Why should English language teachers conduct classroom research? As teachers gain experience, they instinctively want to learn more about their practice, the profession, and ways to contribute to the field. The way to dig deeper into their passion for teaching is through researching their own classroom contexts. This easy-to-follow guide…

Teacher research is an extension of good teaching, observing students closely, analyzing their needs, and adjusting the curriculum to fit the needs of all. In this completely updated second edition of their definitive work, Ruth Shagoury and Brenda Miller Power present a framework for teacher research along with an extensive collection of…

Are you using interviews in your classroom? Carolyn Frank's new book on interviewing is a powerful tool for teachers and educational researchers. Through an anthropological frame, this book explains techniques for ethnographic interviews and observations in and out of the classroom. Carolyn Frank shows how teachers in particular can use…

Cites research that suggests that to promote literacy, teachers should attend to the context in which reading and writing is being demanded; that the forms and patterns of specific discourses should be made explicit; and that the assumptions which shape what teachers do should be examined critically. (RS)

Encourages educators to carefully examine the textbook adoption process, especially the way in which adoption committees evaluate and select instructional materials. Reviews the available research literature on the textbook adoption process and includes recommendations for improving the process. Discusses guidelines for designing evaluation…

In this inquiry study, teachers will learn about or refine their understanding of the components of Reading and Writing Workshop. They will begin by living as writers themselves and then explore how to create supportive contexts for the learners in their classrooms. Video footage from a number of classrooms will serve as a series of possibilities…

Discusses the meanings of collaboration from the author's perspective as a participant in classroom research. Examines a primary grade project that combined collaborative research with staff development. Notes that while participants face a risk in sustained collaboration, these partnerships can stimulate learning for teachers, administrators,…

Discusses children's interest in names, and the importance of this interest for their developing literacy. (MM)

A format is drawn for planning, writing, and assessing a collaborative research proposal. A description is given of the essential sections of a research proposal, and a brief explanation of each is provided. A suggested evaluation procedure is included to use for evaluating and ranking each proposal against established, published standards. These…

Argues that classroom research is one feasible way for community college English faculty to (1) become knowledge makers; (2) overcome the false dichotomy that exists between teaching and scholarship in community colleges; (3) establish a professional identity; and (4) affirm the bond with the community of professional writing teachers. (RS)

Discusses how to promote professional growth for teachers who will be working in the same school for decades. A clinical approach for teacher development which encourages self-awareness of teaching behavior is described. This approach helps teachers to experimentally test their beliefs about their own teaching in their classrooms. (AM)

Understanding how people choose their work and educational environments and the dynamics that lead to satisfaction in these environments is critical to optimizing productivity and self actualization. The Strong Interest Inventory and the Social Skills Inventory were administered to 113 undergraduates to test the hypothesis that social types…

Discusses teachers who question the happenings in their classrooms and answer their questions through classroom research. Argues that these teachers will continue to learn about their students and the teaching/learning that occurs within their classrooms, schools, and profession. Offers suggestions on how to initiate a teacher/researcher effort.…

This paper explains how teachers can set up good research problems to study in their classrooms. The purpose of the research is to provide teachers with a tool for reflection, change, learning, and renewal in student-centered classrooms. Teacher-researchers learn to ask critical questions, collect data, document findings, and share results with…

Bureaucratic controls are at war with educational goals in our school system. This disharmony drastically affects the teacher/student relationship. The first in a three-part series, this article summarizes complex ethnographic data from the report "Contradictions of Control: School Structure and School Knowledge." Includes 6 references. (MD)