Scholarly Research Makes Education Dynamic

Overview & Synopsis

Scholarly research is crucial to teaching and learning because it keeps the work of teacher educators and the teaching and learning in schools of education dynamic. Research fosters habits of critical reflection, encourages teacher educators to learn throughout their careers, and ensures that concepts in teacher education adapt to current understandings, politics, and policies. For many of the same reasons that research is valuable for the work of teacher educators, it is valuable to teachers, particularly teachers in urban areas. To understand the value of research to teaching and learning, consider what teacher education looks like without it. Conducting scholarly research makes teacher educators more reflective teachers. In the current political climate, everyone must remember that education should be meaningful to the learners. Research has a unique potential to remind educators that that learning is fascinating and rewarding. When teacher educators and teachers are involved in scholarship, rather than simply reviewing techniques, their thinking and their practice naturally embraces the reflection and creativity without which learning--authentic learning--simply cannot exist.