Using action research to investigate responses to diversity in a secondary school

This paper reports on how teachers used small action research projects to investigate how they were responding to the diversity of their students in terms of planning and teaching. It was funded by the NZ Ministry of Education Teaching and learning Research Initiative. This project involved teachers investigating self-chosen issues related to the diversity within their own sphere of practice. They were mentored through the research process by researchers at the Christchurch College of Education and by their peers through regular research meetings and conversations. As a result of participating in this project, the teachers developed an awareness of themselves as practitioner researchers and have acquired a sound, though still emergent, understanding of research paradigms, processes and ethical considerations. This project can be seen as an example of how teachers can use a common focus to reflect on their own teaching, gather evidence to investigate their notions and develop their ideas as a community of learners