The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research

Nancy Fichtman Dana is currently professor of education in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hannibal Central Schools, New York. Since earning her PhD from Florida State University in 1991, she has been a passionate advocate for teacher inquiry and has worked >extensively in supporting schools, districts and universities in implementing powerful programs of job-embedded professional development through inquiry across the United States and in several countries, including China, South Korea, Belgium, Portugal, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Estonia. She has published ten books and over 100 articles in professional journals and edited books focused on her research exploring teacher and principal professional development and practitioner inquiry. Dana has received many honors, including the Association of Teacher Educator's Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award and the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) Book of the Year Award, both honoring Dana and Yendol-Hoppey's work related to practitioner inquiry. Diane Yendol-Hoppey is a professor of education and dean in the College of Education and Human Services at the University of North Florida. Prior to her appointment at the University of North Florida, she served as the associate dean of educator preparation and partnerships at the University of South Florida, director of the Benedum Collaborative at West Virginia University and taught for many years at the University of Florida where she was the evaluator of numerous district, state, and national professional development efforts. Before beginning her work in higher education, Diane spent 13 years as an elementary school teacher in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction from The Pennsylvania State University. Diane's current work explores national and international research focusing on teacher education clinical practice, job-embedded professional learning, and teacher leadership. Diane received the AERA Division K Early Career Research Award for her ongoing commitment to researching innovative approaches to professional development. She has published six books and over 60 articles in professional journals.

Preface About This Book Acknowledgments About the Authors How to Use the Inquiry Books Chapter 1. Teacher Inquiry Defined What Is Teacher Inquiry? What Is the Relationship Between Teacher Inquiry and Teacher Professional Growth? What Evidence Exists That Teacher Inquiry Is Worth Doing? How Is Teacher Inquiry Different From What I Already Do as a Reflective Teacher? Why Inquire? Inquiry as a Pathway to Equity What Are Some Contexts Ripe for Teacher Inquiry? How Does My Engaging in Teacher Inquiry Help Shape the Profession of Teaching? Chapter 2. The Start of Your Journey: Finding a Wondering Where Do I Begin? Where Do I Find My Wonderings and Questions? What Happens If I Still Cannot Locate My Wondering? Chapter 3. Learning With and From the Literature: The Importance of Reading Why Read? Where and How Do I Find Readings to Inform My Inquiry? A Few Words of Literature Wisdom Chapter 4. Learning With and From Your Colleagues: The Importance of Collaboration Why Is Collaboration So Important? What Are the Possibilities for How I Might Collaborate? Chapter 5. Developing a Research Plan: Making Inquiry a Part of Your Teaching Practice What Do Data Look Like, How Do I Collect Them, and How Do They Fit Into My Work as a Teacher? When Do I Collect Data and How Much Do I Collect? Chapter 6. Considering the Ethical Dimensions of Your Work as an Inquirer What Should I Consider When Thinking About Ethics in Relation to Practitioner Research? What Role Do School District Research Policies Play in the Inquiry Process? What Role Do University Institutional Review Boards Play in the Inquiry Process? Chapter 7. Finding Your Findings: Data Analysis What Is Formative Data Analysis? What Is Summative Data Analysis? What Might Summative Analysis of Qualitative Data Look Like? Chapter 8. Making Your Inquiry Public: Publishing and Presenting Why Is It Important to Share My Work With Others? How Do I Present My Work? How Do I Write About My Work? What Might My Writing Look Like? Chapter 9. Contributing to the Creation of More Equitable Schools and Classrooms: The Why of Inquiry Coming to View Inquiry as a Pathway to Equity: A Teacher Researcher's Story (Mickey MacDonald) Informing Thinking, Teaching, and Teacher Education: The Power of Equity-Focused Inquiry (Paige Bildstein, Mikhayla Kruse-Meek, Jillian Pohland, Nicole Snitkey, and Hilarie Welsh) Chapter 10. On Your Way: Becoming the Best Teacher and Researcher You Can Be What Is an Inquiry Stance? Why Is It Important to Assess the Quality of My Work? What Is the Difference Between Generalizability and Transferability? How Do I Go About Assessing Teacher Research Quality and Why Is It So Difficult to Do? What Are Some Quality Indicators for Teacher Research? What Are Some Ways to Enhance Inquiry Quality? Where Do I Go From Here? References Index

"The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research, 4E is a practical volume that can be used as an interactive guide for university supervisors to facilitate teacher candidates in engaging in inquiry-based reflective practices while gathering data during their field-based experiences." -- Rebecca J. Blankenship, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, TESOL Program Director, QEP Liaison, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University "The Fourth Edition of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research presents the crucial field of teacher research in an engaging and positive manner, with many explanatory examples and scenarios. True to its title, "reflective," the narrative highlights the importance of the qualitative approach to research in which the researcher looks at personal and experiential qualities that affect educational change." -- Harriette L. Spiegel, Ph. D. Lecturer, The University of Tennessee at Martin "This book makes a distinct contribution to the field by providing teachers with a step-by-step approach to teacher inquiry. It is also a great resource for teachers who want to conduct their own inquiries in schools. It is comprehensive, easy to read, and rich with examples and exercises that model the process of teacher inquiry for every stage." -- Suha Tamim, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina "Teacher inquiry is a catalyst for change, but the process can be intimidating. This text has a different feel to it. It is reflective in nature, which adds a personal touch to the research process. While it hits on all the same points as someone engaging in action research, the change to an inquiry stance reflects what teachers currently experience in their classrooms. Multiple examples throughout provide the support necessary and the text is useful for both an action research course and a teacher wishing to make systematic, deliberate improvements to his/her teaching. I highly recommend The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research, 4E to anyone interested in using data to inform and strengthen their instruction and provide a more equitable classroom." -- Terri Duncko, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Beeghly College of Education "This book is a wonderful guide for teachers conducting research in their schools. It clearly explains the process and guides teacher researchers through with well thought out activities combined with ample rich examples to enhance understanding." -- Diane Barrett, Professor & Chair of the School of Education, University of Hawaii at Hilo "Stop and look no further: The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research, 4E is the definite text on teacher inquiry. Inside these covers you will find answers to what teacher inquiry entails, why the inquiry process is vital to a healthy teaching profession, and how teachers can translate their wonderings into a systemic form of study that informs classroom change and improvement. Happy inquiring!" -- Dr. Cynthia Carver Associate Professor & Chair of Teacher Development, Oakland University