Innovative Teaching and Learning: Lessons Learned From Distributed Research in Seven Countries

• In Event: What’s New in the Classroom: Global Uses of New Media

Abstract

This paper describes lessons from the Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research project, a study of innovative teaching practices that support the development of students’ 21st century skills in diverse country contexts. This paper discusses what it takes to engage effectively in research that is both comparative and international, when ‘comparative’ is defined as methodological congruence across settings. Focusing on the implementation of surveys and case studies in seven countries, we illustrate theoretical and methodological issues associated with consistent application of the same research method in different countries. Our discussion highlights the challenges of identifying comparable ways of viewing educational innovation and developing a shared vocabulary for discussing it among an international community of researchers and educators.

Authors

• Gucci Estrella-Trinidad, SRI International

• Gloria Isabel Miller, SRI International

• Linda F. Shear, SRI International

• Akiko Terao Lipton, Empirical Education Inc.

• Larry Gallagher, SRI International