tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977522345882797264.post3996904986009020568..comments2023-05-06T00:26:08.899-07:00Comments on Truthful Classroom: Reflective teachers, researchers and subversiontruthfulclassroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07610925911949746941noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977522345882797264.post-2596942581030668102013-11-27T00:29:56.201-08:002013-11-27T00:29:56.201-08:00Realistically, I don't think any research is c...Realistically, I don't think any research is completely value-free; in anything that involves human interactions, there are going to biases throughout. The difference between good research and bad research though, is being able to account for those biases and either qualify them or at least flag them up. It's naive to see that there are some 'real academics' pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, whilst teachers' attempts to do so amounts to spouting a 'personal opinion' like a drunk in a phonebox. Good research is the following up of opinion with solid evidence and research experience. <br /><br />If a highly-regarded scientist produced a paper stating that grass is made of cheese, despite his/her authority in the field of science, I would still doubt and question his/her conclusion because it goes directly against my experience of the grass as being 'not-cheese'. Similarly, the research being produced 'on education' now (not necessarily 'for education') clashes with the priorities and experiences of children and teachers. The current zeitgeist reflects the governmental shift towards accountability, competition, comparison and performativity: this is why we are having the greatness of Finland, South Korea and Singapore shoved down our throats.<br /><br />This is where teachers as reseachers can come in. It is only through ensuring that classroom experiences become subject to academic lenses that the experiences and realities 'on the coalface' can gain credence and authority. Teachers as researchers then, by learning the practices of rigorous research, can lend their own perspectives and voices a sense of legitimation and authority within the academic and public spheres.truthfulclassroomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07610925911949746941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977522345882797264.post-30460626796830770492013-11-26T19:22:44.836-08:002013-11-26T19:22:44.836-08:00I can't get my head around this at all. Surely...I can't get my head around this at all. Surely academic research needs to expand the sum total of human knowledge, not express a personal opinion? Otherwise why would anyone listen to it? We all have opinions, and the opinion of a teacher with a masters or even a doctorate is not more valuable than that of one without. And what would be the difference between a person who had passed their qualification and one who didn't? They expressed the right opinions? You might as well write a blog as write a dissertation if all you are doing is expressing your views. At least that way you will get some indicator as to whether your opinions make sense to a wider audience with an interest in the topic, rather than a handful of academics who haven't taught in decades.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977522345882797264.post-89469149243877811512013-11-26T17:08:57.413-08:002013-11-26T17:08:57.413-08:00"Acting on behalf of the children we teach&qu..."Acting on behalf of the children we teach" is the right and proper - and obvious - thing to do. The problem is that the Govists - like the Blunkettites before them - claim that this is exactly what they do when they go on about "driving up standards". Our central task is therefore to challenge the whole concept of a "standards agenda" and expose it for the simplistic nonsense it truly is. Real education demands that we engage our learners & prepare them for life, rather than teaching for tests & exams. This may well sound like a radical and subversive proposition to a generation of young teachers that has been brainwashed and bullied into what you rightly describe as the KPMGisation of education. <br />http://3diassociates.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/singapore-teach-less-learn-more/<br />3D EyeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com