International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
Education Research and the Community -- A Report On The Learn (Local
Education and Academic Research Networks) Project
Nils Olov Fors a *
ª Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Abstract
This paper reports on an ongoing project developed to explore community-oriented approaches to education
research and teacher training by building networks of stakeholder communities. The LEARN (Local Education
and Academic Research Networks) Project uses critical education research to empower teacher-researchers and
to develop practice that contributes to the equity and resilience of their communities (e.g. Johnston & Goettsch,
2000; Kumaravadivelu, 2006; Ramanathan & Morgan, 2007). The paper explains the theoretical foundation of
the project and discusses the extent to which the project has achieved its goal of developing socially responsive
and responsible research and practice. The paper includes examples from three incarnations of the project: a
teacher training project for high school teachers and university students in China, a research forum for graduate
students in a TESOL program in South Korea, and a materials development project involving teachers and
graduate students from Korea, China, and Vietnam.
Keywords.
Introduction
One of the consequences of the demand for quality education is that teachers are increasingly being asked to
assume greater responsibility for the implementation of curriculum reforms and pedagogical approaches (e.g.
Bascia & Hargreaves, 2000). Since quality education is increasingly being described as a situated process that
leads to sustainable praxes (e.g. Johnston & Goettsch, 2000; Kumaravadivelu, 2006; Ramanathan & Morgan,
2007), teachers need to engage in research and pedagogy that contribute to the resilience of their communities.
Education research that is socially responsive and responsible should perform discursive work that benefits the
community in which the research is conducted. Such research should recognize socio-economic contexts and
consequences and address social equity. That means constructing relevant and contextualized research agendas,
promoting community values and praxes, and anchoring academic and professional research in the community
as a whole. In order to meet these criteria, research should involve a wide range of stakeholders and explore
theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches in relation to the setting and experiences of the
stakeholders. Alternative formats for publishing and sharing research must be explored so that the research is
linked to, and performs significant functions in, the local community.
In order to help teachers meet the challenges, teacher education and professional development programs must
create professional communities that provide support and empower teachers as stakeholders in their education
systems (e.g. Hannaway & Talbert, 1993; Louis, Kruse & Marks, 1996; Bascia & Hargreaves, 2000; Newmann,
King & Youngs, 2000). Consequently, an important function of education research and teacher education is to
“[position] teachers as knowers and [position] their ways of knowing that lead to praxis alongside the
disciplinary knowledge that has dominated the traditional knowledge base” (Johnson, 2006, p. 243). Rather than
distributing already developed knowledge, teacher education and research must focus on “how the process of
‘dialogue with the situation’ takes place in a teaching context, which insights are developed in this context, and
how these insights relate to insights from other sources” (Verloop, Van Driel, & Meijer, 2001, p. 443). As
teachers transition from traditional teacher roles to more research- and policy-oriented functions, they need
opportunities to gain confidence and experience as they develop appropriate objectives for their own practice.
This paper reports on an ongoing project designed to use critical education research to empower teacherresearchers
and local knowledge. The paper briefly explains the theoretical foundation of the project and
discusses the extent to which the project has achieved its goal of developing socially responsive and responsible
research and practice. The paper describes three incarnations of the project: a teacher training and development
Email address: olafpep2008@gmail.com
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