"College education is a proliferation of such possibilities: the beauty of mathematical discovery, the thrill of scientific understanding, the fascination of historical narrative, the mystery of theological speculation. We should judge teaching not by the amount of knowledge it passes on, but by the enduring excitement it generates. Knowledge, when it comes, is a later arrival, flaring up, when the time is right, from the sparks good teachers have implanted in their students’ souls."
- Gary Gutting, Why Do I Teach?, NY Times
Teachers as Researchers
Teacher training programs in Finland focus on providing teachers the tools to be researchers. To look at their lessons and classes and critically analyze the teaching process and how to improve. They are taught to be reflective thinkers and deliver research based strategies in lessons. Teachers are asked to continually integrate theory and practice while receiving feedback and support from their peers. A "teacher's duty is to transform the knowledge he or she knows into a form the learner can adopt" (Helsinki Teacher Training Handbook). In order to do that, teachers have to be researchers. They have to continually push themselves to think about the why and how behind a lesson. The Finnish training process focuses on this process, rather than on student's behavior or standardized tests. Although there is still room to improve, this training system is proving to be successful as students are engaged and successful in school. When trying to understand the global success of Finnish education, it is important to start with understanding the uniform teaching training process and the expectation that teachers continue to be and example of a life-long learner and grow in their profession.
My process
When I arrived to Jyväskylä in January, I had a couple of suitcases and a lot of questions. I enjoyed many different aspects of my trip, but one area that challenged me the most is how I can continue to ask questions of my own practice when I am back in the classroom in the fall. I want to create a module that is can be used for teacher's professional development and encourage teachers to become researchers. That means this page will be a work in progress as I partner with US teachers in the fall to become action researchers.
The best place to start, may be with my own research proposal that I submitted to Fulbright with my application. This website's purpose is to share the answers to the questions I was asking.
The best place to start, may be with my own research proposal that I submitted to Fulbright with my application. This website's purpose is to share the answers to the questions I was asking.
| action-based_research_project.docx |
Hannu Simola states, "One reform succeeds another at an increasingly hectic pace. A new, politically correct educational language may be substituted for an old one before field workers have learned the first. Even the eagerest reformers have noticed 'considerable evidence that good teachers with moral purpose become victims of either cynicism or burnout' because of new demands, promises and wishes" (Firmly Bolted into the Air). Although Simola writes from a Finnish perspective, he describes what is happening in US classrooms perfectly. For me, action research is a way to take back some autonomy and control in the classroom, even though the policies continually change around us.
Simola goes on to say, "I venture to assume that wishful rationalism as a discursive basis for educational reform seems to have been supporting visionary, utopian and religious-like thinking on schooling rather than encouraging realistic, analytic and reflective thinking" (Firmly Bolted into the Air). My hope is that by continuing to ask questions of my teaching and be reflective and analytical in my answers to those questions, I will continue to grow as a professional and be a better teacher for the students who walk through my door.
Simola goes on to say, "I venture to assume that wishful rationalism as a discursive basis for educational reform seems to have been supporting visionary, utopian and religious-like thinking on schooling rather than encouraging realistic, analytic and reflective thinking" (Firmly Bolted into the Air). My hope is that by continuing to ask questions of my teaching and be reflective and analytical in my answers to those questions, I will continue to grow as a professional and be a better teacher for the students who walk through my door.
Resources
These are some resources I recieved to help me get started on designing my project and beginning the action research.
| brooks-mcnamara__torres_-_ch_2_-_discovering_the_territory.pdf |
| fontes_-_ch_3_-_biases_and_boundary_issues.pdf |
| hinchey_-_ch_3_-_developing_a_research_plan_and_identifying_a_research_question_1.pdf |
| hopkins_-_ch_2_-_classroom_research_in_action.pdf |
