How and Why Should Teachers Be Researchers?

Teachers should be researchers so that they can craft their own practice to ensure that
student’s potential can be fully unleashed, for research powerfully influences what and
how educators teach (Robinson, 2003). Effective educators recognize that teaching is a
profession that encompasses morals, ethics, knowledge and empathy (Hall, 2001;
Kelchtermans, 2009) and as such, is a lifestyle choice. To ignore the wide-reaching
impacts of being an educator would be foolish.

As a future educator, I realise that to truly value students and their learning, for the
whole purpose of being an educator is to help students flourish in their learning journey,
I must research both into my own practice, and into new theories and research so that I
can be continually critically refining my own practice. I do not want to be a teacher who
just accepts others’ research, I want to be a skilled researcher to ensure that my
practice is soundly ‘evidence based rather than opinion-based’ (Robinson, 2003, p. 28).

As an aspiring effective educator I want to develop an inquiry stance that uses evidence
to improve the quality of learning and teaching in my context. For, when I have an
inquiry stance, I take the focus off maintaining the status quo, and focussing on the
students’ learning needs. When my focus is on their learning needs, I can support
students’ in their learning and truly meet their needs effectively.

An effective way to research into one’s own practice is to examine one’s own
teacher-talk for that reveals personal dispositions, bias and level of responsiveness to
students’ needs (Dickson, 2005; Thornton, 2006).

References:

Dickson, V. (2005). The nature of student and teacher discourse in an elementary

classroom. ​Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 7​(1&2), 109-122.

Hall, A. (2001). Professionalism and teacher ethics. In C. McGee & D. Fraser (Eds.),
The professional practice of teaching​ (2nd ed.), (pp. 273-300). Palmerston North:
Dunmore Press.
Kelchtermans, G. (2015). Who I am in how I teach is the message: self-understanding,
vulnerability and reflection. ​Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 15​(2),
257-272.

Robinson, V. M. J. (2003). Teachers as researchers: ​A professional necessity​. ​SET, 1​,

27-29.

Thornton, H. (2006). Dispositions in action: Do dispositions make a difference in

practice? ​Teacher Education Quarterly, 33​(2), 53-68.