Dahlström Lars (Ed.). (2000). Namibian Educators Research Their Own Practice: Critical Practitioner Inquiry in Namibia. Reviewed by Christine Capacci Carneal, Florida State University

Dahlström Lars (Ed.). (2000). Namibian Educators Research Their Own Practice: Critical Practitioner Inquiry in Namibia. Windhoek, Namibia: Gamsberg Macmillan. 153 pp. $8       ISBN 99916-0-256-8 Reviewed by Christine Capacci Carneal Florida State University July 6, 2001 This collection of essays, written by teachers, principles, and teacher educators, is an excellent example of the benefits gained from merging ivory towers and practitioner inquiry. Instead of scholars passing down knowledge, the practitioners in this book are creating it on their own by accessing and reflecting on academic literature and their personal experiences. It is a book about people involved in education and the daily life of a classroom practicing what they preach through the use of “practitioner inquiry” and “action research” to improve their teaching techniques, get messages across, and ameliorate the educational environment. Indeed, it is “reflection of the new philosophy of education in Namibia” as stated on the first page of the introductory chapter. The book is divided into three sections covering themes dealing with basic education, pre-service teacher education, and in-service teacher advising. The discussions surrounding basic education topics cover the use of storytelling in the classroom to integrate cross- curricular themes; how participatory development of class rules can contribute to improved discipline among students; motor skill problems; and how community-school relations can be improved to contribute to attendance rates and interest in the subject matter. The pre-service teacher education section examines how teachers can improve their feedback and support of teacher trainees; how to increase student interest and abilities in certain subjects such as arts and crafts, English, and Namibian languages; how to integrate curricular themes; and how to increase female participation in the classroom. The final chapter introduced peer coaching to in-service teacher advisors. Practitioner inquiry in this book revolves around action research. The educators are changing their practices through self-assessment of their own classroom experiences contributing to a process of continual construction of educational knowledge for themselves. The whole compilation is filled with examples of how creative collaborative (most often with the students themselves) can lead to change and improving the learning environment. Each essay tells of how one leader (the teacher, principle or teacher educator) took the initiative to use participatory research and student input to improve learning processes in the classroom. One such case is Zacharias Ekandjo's, a secondary school teacher, attempt to motivate learning through community-based activities. The impetus behind his inquiry was to better understand why some Grade 10 students habitually arrived late for their Business Management class. He began by questioning the learners themselves and discovered that it was due to the boring subject nature of the class, a lack of discipline by the teacher, or low interest in school on the learners' part. Rather than write these grievances off as the students' problem, he decided to alter his teaching methods to see if it helped to change the situation. This is when he decided to develop a community-based activity to get the students to become agents in their own learning process based on a belief that providing them with this opportunity would engage them more and result in more enthusiasm for the subject matter. The students were instructed to do some market research involving interviews and data collection on competitive products. The information gathered was discussed and analyzed in class orally. This variation in classroom activities led Mr. Ekandjo to witness more interest and understanding of the subject, Business Management, as well as a reduction in absentee rates. He states that finding an activity that piques curiosity and increasing interactions between the school and the community, and the students themselves were key to these results. In addition, it led to an improvement in communication and inquiry skills and students' confidence during presentations rose. Of course, the above example does not present never-explored ideas. The themes surrounding the above activities, learner-centered approaches, linking community and schools, etc. are commonly known and accepted practices within the educational context. But, what the chapter does do is provide the inspiration and motivation to go out and do something similar in one's own classroom, which is not as often a practice among the preachers. It displays scholarly and practitioner knowledge by applying the theory to practice in the name of creative and participatory research. There are no sentences that begin with “teachers ought to…” in this book; rather it presents a description of how it can be done through the eyes of practitioners. In addition to applying the basic tenets of participatory action research, there is often careful consideration of the environment in which the educators are working. Louise and George Spindler would be proud of these Namibian educators as they take into account culture and cultural practices when discussion classroom activities. All of the essay writers use participant observation as their initial research method and approach their research as a problem- solving device. There is a large effort to equalize power relations between the teachers and students in the strategies and in the analysis of problems in the classrooms. The practitioner inquirers show a creative use of resources on hand and working groups in the classroom are the norm. The teachers, principle and teacher educators who wrote these essays are obviously academically trained and have had training in participatory research designs. For the most part, they follow a standard approach for writing up research. First they begin with a literature review based on the perceived problem and then analyze the literature as it applies to the problem. Research questions are then formulated based on school context and the literature review. Then a description of research methods or proposed action research follows and each chapter ends with a presentation of the results, data analysis, and a discussion of lessons learned and other reflections. There is often a personal note about how the use of action research helped the teacher to improve their classroom activities. As one author says, “through action research I have learned not only how to identify a problem, but also to plan activities relevant to my findings in order to remedy the focal problem, reflect on the whole process, and write up a relevant report” (p. 95). Or more personally, they will discuss how action research has contributed to their own “improved observation skills, an improved ability to work independently, and an improved capacity to help my students according to their learning needs” (p. 95). The specific nature of the discussion in the essays could also be one of the drawbacks to the collection. As Dahlström points out, this book is “written by Namibians for Namibians” (p. 2). The educational context, openness and willingness to create a fresh Namibian philosophy of education, may not exist in other contexts. Certainly, the level of academic training received by the educators in this book is not the norm for most teachers in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those at the primary school level. This is a presentation of results that can potentially occur when one has the time, resources, and will to train teachers. It sheds no light on how to fill classrooms with qualified teachers in the midst of educational crises. Most sub-Saharan African Ministries of Education are trying to figure out how to deal with issues such as replacing the trained teachers who have died from the AIDS epidemic of late, or how best to teach classrooms of 70 students or more. The time and reflective nature put into creating a situation that results in essays of this nature should be the norm, but in most cases it is a luxury. Yet, there is no arguing that using teachers as researchers in their own classroom is not an effective and almost panacea-like solution to ridding the traditional frontal teaching methods so common in post-colonial schools in sub- Saharan Africa. The book demonstrates how teachers can be an active part of monitoring and evaluation, how they can take on self-assessment activities, particularly in an environment where teacher support is limited, such as in many rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. It achieves the above through demonstration, rather than discussion. For this reason, the book seems more like a guide to building your own car engine than a traditional academic resource. In other words, it may prove to be more useful for stimulating action and achieving results. It is not a candy-coated display of these actions either. The authors of the various essays also discuss their difficulties as teachers and researchers creating an empathetic presentation of their actions and justification for them. Their philosophical beliefs and leanings are laid out as part of their rationale for selecting certain methods and approaches. They discuss their biases based on their practical experiences. It is a very positive and optimistic read about how education practitioners recognize a problem that exists in their teaching methods or class learning processes and does not ignore it but cares enough to go out and improve upon the situation. These are success stories drawn from perceptive and caring individuals. While I would not recommend reading the book in one sitting—for then it feels more like an exercise similar to reading papers for an action research class at the end of a semester—it is a handy book to have nearby for both academics and practitioners. The essays are well written and clear in their goals, despite the repetitive nature of the design and content of each chapter. The literature reviews are particularly useful in their quick, not-too-academic, presentation of the issues at hand. Another useful characteristic of the chapters includes a highlighted box listing “keywords” for the essay underneath the title of the chapter and the author's name. This box lets the reader know ahead of time the subject or subjects discussed in the literature review and some of the strategies applied in the action research described within the essay. For example, in the chapter entitled “Writing Problems in Oshiwambo,” the keywords listed are: accuracy; collaborative writing; Namibian languages; peer tutoring; teacher education; writing process (p. 81). This section offers a quick overview for the reader to assess how the chapter contents may shed light on different action research strategies and their application and to look for similar themes of concern relative to the reader's classroom. Though a summary chapter might help to pull together major themes, this book is certainly helpful for both education practitioners and students. For those already in the education profession, it becomes a continual reminder to “practice what you preach.” It will make you excited to employ action research in your own classroom, as the essays are enthusiastic and the results successful. For students or future education leaders, it will instill a healthy inquisitive mind as head of a classroom or school. Students will become practice-oriented if they follow the guidance of teachers in this book. The major lesson of the book is that "doing is believing." This book definitely reinforces the position that local practitioners are the ones who have the knowledge to creatively solve problems through reflective and active participation in their community. About the Reviewer Christine Capacci Carneal is a doctoral candidate at Florida State University. The title of her dissertation is “Community Schools as Alternative Educational Development Strategies: How do Stakeholders Feel About Their Success in the Case of Save the Children's Project in Mali?”