Lawrence Stenhouse, The Teacher As Researcher, Offprints Reader, P31 (1975)

DIY - The Teacher As Researcher into the curriculum

32 years ago Stenhouse wrote his book, and this paper was an extract. I added the italics above because he limits research by teachers to the curriculum. He wrote:

"... all well-founded curriculum research and development, whether the work of an individual teacher, if a school, of a framework of a national project, is based on the study of classrooms. It thus rests on the work of teachers."

Stenhouse has no issue with objectivity for the teacher engaged in research in his or her classroom because "the teacher's subjective perception ... is crucial for practice since he is in a position to control the classroom."

He saw the main barriers to teacher research, a.k.a. action research, to be psychological and social. Notwithstanding the tensions created trying to be both a teacher and a researcher, he sees this research as accessible to teachers and feeding teaching. Indeed the self-motivating teacher-researcher is essential "if education is to be significantly improved"

The observation of one teacher by another seems to be a groundbreaking idea; so much so, that Stenhouse cites a study that provided "the careful and sympathetic help when teacher-researchers are exposed to feedback on their own lessons for the first time".

It is common place today for lecturers in colleges to be observed by colleagues on an informal basis. I wonder if Stenhouse had something to do with that.