Revisiting action research as a method for developing confident and autonomous teachers
Written by: Claire Harley
9 min read
CLAIRE HARLEY, ORCHARD MEAD ACADEMY, UK; UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, UK
Introduction
Action research is a broad term for a group of research processes that can be used as teacher CPD (continuing professional development). Engaging with action research projects in school is a way in which to develop teachers’ reflective practices and has very few cost implications. Additionally, engaging with colleagues and working towards an authentic area of improvement in classroom practice can be emancipatory for teachers (Carr and Kemmis, 1986).
Transmissive CPD sessions are centred on the imparting of information from one member of staff (usually SLT – the senior leadership team) to teachers after school or during an inset day (Taylor, 2017). This transmissive information-sharing has been the main way in which teachers have been expected to learn in schools for decades. While this is adhered to in cases such as safeguarding, in recent years, schools have sought to improve teaching throug
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