Symposium

Action Research SIG

Teaching and Learning Action Research

a) Objectives. The purpose of this session is to involve authors of action research texts, as well as teachers of action research, to reflect on how they promote the teaching and learning of action research. The objectives of the session are as follows:

    1. To compare and contrast the major themes presented by action research textbook authors in their writings;
    2. To compare and contrast teaching strategies used by authors and university teachers with preservice and inservice teachers.
    3. To share strategies for following-up with teacher researchers to monitor ongoing implementation of action research strategies in the professional lives of teachers.
    4. To compare and contrast the teaching and learning of action research by authors and university teachers from different countries (for example, USA, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland).
  1. Educational Importance. Action research is increasingly becoming a requirement of preservice and inservice teacher education programs at universities in many countries (including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland). In recent years there has been significant growth in the publication of action research textbooks and online journals and chat rooms. The scope of these books varies considerably between practical "how to" approaches to collections of readings illustrative of the action research field. However, few of these publications focus on how we teach action research, and perhaps more importantly, how we nurture on the ongoing professional development of teachers who implement action research into their daily teaching lives. This session will be of interest to teachers of teachers who are responsible for the "content" of action research in their preservice and inservice teacher education programs. The panelists will discuss their teaching strategies and their efforts to nurture the ongoing professional development of teachers who implement action research. The panelists will also discuss venues for publishing action research studies.

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  2. Participants.

*Geoff Mills (author of Action Research: A guide for the teacher researcher), Southern Oregon University, USA.

*Ernie Stringer (author of Action Research: A practitioner’s guide), Curtin University, Australia.

*Jack Whitehead (author of How Do I Improve My Practice? Creating a Discipline of Education Through Educational Enquiry) Ph.D.University of Bath, UK.

*Jean McNiff (author of Action Research in Organisations), University of Limerick, Ireland.

*Maggie Farren (author of Improving the Use of ICT in Higher Education through Action Research), Dublin City University.

d) Point of View. All five authors have a slightly different focus in their writing about action research. They also all work in different countries where they teach action research and nurture the ongoing professional development of teachers. All bring a unique perspective to the session that will be of interest to the teachers and learners of action research. The five authors will consider the future of the field of action research in light of the relatively short history of the field.

e) Session Structure. Each author will briefly outline their efforts to teach action research and to nurture the ongoing professional development of teachers. They will also discuss the challenges that are unique to their cultural settings as they strive to embed action research into the lives of teachers. The discussant will summarize the similarities and differences that exist in the approaches to teaching action research. Following the remarks, session participants will have an opportunity to question the authors and to make comments relative to their own teaching situations. This will provide a unique opportunity for session participants to meet the authors and to provide feedback on the ways they nurture the teaching and learning of action research.