LEARNING TO LEARN
Two teachers had experienced challenges with making connections with other schools , and learning from good practice elsewhere . This was not as straightforward as they had imagined , and they spoke of support needed to facilitate these connections .
The ‘ so what ?’ question
Teachers were concerned with the ‘ so what ’ question e . g . my research showed this , but so what ? One had a clear vision that next steps should include thinking through the impact of project findings and implications for him personally , for the school , and for teaching and learning more generally .
All those interviewed stressed this importance of understanding what the practical implications of research projects were for themselves and others . Some felt that they weren ’ t really aware of the outcomes of other projects , and emphasised the need for practical , face to face sessions which explained the key takeaways from projects :
‘ Teachers want to know what works … what things they can put in their pocket and implement in their own classroom … clear , quick , concise guidance ’.
Whilst some teachers spoke of the benefits of autonomy , and having the freedom to choose an area of interest to research , others questioned how useful their project , which arose primarily from their own personal interests , was to the school and of the likely impact and value of it . A level of frustration in undertaking this work was expressed by two teachers , in being able to see good practice elsewhere and where change is needed , but feeling that making changes within schools was a slow process .
Despite some frustrations , and although this is a small scale project , it does seem to suggest that for the teachers interviewed , engaging in research has had some impact on their practice , and personal and interpersonal capacity . Teachers spoke of developing new knowledge , increased reflection and motivation , opportunities to work with other colleagues and the benefits of sharing practice .
For consideration
Recommendations arising from this project are outlined below , and have formed part of our developing strategic vision for our institute :
• Support all our teachers to engage with current research , and develop mechanisms for sharing the latest teaching and learning research with our community .
• Provide more structured face to face opportunities for ITL teachers to share project outcomes with staff . Ensure these sessions have a practical focus and an emphasis on likely implications for classroom practice .
• Continue to undertake literature reviews of our ITL themes to facilitate ongoing in-school discussions regarding priority areas for research .
• Further develop relationships with other researchinformed schools to establish research links and create opportunities for collaboration .
• Involve ITL teachers in mentoring new staff becoming involved with the ITL .
References
Brown , C . ( 2015 ) Introduction in Leading the use of Research & Evidence in Schools . Institute of Education Press , London .
Cain , T . ( 2019 ) Becoming a research-informed school : Why ? What ? How ? London : Routledge .
Earley and Porritt ( 2009 ) Effective Practices in CPD : lessons from Schools in Stoll ( 2012 ) Great professional development which leads to great pedagogy , p . 3 .
Judkins , M ., Stacey , O ., McCrone , T . and Inniss , M . ( 2014 ). Teachers ’ Use of Research Evidence : A case study of United Learning schools . Slough : NFER .
Roberts , C . ( 2015 ) Impractical research : Overcoming the obstacles to becoming an evidence-informed school in Leading the use of Research & Evidence in Schools . Institute of Education Press , London .
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