Practitioner enquiry an important support system for teachers to get them more engaged in supportive research that will aid both their pupils and themselves.

This wheel taken from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)’s website was very useful in coming to terms with what practitioner enquiry actually is.

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update/practitioner-enquiry/what-is-practitioner-enquiry.aspx

Practitioner enquiry involves engaging with teaching from a different approach. It is an investigative approach where practitioners (teachers) have a professional responsibility to further their own personal knowledge through their own research. They can then reflect on what they have found and share it with other professionals. It does not just involve a little bit of research though, it involves having the ability to question findings, strengthening the teachers understanding of professional practice.

There are some main areas of focus within practitioner enquiry. These involve clarifying the teacher’s aims, in order to challenge them for discussion. It is important it becomes a daily occurrence for professionals to aid them with their work and own professional development. It should also be used at all levels within education, not just by classroom teachers.

However, what actually is an enquiring practitioner? An enquiring practitioner is someone who has profound knowledge and understanding of their profession whilst still obtaining the ability to critique it. They should then ensure they use their voice to share it with like-minded professionals. They should be clear on the impact of their findings and be able to evidence it, investigating further any points of interest. 

Reflective teachers are important as they have the ability to consider what has happened in their lesson, both what went good and what did not, so they can then come up with solutions to improve their lessons in the future. This allows these lessons to be more concrete with the teacher having clear ideas of what she wants to achieve from them, essentially shaping them to be more effective. These reflective practitioners are the most valuable practitioners, as they can use their reflection to aid them in their profession.

With being an enquiring practitioner, comes the fact we need to work in collaboration with others. By sharing ideas and experiences with those from other areas, we are gaining a wider understanding of those topic areas. This is extremely beneficial to us as teachers to see things from a different perspective. It is also useful as it allows us to gain an insight to where we can gain new sources and what is currently of interest in the education sector.

There are some challenges with practitioner enquiry. Teachers already have a lot of responsibility and it is sometimes hard to constantly do extra work on top of everything. There are also those occasions where those we are collaborating with are not forthcoming and do not appear to be interested. This is very detrimental to a person’s motivation when someone they are working with appears to be disinterested.

As student teachers, we have agreed to be “lifelong” learners. Practitioner enquiry is a great beneficial way of doing so. It means we can develop professional opinions whilst constantly questioning them to ensure we have the best quality of knowledge. As a student teacher I can use this to gain new insights into the latest educational theories. This will then allow me to use them in the near future and within my studies. It will encourage me to keep up to date with our constantly changing education system, and remind me of the importance to continue developing my further knowledge of education.