Teacher Inquiry:
Transforming Practice and School Culture
Quick References on Teacher Inquiry
In addition to the information and resources below, please note the following links for quick reference regarding teacher inquiry:
The University of Florida's Center for School Improvement's Inquiry Database
The National School Reform Faculty
What Is Teacher Inquiry?
Effective teachers engage in ongoing reflection and analysis of their teaching on a daily basis. Through inquiry, teachers are committing to systematic, intentional, and public reflection. For example, this might mean collecting student data related to the implementation of new teaching practices, or collecting evidence of changes in teacher thinking around new curriculum or new assessments.
As teachers begin their research studies (individually or collaboratively), they meet on a regular basis at their schools to support each others’ learning with the help of site-based teacher leaders. University of Florida Lastinger Center faculty members, in collaboration with the school principals, identify teacher leaders who help their peers move through this process.
These teacher leaders attend three days of training to learn how to develop professional learning communities. In this training they learn how to facilitate adult learning and democratic dialogue based on the work of the National School Reform Faculty. These teacher leaders meet on a monthly basis to support each other and expand their thinking about facilitating inquiry within professional learning communities at their schools.
At the end of the year, teachers present their inquiries at an Inquiry Showcase. District administrators, principals and area educators come to see the presentation of findings by each teacher researcher.
The Impact of Inquiry
As teachers share their inquiry results among schools, other teachers decide to replicate the research at a different grade level or at another school. When teachers believe that a new instructional approach might prove more effective with certain students than the one they are using, they conduct an inquiry to investigate possible alternatives.
Part of a Larger Picture
Making inquiry an effective tool for improving teacher practice can only be achieved by working systematically with principals, school leadership teams, and district staff to help them re-culture schools and the district as learning organizations.
Please refer to the Center for School Improvement 's Teacher Inquiry Database for extensive resources on this topic.
