Marsh b

Marsh b

• 1.
  School-Based Teacher ActionResearch What are we learning? Brian Marsh University of Brighton
• 2.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton Introduction •In amongst the plethora of changes / noise regarding teaching in England is the mantra teaching being an “evidence-informed / research-based profession” • Not new …  Best Practice Research Scholarships  National College for School Leadership (2004) … “We know that when teachers are engaged in actively researching and enquiring about existing practice, processes and outcomes with teachers … they are more likely to improve their own analytical thinking and … to generate network-wide knowledge that can have a direct impact on the children in classrooms across all schools” • Today we have  Increasing dissatisfaction with CPD which is whole school led and focused often on issues of performativity  increasing involvement of teachers in o Teachmeets … teachers sharing aspects of practice o Conferences such as ResearchEd  Some schools trying to develop a research informed culture … including action research / practitioner enquiry projects
• 3.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton Literature Investigatingteachers as researchers brings with it the challenge that this is a contested issue (Carr, 2007; Elliott, 2001). Reported benefits which are worth further exploration … • teacher learning which include those changes to an individual teacher’s practice (Kemmis, 2009) • potential to enhance reflective practice thus leading to an increasing capacity to make appropriate judgements in the classroom (Wilson, 2013) • helps teachers learn about teaching and identify things that work (Furlong, Salisbury, & Coombs, 2003) • supports tacit knowledge being made explicit and articulated through dialogue and reflection (Wilson, 2013) • affective benefits include the altering of teachers’ values and working practices along with pre-conceived understandings of practice (Leat et al., 2015)
• 4.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton TheProject The programme comprises 3 inter-linked phases, each approximating in length to 1 school term: • Phase 1 – exploratory phase comprising an introduction to action research, peer-supported discussion of the issues to be investigated, • Phase 2 – implementation phase including discussion of research methods and ethics and data gathering • Phase 3 – concluding phase including summary and dissemination Term 1 Sept-Dec • Identify issue to be explored • Reading – find out what is already known • Have teaching on the nature of action research Term 2 Jan-Apr • Have teaching on methods, data collection, ethics • Planning • Start of data gathering • One-to-one support Term 3 Apr-July • Conclude data gathering • Short write-up of project • Presentation of findings (e.g staff meeting, Teachmeet etc)
• 5.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton Examplesof Projects • Teacher disposition – The Growth Mindset Teacher • Developing a ‘Rights Respecting Culture’ • Threshold concepts in Chemistry • The effective use of TAs in school • Evaluation of subject specific interventions • Several projects around ‘closing the gap’ for pupil premium pupils • Use of cognates • Memory retention and recall • Transition (Year 67) – impact of summer programmes
• 6.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton InitialFindings – Common to All Three groups • 15 / 16 spoke of engagement with literature … both practitioner and peer-reviewed … valued and appreciated – made time to do so • Issues with literature for teachers ...  Access and understanding how to read peer-reviewed literature  The relative importance of different types of literature  Struggle when the research evidence conflicts with widely held teacher beliefs and practice • 14 / 16 spoke of value of …  discussing their project in school / alliance group and the resultant peer feedback … both led to shaping both thinking and their enactment of project  discussion of teaching and learning … both arising from their own projects but others in the group ... exploration, articulation and reflection of tacit knowledge  sense of struggle in developing ideas and undertaking project
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  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton InitialFindings – Common to All Three groups Impact was variable: • individual practices being changed (15 / 16 responses) • 2 instances a change in whole-school policy Other impacts were • on school environment (school leader) … “It is a ripple effect - it has made it OK to talk about practice and research” • ephemeral personal benefits … increased self-esteem / getting quality feedback / receiving praise when giving short presentations to other staff
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  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton InitialFindings – School A Pilot year … 3 teachers Project year 1... 5 teachers Project year 2 ... 6 teachers Participants enabled to choose own project … one school leader spoke of “long term commitment and professional trust … we wanted to give them ownership” • 7 / 8 reported changes to their practice • All 8 valued the opprtunity to do an extended investigation on issues they had been previously thinking about • 7 / 8 commented on the personal ownership of own professional development • Data from project year 2 still to be completely gathered and analysed
• 9.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton InitialFindings – School B • 7 participating teachers and 1 school leader • Initial interviews have already taken place … exploration of why they wanted to engage with practitioner research • Some final interviews • Project ...  School A & TSA participated in an academic year (2015- 2016) whereas School B is participating in a calendar year (2016)  Disjointed ... Both time and momentum were lost around school exam season (May – June) which should have been a critical point in their practitioner enquiry ... also lost some participants through moving on to new positions in September
• 10.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton InitialFindings – Teaching School Alliance • Middle level leaders drawn from 3 secondary schools, 1 primary and 1 special school in a teaching school alliance • Used by the TSA as an alternative form of middle level leader training to NPQML which had previously been undertaken • Unstated expectation was that they would undertake enquiry directed to their roles in driving forward school improvement  Sense of their personal agency being reduced  Although never explicitly instructed to so they all articulated a sense of being expected to respond to performativity issues in their own school  Not all undertook enquiries in areas they would personally have chosen had they been given free choice  Corresponds to Hammersley’s (2004) point of some action research being a contradiction • More problematic and more complex to undertake AR with narrower projects all relating performativity (either intervention to raise exam performance or ‘closing the gap’ with pupil premium pupils)
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  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton EmergingThemes • Value of  external support / critical friend to support the research  School-based communities of practice … peer-support • Professional learning  taking part in action research was a valuable form of continuing professional development  for many, the research led to ‘informed reflection’ • Impact on schools • Professional capital • Agency - teachers becoming more confident, more knowledgeable, collecting and using evidence, and learning about their own learning • Personal disposition • Challenge of the ‘difficult project’
• 12.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton ChallengesFaced By Teacher-Researchers Time Access to Literature • Getting access to peer-reviewed research / syntheses of research • Relative authority of different types of literature (particularly social media and teacher blogs) Expectations • Initial expectations of potential impact once the enquiry question was determined were vastly over-estimated • Some teacher-researchers appeared unable to distance themselves from their preconceived views about effective practice Understanding of Research • Paradigms • Iterative cycles of action research … some thought they would get instant answers • Use of multiple methods and triangulation of data • Ethics including issues arising from insider research • Validity and generalisability
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  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton Conclusions… tentative at this stage For the participants ... Engaged in a process that has given them ownership and some personal control over their professional development ... a professional development that appears to lead to:  Learning how to think about practice and articulate tacit knowledge  Increased reflection-on-action  Changes in their classroom / departmental practice  Increased ephemeral benefits including raising their status in schools ... increased professional capital  These teachers being in a ‘struggle zone’ – their learning paralleling the learning of their pupils  An increasing desire for evidence-informed practice ... doing it because we’ve always done it this way and ‘tips for teachers’ / toolbox approaches no longer will do For Schools ... The project • Leading to a greater openness to research • Ripple effect ... positively affecting the ethos of the schools • Occasional change in whole-school policy and practice
• 14.
  Teachers as Researchers University of Brighton FutureWork This Project • Complete the programme including data collection in school B • Revisit teachers from school A (Years 1 & 2) & the TSA (Year 1) to explore any lasting impact … extend into further year for both • Explore if there is any difference from doing such practitioner enquiry in own school compared to doing it as part of a programme across a TSA Developments Working with schools in 3 different frameworks: • Bespoke modules delivered in school for PGDip  MA • Non-accredited framework as this project ... appropriately costed • Specific sessions from non-accredited framework as this project ... appropriately costed Brian Marsh – University of Brighton @brianmarsh52