“This is a wonderful book with deep insight into the relationship between teachers' action and result of student learning. It discusses from different angles impact of action research on student learning in the classroom. Writing samples provided at the back are wonderful examples.”—Kejing Liu, Shawnee State University

Teacher Action Research: Building Knowledge Democracies focuses on helping schools build knowledge democracies through a process of action research in which teachers, students, and parents collaborate in conducting participatory and caring inquiry in the classroom, school, and community. Author Gerald J. Pine examines historical origins, the rationale for practice-based research, related theoretical and philosophical perspectives, and action research as a paradigm rather than a method.

Key Features:

Discusses how to build a school research culture through collaborative teacher research; Delineates the role of the professional development school as a venue for constructing a knowledge democracy; Focuses on how teacher action research can empower the active and ongoing inclusion of nontraditional voices (those of students and parents) in the research process; Includes chapters addressing the concrete practices of observation, reflection, dialogue, writing, and the conduct of action research, as well as examples of teacher action research studies

Conditions for Building a Knowledge Democracy

Conditions for building a knowledge democracy

In this chapter, I discuss in some detail the critical elements of collaborative action research that are essential to building a knowledge democracy. These elements include developing a “work with” posture, establishing systemic and relational trust, finding enough time to build relationships and conduct research, confronting issues inherent in building collaboration between university faculty and classroom teachers, including students and parents as research partners in collaborative action research studies, and learning how to collaborate and dealing with the challenges of collaboration.

Developing a “Work with” Posture

Collaborative action research liberates teachers’ creative potential, stimulates their abilities to investigate their own situations, and mobilizes human resources to solve educational problems. Collaborative research begins when university researchers, teachers, ...

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