After the input by Nikki Doig on the 27th October, I am going to reflect on being an enquiring practitioner and what this means in a classroom.

Practitioner enquiry is defined on the GTCS website as, ‘ as defined by Menter et al (2011), is a “finding out” or an investigation with a rationale and approach that can be explained or defended. The findings can then be shared so it becomes more than reflection or personal enquiry.’ Being an enquiring practitioner is not about reaching an end point. As we all know, new ideas are constantly emerging and so being an enquiring practitioner is a journey, a process of continually progressing and looking for ways to enhance your practice.

For teachers, it involves reflecting on their current procedures and researching what ways they could improve it. For example, it it could be an investigation of a new resource or approach to see if/how it improves their teaching method in the classroom. If it goes successfully, they then could discuss the results with other teachers to encourage them to use it and give their feedback on it. This will help teachers to better understand their practice and to develop their critical thinking, which is an essential part of being a professional teacher.

There are many benefits to practitioner enquiry. As I noted above, it develops our critical thinking and reflective learning which is important in our professional journey. It enables us to take control of our practice and to research, develop it and try to make it the best it can be. Sharing this knowledge with other colleagues can strengthen the relationships within the workplace as you work together to investigate a new initiative. Other colleagues can also then share what they have found through practitioner enquiry, helping you to gain new ideas and see things from a different perspective. This open-mindedness and adaptation is key in improving your practice. As teachers this all, in turn, means that our pupils will be receiving engaging education through relevant, thought-out, lessons.

Some benefits also listed on the GTCS website are as follows:

žTo empower teachers and encourage them to challenge and transform education

žTo provide a way for teachers to monitor and develop their own practice

žTo investigate new strategies and initiatives

žTo increase their knowledge of teaching and learning thus enabling them to make more professional and autonomous judgements and to enhance their self-esteem and professional identity

However, there are some challenges when it comes to being an enquiring practitioner. Not everything we discover is going to work well, and so it may be tempting to become frustrated if the new methods we have found don’t work. We should the learn from these mistakes and continue trying to improve our practice. Also there is the risk of conflict in the workplace for example, if one teacher thinks an initiative is fantastic but another does not approve of it. This is when we should remember to act professionally and remember that we all have different personalities  and so different things work for different people.

So what does this mean for me as a student teacher? Well, on the GTCS website it says that practitioner enquiry is ‘envisaged to become an integral aspect of the day-to-day practice of teachers and other education professionals’, therefore it is definitely something I should start doing in consideration to my own work. It means that I should keep up to date with teaching initiatives when planning for placement (and for future lessons). I should constantly be reflecting on my ideas and thinking of ways to improve them. I should collaborate with other teachers and think about whether I could adapt any of their methods into my teaching practice. Practitioner enquiry is definitely important to me because it will enable me to always improve my practice, so that I can try to be the best teacher I can be.