Educational Research Mentoring Sarah Fletcher

Educational Research Mentoring  Why ‘educational’?  What kind of ‘research’?  What kind of ‘mentoring’?

Educational Research Mentoring  Enables a growth of knowledge about teaching and learning in schools and in universities.  Bridges between two populations of researchers in complementary educational contexts.  Is distinct from traditional forms of research mentoring associated with university contexts.

Educational Research Mentoring  Origins of educational research mentoring  Purpose in educational research mentoring  Process in educational research mentoring  Educational Research Mentoring outcomes

Educational Research Mentoring Practice to theory

Educational Research Mentoring Practice to theory

Educational Research Mentoring Relates to Boyer’s (1990) Scholarships: Discovery (research) Integration (connectedness of educational aspects) Application (e.g. to assist individuals and institutions) Teaching (‘the highest form of understanding’) and …… ‘Generativity’

Educational Research Mentoring  Potential benefits:  A democratic relationship between those involved in researching.  Growth of knowledge about teaching an learning by teacher, pupil and academic in teaching contexts.  A critical symbiosis of academic and school-based knowledge.  Knowledge created collaboratively is not bound by the ‘Disciplines’.  Preconceptions about mentoring and teachers’ research are challenged.

Educational Research Mentoring  Potential benefits:  Schoolteachers and university academics develop research informed practice.  ERM encourages the micro and macro investigation of teaching and learning.  Coupled with technology, ERM has the potential for global knowledge growth.  ERM can be managed face to face and virtually: synchronously on- or off-line.  Teachers in school and universities learn how to interact through self-studying.

Educational Research Mentoring  Potential problems:  Viability depends on personalities as well as experience and motivation.  As a boundary activity between school and HEIs ERM may be rejected.  ERM can be very labour intensive.  Different goals in knowledge creation can lead to misunderstandings.  Where HE accreditation is sought, knowledge may be gatekeepered.

ERM: Potential problems:  Teachers’ research may not be tested, critiqued and validated by their peers.  ERM may nurture woolly ill-defined research loosely termed ‘action research’  Knowledge created by teachers may not transfer to be of use to academic tutors.  Technology is sometimes viewed by teachers and academics as a bolt on extra - to avoid!

ERM: Potential problems:  In competitive HE environments teacher research is sometimes regarded as ‘low grade’.  Providing adequate opportunities for validation of knowledge can be difficult.

Recent publications on ERM  Fletcher, S.J. (2006) ‘Technology-enabled action research in mentoring teacher researchers’, Reflecting Education Journal, Vol. 2 (1) pp  2. Fletcher, S. (2005) ‘Sharing Teachers’ Action Research’, KEEP Newsletter Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (winter 2005) Feature Web-Article accessible at

Educational Research Mentoring  Is there evidence that my contribution to educational knowledge has influenced anyone? Donna Chipping and Rachele Morse’s research (2006), Appendix 6, suggests there is ……  ‘We … support the definition offered by Fletcher (2000) of research mentoring as creative collaboration between teachers as researchers and other researchers' where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.’

Educational Research Mentoring Fletcher, S.J. (2006) ‘Technology-enabled action research in mentoring teacher researchers’, Reflecting Education Journal, Vol. 2 (1) pp Fletcher, S. (2005) ‘Sharing Teachers’ Action Research’, KEEP Newsletter Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (winter 2005) Feature Web- Article accessible at Fletcher, S.J. (2005) 'Research Mentoring: The Missing Link', in Bodone, F. What Difference does Research Make and for Whom? New York, USA, Peter Lang, pp