The international collection of essays contained in this volume offer a comprehensive look at how small groups are being employed in the field of education today and the purposes for which they are being used. Where teaching is concerned, readers of this volume come to know how teachers experience professional development in book clubs, Critical Friends Groups, and teacher research groups and how action research has been used by teachers in a particular curriculum reform project. Where teacher education is concerned, readers are afforded an insider view of what is happening in various cohorts and other small group configurations throughout the nation and the world, particularly with respect to diversity. Finally, readers catch a glimpse of what is occurring in higher education and how professors learn to be teacher educators, contributing members of the academy, and collaborative colleagues in their efforts to support and enhance student learning along the educational continuum.

Teachers are the single most important element in helping every child succeed in school. Making Classroom Inquiry Work: Techniques for Effective Action Research is designed to serve those who wish to delve deeper into their action research or as leaders in teacher research and reflective practice. Robert P. Pelton is also the author of Action Research for Teacher Candidates: Using Classroom Data to Enhance Instruction, written in the hopes of equipping teachers-in-training with the skills needed for action research: a process that leads to focused, effective, and responsive strategies that help students succeed. These two books serve as both a perfect training curriculum for pre-service teachers at the undergraduate or graduate level and as an excellent vehicle for professional development for in-service teachers.

The international collection of essays contained in this volume offer a comprehensive look at how small groups are being employed in the field of education today and the purposes for which they are being used. Where teaching is concerned, readers of this volume come to know how teachers experience professional development in book clubs, Critical Friends Groups, and teacher research groups and how action research has been used by teachers in a particular curriculum reform project. Where teacher education is concerned, readers are afforded an insider view of what is happening in various cohorts and other small group configurations throughout the nation and the world, particularly with respect to diversity. Finally, readers catch a glimpse of what is occurring in higher education and how professors learn to be teacher educators, contributing members of the academy, and collaborative colleagues in their efforts to support and enhance student learning along the educational continuum.