This book provides an introduction to the nature of collaborative action research, explains how to engage in the action research process, and offers readers insights into how collaborative action research may be embedded in everyday classroom practice. The latter objective will be accomplished by engaging the reader with four case studies about teachers who took part in collaborative action research. Each case study focuses on teacher beliefs about science teaching and learning, how school-based teams of teachers develop and implement plans of action in their classrooms, and how action research results in changes teacher learning and classroom practice. This book will be of interest to anyone who wishes to develop an understanding of or engage in collaborative action research, especially practitioners and teacher educators.

This engaging and practical book offers science teacher educators and K-12 science teachers alike the tools to engage in a dialogic mode of collaborative action research (D-CAR), a collaborative mode of action research focused on teachers’ experiences with students, reflection upon these experiences, and peer learning. Renowned science educator Allan Feldman and co-authors from across numerous settings in K-12 science education present the theory, methodology, case studies, and practical advice to support the use of D-CAR as a means to enhance teachers’ normal practice and address the problems, dilemmas, and dissonances that science teachers must negotiate as they work to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and engage with complex science teaching challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized students. The book will be of use to science teacher educators, pre-service and in-service science teachers, professional development specialists, or any science educator invested in developing creative, reflective, and thoughtful teachers.

Constant, high-quality collaborative inquiry sustains PLCs. Become disciplined and deliberative with data as you design and implement program improvements to enhance student learning. This book delves into the five habits of inquiry that contribute to professional learning. Get to know them and the action research process they represent. Detailed steps show you how to accomplish collaborative action research that drives continuous improvement.

Action research, explored in this book, is a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all levels. Through practical examples, research tools, and easy-to-follow "implementation strategies," Richard Sagor guides readers through the process from start to finish. Learn how to uncover and use the data that already exist in your classrooms and schools to answer significant questions about your individual or collective concerns and interests. Sagor covers each step in the action research process in detail: selecting a focus, clarifying theories, identifying research questions, collecting data, analyzing data, reporting results, and taking informed action. Drawing from the experience of individual teachers, faculties, and school districts, Sagor describes how action research can enhance teachers' professional standing and efficacy while helping them succeed in settings characterized by increasingly diverse student populations and an emphasis on standards-based reform. The book also demonstrates how administrators and policymakers can use action research to bolster efforts related to accreditation, teacher supervision, and job-embedded staff development. Part how-to guide, part inspirational treatise, Guiding School Improvement with Action Research provides advice, information, and encouragement to anyone interested in reinventing schools as learning communities and restructuring teaching as the true profession it was meant to be.

Learn how to use collaborative action research to formulate questions about your chosen topics, take action, and collect and analyze data to answer those questions.

"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

Think of yourself as an educational architect Action research is your essential tool for designing and building a better classroom or school. You know your students best, and by digging deeper into a challenge or research question and then taking informed action, you can achieve far more than any cookie-cutter curriculum or canned program. This empowering introduction to action research is ideal for new and veteran teachers, as well as principals, counselors, and other educators who are committed to school improvement. In the third edition of this bestselling guidebook, you’ll find: New insights on how to use reflective practice, qualitative and quantitative methods, and culturally responsive teaching to improve the success of all students A field-tested, four-stage action research process to lead you from brainstorming to breakthrough, with step-by-step instructions in plain English More illustrative examples, charts, handouts, worksheets, and sample action research reports to demystify and simplify the action research process By tapping into the power of action research, you can improve overall student performance, eliminate achievement gaps, and enhance your own efficacy and morale. "The most successful educators are those that purposefully reflect on their practices, with a focus on how and to what degree these practices impact student learning. This book provides a four-stage structured approach for teachers and administrators to engage in action research, with the ultimate goal being to move our schools and classrooms closer to universal student success." Eric Carbaugh, Associate Professor of Education James Madison University "I love the four-step model and how it is emphasized throughout the text. This approach clearly makes the text unique and a ′must read′ for all teachers wanting to enhance their teaching through action research." Christopher J. Maglio, Professor of Education, Research Methods, and Design Truman State University

This engaging and practical book offers science teacher educators and K-12 science teachers alike the tools to engage in a dialogic mode of collaborative action research (D-CAR), a collaborative mode of action research focused on teachers’ experiences with students, reflection upon these experiences, and peer learning. Renowned science educator Allan Feldman and co-authors from across numerous settings in K-12 science education present the theory, methodology, case studies, and practical advice to support the use of D-CAR as a means to enhance teachers’ normal practice and address the problems, dilemmas, and dissonances that science teachers must negotiate as they work to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and engage with complex science teaching challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized students. The book will be of use to science teacher educators, pre-service and in-service science teachers, professional development specialists, or any science educator invested in developing creative, reflective, and thoughtful teachers.

Action Research in the Classroom is an essential guide for any teacher or student-teacher interested in doing research in the classroom. The authors map out an easy-to-follow action research approach that will help teachers improve on their professional practice and evaluate the needs of their pupils and schools for themselves.

The book is organized around Richard Sagor's four-stage process developed from his many years of experience training hundreds of educators. The four stages are: clarifying visions/targets; articulating theory; implementing action and collecting data; reflecting on data and planning informed action; The book includes numerous tables, charts, handouts, forms, and worksheets to demystify and simplify the action research process. Short examples drawn from the author's experience working on-one-on with teachers on their action research projects are also included, from raising reading proficiency to increasing the problem solving capacity of faculty members. The author shows how teacher teams can work collaboratively to identify and research problems related to the school's goals. Appropriate for use by individual teachers and teacher teams, as well as by pre-service teachers in teacher education courses. Principals, counsellors, and other educators will also find the action research process useful for school improvement.