Action Research (Case Studies in Tesol Practice Series)

Through reflective investigation, the writers in this volume of the Case Studies in TESOL Practice series have discovered how to implement changes or sustain practices that make their teaching more productive for learners. They present action research as manageable intervention that educates as it sustains, and thus as a potent means of continuing professional renewal. These teacher authors demonstrate how successful practice entails researching and learning as well as teaching, how effective teachers can be as investigators, and how rewarding language teaching can be. Action research does not offer a template for others to adopt and adapt. Action research is something that is given form by particular teachers and learners in interaction. Readers will note that the thinking teacher is no longer perceived as someone who applies theories, but as someone who theorizes practice. Good teaching is right here, so long as teachers are working on developing it. The 14 accounts presented are all participatory, in the sense that the writers are first-person investigators of their own practice in their own situations. Two main themes inform the chapters: attitude (exploratory, investigative, participatory, collegial, and empowering of self and others) and access (the work that these men and women are doing around the world serves also to open up possibilities for others).. This volume steers a course into the inexhaustible realm of teachers' imagination, talent, powers of observation, and desire to do good work. As you travel with these writers, you will surely want to consider joining them.