Teaching as inquiry: well intentioned, but fundamentally flawed

Teaching as inquiry: Well intentioned, but fundamentally flawed Dr Leon Benade (presenting) Director of Research School of Education AUT University Paper presentation (Work in Progress) Teaching as inquiry is posited in The New Zealand Curriculum as a central feature of developing ‘effective pedagogy’. As such, it ought to be an expectation that teaching as inquiry would have been in active use in schools since 2010, when The New Zealand Curriculum was officially promulgated as the national curriculum. Evidence suggests, however, that the concept is neither well understood, nor is it widely practiced. This presentation is based in part on a larger research project that seeks to understand the impacts on teachers and leaders of the concept of ‘21st century learning’ or futures education more generally, and the progressive pedagogies which seek to meet the demands of futures education. Part of this research seeks to evaluate the claim of deepening teacher reflective practice promised by such pedagogies. This research draws on both critical theoretic and case study approaches. It therefore engages in critical policy and documentary analysis, critical review of existing research, and triangulates by reference to case study interview material. Teaching as inquiry is considered as a flawed model. The presentation argues for reclaiming the concept of collaborative, critical teacher reflective practice. It will be argued that the label ‘teaching as inquiry’ be abandoned. It will be proposed that greater effort is required at the in-service level to prepare beginning teachers to be reflective, critical and collaborative practitioners able to reflect not only on their own teaching, but on their pedagogy, and more importantly, on the pedagogy of their school and its community