Value of Research in Teaching Practice

Blog post Feb 1- Value of Research in Teaching Practice

The value of drawing on research to inform my practice has become more evident as a result of my participation in this class. In the past my first source for information would be "teacher books". The author has often already looked to the research and developed ideas based on that current research. Now I find myself caught up in browsing through the sources for research mentioned in the jig-saw exercise. I often end up in a wandering journey that produces a huge amount of information. I find myself beginning a search with one objective in mind and I end up on an equally valuable tangent that is not just applicable to my inquiry but informs my practice in another area that I have been wondering about or looking to improve. I am looking forward to having the time to pursue more of that type of investigation after this course is over. The value of research to me as a teacher is found in discovering solutions to problems or challenges for students, new ideas to pursue or often finding that different perspective that I had not fully considered when making instructional decisions. I have no desire to be a "researcher" or an "academic". Pleasure in my job is found daily in direct interaction with my children. I am glad that someone has the desire to pursue this area in education, and I will willing examine and put into practice what I feel is valuable research material in terms of teaching the little people in my care. Jeanne Jennings