Welcome to ThinkingTeacher!
We work in the field of Teacher Development.
For teachers who are feeling dissatisfied with their classroom practice, but are unable to put their finger on just what the issue is….
For Principals who wish to infuse their school with vibrancy and fresh energy, but are unsure as to how to go about this…
For School Administrators who wish to see more peer interaction amongst their teaching staff…
Based on the pioneering work of Donald A Schön (The Reflective Practitioner, 1983 and Educating the Reflective Practitioner, 1986), Thinking Teacher works to take forward Schön’s argument for a new epistemology of practice.
By serving to create the space for reflection-in-action, Thinking Teacher works to enable the teacher to make full use of every day dilemmas for her own growth.
Armed with a basic knowledge of cognitive psychology, many a new teacher enters the class ready to practice what Piaget or Vygotsky bequeathed them with. Soon enough, every teacher feels puzzled, as many will certify that there are numerous day-to-day problems that defy solution by standard methods, or by the simple application of acquired knowledge.
Grappling with such issues is, in fact, part and parcel of every teacher’s day.
And yet, hardly any B.Ed. course (or teacher training diploma) helps teachers understand what they are to do when the problems that they encounter do not match familiar theories.
What is a teacher to do when the situation that is encountered does not lend itself to the application of previously learnt theories?
In Donald Schön’s words, these are situations of uniqueness, uncertainty and conflict. If only it were as simple as applying a formula to solve an equation…!
Here is where Thinking Teacher steps in…
Our work is grounded in research. In addition to drawing from the pioneering efforts of renowned researchers like Donald Schon and Dewey, we also build upon our recently published book: THE REFLECTIVE TEACHER (Orient Blackswan 2015)
This book is an attempt to capture a process of drawing out the reflective practitioner from within the in-service teacher, through action research conducted by the teacher. Spread over a period of about five months (between August and December 2013), the work described herein is largely that of teachers in a school in Dineshpur, Uttarakhand, India, which they carried out with some facilitation. Eight teachers and the Principal opted to conduct action research on problems that they faced in their classrooms, and were facilitated in this process by some members of Azim Premji Foundation. This work is testimony to the power of Action Research in drawing out the reflective practitioner from the in-service teacher, regardless of the length of experience of the teacher.
THINKING TEACHER is currently engaged with teachers in schools across India, empowering them to take charge of their own growth through Action Research.