A review of participatory action research as a basis for inter professional learning within the school setting: developing teachers as music makers in the classroom

This chapter explores core principles that underpinned participatory action research (PAR) including honouring commitments to support young people during challenging transitions, sharing responsibility for actions and documentation and valuing joint reflection to support professional learning. A case study outlines how UK project participants were introduced to PAR approaches as a means to encourage and sustain inter professional dialogue across the 3 learning sites – the whole group trainings, classroom based trainings and reflective meetings with teachers. The case study describes how PAR engaged the wider school team in the change process during the linked stages of ideas formation, enactment and realisation. Another case study explores how PAR supported teachers to become music makers in their classrooms. It describes how the iterative documentation of experiences that prompted ongoing professional learning gradually accrued as data chains contributing to substantive textual outcomes, including A Framework for Musicking Experiences in the Classroom: some possible choices. The discussion of this textual outcome evidences how PAR processes enabled the teachers to own these choices for themselves as viable professional actions.