Professional Learning and Researcher Intervention: an action research perspective

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Abstract
This paper attempts to address three questions fundamental to research on teachers' thinking — what ways do teachers learn, why do they change (or fail to change), and what is the role of the researcher as intervenor in this process of teachers' thinking and behaviour? I will argue that if research is to make a significant contribution to teacher learning and change, researchers must move away from the notion of themselves as prime designers and interpreters of the motivations, thoughts and actions of others towards a more interdependent role in which collaboration, consultation, and negotiation are first principles. If they are to achieve success, they must be prepared not only to talk with teachers about practice, but to observe teachers in their behavioural settings. This is based on the assumption that, ‘in order to understand teaching, teachers' goals, judgements and decisions must be understood, especially in relation to teachers' behaviour and the classroom context…’ (Shavelson & Stern, 1981). While there is a good deal of recent and well‐documented research on various aspects of teachers' thinking—their pedagogical thoughts, judgements and decisions ‐there is as yet very little empirical evidence concerning the relationship between this thinking and classroom practice (behaviour).

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