Living Educational Theory Research
(Professor Jack Whitehead, 1989)
Living Educational Theory Research:
Growing Through Professional Development
Living Educational Theory Research (often called Living Theory) is a form of research that begins with a simple but powerful question:
“How can I improve what I am doing?”
Unlike traditional professional development, which often relies on external models and training, Living Educational Theory Research puts you at the center. It encourages you to reflect on your own practice, identify the values that matter most to you, and explore how your work can better embody those values in action.
By systematically inquiring into your own practice, documenting changes, and sharing your learning with others, you create your own living-educational-theory, a personal, evolving explanation of how and why you seek to improve, your educational influences in learning, drawing on your clarified values as your explanatory principles and standards of judgement.
This approach is:
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Personalised – grounded in your real-life professional context, living contradictions and clarified values.
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Practical – focused on making improvements that matter in your everyday work, using oyur values as standards to judge change
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Transformative – helping you grow both professionally and personally, while contributing to wider knowledge.
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Collaborative – often enriched by dialogue and social validation and rigour through feedback from a peer validation group.
Living Educational Theory Research is more than reflection—it’s a way of turning your professional life into a continuous cycle of learning, growth, transformation and meaningful contributions. Whether you’re a teacher, leader, health professional, or practitioner in any field, it offers a powerful path for values-led continuing professional development, that keeps your values alive and in focus in your practice.
Professional development that starts with you
Further resources to explore Living Educatioanl Theory Research on the Resource tab on the menu - LETR
