Learning2gether 336 in Hangout on Air

Teacher/Practitioner Research

with Mark Wyatt, Anne Burns, and Judith Hanks

Monday, June 20, 2016

The presenters have published an article in the On the Internet column of TESL-EJ

http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume20/ej77/ej77int/

Teacher/Practitioner Research: Reflections on an Online Discussion

* * * On the Internet * * *

May 2016 — Volume 20, Number 1

Mark Wyatt 
University of Portsmouth, UK

Anne Burns
University of New South Wales, Australia

Judith Hanks
University of Leeds, UK

The discussion is on the evolution of that topic, its findings, and implications.

Abstract

There is growing interest in educational research conducted by teachers and other practitioners in learning environments. There is also a growing willingness among educators to discuss such research in environments that are open and online. However, for some of those engaging with such forms of inquiry in such online spaces, puzzles remain. For example,

• For it to count as ‘research’, does teacher/practitioner ‘research’ have to be shared?
• Can this happen in non-academic ways, and why is this beneficial?
• In what ways is teacher/practitioner research valuable in itself as an activity?
• What forms of such research are open to teachers, how are they similar and how do they differ?
• What are the defining characteristics of one of these forms, ‘exploratory practice’, and what does it look like in practice?
• What kinds of support are required so that teacher/practitioner research is a more viable activity for both teachers and their learners?

These were some of the questions raised in a recent online discussion involving teachers and academics from all over the world. It provided dialogic learning opportunities and encouraged a sharing of insights from educators working from different perspectives but united in the common cause of supporting deeply ethical, empowering teacher/practitioner research. This article represents the moderators’ reflective summary of the discussion, produced with a view to disseminating current ideas on this topic and stimulating further debate.

Where? Google+ Hangout on Air

• Join the conversation, https://plus.google.com/events/cgm8156gghobfu74hco76qs9te4
• Text chat with presenters while watching the stream at http://webheadsinaction.org/live 
  • Watch the event live as it streams on YouTube, https://youtu.be/Hu6APq--6Eg
  • Chat with the presenters live, or before or after the event at http://chatwing.com/vancestev   

At show time, catch the stream on the live video feed above

while interacting with participants in the real-time chat below