Research is formalised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
Zora Neale Hurston
A teachers a place within educational research has been long open to debate. Increasingly, institutions such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) have made being evidence-enriched inescapable, and our educational diet now very much consists of both regular critical reading and usage of research. In my opinion, this is the consequence of a steady, yet substantial shift (during my, albeit short, stint in the profession) in the opinion that teaching is an academic profession and of course not forgetting the #researchED movement. However, you, like me, may be wondering what part do we truly play in contributing to this field; what is the reality of the teacher-researcher?
No surprise that it is a complicated answer. For far too long, we have been faced by a metaphorical fork-in-the-road, that has continued to define our role within research and rights as researchers. Down one fork we have the heralded belief that teachers are skilled users of research. Evidence-informed practice is now an unavoidable turn of phrase and an integral aspect of professional dialogues. However, to me this notion has acted as a pacifier, deterring our attention away from the bigger problem of defining our role as educational researchers.
It has become an issue that is demanding a more nuanced solution.
So where do we begin?
Well, it appears that, as with most educational practices, disparities drive the role of the teacher-researcher. There seems to be an eclectic mix across our schools- whereby some seem to house few or no teachers actively engaging with research practices, whilst others have empowered their teachers to become part of nationwide programmes of research… so it is possible!
However, the disparity we notice here has possibly been perpetuated by a long withstanding blurred vision and opinion surrounding our rights as researchers. It is something, that has long been disputed. John Hattie famously asked teachers to leave research to the academics condemning teachers to be simply ‘evaluators’ of their impact.
No surprise, this got me thinking. This thinking led me to etymology.
When I looked at the origin of the word research I found it originated from 16th century France: “recherche- “cerchier” meaning to search and “re” meaning again. So, the definition of research means: to search for or look again. Here encompasses our action of researching (keep this in mind)…
The etymology of research was only the beginning of unpicking Hattie’s perception. I agree Hattie was right to describe teachers as evaluators; however, I think he missed a trick, and perhaps forgot to look deeper. I believe we must truly consider the reality of our act of evaluating; particularly, as it is often one underpinned by both the rigorous and persistent questioning of current practices. I believe, it unfolds as a journey of our learning, founded upon figuring out the unknown and of course driven by our own professional curiosity. This persistent search means we are forever looking into and evaluating our approaches until we find what we think is our answer (soon to realise it is often only the beginning). Ultimately, our evaluations formulate what provides the systematic method to the study of our practices and interventions.
It sounds fancy, but take a step back, and I would assume you can relate to this process and find it within your current practice. It is now probably one that has become instinctive.
What if we are instinctively conducting research without knowing?
What if within the DNA of a teacher there is a researcher in its own right?
What if…?
Intervention + Evaluation = Research
and what does this mean for our aspiring teacher researcher or.. ‘tea-searcher’
Now for the ‘how to’ (breathe a sigh of relief!)
Firstly, going back to our formula: Intervention + Evaluation = Research (something I have just unearthed as one of our instinctive superpowers).
How can we give this formula rigour to enable it to truly evolve into respected research practices for us all?
Well, hooray for the EEF, as they have devised a tool kit, naming it their DIY Evaluation Guide. This incredibly accessible resource lends itself perfectly to scaffolding research in practice, demanding we think about the stages and rationale which underpin its processes. It is interactive, and the perfect way to dip your toes into the reality of what it means to be a creator of research!
Secondly, whilst you’re here I want to draw our attention to action research. Hattie forgot to mention, that as well as evaluators, teachers are reflectors. Through our reflections, we meticulously unpick the barriers our little learners come across and often put in place a cocktail of solutions. This, in its simplest forms, is action research.
Action research can provide one of the highest levels of structured personal reflection for a teacher in terms of their practice. Ultimately, it provides a process that enables us to evidence our impact and offer something back to the field! I like to view it as an intervention cycle in its own right- very much plan, do, review. It’s worth a watch of this video to find out a little more.
So perhaps it is time to merge this fork in the road. Rather than viewing teachers as readers and users of research and doers of research as different categories of person, appreciate them as different roles. Robinson (2003) argued that in doing this we allow the overlap between, opening up the opportunity for integration.
I believe this concept could be coined as ‘tea-searching’. This is certainly not something I wish to be born into a vacuum, cut off from wider research, or in isolation from colleagues and critical friends. I believe its success lies in our attitudes of openness, curiosity, and willingness to see things in new ways.
Finally, back to Hattie. We must not forget his belief that research encompasses skills that need to be developed and mastered through time and effort. However, my final thought is this: How dissimilar is researching to the practice of teaching. I think I may have managed to make some connections along the way today. With this in mind, I believe both sides could do well to acknowledge and mutually respect the expertise of the other. After all, if research really is formalised curiosity, surely the researchers could learn a thing or two from us humble teachers…