Noting that raising standards for teaching is a key to education reform, this guide outlines a tested plan for helping practicing teachers upgrade and fine-tune their own performance by systematically studying their own classroom methods and the student learning that results. Following an introduction, the guide discusses research group organization and procedures, including research logs and readings. The guide then explores classroom research practice and process, specifically, emergent research questions, observation and reflection, data collection, analysis and interpretation, implications, and research reports and group publication. Next, the guide addresses research issues and complexities: teacher-researcher role tension and validity and reliability. Finally, the guide presents research reports from group publications as follows: (1) "'I Think It Has Something to Do with Our Minds': Using Synectics to Learn about History" (Leslie A. Gray); (2) "What Happens When Mickey Writes? Reading between the Lines" (Alberta Grossman); (3) "A Teacher-Researcher Writes about Learning" (Courtney Rogers); (4) "Discovering Revision" (Betsy Sanford); (5) "Reading for Meaning; Trying to Get Past First Basal" (Mary Schulman); and (6) "What Happens When Eleventh- and Twelfth-Grade Students Do More Than Sit and Listen? A Proposal for Classroom Research on Operative Learning" (Ann Sevcik). Appendixes contain a sample course outline, sample course description, and sample research proposal outline. (HTH)