This paper focuses on the rapidly changing interests of in-service teachers in the Vancouver area of B.C., Canada, who return to university to earn their Masters of Education (MEd) degrees. Designed to offer theoretical frameworks for their practical concerns, this MEd program encourages students to do qualitative research on skills and knowledge that they can apply in their schools, classrooms and/or individual students. Given a choice, many teachers seize upon recent issues that have appeared in their realm that cause them to feel unprepared, even teachers with twenty years’ experience. Key examples are: addressing the complex needs of refugees, taking on coding in elementary classrooms, or finding balance between the heavy demands of teaching and personal wellbeing. This paper identifies the significance of these three newer inquiry projects and links them to the personal and professional values teachers fall back on in order to situate themselves in best practices.

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2017

• Date of Conference: 26-29 June, 2017
• DOI: 10.2053/CICE.2017.0231
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-908320-83-4
• Conference Location: University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada