THE KNOWLEDGE PRACTITIONER RESEARCH PROGRAMME

2 CASE STUDY Mark Beetlestone

‘The research taught me to look at the sector in a different light’

Mark Beetlestone joined the PRP in 2019 on the one-year MA course after a colleague recommended he applied. “I don’t consider myself an academic but enjoyed trying new things, so I suppose I was already researching my practice without actually calling it that,” he says. He had worked in futher education (FE) for more than a decade and was passionate about digital education, so wanted to explore that further.

His chosen project was an investigation into why teaching practitioners in vocational education don’t tend to engage with technology, and he was surprised to find his assumptions were challenged. “I thought I knew what the answers would be, and doing the research taught me to look at the sector in a different light,” he adds.

Sharing his findings with a growing network of colleagues

3 CASE STUDY Mark Hyde

‘This is such a powerful programme and has been life-changing for me’

Mark Hyde, a plumbing lecturer and English teacher at Barking and Dagenham College, has become a more reflective teacher since beginning the PRP. Since beginning the short MA course and then moving onto the MPhil, which he is due to complete next year, he has gained a wider scope of perspectives on his practice and feels he is “a better, and more aware, teacher”.

His chosen area of research is how English language is taught to vocational who were also pursuing the PRP helped him grow in confidence both personally and professionally, he believes. His supervisor, Gregson from SUNCETT, became a valuable mentor who helped him see the value of his research and frame it in the right way.

“The residential aspect was particularly special,” he reflects. “The days were structured, but having time to decompress and discuss our research with others in the evening was really important.”

Beetlestone later opted to follow the longer MPhil programme and is now working towards a PhD in gamification and how that impacts vocational education. He is a curriculum designer at BAE Systems, where he is supporting the defence and aerospace company to modernise its early careers curriculum for apprentices and graduates.

“Gamification is an area the company is looking to explore as it goes through a wider digital transformation,” he explains. “My research projects definitely helped me to get this role.” students. “Students come out of school where English is taught in a certain way and we put them through that again,” he explains. “My students didn’t want to attend English classes because they felt it was boring and didn’t have a connection to it. So I asked them to bring in examples of language they related to that would be more fun.” Talking about song or rap lyrics led to a discussion of why the musicians chose those words, and the features of language that created a particular impact.

Hyde’s manager had taken part in the PRP and encouraged him to pitch his idea to SUNCETT, and he gained a place on the programme. He’d previously done a small project for Advanced Teacher Status accreditation, but this was the first time he’d undertaken formal research. “I came into education as a plumber, so the notion of research felt alien, but this programme makes it really accessible,” he says.

There are a number of PRP alumni at Barking and Dagenham College so they regularly share insights, but Hyde’s research has also gained traction at external research conferences. He adds. “This is such a powerful programme and has been life-changing for me.”