About Teacher Inquiry
Teacher Inquiry, also referred to as teacher research or action research, is defined as systematic, intentional study by teachers of their own classroom practice (Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 1993). Teacher inquirers seek out change and reflect on their practice by:
- posing questions or “wonderings”
- collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings
- analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature
- making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry
- sharing findings with others (Dana & Yendol-Silva, 2003)
The ultimate goal of engagement in teacher research is to create an inquiry stance toward teaching. An inquiry stance actually becomes a “professional positioning,” that is owned by the teacher, where, because of the inherent complexity of teaching, questioning one’s own practice becomes part of the teacher’s work and eventually a part of the teaching culture. By cultivating this inquiry stance toward teaching, teachers can play a critical role in school improvement efforts, and continually enhance their own professional growth and ultimately the experience of schooling for children (Dana & Yendol-Silva, 2003). According to Cochran-Smith and Lytle (2001):
a legitimate and essential purpose of professional development is the development of an inquiry stance on teaching that is critical and transformative, a stance linked not only to high standards for the learning of all students but also to social change and social justice and to the individual and collective professional growth of teachers (p. 46).
Teacher Inquiry Illustrated
Debbi Hubbell, a Center for School Improvement Teacher Inquirer, taught fourth grade in a rural elementary school located in North Florida. Intrigued when her principal offered the opportunity to engage in teacher inquiry as a part of staff development at her building, Debbi decided to look closely at one of her teaching passions -- reading. Debbi knew that one of the best predictors of performance on Florida’s yearly standardized test, the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) was reading fluency, and that research has shown a direct correlation between fluency and comprehension. She wanted to help her students become more successful in reading and perform better on the FCAT.
Worried about 7 students she felt were at risk and less fluent than others in her class, for her research, she decided to introduce the rereading of fractured fairy tale plays to these 7 learners to see if this activity might increase reading fluency. As common for at risk learners, at the start of her research, these 7 students were engaged mostly in more traditional skill building activity.
To gain insights into her wondering, “What is the relationship between my fourth graders’ fluency development and the reading of fractured fairy tale plays?,” Debbi collected three forms of data. First, Debbi administered Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills at different time periods throughout her research. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills or DIBELS, are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of literacy development. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills. In addition , Debbi took anecdotal notes each time she utilized fractured fairy tale plays with these fourth grade students, documenting their reactions, engagement, and Debbi’s assessment of their fluency development with each rereading of a play. Finally, Debbi relied on student work or artifacts as a third data source. At the end of the fractured fairy tale series, Debbi asked her students to write “Dear Mrs. Hubbell” letters, telling her about their perceptions and experiences with the fractured fairy tale unit of study.
Debbi analyzed her data by charting student DIBELS scores over time, as well as organizing and reading through her anecdotal notes and student produced artifacts. Based on her data, Debbi was able to make three statements about what she learned as a result of her research. First, all students DIBELS scores improved over time. Second, the reading of fractured fairy tale plays generated enthusiasm for school and learning . A student, who when asked, had hated school and was failing, actually said later he enjoyed reading fractured fairy tales and producing them as a play. This student improved at least by a grade or more in each subject. Third, positive social interactions occurred between students who previously had difficulty communicating in a positive way. Students enjoyed helping each other when someone made a mistake in word recognition, stress, pitch, or phrasing, and tolerance as well as admiration replaced existing adversarial student-to-student relationships.
As her action research progressed and Debbi’s data indicated the academic, social, and emotional value of fractured fairy tales, Debbi began implementing fractured fairy tale plays with her entire class, in addition to the seven learners who were the focus of her inquiry. At the close of the school year, Debbi shared what she learned as a result of her inquiry into the relationship between the reading of fractured fairy tale plays and the fluency development of struggling fourth grade readers at the Center’s annual Teaching, Inquiry and Innovation Showcase, receiving solid feedback on her inquiry from other teachers (Hubbell, 2005). Next, Debbie shared her inquiry at a faculty meeting in her school. Her inquiry served as the impetus for her school to develop school-wide fluency objectives and engage in dialogue to assess existing reading practices in her school and district (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, in press).
References
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L. (1993). Inside/outside: Teacher research and knowledge. New York: Teachers College Press.
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L. (2001). Beyond certainty: Taking an inquiry stance on practice. In A. Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.). Teachers caught in the action: Professional development that matters (pp. 45-58). New York: Teachers College Press.
Dana, N. F., & Yendol-Silva. (2003). The reflective educator’s guide to classroom research: Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Dana, N.F., & Yendol-Hoppey. (forthcoming, January 2008). The reflective educator’s guide to school-based professional development: Coaching inquiry-oriented learning communities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Hubbell, D. (2005). Focus on fractured fairy tales and fluency flourishes. Presentation at the Teaching, Inquiry, and Innovation Showcase, Gainesville, Fl.
