helping them understand that the informed decisions they make on a daily basis are actually the result of data analysis and classroom observations of experienced professionals. Encouraging them to take the next step of writing about their learning for publication and sharing their knowledge with their peers at conferences will then increase the visibility of educational research. I believe that modeling, facilitating, and supporting data-based decisions within a school will enhance the credibility of educational research for teachers.

References

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