Unit 02: Inquiry and Teacher Leadership

Lesson 05 Overview: Teacher Inquiry: What Counts as Evidence?

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Introduction

Lesson 05 begins our second learning unit, Inquiry and Teacher Leadership. This unit contains four lessons:

• Teacher Inquiry: What Counts as Evidence?
• Asking a Good Question
• Answering a Good Question
• Recognizing Quality Inquiry

This lesson uses Textbook 2's Chapter 1, “Teacher Inquiry Defined,” to anchor a discussion of evidence. In this age of accountability in education, which is unlike any that has come before, evidence has become a diagnostic and political idea in accountability tools and policies. Educators seek evidence to support or discredit ideas, inform practices, back up assumptions, justify reforms, and measure school improvement and student learning. Much of what policy makers count as evidence comes from “official” sources such a government or university research, and it is confirmed as scientific and, thus, credible. Teacher leaders, however, generate their own research (which the authors call teacher inquiry), and while it may not be “scientific” enough for policy makers, it is nevertheless critically important to a teacher’s practice and potentially informative to the broader school system and the public.

This lesson examines some of the conceptual dimensions of teacher inquiry, tries to untangle some of the language of research, connects research with other areas of teacher leadership and school reform, and examines the question, “What counts as evidence in educational research and practice?” Before beginning this lesson, it is assumed you have thoroughly read Chapter 1 and gained a solid introductory understanding of teacher inquiry and how it relates to various functions of a school, such as professional development, educational reform, and student learning.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Recognize similarities and differences among research-related terms.
• Articulate the main ideas embedded in the question “What counts as evidence?” and its significance.
• Explore examples of ways teacher leaders can prepare inquiries.
• Brainstorm ideas for the Teacher Leader Inquiry Proposal.
• Make connections between teacher inquiry and various aspects of teacher practice and school operation.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the course schedule.