The Inviting Professional Educator: A Reflective Practitioner and Action Researcher.

It is teachers who, in the end, will change the world of the school by understanding it. (Lawrence Stenhouse, as cited in Rudduck, 1988, p.79. The purpose of this article is two-fold: 1) to encourage educators (teachers, administrators, counselors, supervisors) to think about undertaking action research activities and 2) to publish their findings in the Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice (JITP). Now before you say: Research! I can't do that! I'm a teacher--NOT a researcher. Besides, I don't have the necessary background in statistics nor publishing expertise. Let me state some 'home truths' that just may get you to rethink your perception of your research and publishing ability. What is Action Research? It [Action Research] is research that is undertaken by educational practitioners because they believe that by doing so they can make better decisions and engage in better actions (Stephen M. Corey, 1953, p. viii). In the first instance, ALL teachers in fact do undertake research! Corey (1949) succinctly stated: Anyone who tries to get better evidence of the success or failure of his/her teaching or administrative or supervisory activities, and what he/she does in the light of this evidence is conducting a type of action research (p.149). As can be inferred educators are undertaking research when they reflect on their nonsystematic memories of teaching events. However, systematic reflection of one's professional practices, in order to increase teaching effectiveness, is the core of action research in an educational setting. Action research is an ideal approach for facilitating educational changes within a classroom, a school, across districts, if not nationally (Johnson, 2008). The concept of teacher-as-researcher is not new. According to Parsons and Brown (2002) the concept of teacher-as-researcher has been around for many years: Although action research is currently receiving a lot of attention among educators, it is far form a new or short-lived approach to professional practice. In fact, the concept of teacher-as-researcher was discussed in the 1920s. Further, the use of action research within the classroom has been in evidence since the early 1950s. (p. 4). As previously stated educators have always undertaken research as they observed students, modified teaching strategies to improve learning, and cultivated a desire to improve their effectiveness and maintain their professionalism. So how does this normal teacher behavior differ from teacher-as-researcher? Author and educator Geoffrey Mills (2000) identifies the teacher-as-researcher as: Any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers, principals, school counsellors, or other stakeholders in the teaching/learning environment to gather information about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how well their students learn (as cited in Henney, Stone, & Kelly, 2009, p. 5). It can be inferred that systematic reflection of one's activities is the hallmark of a teacher-as-researcher. The teacher-as-researcher systematically investigates his/her teaching and learning so as to improve their own and their students' learning. The educational researcher, B. R. Buckingham (1926) supported this idea when he stated: The teacher has opportunities for research, which if seized, will not only powerfully and rapidly develop the technique of teaching, but will also react to vitalize and dignify the work of the individual teacher (p. iv). What is required of a teacher in order to undertake this systematic reflection is a five step process namely; Planning, Collecting data, Analyzing the data, Data reflection, and Action (implementing action based on findings). Undertaking this systematic reflective approach to teaching will not only improve one's own teaching but in addition improve student learning (Henning et al. …