Teacher as Reflective Practitioner and Action Researcher

This book introduces readers who are also pre-service teachers to the powerful concept of action research -- research which stems from a practical problem and is planned and implemented by the people most likely to be affected by the findings - the teachers. This book provides the specifics of transforming the teacher (or preservice teacher ) into a reflective practitioner and action researcher.

Part I: Action Research: Increasing Effectiveness of Teacher Decision Making. 1. Teachers as Reflective Practitioners and Action Researchers. 2. The Fundamentals Still Apply. Part II: Increasing Teacher Effectiveness: Working With the Uniqueness of "Who" We Teach. 3. The Unique Impact of Students' Cognitive Development: First an Observation and a Question. 4. Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology: Tools for the Action Researcher. 5. Hypothesis Testing, Validity and Research Design: Addressing Student Needs and Reactions. 6. Case Study and Within Subject Design for Observing and Adjusting to Individual Uniqueness. Part III: The How of Teaching: Researching Learning Theory and Instructional Practice. 7. Time Series Designs: Studying Behavioral Learning Theories. 8. Using a Reversal Design to Assess the Effectiveness of Constructivist Approaches to the Classroom. 9. Multiple Baseline Designs: As Applied to Studying Elements of Student Motivation. Part IV: Becoming an Action Researcher. 10. Becoming an Action Researcher. Epilogue: Being Informed and Formed By Research and Experience.