ABSTRACT
‘Improvement’ can be a nebulous and elusive goal, in life and in professional landscapes. Pursuing positive change in coaching and teaching is certainly laudable, and in this chapter we explore why we feel that practitioner research is a plausible method for such a pursuit. Personal and professional experiences are the foundation of who we are and what we do. Seeking to understand these experiences and learn from them is therefore paramount. In conceptualising teaching and coaching practice as ‘the village’ we honour practitioners’ contextual knowledge and experience and welcome opportunities to tap into that expertise. Due to our own experiences as teachers and coaches, and as researchers and authors (often simultaneously), we chose four specific methodologies of practitioner research as the framework of this book and explore history, methods, applications and issues for each.
