ABSTRACT
This is an account of a small-scale piece of action research which I undertook as part of my studies for the Advanced Diploma at University College, Dublin, under the guidance of Jean McNiff, our tutor. Because I am retired from teaching, I worried that I would not be able to undertake an action research project into how I might improve my practice. Jean emphasised that action research was appropriate to studies which were located in informal as well as formal settings. I therefore present this account to show that I not only did the project but that the ‘project’ has become part of a new life work. I have learnt about how to improve my own situation, and I can also show how I have learnt, and continue to learn, much about myself, and my relationships with others. Although I have retired from formal work, my learning and work continue, though in significantly different ways from before.
