publishing teacher research
SMAGOR who-is-at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
Tue, 03 Oct 1995 12:30:24 -0500 (CDT)
I think the question of "what to do with teacher research" depends
on the person's purposes in conducting it. One motivation for
investigating one's own teaching is for personal information
and transformation--how do I teach? how do my students learn?
to what extent, and in what ways, do they appropriate knowledge
from my classroom and the material through which we mediate out
interactions? In that sense, publishing teacher research is
not a primary goal--it is validated through other forms of
recognition, including one's own recognition of how it informs
and transforms one's teaching. Those seeking to publish
personal research need to pose a complementary set of questions,
including: why would other people want to read about what
I've learned about myself? Through what formal conventions
should I present it? [And this, I think is the original
question:] Where is a publication outlet that will accept
my investigation on its own terms?
Peter Smagorinsky smagor who-is-at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu