HOW TO...
My thesis, underpinned by Jürgen Habermas’s theory of communicative action, argued that more authentic practices will flourish if teachers are trusted to resolve their own issues; and that the role of middle managers is key in creating the time and the space for this. The need is to switch away from
punitive systems of top-down judgement. If we are really genuine about wanting to improve the quality of teaching and the student experience, then we simply need to provide teachers with the time and space to develop professionally in ways that will improve everyday practices, not simply those practices pulled out of a bag for lesson observations.
Ofsted has now abandoned the crude grading system of 1-4, and this is encouraging providers to develop alternative ways of evidencing improvements in teaching, learning and assessment. The Professional Exchange Network
(PEN), funded by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), is currently enabling more collaborative, whole- organisational approaches to improving practice, and it has been very exciting to be part of these discussions in the East Midlands through my work with emfec (the Nottingham-based professional development wing of the Skills and Education Group). I have helped facilitate eight of these PEN meetings in the East Midlands region, and the dynamism of participants’ contributions testifies to their willingness to take back control of their own professional learning. Isn’t it time we trusted teachers to
solve their own issues and to benefit from each other’s expertise and support? We know that truly successful organisations have a concerted approach: we all need to come out of the parlour and work in the kitchen!
...HARNESS RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
By Andrew Morris
Research and evidence have become hot topics in the sector in recent years. The research emphasis of inTuition, the success of the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) Practitioner Research Programme and the development of four new regional LSRN networks are testament to this. To realise an evidence-informed system, however, more is needed than can be achieved by individual people or organisations. The entire ecosystem requires reform: the processes for choosing priorities, commissioning studies, developing policy, building capacity and mobilising knowledge. Now a new report has emerged, which perhaps carries the authority needed to bring about change. Harnessing Educational Research has been produced by a working group of the Royal Society (sciences) and British Academy (humanities). It offers a tightly argued set of recommendations for government, research councils and professional bodies in education. Its principal call is for an Office for Educational Research in which
Andrew Morris is an honorary senior lecturer at the UCL Institute of Education and a member of the national planning group of the Learning and Skills Research Network. Andrew recently became president of the education section of the British Science Association. Contact Andrew at
a.j.morris@ucl.
ac.uk
representatives of teaching, government, research and funding organisations come together to discuss and debate research priorities and co-develop strategies. It recommends that researchers be geographically close to practitioners to focus on common priorities and support research in schools and colleges. It points to the mismatch between research topics that attract funding and those that directly improve classroom practice. It calls for multi-disciplinary teams that not only combine disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, sociology, economics and information technology, but also incorporate teachers’ expertise. But for most teachers and managers, its most important call is for resourcing of “knowledge mobilisation activities” – the vital tasks that transform research outputs for practitioners into evidence-based guidance. Let us hope at least some of the bright ideas in this important report get translated into the reforms so urgently needed.
To read the Harnessing Educational Research report visit the Royal society website or if reading your inTuition in digital format, then simply click on the following link
goo.gl/tQ1TFm To find out more about the LSRN networks, go to
https://lsrn.wordpress.com/convenors/
inTUITION ISSUE 34 • WINTER 2018 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
