Research, Products and Essays:

This paper explores curriculum theory literature that leads the author to understand the importance of developing critical thinking skills among students. The author then created a unit in which 6th grade students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) were given an opportunity to read a novel that discussed misconceptions and bias, and write a personal reflection . . .

There is considerable research regarding prescribed curricula and how these curricula are based on the language, culture, and history of white European descendants, while not acknowledging the history and culture of other racial groups in the United States. I prepared and implemented a unit around identity in my classroom with my students. First, I gave an overview of intersectionality, specifically looking . . .

To overcome the difficulty in learning Chemistry for students and in particular to help with their understandings of Organic Chemistry reactions, I used mind maps as a technique. Mind maps are an outline of ideas that emerge from a central theme or concept. Each student developed their own mind maps after I taught them first, and the students then used them consistently . . .

This practitioner research explored Study Circles and students’ indiscipline cases in a secondary school in Malawi. The purpose was to examine how Study Circles contribute to the management of discipline in a Malawian public secondary school. I targeted members of prefects’ council who are in their final year in secondary school . . .

In this practice-based inquiry, I aimed to answer four specific questions related to a support program in a school: (1) what are the re-integration challenges of a sample of Form 3 girl students who temporarily withdrew due to pregnancy and were re-admitted? (2) What are the psychosocial support approaches of Mother Group . . .

This essay is presented as an evaluation of leading teacher learning in secondary schools. The paper considers three key areas: (1) The role of school leaders in relation to the professional development of teachers; (2) The contribution of mentoring in relation to teacher development; and (3) The concept and value of teacher leadership in relation to coaching and learner . . .

Teachers’ workload and its impact on staff recruitment and retention are a growing concern. This essay examines the perspectives of three teachers working in a secondary school in the UK and shows how workload has impacted their careers. Through the use of email interviews, the paper aims to explore the perspectives of the individuals, providing a glimpse into . . .

The closure of academic institutions in Sri Lanka for a long period due to the COVID 19 pandemic has necessitated a transformation from face-to-face teaching to virtual teaching in the country. The sudden shift to online instruction without research-based strategies or training has resulted in . . .

This essay shares my passion for, and belief in, principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) as an approach that can help strengthen and deepen our work for justice. I share some of what I learned experiencing PAR in practice beginning from the time I spent in Costa Rica working with the late Marcos Guevara. They were profound lessons that I carry with me in . . .

The Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) was created in 2012 by five “network initiators” with a vision to support and promote a wide variety of forms of participatory research. The goal was to increase knowledge production, dissemination, and democratization . . .

This case study explored the role of teacher leadership in a post-16 college in England. The study investigated (a) teachers’ conceptualisations of teacher leadership, (b) the roles, responsibilities and tasks of teacher leaders, and (c) the facilitators and inhibitors of teacher leadership. A survey approach was adopted using a web-based questionnaire. Of the 74 teachers invited, 39 teachers from 30 different subject areas . . .

In this book Martinez-Vargas explores how academic participatory research and the way it is carried out can contribute to more, or less, social justice. Adopting theoretical and empirical approaches, and addressing multiple complex, intersectional issues, this book offers inspiration for scholars and practitioners to open up alternative . . .