Blog 3- Teacher Inquiry

There are many advantages to types of research such as “process-product research” and research drawn from qualitative or interpretive studies. However, I believe that teacher inquiry is the most important type of educational research there is. It is true that important information is gathered by outside experts but whose voice can be more useful than that of the person within the classroom teaching the students? According to the text in Chapter One, there are three advantages of teacher inquiry: (1)Theories and knowledge are generated from research grounded in the realities of educational practice,(2)Teachers become collaborators in educational research by investigating their own problems, and (3)teachers play a part in the research process, which makes them more likely to facilitate change based on the knowledge they create. The other types of research are conducted in the university setting, and their purpose is to advance a field. It is crucial of course to advance the field and create an academic impact, but even more to improve classroom practice. This can only be done through the help of teachers. When I become a teacher, I want to be the best teacher I can be for each of my students. In order to do this, teacher-inquirers are needed because they provide insight and work hard to unpack all of the complexities inherent in the act of teaching. As a future teacher, I want to be involved in this inquiry because it will allow me to grow professionally.

Fichtman Dana N., Yendol-Hoppey D., (2014). The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research(3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin A Sage Company.

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