Designing the Classroom Curriculum
While broadening the concept of research , this approach marginalises the work of schoolteachers because the objective of “ research ” remains the gaining of knowledge or understanding of principles and laws without specific applications in mind . Such research can be completed as an intellectual exercise , as many Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD ) degrees are designed to do . In simple terms defining research in this sense holds little relevance to the teacher ’ s classroom work . A new definition is required .
Teacher research is essentially an “ insider ” view directed at local , specialised problems and issues . For the teacher this means a focus on questions about their teaching performance , their student learning outcomes and exploration of their classroom environment . These characteristics parallel the sociological “ insider ”/” outsider ” situation ( emic and etic ) in ethnographic studies where the perspectives of the “ insider ”, who “ speaks the language ”, challenges the theoretical perspectives of the outsider researcher . Traditional research norms of objectivity , reliability , validity , replicability and rigour tend to rule out insider perspectives ( Anderson and Herr , pp . 14 – 15 ). However , and this is a turning point for the profession , a classroom curriculum built on ‘ design questions ’ ( the Learning Management Design Process ), skills in research approaches and data that lie beyond the classroom are an important extension to traditional professional activities .
Research can be understood as both “ basic ” and “ applied ”, as long as it is systematic , directed towards a more complete knowledge or understanding of the subject studied , and has an impact on the field . “ Basic ” is research that is driven by curiosity or high level knowledge and interest in a particular theoretical issue . The main motivation is to expand knowledge , not to create or invent something . By contrast , “ applied research ” is designed to solve practical problems in a context , rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge ' s sake ( Gauch , 2003 ).
It can be appreciated that in schools , hospitals , business settings , tourism , The Arts and so on , research , either basic or applied , is necessary in order to make progress in the field . Think for instance about the advances in medical science that filter through to the way patients are diagnosed and treated and how the work in acoustics and digitisation have influenced the production and distribution of music . The core issue here is that the practitioners in such fields always face specific needs as they work towards professional and institutional goals in the production of materials , devices , systems , methods and design , develop and improve prototypes and new processes for their respective audiences .
Here one can envisage what teachers do day-to-day in their teaching , curriculum , assessment and community involvement tasks . This work is concerned with outcomes and impacts rather than seeking to contribute to theoretical traditions . More often than not , teachers do two things : they work towards the systematic use of the knowledge or understanding gained from basic research ( e . g . from large scale empirical studies of behaviour management or mathematics learning or NAPLAN which provides an enormous database ). They also undertake investigations at a school and classroom level where such studies ( e . g . deciding on a school behaviour code , interpreting and developing pedagogical responses to NAPLAN scores for Year 3 ) are applied . In these respects , medical doctors , dentists etc . are just like teachers .
In this sense , teachers undertake “ research ” when they have a question or a problem that requires resolution . Often , teachers may think they know the answer to the question already , especially when the ‘ answers ’ are given by professional culture about how schools and teaching are properly executed ) that it is obvious , or common sense . But until the problem is subjected to some rigorous scrutiny , common sense “ knowledge ” remains little more than guesswork or at best , intuition , even if based on many years of what teachers refer to as “ experience ”. We argue that relying on ‘ guesswork ’ and ‘ experience ’ is the sign of an
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