RADICAL TEFL

l consider encouraging Dewey's 3-stage description of how knowledge
grows, as presented above: problematic situation; eventual knowledge
claim; validation attempt
l research/enquiry is ongoing, and looping (or 'spiral'), rather than an oneoff
event; it is a continuous and self-correcting process;
l research is not only about collecting information (empirical), but also
about experimentally thinking through a problem situation, and thinking
about approaches to solve it; (see 5. 2 below on 'thought experiments')
l teacher-research shouldn’t try to imitate professional research, for
example, dissemination of results through publication is optional;
l research/enquiry does not necessarily lead to immediate action, but
rather to better understanding of the classroom and of the student’s
problems and of impediments to learning (see my 2015: sec 4):
l validation criteria can be less rigorous: a criterion of 'successful' enquiry
is that a student's problem is resolved, i. e,. validation is done at a local
level against workable solutions to a problematic situation. (Sec. 3).
This might form the basis for a re-conceptualisation of teacher enquiry (and of how it
should be evaluated), through a broadening of the concept of teacher 'research',
leading to a merging with CPD. It may be better not to use the word 'research' for this
kind of informal enquiry: one could use call it 'problem-solving enquiry' or 'informal
classroom investigation', reserving the work 'research' for more formal projects with:
a design stage; formal data-gathering; writing up; analysis of information or data; and
publication.
Discussion If what goes on in a learning situation is sometimes unspecifiable,
partly because of its complexity as Polanyi argues (1957; 1964; 1969), then enquiry
which tries to capture this complexity with the aim of general claims to knowledge
risks being overambitious in its aims, and insecure in its claims. But individual
'knowledge-for-oneself' may be a realistic objective (Cassirer: 1944: 3-11): A teacher
on her own, in a given lesson, can perhaps learn enough from her students to
understand what is needed in that particular and local context. She is enquiring (and
validating, sec 3.3 above), enough for the needs of her enquiry. It was for such local
enquiry that James and Dewey proposed 'pragmatic' features of enquiry (footnote in
bold in sec. 3.1).
Objection It may be objected, can informal, local, real-time investigation count as
“research”? The answer will depend on what is meant by “research”. The teacher can,
as argued above, and as a default approach, informally take in information which her
class is providing, she can informally test out ideas, and so grow her knowledge or
understanding, even within a single lesson. If 'research' is understood as 'systematic
investigation' (Oxford Dictionary), then the kind of work just proposed above is
'research', because it is both systematic (it can be a default approach to teaching) and
it is investigation. The enquiring teacher is building, long-term, her 'personal
knowledge' ('knowledge-for-oneself') about teaching, and is not looking for general
'truths'. It follows that 'formal' teacher research (design; data collection, etc) is only
one way of enquiry along a spectrum of 'teacher research': there are other kinds.
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