I am working this week on revising The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research, for a second edition, and would love your help, if you'd like to contribute.

In the first chapter, on page five, Diane and I end the section entitled "What is Teacher Inquiry?" with two quotes from teachers we worked with back in 1999:

Teacher research enables me to investigate one of my wonderings in a deliberate fashion. I used the tools of a researcher to investigate my own environment. Teaecher research provides the impetus for teachers to find various solutions to their own questions. By definition then, it is relevant inquiry. (Borst, 1999)

Teacher research is a method of gaining insight from hindsight. It is a way of formalizing the questioning and reflecting we, as teachers, engage in every day in an attempt to improve student learning. (Brown, 1999)

These two teachers are great people and their quotes are terrific, but I'd love to update the references here, and love to cite some of you!! (smile)

If you'd like, take a few minutes and write a post in your blog space that defines teacher inquiry in your words (a couple of sentences is all you need). I won't be able to use everyone's definitions in the book, but as we approach our first local meetings, I think this is a great exercise for all of us to personally define teacher research for ourselves and share this in our community. This is a great way to get everyone in the community to contribute a brief post that can be inspirational (remember that's one of our ground rules!).

Thanks to all who contribute a posting on your personal definition of teacher research! Also, don't forget to check out some of the postings and responses over the last week, and contribute your own posts and/or responses as well -- there's been some interesting contributions to our community, and we need everyone's participation to keep our community vibrant and rich in learning opportunities for us all!

Nanc