Advancing Teacher Knowledge and Research Through the “Learning Study” Approach

• In Event: Advancing Teachers Through Research

Abstract

This paper reports the analysis of teachers’ experiences of participating in a theory of variation-framed learning study in Singapore, which foregrounds teacher collaboration and reflection; application of a learning theory and teachers inquiring into their teaching practices. The study responds to the challenges of enacting a genetics curriculum and creates opportunities for teachers to bring together their classroom experiences and knowledge. The phenomenographic analysis captured qualitatively different ways teachers experienced learning and engaged in research on their pedagogies. Results suggest the emergence of new insights on teaching, as well as shifts in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning. This supports learning study’s potential to improve student learning and promote teachers’ translation of their own knowledge into critically examined lived experiences.

Authors

• Yuen Sze Michelle Tan, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University

• Samson M. Nashon, The University of British Columbia