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Maggie Gregson is professor of vocational education at the University of Sunderland and director of University of Sunderland Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT). Paul Kessell-Holland is head of partnerships at the ETF and is a Member of SET.


Data sets from the SUNCETT study


offer illuminative cases to support the claim that practice-focused and inquiry-based approaches to educational improvement, and the initial and continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers, could offer a potential alternative to current approaches to educational evaluation and improvement (including external inspection). One of these cases is reported in some detail below. Findings from this study support


the work of Cofield (2017) and Ball (2003). They argue that approaches to the evaluation and improvement of educational practice which promote fear – and encourage teachers and their managers to fabricate evidence of performance and manipulate data in order to meet the demands of inspectors – tend, in the long run, to do more to deplete the energies of practitioners and inhibit the improvement of educational practice than to support them.


LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Data from the study also suggest that current models of educational evaluation and improvement are in danger of overlooking the importance of contextualised local knowledge and underestimating the value of the professional judgement of teachers and practitioner-research. It concludes that the methods of


practice-focused, higher education- supported practitioner research and pedagogical inquiry embodied in RDF and Exploratory Research projects offer an educative alternative to current approaches to educational evaluation and improvement. While a focus on educational


outcomes and impact upon the learner may be viewed as a ‘necessary evil’ as part of a national system of improvement, the paper closes by arguing that if we accept that the purpose of educational evaluation (vis-à-vis monitoring) is to improve educational practice, then we also need to accept that there are different ways to evaluate and make sense of educational practice and the processes through which it improves. The paper argues that this will require


developing a pluralistic, rather than a monolithic, approach to educational evaluation and improvement, which can accommodate external inspection, data gathering, practice-focused practitioner research and pedagogical enquiry, as well as ‘pure’ research, and contributions to theory and new knowledge. Conference delegates who attended


the presentation and discussion of the paper included researchers, policy professionals and education leaders from Australia, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, the United States and the UK. Delegates were invited to consider


and identify how the findings of this study, and the use of practice-focused practitioner research and inquiry-based pedagogy, might be used to inform the development of their own practice and research. During the session, several delegates


noted how the findings of the study resonated with their experiences of approaches to educational evaluation in their home nations. Delegates from Australia and the United States were particularly interested in how this approach might be applied in the context of their own professional practice.


THEBIG IDEA


Dr Lynn Senior summarises the concept and benefits of flipped learning


The government’s focus on technology enhanced learning has a vision of the UK becoming a world leader in education e-learning within the next 10 years. In my classroom, technology has tended to


fall into three key areas: e-learning, mobile or m-learning, and blended learning. But, as a resource, technology can be much more than just a means to an end and, for me, the trick is to se t roerl an effectel e to ts s te effecte se o tools to support and enhance learning. By utilising technology, learning, and e-learning, can occur in or out of the classroom. Tech-supported learning can be self-paced, asynchronous learning, or instructor-led, synchronous learning. It can support a bit of both, an approach we term as blended learning. e ter e as becoe a eaocal


buzzword to describe a range of approaches in which technology is employed to encourage asncronos learnn tat oen taes lace outside the classroom or workshop. The aim is that, by reversing the traditional role of the lesson or teaching session, the time spent face to ace t learners s se ore effectel Instead of using time in class or the


workshop to teach or lecture students, the e classroo s one on nalse learning where students access core information and course content through online an tal aterals, oen n ter on te This frees time for teachers and trainers to


give students one-on-one help, and to check understanding. It results in a more student- focused approach to teaching and learning. Immediate or relatively prompt feedback


keeps engagement levels high. As suggested n fferent stes, ts eans tat teacers may spend more time providing feedback and answering learners’ questions.


REFERENCES FOR THE BIG IDEA • Read articles and blogs from the University of erbs ecnolo nance earnn ea at goo.gl/4tXvmc


• SET members are eligible for discounts on digital slls corses an sort offere b te caton an rann onaton at goo.gl/dA7Dcd


Dr Lynn Senior is head of the Institute of Education at the University of Derby.


INTUITION ISSUE 31 • SPRING 2018 17


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