Hi Danijela

I am Mark Potts and I am looking forward to reviewing your paper. I am planning to do this in the next fortnight and look forward to having a conversation with you about the ideas raised in it.

Dear Danijela - I've enjoyed very much reading your EJOLTS submission on 'Encouraging the independence of students'. I'm very impressed with the way in which you have used both qualitative and quantitative methods for gathering the data you use as evidence to justify the claims that you make. I think your paper will inspire other educators to create and share their living-educational-theories. I'm researching myself the significance of recognising educators as Master Educators because of the way they make public their embodied knowledge as educators in the process of improving learning with their students. Your paper fulfils what I recognise as the knowledge of a Master Educator. It may be that gradually 'Master Educators of Croatia' can be recognised by accrediting bodies in Croatia. 

I'll check with Marie Huxtable, the Chair of the Editorial Board about the maximum word length acceptable for EJOLTS. My own feeling is that your paper should be accepted for publication. All I think it will need are some minor typographic corrections and some brief descriptions of your meanings of a couple of words such as 'disciple' (for example on page 56, and in other places) and 'artistically' (page 17).

Should the titles of the images on 1 and 2, be reversed?

I've included some of corrections for minor typo-graphically correction in the attached file and I'm sure that there will be a few more at the proof-reading stage.

I would like to congratulate you on this paper and I'm going to be interested in your other reviewers' comments and perhaps engaging in a conversation about the wider educational significance of your paper.

Hi, Danijela. I can't open the document.

Love, Jackie

Hi, Danijela. This is quality research-in my opinion, there are no critical problems with the research itself. I loved reading it. I had trouble downloading it so I am making my comments here. 

I would recommend a thorough edit as some of the wonderful ideas are stilted in the language use. As an example, the following is a very significant contribution that is restricted in its effect by the language, "We can conclude that the conduct of the teaching process should take into account the recommendations cited in the literature, but they should not be literally hold. Teaching is a creative process in which a teacher should always listen to the needs and interests of their students and consequently make decisions about how to organize certain activities. In order to know what the students respond, it is good to try different solutions and one of them is to ask for feedback."

I recommend this article for publication with the proviso that there be a full edit.

Thank you so much for persisting in getting this article into the EJOLTS framework.

Love, Jackie

Danijela - Here is my review of your excellent paper:

Danijela's account carries important insights into how to develop pupils as independent learners. Her fascinating multimedia narrative of the educational journey that she embarked upon is heart-warming and inspirational for all educators. The context of the journey in a Croatian school becomes clear throughout her narrative. Her values leap off the page as she recounts her frustration with her practice in her first years as a new teacher. The transformation is startling as demonstrated by the data she gathered several years later. Her main conclusion that "such processes of teaching contribute to the essential learning of the students as well as their teacher", is very well supported with multimedia evidence.

Danijela's account stands as an inspiration to other educators who want to improve their practice. In a thoroughly grounded and well researched account Danijela lays bare her account of how she became a better teacher. It is an uncomfortable journey at times. Thank you Danijela for sharing it.

I found the images particularly revealing and would welcome more commentary on some of them as indicated in comments attached. I would also welcome clarification in a few areas as indicated.

Mark Potts

Dear Reviewers,

I would like to thank you once again on your comments to my paper.

I'm posting now revised version according it. Hope I will have your approval for publishing.

Best regards,

Danijela Ljubac Mec

Dear Danijela - I've enjoyed reading your paper and I am very happy to recommend it for publication in EJOLTS. I particularly like the way your paper shows pupils reflecting on their learning and the way that the paper includes responses to pupils in the explanations of educational influences in the pupils' learning as well as your own. I was also impressed by the inclusion of parents' responses as these influences, whilst important, are often missed out of much educational research. I am looking forward to seeing your paper published in EJOLTS so that we can enhance the influence of your Living Theory research and living-theory.

I know that responding to reviewers' evaluative comments isn't always easy and you have shown an admirable and sustained commitment to responding to the comments that have helped to enhance the communication of your ideas.  

Love Jack.