ABSTRACT
How should we investigate classroom teams? Should we make detailed systematic observations ofteams in operation? Should we ask participants about their experiences of working in classroom teams? Should we send questionnaires to teachers to find out about the nature of the teams? Whether we do any or all of these depends very much on what we are trying to find out. Simple questions can very often be answered by using simple methods. But often in education the question to be posed is not simple; indeed, it may not be at all clear what the important questions are at the investigation's outset. It is only by beginning to look at the area that the real questions become apparent.
