About the webinar
In this webinar we discuss teacher-research (TR), providing practical examples from our experiences of guiding teachers in different settings. We show how TR moves from identification of an important issue to formulation of research questions, to clarification of relevant research methods and reflection on the information gained. Acknowledging the constraints many teachers face, we consider both desirable support mechanisms and particular forms of TR – including ‘Exploratory Action Research’, an approach we have developed in our work with secondary school teachers in Chile -- which can help teachers address constraints and actively seek lasting solutions through inquiry into their current practice.
About the speakers
Dr Richard Smith is an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, UK. He is Coordinator of IATEFL’s Research Special Interest Group, and of the British Council’s Directory of UK ELT Research project. With a particular interest in issues of teaching English in ‘difficult circumstances’, he has recently been mentoring teacher-research by groups in Chile, Cameroon, Nepal and Turkey. As an experienced action researcher himself and as supervisor of classroom research by many MA and PhD students over the years, Richard is well-placed to provide authoritative guidance in this area.
Dr Paula Rebolledo holds an MA in TESOL for Young Learners and a PhD in Education from the University of Leeds. She has taught at school level and in INSETT programmes. Currently, Paula is the national coordinator of the Initial Teacher Education area of the English Open Doors Programme (EODP) at the Ministry of Education in Chile. Her research interests include teacher education, professional development and teacher-research. She has been mentoring teacher-research on the Champion Teachers project and the APTIS Action Research Award Scheme funded by the British Council.