Doing Practitioner Research Differently

Doing Practitioner Research Differently Encourages Those Embarking On Practitioner Research To Consider The Validity Of Innovative Methods And Styles Of Reporting. The Book Looks At Three Methods Of Enquiry And Reporting - Visualisation, Conversation And Fictional Writing. Using Practitioners' Own Accounts And Research Reports As Case Studies, This Book Explores The Reasons Why Some Practitioners Reject The Traditional Research Methods. It Looks At The Challenges Faced By These Practitioners And The Conditions In Higher Education That Encourage Or Inhibit Innovative Practitioner Research. The Case Studies Used Illustrate That There Are Modes Of Enquiry And Reporting That Can Foster The Development Of Professional Thinking And Practice. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of figures......Page 8 List of tables......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Background and introduction......Page 12 Visualisation as a method of enquiry and reporting......Page 22 Children with special needs, teachers with special needs......Page 24 Visualisation in research and data analysis......Page 38 Conversation as a method of enquiry and reporting......Page 58 Towards an understanding of autism: an outsider's attempt to get inside......Page 60 Perceptions of purpose for children's writing......Page 79 Communicative practices in a classroom for children with severe and profound learning difficulties: a case study of methodologies of reflective practice......Page 92 Fictional writing as a method of enquiry and reporting......Page 110 Imaginary gardens;enigmatic encounters......Page 112 Not a perfect offering......Page 132 Reflecting on innovation and quality in practitioner research......Page 152 Innovation and quality in practitioner research......Page 154 New thinking for new practices......Page 171 Keeping moving......Page 185 Appendix: assessment criteria......Page 192 Bibliography......Page 194 Index......Page 201 "The book presents edited versions of the practitioners' research reports and also explores the motivations which caused the practitioners to break away from conventional approaches. The investigation revealed that a variety of forces were at work. There were personal factors related to preferred thinking and artistic styles; professional factors related to purposes for doing research; and institutional factors related to the encouragement received and the models of research presented. This book makes a contribution to our understanding of motivation and quality in practitioner research. It suggests that we may need to resist any form of dogma if practitioner research is to be effective. Instead, we may need to liberate individuals to make methodical choices that harmonise with their own purposes and predispositions - to free them to 'do it their way'."--Jacket This book encourages those embarking on practitioner research to consider the validity of innovative methods and styles of reporting. It explores issues at a theoretical as well as a practical level This study is a reflection on my attempts to answer this question and is of an exploratory, problem-solving nature.