Good afternoon in the UK,
I'll try to summarise some of the challenges I've experienced here in the United Arab Emirates. Firstly, I've worked with over 75 teachers across 23 schools (public & private) in the past year coordinating a range of action research projects. The teachers I worked with were from a range of educational backgrounds and cultures. The notion of 'best practice' is extremely problematic due to a number of cultural and social factors.
When I started the project, I wanted the teachers to explore their own contexts with the aim of creating their professional knowledge from their environment, as the UAE is a very unique context in itself. It is quite often the case that educators from all over the world come to the UAE with their idea of best practice and they try to replicate it in the UAE. Most of them are un-successful. This formed the foundation of my programme and much of the work I do in Abu Dhabi.
Based on my experience in the UAE, it is quite common for teachers to view themselves as subject specialists and nothing else. Getting them engaged in the action research process was a challenge because I asked them to remove their subject specialist hats and to focus on process and reflection. Many of the teachers were great at identifying what they wanted to change, proposing an action plan and stating how they would measure their change. But when it came to physically implementing this change, recording it and making sense of it, they struggled. In my opinion, this was due to their perception of pedagogy and best practice, ultimately due to their prior experience.
When I coordinated over twenty action research projects in a British International School here in Abu Dhabi, I didn't experience the same challenges because the majority of the teachers had similar backgrounds and experiences. The challenges were more about the practicalities of doing teacher-research rather than the concepts underpinning it. Many of my resources were modelled from 'Action Research in the Classroom' by Baumfield et al.
I hope this helps in response to your question. I'm more than happy to elaborate on any of the above points if you would like clarification.
Shaun Robison
Lead Practitioner Coordinator and Consultant Partnership Teacher for English - Specialist Schools and Academies Trust - SSAT Abu Dhabi, PO Box 14126, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Mobile: +971 501440167 | [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
________________________________
From: Teacher researchers' list for the mentoring and coaching Special Interest Group [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sarah Fletcher [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 30 August 2011 13:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: E-seminar this week - Shaun Robison Abu Dhabi
Good Morning, Everyone
I have been thinking about the second question Shaun has offered us as a starting point for discussion.
What are the main challenges of doing action research with teachers from a range of educational backgrounds and experiences?
In my experience of assisting teachers to undertake action research in the UK and internationally (usually online), every encounter is very different. For example, when I worked with a group of teachers at Bitterne Park School in Southampton (you can access their web-based research at http://www.TeacherResearch.net I felt as if I was swapping hats (!) to use De Bono's metaphor! They had individualised needs. I am not sure their diverse needs differed more than when I worked as a research mentor online with teachers in China (accessible at TR.net) or when I am in Japan.
Possibly, I expected more diversity when I work with individuals from cultures that are different from my own? For example, I was not too surprised that school teachers in Japan were reticent in announcing they had a problem as their launching point for action research. I decided to swap to identifying an area of strength to develop as their starting point, rather than a perceived problem.
How do my experiences map out in relation to yours?
Best regards,
Sarah
Sarah Fletcher
Editor; The International Journal for Mentoring and Coaching in Education; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/ijmce.htm
--- On Thu, 8/25/11, Sarah Fletcher <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Sarah Fletcher <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Action Research in the Middle East - please read this attachment
To: "TEACHER-RESEARCHER" <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: "MENTORING-COACHING" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 7:25 PM
Welcome, Everyone! Not sure why the attachment detached last time - trying again!
Here is the launch of our latest of our e-seminars for BERA's Mentoring and Coaching SIG:
I am delighted to welcome Shaun Robison as convener. When I saw the circular about his involvement in teacher research (attached) and read his introduction, invited him to join us:
This collection of research summaries was conducted
by educators working in public and private schools in
Abu Dhabi. Over fifty teachers and consultants took
part in the initiative, each with their own research
interests specific to their context. In each case, the
teachers identified a research issue, provided a
rationale for researching it, gathered data and evidence
to show how their research evolved, and presented
their findings to their peers for critical response.
Shaun has provided two questions that are relevant to us all to get our discussion rolling:
1) How significant is action research in the knowledge based economy?
2) What are the main challenges of doing action research with teachers from a range of educational backgrounds and experiences?
Looking forward to hearing from you and learning more as our latest e-seminar develops!
Warm regards,
Sarah
Sarah Fletcher
Co-convener (with Dr Jean Rath) for BERA's Mentoring and Coaching SIG
Editor; The International Journal for Mentoring and Coaching in Education; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/ijmce.htm
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