TEACHING ENGLISH FOR THE REAL WORLD

Making learning visible to younger pupils has enabled them to become more able to make connections between different activities and then engage more fully in the action of learning. I now feel inspired to continue my research journey further and look forward to finding opportunities to listen and share research findings again in the classroom, linked especially to younger learners.

Judith Curtis, Religious Studies Teacher

Many teachers are inspired to conduct educational research as we are faced with situations daily which interest and puzzle us. The easy part is devising a research question which excites and inspires you to read further and conduct research in your own classroom. A hurdle I have faced in the past is being unsure whether the research I want to carry out is ethical and valuable. Starting a research project can be a daunting, and even a lonely task. This is where having a Research Lead in your school becomes invaluable in enabling the research to happen. With a Research Lead you have a partner in your project: someone within the school whose role is to support you in your research.

When our school purchased standing desks for classroom use, I was interested to investigate how effective they might be. Most research conducted to date has covered the health benefits of such desks, so I chose to focus on perceived impact on pupil learning and behaviour. I began my research with pupil online surveys about their preferred ways of sitting to study, and then conducted interviews after pupils had trialled the desks. My initial research was with Year 10. This academic year I am studying Year 7, and including more classroom observations. My main conclusion to date is that standing desks provide an outlet for pupils who find it challenging to sit for extended periods and like to fidget, and allows them to have more movement without distracting their peers or the teacher.

Ajay Bhatti, Head of Prep ICT and Business and Year 6 Form tutor

This was my first piece of educational research and initially I was unsure of what I would be required to do to ensure my work would be of interest and value adding. I was motivated as I had chosen an area that I had a genuine interest in. However, I was apprehensive at first and slightly daunted at the prospect of starting a research project. This was mainly due to my being new into teaching, having no experience of conducting a research project and also trying to fit the extra work into an already packed working schedule. The title of my project was ‘Does teaching a programme focussed on the pitfalls of perfectionism help improve pupils wellbeing?’.

Through the research project, I spent six weeks discussing with Year 6 pupils in their Life Skills lessons the arguments around perfectionism. For example, we looked how one can reframe perfectionism and concentrate on striving for excellence. I encouraged them to focus on the things that went well in a day rather than the things that did not and we dispelled myths around perfectionism and focused on strategies to to overcome perfectionist tendencies and behaviours. I NOW FEEL INSPIRED TO CONTINUE MY RESEARCH JOURNEY FURTHER AND LOOK FORWARD TO FINDING OPPORTUNITIES TO LISTEN AND SHARE RESEARCH FINDINGS AGAIN IN THE CLASSROOM, LINKED ESPECIALLY TO YOUNGER LEARNERS

Having a Research Lead provided me with a support network and guidance and alleviated the pressure. There were several key things that Claire did that made the work more realistic and manageable. She was able to dispel some major misconceptions of what a research project should entail. A plan with a clear view of what the key stages of a research project is required to go through was provided and this consisted of having regular check points to discuss with other project leads to share their progress, challenges and successes. This proved highly valuable as I along with others felt less alone and also was able to brainstorm or overcome any issues through shared learning and discussions. A guidance document and planning enquiry form was provided, this was helpful as it prompted questions that helped to kick start the project. Claire also provided the mentoring that was required, especially for someone like me who had no experience in research projects. She made the work accessible by helping to break it down into manageable chunks and providing weekly support in both group and 1:1 sessions when needed. I was often provided with relevant research, articles and contacts that helped me shape my project.

References

Department of Education, University of Oxford. OARS Education. https://oarseducation.com/ [accessed 3.3.2020]. Institute of Education Research. https://research.reading.ac.uk/ education/ [accessed 12.3.2020]. Stylianides, G. D., & Childs, A. (Eds.). (2019). Classroom-based Interventions Across Subject Areas. Routledge. Trakulphadetkrai, D. N. Maths Through Stories. https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/ [accessed 12.3.2020].