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This case study examined distance education (DE) teachers using remote science inquiry instruction (RSII) to support a hands-on lab for motion on an inclined plane. The RSII lesson was developed as part of an online lesson study (Lewis & Hurd, 2011). The activities of the teachers and students, collectively the case, are reported by the phase of lesson study. During the Study and Plan phases of the lesson study, student preparation was deemed paramount. Students at disparate geographical locations needed to be ready to conduct the hands-on inquiry. The students used Vernierâ probe ware and interfaces during synchronous instruction, and teacher support via Brightspace. A Google Doc, with hyperlinked Screencastify videos, was developed during the Plan phase to train students in how to use the probe ware required to conduct the inquiry. During the Teach phase of the lesson study, the teachers used the predict–observe–explain (POE) strategy of inquiry to engage students and elicit samples of student thinking (White & Gunstone, 1992). To predict, the students drew the shape of the graph and explained the reasoning behind their prediction. To observe, the students conducted the inclined plane inquiry and took note of what happened as the motion data was simultaneously collected and graphed. To explain, the students observed the graph to engage synchronously with their data and teachers. This allowed students and teachers to begin addressing any misconceptions that occurred during the prediction stage. Keeping the students engaged, giving them an opportunity to predict the shape of the graph, and providing simultaneous data visualization of the phenomenon helped to support the conceptual change process. In this article, we examine how RSII helped students construct meaning during the inquiry process. Keywords: remote science inquiry instruction, online lesson study, hands-on inquiry, predict–observe–explain (POE), misconceptions, student engagement ______________________________________ Instruction d'enquête scientifique à distance pour le mouvement sur un plan incliné Patrick R. Wells, Karen Goodnough, Gerald Galway, and Saiqa Azam Résumé: Cette étude de cas a examiné l'enseignement à distance en utilisant l'enseignement de la recherche scientifique à distance (RSII) pour soutenir un laboratoire pratique sur le mouvement sur un plan incliné. Les actions des enseignants et des étudiants, collectivement le cas, sont rapportées ici alors qu'ils ont mis en œuvre le RSII en utilisant une leçon développée par trois enseignants pendant une étude de leçon en ligne (Lewis & Hurd, 2011). La préparation des élèves a été jugée primordiale dans les phases d'étude et de planification au cours de l'étude de cours, sachant que les élèves, géographiquement disparates, mèneraient l'enquête pratique à l'aide des sondes et interfaces Vernierâ pendant l'enseignement synchrone et le soutien de l'enseignant via Brightspace. Un document Google Doc, contenant des liens hypertextes vers des vidéos Screencastify, a été élaboré pendant la phase de planification afin de former les élèves à l'utilisation du matériel de sondage nécessaire à la réalisation de l'enquête. Les enseignants ont utilisé la stratégie d'enquête POE pour faire participer les élèves et obtenir des exemples de leur réflexion pendant la phase d'enseignement de l'étude des leçons (prédire, observer, expliquer, White & Gunstone, 1992). Dans la phase de prédiction, les élèves ont dessiné la forme du graphique et ont fourni un raisonnement pour leur prédiction. Ensuite, les élèves ont mené l'enquête sur le plan incliné afin d'observer le phénomène pendant que les données relatives au mouvement étaient collectées et représentées simultanément sous forme de graphique pour les élèves. Voir les représentations graphiques du mouvement ont permis aux élèves de participer à l'étape d'explication de la POE, où l'engagement synchrone de RSII avec leurs données et les enseignants ont commencé à aborder toutes les idées fausses de la phase de prédiction. L'engagement des élèves, la visualisation simultanée des données du phénomène et la prédiction personnelle ont soutenu le processus de changement conceptuel. La façon dont la RSII favorise la construction de sens par les élèves au cours du processus d'enquête est discutée. Mots-clés : instruction d'enquête scientifique à distance, étude de cours en ligne, enquête pratique, prédire-observer-expliquer (POE), idées fausses, engagement des élèves

This qualitative case study involves a high school science teacher with a special education background in an urban school in the English School District of Newfoundland and Labrador. Conceptualized...

In preparing this essay in celebration of 20 years of the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (CJSMTE), the author reflects on her developmental trajectory as a science teacher educator, and researcher through the lens of professional learning. She describes how her engagement with the journal contributed to her professional growth in terms of teaching and scholarship. As a member of the editorial board of the journal since its inception, the author outlines how being a reviewer for the journal, a contributor to the journal, and a consumer of the journal has benefitted her professional learning over a 20-year period, starting with her early work as an academic. She recommends that new science teacher educators and established scholars strongly consider the CJSTME as a dissemination venue for research, as well as a source for informing personal and professional learning in science, mathematics, and technology education. Moreover, she suggests that science teacher educators reflect on the content of their professional learning, the types of activities that will meet their professional learning goals, and the rationale for engaging in professional learning activities.

PurposeThe purpose of this collaborative self-study inquiry was to enhance the professional practice of faculty members through the adoption of lesson study. A seven-member faculty of education self-study group engaged in lesson study in a computer and learning resources for primary/elementary teachers’ course with teacher candidates.Design/methodology/approachThis study focused on providing teacher candidates with increased opportunities for action and expression during in-class instruction. This collaborative lesson study inquiry (Fernandez et al., 2003; Fernandez and Yoshida, 2004; Murata, 2011) involved the four-step process of planning, doing, checking and acting (PDCA) (Cheng, 2019). Several data collection methods were adopted and data sources analyzed.FindingsChallenges the group encountered during the study included ascertaining the goals of lesson study and offering critical feedback to each other. While this made decision-making more intricate and intentional, there was exceptional value in participating in the lesson study process. The results revealed three overarching themes: 1) challenges in classroom observations; 2) hesitation in providing supportive feedback to colleagues and 3) deliberations regarding what constitutes expertise within subject-specific preservice teacher education.Originality/valueWhile lesson study has been adopted fairly extensively in K-12 settings, its adoption in postsecondary education is limited (Chenault, 2017). Considering the merits of lesson study for K-12 practitioners, this research investigated the similar advantages that lesson study might have for postsecondary education faculty, students and programs.

Our group of early- and mid-career women faculty members in a mid-sized Canadian university examined the peer review process and our experiences of being reviewed. Using post-structural feminist li...

Communities of practice, based on the work of Etienne Wenger, is being adopted as a framework in higher education to facilitate and foster professional learning. This article describes the emergenc...

This article describes a self-study inquiry project designed and conducted by a self-study group at a Faculty of Education in an Atlantic Canadian University. The seven-member group engaged in a collaborative self-study inquiry while adopting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in their teacher education practices and documented their professional learning. This yearlong self-study inquiry project encompassed several data collection methods to examine inclusive practices of self-study group members, including personal reflections, minutes of weekly meetings, artifacts, and field notes. This article focuses on how UDL provided a means for three group members to critically examine their inclusive practices at the beginning, during, and following the collaborative self-study inquiry. Using a case study methodology, self-study cases of these three faculty members—Angela, Ryan, and Sarah (Pseudonyms)—were developed. The cases reported on the journey of these faculty members in improving their inclusive practice through their engagement in self-study.

In this case study, the authors collaborated with two grade 4 teachers, who participated in a large-scale professional learning program focused on helping K-9 teachers enhance their classroom practice and confidence in teaching science through inquiry-based learning. The specific research questions that guided the study were the following: (a) How do components of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) change as they adopt drone technology in the context of a unit on habitats? (b) What challenges will the teachers encounter as they adopt inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning using drone technology? and (c) What factors will influence the development of teachers’ PCK? Using a multi-dimensional PCK framework, the authors report on changes in teachers’ orientations to teaching science and knowledge of assessment, instructional strategies, science curriculum, and student learning. In addition, it was found that teacher efficacy and knowledge of student learning were highly connected factors that contributed to PCK growth and changes in classroom practice. As the teachers gained more insight into how to support student learning through the adoption of drones and inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning, they strengthened their confidence and belief in their own ability to create classroom learning environments that could engage all learners in science. Challenges and implications related to the adoption of droned technology are also discussed.

This case study focuses on the professional learning of 38 K-9 teachers who engaged in a professional development (PD) programme in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through collaborative action research (CAR). Through the lens of CHAT or Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the author examined what teachers were learning, the contextual factors that influenced their learning and classroom practice, and the outcomes of this PD initiative. The changing activity system of the teachers is described, as well as how they addressed contradictions in their practice. Addressing these contradictions resulted in an expansion of their object and professional growth. The study contributes to a growing body of research in teacher education which applies CHAT as a conceptual framework to understand teacher professional learning and how interactions among activity system components influence teachers’ development and practice.

A narrative approach was adopted to explore the experiences of 13 women who pursued academic careers. Analysis of the personal reflective narratives uncovered themes common to the participants, also the authors of this study, which focused on striving to have work-life balance, personal and professional costs associated with being unwell, and the impact of academic work on families. Findings highlighted suggestions for being well in academia such as choose to engage in work and leisure activities that are enjoyable and maintain relationships. Suggestions for universities included: provide clear promotion and tenure processes, examine workload expectations, promote wellness, and facilitate mentorship. About Memorial University’s Faculty of Education Writing Group In 2009, a group of members from a Faculty of Education began meeting to share their writing and discuss the writing process. We meet regularly and each member takes a turn hosting the meeting. There are no strict deadlines and action items for the meetings; instead, each member takes a turn checking in with the group and asking for feedback or advice on their writing. It is a relaxed and open setting where networking and socializing are as welcome as producing results. The group deliberately set forth to create an environment of non-criticism—we can give feedback but not criticism and we agree to promote support, rather than competition. Through this process, the writing group has served to foster a sense of belonging.

This study’s purpose was to make sense of divides and disconnects in a teacher education program that included university-based courses combined with school-based field experiences. The study took place in Québec, Canada, which has the longest practicum of all provinces and programs designed to develop professional autonomy and competency. Data collection relied on documents, interviews, surveys, and focus groups with 44 preservice teachers along with field supervisors and instructors. Analysis relied on cultural historical activity theory and its principle of contradictions. Findings revealed that contradictions resulted in unintended and unfavourable outcomes such as teacher candidates feeling unprepared and untouched by the program. Resolution of contradictions may be realized through expansion of the division of labour to include more peer and self-assessment and through expansion of tools to support boundary crossing between theory, practice, schools, and university. Keywords: Preservice teacher education; cultural historical activity theory; contradictions; school-university partnerships; divides and disconnects

This chapter outlines the status of science education in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Starting with pre-Confederation, to Newfoundland joining the Confederation of Canada, and then to recent educational reform, Goodnough and Galway situate science education within the broader context of educational change. A description is provided of the education of Indigenous peoples in the province, the current state of the K–12 science curriculum, and the role of Memorial University of Newfoundland and other stakeholders in initial teacher education. The role of several stakeholders involved in the professional learning and professional development of science teachers in the province is also described. Finally, opportunities and challenges for the continuing development of education in NL as it relates to provincial geography, declining student enrolments, Indigenizing the curriculum and respecting Indigenous ways of knowing, and ongoing reform in the K–12 science curriculum are highlighted.

Primary/elementary teachers are uniquely positioned in terms of their need for ongoing, science-focused professional development. They are usually generalists, having limited preparation for teaching science, and often do not feel prepared or comfortable in teaching science. In this case study, CHAT or cultural–historical activity theory is used as a lens to examine primary/elementary teachers’ activity system as they engaged in a teacher-driven professional development initiative. Teachers engaged in collaborative action research to change their practice, with the objective of making their science teaching more engaging and hands-on for students. A range of qualitative methods and sources such as teacher interviews and reflections, teacher-created artifacts, and researcher observational notes were adopted to gain insight into teacher learning. Outcomes report on how the teachers’ activity system changed as they participated in two cycles of collaborative action research and how the contradictions that arose in their activity system became sources of professional growth. Furthermore, this research shows how the framework of activity theory may be used to garner insight into the activity and learning of teachers as both their professional activities and the context change over time.

This special issue of the Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education is focusing on STEM education, an acronym that conjures up a variety of meanings, depending on how it is ...

This qualitative research project explored the experiences of women who juggle the demands of family or parenthood while engaging in academic careers at a faculty of education. The researcher-participants consisted of 11 women; 9 women provided a written narrative, and all women participated in the data analysis. The data consisted of the personal, reflective narratives of 9 women who participated in a faculty writing group. Analysis of narratives uncovered 5 themes common to the researchers and participants in this study: genderspecific experiences surrounding parenting, second-career academics, pressure surrounding academic work, human costs, and commitment to work and family. Implications of the findings are discussed with particular emphasis on how a faculty writing group framed by a relational model of interaction can be used to support untenured faculty who experience difficulty balancing the demands of family and academia.

Deadline for Submission of Full Manuscripts: October 31, 2014The STEM education initiative, a product of considerable political and corporate financial support, has its origins in the U.S. and aims...

In this case study, two high school teachers, a university researcher, and 10 high school students (ages 16–19 years) were part of an action research group that addressed an issue – smoking on school grounds − identified by a high school population as being problematic. The research was guided by the following research questions: ‘Within a community of practice, what processes and practices will support mutual engagement in learning?’ ‘What type of partnership will emerge between youth and adults in this community of practice?’ and ‘What are group members’ perceptions of the value of cultivating a community of practice?’ Data methods and sources included field notes, student and teacher interviews, and document analysis. Using the lenses of communities of practice and youth–adult partnership, outcomes report on how mutual engagement and youth–adult partnership emerged.

In this self-study, Pamela, a new science teacher educator, adopted Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) in the context of an elementary science education methodology course. JiTT is a teaching and learning strategy involving interaction between web-based study assignments and face-to-face class sessions. Students respond electronically to web-based assignments that are due shortly before class. The teacher reads students' submissions just before class and adjusts teaching and learning activities based on the students' online feedback. This study was guided by the research question: How do an instructor's pedagogical content knowledge and classroom practice develop during Just-in-Tiime Teaching?

This study focused on teacher perceptions of the long‐term impacts of engaging in collaborative action research on professional identity and practice. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on understanding the lived experiences of 10 teachers before, during, and after engaging in action research. Each teacher was interviewed before engaging in action research, after one year of engaging in action research, and two to four years after completing an action research project. Outcomes revealed that several aspects of teacher identity and classroom practice were changed. In addition, the impact of teacher engagement in action research on the broader educational context is discussed.

In this case study, teacher inquiry groups from 3 school districts engaged and transformed various facets of their professional knowledge and practice in the context of science education. To examine the nature of teacher learning, a 3-part teacher knowledge and learning framework, proposed by Cochran-Smith and Lytle in 1999, was adopted (knowledge-for-practice, knowledge-in-practice, and knowledge-of-practice). While 16 school-based inquiry groups participated in the collaborative action research project, one case study involving a primary teacher, Katrina, is highlighted to illustrate outcomes related to the role of collaborative inquiry in supporting teacher learning, contextual issues and concerns that impact teachers’ daily classroom practice, and the types of knowledge generated by teachers within collaborative inquiry communities.

While teacher identity has been conceptualized in different ways, research in teacher education has shown that the development of self‐understanding about being a teacher is critical to learning how to teach and can be shaped in multiple ways. Etienne Wenger argues that the formation of communities of practice is influenced strongly by the negotiation of identity and thus, to understand learning in relation to identity formation and communities of practice, three modes of belonging should be considered. Using data from a three‐year action research project, the author examines how modes of belonging (engagement, alignment, and imagination) were enacted in teacher‐centred action research communities of practice. As well, an ecological perspective is adopted to provide insight into how teachers' identities are formed and reformed in the context of teacher‐centred action research.

In this study, five elementary teachers and a university researcher developed and implemented problem‐based learning (PBL) experiences in the context of science teaching and learning. Collaborative inquiry was adopted as a methodology, while a variety of qualitative methods were used to examine the engagement and development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). A PCK model is used as a framework to examine teachers’ professional knowledge growth in areas such as orientations to teaching science, knowledge of science curriculum, knowledge of students’ understanding of science, knowledge of assessment, and knowledge of instructional strategies. Implications for how teachers may be supported when adopting instructional innovations are discussed.

In the student teaching triad model adopted in this study, pairs of pre-service teachers worked collaboratively with cooperating teachers during a 12-week field experience. The main objectives of the study were to document the benefits and challenges for pre-service teachers and cooperating teachers who participate in a triad model and to describe the co-teaching models that would emerge during this experience. Pre-service teachers and their cooperating teachers reported several strengths of the triad model in the following areas—learning from each other, professional support, outcomes for K-12 students, comprehensive feedback about teaching and classroom practice, and pre-service teacher confidence. Limitations and concerns identified by both groups included dependency, confusion with classroom management issues, loss of individuality, and competition between the pre-service teachers.

In this study, the author implemented a problem-based learning (PBL) experience that allowed students in an advanced science methodology course to explore differentiated instruction. Through working systematically in small, collaborative groups, students explored the nature of differentiated instruction. The objective of the study was to examine pre-service teachers’ developing conceptions of differentiated instruction (DI) as a way to teach for diversity. The author adopted action research as a strategy to explore students’ perceptions of DI in the context of science teaching and learning. Several data collection methods and sources were adopted in the study, including student-generated products, student interviews, classroom observation, and journal writing. Outcomes report on students’ perceptions of both the potential and challenges associated with adopting a DI approach to science teaching and learning.

This study examined how facets of elementary teachers' pedagogical content knowledge are “engaged in practice” in the context of Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A secondary objective was to identify challenges teachers experienced during the development and implementation of PBL learning experiences. Collaborative Inquiry (Bray, Lee, Smith, & Yorks, 2000), a participatory, action-based inquiry approach was used as a means to develop and implement PBL. Outcomes report on how teachers developed and engaged various facets of their pedagogical content knowledge, including orientations to teaching science, and knowledge of and beliefs about curriculum, student learning, instruction, and assessment.

In this study, the participants conceptualized and implemented an action research project that focused on the infusion of inquiry principles into a neglected science curriculum. Specific objectives were to find (a) What factors challenge and support the evolution of an action research community of practice? (b) How are teachers’ beliefs about science teaching and learning transformed? and (c) How does teachers’ knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student learning change as a result of learning within a community of practice? In this instrumental case study (Stake 2000, In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 435–454). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage), a range of data collection sources and methods were adopted. Outcomes focus on how the design principles for cultivating a community of practice emerged in the action research group, as well as the types of teacher learning that occurred by engaging in action research.

This paper reports on the experiences of a small collaborative inquiry group consisting of a high school science teacher, Deidre, and two university researchers, the authors of this paper, as they explored an active, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning referred to as Problem-Based Learning or PBL (Barrows, 1994; Barrows & Tamblyn, 1980). Although PBL is not new and has an established tradition in medical education and other professional schools, the use and scholarship of PBL at the secondary level is only starting to emerge. This small-scale collaboration allowed the co-inquirers to delve into the complexities of PBL and to examine its feasibility as a curriculum and instructional approach in the context of high school science teaching and learning. The three collaborators adopted an action-based inquiry method referred to as Collaborative Inquiry (CI), a “process consisting of repeated episodes of reflection and action through which a group of peers strives to answer a question of importance to them” (Bray, Lee, Smith, & Yorks, 2000, p. 6). Data collection methods and sources included student-generated work, classroom observation, student interviews, and audio-taped planning meetings. The outcomes of the study focus on the issues that arose during PBL design and implementation, such as selecting a PBL topic, determining the level of structure to be incorporated into the PBL experience, selecting appropriate assessment approaches, facilitating groups, and providing optimal student feed-back. In addition, outcomes related to student perceptions of PBL indicated that the majority liked learning through PBL because it promoted active learning, made science relevant, provided variety in learning, and supported group work. The authors discuss implications for the adoption of PBL in K-12 settings.

This self-study was designed to explore problem-based learning (PBL) as an instructional approach in the context of a pre-service science education methods course. Through the development and implementation of PBL curriculum, the author's goals were to improve her classroom practice and her understanding of that practice, to contribute to the knowledge base of teaching and learning, and to immerse students in authentic learning experiences that would encourage them to adopt an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. In studying her own practice, the author adopted classroom-based action research as a strategy to explore PBL. Data collection methods and sources included field notes, interviews, and student-generated documents. The author describes how many aspects of her pedagogical content knowledge (conceptions of the purposes for teaching subject matter, knowledge of students’ understanding, curricular knowledge, and knowledge of instruction and assessment) and classroom practice were transformed.

(2005). Fostering Teacher Learning through Collaborative Inquiry. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 88-92.

In this self‐study, the author gained in‐depth understanding of how to plan and implement problem‐based learning (PBL), a student‐centred approach to teaching and learning that is driven by messy, open‐ended problems. This paper focuses primarily on the issues and concerns that arose as she developed and implemented a modified form of traditional PBL (Barrows, 1996) in large, pre‐service science‐teacher education classes. To view the research from many perspectives, a variety of data collection methods and sources were used, including field notes, semi‐structured interviews, student‐generated documents, and student journals. The outcomes of this study describe challenges (problem development, facilitation of groups, and assessment) encountered by the author as she planned for and implemented PBL. Furthermore, changes in the author's classroom practice, the connection between these changes and constructivist learning principles, and implications for science‐teacher education are addressed.

This paper describes how collaboration emerged in a school district–university partnership designed to foster teacher development in the context of elementary science education. The Teachers Researching Inquiry‐Based Science project involved four elementary teachers, a school district science mentoring teacher, a school district science coordinator and a university researcher. In this qualitative action research project, a variety of research methods and sources were adopted including participant observation, interviews, documents and journals. Research outcomes describe strategies adopted to foster collaboration and teacher learning.

In this qualitative case study, the author engages in critical selfreflection about her role as a researcher/facilitator of an action research group that explored multiple intelligences (MI) theory (Gardner, 1983) in the context of science education. Her multi-faceted role within the action research group and the nature of the research in terms of the orientation, purpose, and type of reflection are described. Through the process of reflective practice, both as the study was ongoing and after the completion, the author enhanced her understanding of the action research process and how to foster collaborative inquiry within the context of an action research group. In addition, the article reports on how MI theory was applied to classroom practice, the nature of collaboration that emerged and the perceptions of the teacher participants about the efficacy of action research as a form of teacher development.

Multiple intelligences (MI) theory (Gardner, 1983), a pluralistic conception of intelligence, has been adopted by educators in a variety of ways to improve teaching and learning. Some adaptations have included exploring learning styles, designing lesson plans, developing integrated curricula, and adopting authentic forms of assessment. In this case study, a high school science teacher, Jade (a pseudonym), explored MI theory and used it as a conceptual framework to make decisions about how to structure her Grade 9 science curriculum. In studying the case, a variety of data sources and methods were used, including audiotaped planning meetings and interviews, classroom observations, teacher‐generated concept maps, and reflective journals. This article describes Jade's initial explorations of the theory, how she incorporated the theory into her daily teaching, and the outcomes of the study for Jade and her students. In addition, tensions and challenges experienced by Jade in applying the theory to pr...

This study explored the developing belief of a group of pre-senice and in-senice teachers (n=28) about the nature of giftedness and of teaching and learning of gifted learners as they participated ...

This case study reports on the experiences of a high school science teacher, Dave, as he explored multiple intelligences (MI) theory within the context of an action research group. The theory was used as a framework to make decisions about how he would structure learning experiences for his grade nine students in a science unit on space and astronomy. Through participation in the project, Dave believed he was able to offer his students a more student-centered, engaging science curriculum that catered to individual learning needs. Thus, the case provides insight into the nature of MI theory and how the framework of MI theory can be used to make science accessible to students and to assist them in achieving high levels of scientific literacy.

In this case study, the action research experiences of Katrina, a mid-career grade one teacher, are described as she incorporated a webquest (see Appendix-Part A) into her science curriculum. Katrina conducted her research with a group of 25 students; 16 boys and 9 girls, whom she described as “typical, active six- and seven-year olds from diverse families and mixed socio-economic backgrounds.” While she was not part of a school-based action research team, she collaborated with two other grade one teachers from another school in the same district.

Learning spaces may be bounded in some instances, such as the walls of a classroom, but they can also assume many other forms (e.g. creating time for individual reflection or establishing a community of learning for a specific purpose). Learning spaces are created as a result of individuals’ experiences and interactions with others and the environment. This chapter provides an introduction to action research and its potential to create different types of learning spaces. It situates action research within the broader context of educational research; examines the nature of action research (definitions and theoretical underpinnings); provides a brief history of the development of action research; and describes the action research cycle.

After completing data collection, analysis, and interpretation, it is important to consider how you will share what you have learned with others. Creating a “space” for writing and identifying the “spaces” for sharing the outcomes of your research are critical. While one of the main reasons we conduct action research is to inform our current and future practice, and our understanding of that practice, it is equally important to share this knowledge with others. Cochran-Smith & Lytle (2009) describe the knowledge that practitioners generate through inquiry as local knowledge of practice. They reject the traditional notion that there are only two types of knowledge that inform our understanding of teaching - formal or professional knowledge and practical knowledge. Formal knowledge is generally considered that which is produced through conventional research by researchers; it is conceptual knowledge about education, teaching, and learning that has potential for generalization and meets the criteria for validity and reliability. Practical knowledge, in contrast, involves using one’s wisdom of teaching to make decisions and judgments in concrete situations that arise during the teaching process. This wisdom may often be tacit and not easily articulated. “Local knowledge of practice” then, is generated by action researchers working collaboratively in communities as they “theorize and construct their work” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle 2009, p. 131). It is relevant to the local context, but can also be publicly shared with many others, such as school-based colleagues, university-based educators and researchers, parents, K-12 students, and those in other professional settings. It is knowledge that can be “borrowed, interpreted, and reinvented in other local contexts” (p. 132). This chapter will discuss considerations and decisions that need to be made prior to sharing action research outcomes, as well as possible formats that may be adopted for dissemination.