Developing an alternative epistemology of practice: Teachers’ action research as critical pedagogy

Abstract

My struggle to promote critical consciousness, dialogue, creative and critical thinking and collaboration in my class led me to turn the classroom into a lab where I would experiment with action research as pedagogy. I began my course by asking students what they wanted, what would they contribute and how we will implement their recommendations. More importantly I invited them to be my co-inquirers in what they perceived to be a radical approach to instruction. This article is an account of what took place specifically the way we all experienced the process.

From Rigor to Vigor: The Past, Present, and Potential of Inquiry as Stance

“…To do so, Kim (2013) turns to action research, expressly at odds with "a narrowly defined […] measurable objectivity that might result in quick fixes" (p. 380). Other teacher educators have experienced similar outcomes in a range of applications across diverse contexts (Baker & Milner, 2016;van der Heijden, Geldens, Beijaard, & Popeijus, 2015;Wamba, 2011), suggesting that "learning to teach and learning to research can happen simultaneously" (Bower-Phipps, Cruz, Albaladejo, Johnson, & Homa, 2016, p. 3) to foster lasting and laudable change.…”

Toward a Relational Humanism

“…The increasingly popular field of action research, in which the professional works with groups of people in achieving valued ends, is rife with potential (Reason and Bradbury, ). Illustrative here is Fine and Torre's () research assisting women in prison, Lykes's () community building work with rural Guatemalan women, and instances in which the classroom becomes a form of laboratory in participatory action (Wamba, ).…”

Collaborating on Critical Thinking: The Team Critique

“…The employment of the Team Critique (or similar collaborative learning tools) will help fulfill the educational purposes of colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning because it is an excellent and innovative way to place students at the center of the educational process and bring them together in their learning experience, enabling them to construct knowledge for themselves while operating in a community of inquiry that not only solves problems together but also promotes self-discovery (Saulnier et al, 2008;Wamba, 2010).…”