There are so many contingencies in any educational setting, it is hard to reliably generalize from one situation to the next. As a teacher when I read a research paper, I have to try to imagine how similar the situation being presented in the report is to my own – even if the question is one that I might have asked myself – because the way that I implement any research findings will be some variation of what I already know, and what my students are capable of understanding. Briefly, the whole endeavor is very “iffy.”

Paul, this is pretty much what you just said. As far as “targeting questions” to teachers’ interests, I think you have to go directly to teachers for that. My graduate school cohort worked within a teacher-as-researcher model, and we learned from one another. This, to me, was one of the most empowering and thought provoking professional experiences I’ve ever had. Get a group of teachers together. Offer university credit. Encourage them to ask and answer their own questions. Discuss. Show them how to publish their findings. That’s what we did. My project was a two-year-long effort to fully implement NCTM’s communication standard in a fourth and a sixth-grade classroom.

I read Decolonizing Methodologies, by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, along the way. She talked about the need for indigenous peoples to design their own research projects in order to achieve goals that are consistent with their own felt needs and cultural values. I see the situation with teachers and education research as quite similar.

AGAin enjoying reading today.

The author is a teacher, among the finest who can reflect with you on how, why, ways to connect practice to research. I think worth the time to read his work…very good work contained there. Sarah

The mindsets of leadership for teachers seems too much, even within their own organizations, to not effectively enough promote open doors, nor grow them as relationships, and bridges to working with the researcher, or as a researcher, in the on-going quest to be better at what we do. In my case my District would openly suggest my going elsewhere again though my work is respected, as it is seen as so potentially empowering or as a kind of free agency I suppose, and thus I think dangerous.And in a way it is. They are totally hung up on everyone everyday on the same page in the same way doing the same thing.
But let’s just look at one part. How to show teachers a way to connect. Judith Green at UCSanta Barbara an ethnographer in projects connected directly to schools in Districts such as one my husband Superintendents’ has projects that build these links, study doing this better and design opportunities to engage classroom teachers. So I watch what happens as a result of several years work -teachers and classes are linked to scientists and then linked to the ethnographic language pieces inside of research to enhance practice. As you are obviously describing. Here again technology offers ways to bridge and expand. Here at AERA I am thinking about the importance of Superintendents….these leaders have to see the relevance as they are your ….gatekeepers I think. I think, really, that pushing, inviting, encouraging the most visionary of them to conferences such as this to forge relationships to their people …well…that seems important. Another thing I find listening in sessions ….translating then to what I know of schools….right now researchers say they know what is happening politically but appear to feel they are riding above it or have a longer distance view. What I see happening is so fundamentally disgusting for lack of a better term, teachers right now are demoralized, dealing with luggingly bad materials, politics on such a inane level, we still are so momentously untrusted in the “talk” about this world…, you get the point. I see then becoming reflective, become research oriented as a wonderful way to regain “self” or sense of my integrity. But it may be that teachers are discouraged, closed. Fear, Paul , predominates the teacher climates, many worry over assaults on not only our autonomy as decision makers but assaults on our values, our frames if you will. Teachers often tell me ” do what they say.” And it becomes a massive force to conform and survive. Yet you are asking for a risk takers frame here. Again if you read Lortie and then translate this through recent developments in teaching what you find is the teacher remarkably fixated on security, not changing. I came at teaching as an artist first, risk taking a major component of 70′s art training. I came at it through lenses and gears many teachers have not yet built. So I see a need to build into teacher training the creative constructs that link to researching as a daily life activity. Here I think…well seeing someone do this is powerful which may work in visits to a class but through on-line ways I can visit blogs or sites set up to show it…I can see this happening. Oh…I see. I think a teacher describing, narrating and then clips into this made available would lower the stress or the “unknown” factor and could be a part of a National project housed on-line…my thought for you.

In the end what I see most clearly is the teacher in public school barred by layers from being able at access research projects. Researchers putting access or talking to me on the web as this page does I see…oh…that is meaningful. Say I want to connect to those who also are working on 2nd language issues and children who have neither language due to poverty and are tremendously disadvantaged..here I find in a site a way to get to that and read what is there or I might hook up with or I query and find connectivity to it…a kind of Teacher/Researcher talk and learn…or I think I have a project but I want someone to listen and give some insight…I find it there.
…oh I can then begin relationship building. You know that slogan…or line…build it they will come a national model of teacher to researcher network designed by a system that specializes in this …in communications facilitation AERA could own this. It would be a connecting bridge. And I think technology affords you the way to envision and realize this. sarah puglisi