KNOWLEDGE


Supporting practitioner research


By Alan Thomson, Editor


Practitioner-led research plays a vital role in underpinning professional development and teaching and learning practice. The Professional Standards for Teachers and


Trainers in Education and Training recognise the desire of practitioners to “maintain and update your knowledge of educational research to develop evidence-based practice”. So, on these two pages we are publishing


excerpts from recent Education and Training Foundation Research Development Fellowship (RDF) programmes – run in conjunction with the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) – and from the Exploratory Research in Maths and English Programme. The Society for Education and Training provides about 10 bursaries a year to support its members on the RDF programme (see the link below). We hope these excerpts inspire you to consider


undertaking your own action research project. We also hope that the outcomes of these projects, and others, will be useful to you and your practice in their own right. Thanks to our research curators Gail Lydon, Colin


Forrest and Joss Kang for compiling the summaries. You can find papers from earlier RDF programmes


at goo.gl/i0RmVz For informationon on RDF bursaries for members of SET visit goo.gl/kzR9bm


‘The Power of Together’ Collaborative Practitioner Development Observations suggested that certain circumstances are essential for effective practitioner development and collaboration: resource; autonomy; trust; perseverance. The project highlighted the importance of a nuanced approach and the importance of the terminology used when describing this collaboration, rather than making broad, sweeping statements about


teacher developmental practices. Emily Barrell is a quality improvement manager, Realise Futures Learning & Development. Emily is a former SUNCETT Research Development Fellow.


Finding my Way: The Long-term Impact of Specialist Residential Education Although progress for learners with profound and multiple learning dificulties (PMLD) can be identified while at college, it is dificult to measure how this impacts on wellbeing and quality of life beyond college. This research explored which areas of progress (self-care and support;


participation; autonomy) were sustained 18 months after leaving college and how this impacted on social aspects of learners’ lives. Findings from this small sample do not indicate a pattern of progress


retention, but a picture of change that is specific to the individual. To maintain learned skills beyond college, recommendations include (i) the provision of ongoing specialist advice and support for parents of college leavers and (ii) exposing post-college providers to best practice. Fern Faux is a research coordinator at the National Star College, and a former SUNCETT Research Development Fellow.


What is the impact of a synthetic phonics-based approach when teaching literacy to emerging ESOL adults? The researchers had experience of various reading approaches, none of which had proved successful with learners who were illiterate in their mother tongue in terms of accelerating progress in reading. Preliminary findings revealed that the use of systematic synthetic phonics will work in conjunction with regular English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. It accelerated learners’ ability to take small steps in reading whole words and sentences through blending and


segmenting. This is an ongoing process. Liz Frost is a manager at Premier Learning and Maria Gorreova is a former tutor at Premier Learning. They are former SUNCETT Research Development Fellows.


Download the handy


reference, Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers in Education and Training, here goo.gl/sdZj7X


Access information on the Education and Training Foundation’s research at goo.gl/ngCwIV


10 SPRING 2017 • INTUITION RESEARCH


Doing It Differently: The Use of Video Technology for Providing Student Feedback This research explored the possibility of using video technology to enhance the experience of feedback to the learners. The preliminary results of the project suggested that the learners found the video feedback beneficial as it enhanced learner understanding and interpretation of the assessment comments, particularly written feedback; and allowed learners to engage with the comments at their own pace. It appears that the use of video feedback can help learners become more independent when working on their assignments. Joyce I-Hui Chen is a teacher at the College of West Anglia, and a former SUNCETT Research Development Fellow


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