Today K-12 practitioners are challenged to become educational innovators. Yet little is
available to the practitioner to guide their reflection about the design development and
implementation of these innovations in their own practice. This brief approaches such problems
of practice from the perspectives of design research. Although design research typically
centers on the partnership between researchers and practitioners in real-world settings
relationships between researchers and practitioners are not always practical. In this brief
the authors explore how the design research process can make the goals assumptions processes
methods and outcomes of design research uniquely accessible to the practitioner. In clear
explicit language it introduces design research to practitioners using both expository
discussions and a robust narrative case study approach that ably guides the reader through the
phases of design research namely: Theory to innovation to practice Understanding problems of
practice Creating a design solution Assessing the design solution Evaluating learning outcomes
Capturing lessons for practice Understanding Problems of Practice is a singular resource for
teachers and practitioners enrolled in graduate research courses or courses on teacher
leadership. It also lends itself well as a supplement to professional development activities
and studies at the district school and professional learning community levels.
