🤔 How Can We Improve Professional Inquiry?
Many educators begin the inquiry process with a Google search that identifies every blog ever posted by anyone who ever formed an opinion on the topic. Some may restrict their Google search to “Scholarly articles on …,” but that’s relatively rare.
Others bypass the Google search and start the inquiry process by posting their question on Facebook or on Twitter chats where they receive a myriad of responses from individuals whose firmly held opinions may or may not be based on verifiable evidence. Occasionally Facebook and Twitter chat responders preface their comments with “In my opinion … or “I believe …, but their authoritative tone gives the impression their opinions or beliefs are indisputable truths.
Wonder if there’s a degree of irony in a piece advocating that educators seek out “well-designed studies that have been published in reputable journals” & appears to be no more than “firmly held opinion” itself? Wouldn’t one hope for some evidence to back up the claims? 🤭