All rights reserved. My work draws on a background of ten years of participation in a collaborative teacher research group. This group has developed a critical dialogue based on common commitment to social justice through education. My work has as its goal that my students, primarily African American, Latino and Asian American, acquire the skills needed to effectively investigate the natural world. Once they have become effective at asking questions and getting answers from nature, they can move from understanding to transformation.
Critical inquiry calls for an active dialogue.
It acknowledges that our reality as educators is so complex that there are many sources of truth which must be woven together to generate our understanding. I have established this level of trust with my colleagues in my collaborative research group, and my fellow masters candidates at San Jose State University. I have experimented also with a more open form of dialogue, using email and the internet. Sirotnik suggests that to be critical, an inquiry must begin with a definition of current circumstances, followed by an exploration of the historical events leading to these circumstances. This is followed by delving into the values and beliefs involved, the interests being served by the situation.