Teacher-Directed Collaborative Action Research as a Mediating Tool for Professional Learning in Rural Contexts

Autor/in	Skyhar, Candy
Titel	Teacher-Directed Collaborative Action Research as a Mediating Tool for Professional Learning in Rural Contexts
Quelle	In: Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 31 (2021) 1, S.12-29 (18 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1839-7387
Schlagwörter	Action Research; Teacher Collaboration; Elementary School Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Professional Development; Communities of Practice; Rural Schools; School District Size; Geographic Isolation; Professional Isolation; Numeracy; Mathematics Instruction; Professional Autonomy; Instructional Improvement; Multigraded Classes; Foreign Countries; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Projektforschung; Lehrerkooperation; Elementary school; Teacher; Teachers; Grundschule; Volksschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Community; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; School district; School districts; Size; Schuleinzugsbereich; Rechenkompetenz; Mathematics lessons; Mathematikunterricht; Berufsfreiheit; Unterrichtsqualität; Mehrstufenklasse; Ausland; Kanada
Abstract	Through a single-case study design, the research study described in this article examined one rural Canadian school division's use of teacher-directed collaborative action research as a mediating tool for teacher learning within a professional development (PD) initiative known as the Numeracy Cohort. The PD initiative brought together a dozen K-12 teachers from across a very small (but geographically distanced) school division in Manitoba, Canada. In addition to learning about several strategies for teaching mathematics and improving student numeracy skills, the teachers in the Numeracy Cohort engaged in collaborative action research projects, designing materials and implementing new strategies in their unique, often multi-grade, rural classrooms. In addition to the changes and improvements noticed by teachers through their collaborative action research, findings from the study illustrated several strengths of teacher-directed collaborative action research, including the autonomy it afforded teachers to engage in work directly related to their classroom contexts, its ability to foster collaboration between colleagues, and its ability to build connections across schools within a diverse rural context. Findings from the study also suggested that consideration should be given to both ways of supporting the action research process, and the complexities of leadership in rural settings if teacher-directed collaborative action research is to be used as a mediating tool for learning. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia. P.O. Box 659, Wembly, Western Australia 6913. Tel: +08-9285-0626; e-mail: admin@spera.asn.au; Web site: http://www.spera.asn.au/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01