University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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The impact of a peer-feedback intervention on the attitudes and beliefs of first-year Social Care students in Ireland
Full text linkOne way of actively engaging students with the feedback process and enhancing feedback literacy is through peer-feedback. However, there is little research to date in Ireland on undergraduate students’ beliefs and attitudes towards peer-feedback. All participants completed a validated questionnaire, ‘Beliefs about Peer-feedback Questionnaire’, to explore their beliefs about and attitudes towards peer-feedback, before and after a peer-feedback intervention. Both before and after the intervention, approximately 80% of respondents valued peer-feedback as an instructional method and as an important skill, while 87% of these first-year students engaged with the peer-feedback intervention. A clear implication for teaching is that peer-feedback can and should be further utilised to address the feedback problem in Ireland. Prior to the intervention, approximately 60% of students were confident in their ability to generate peer-feedback while approximately 80% were confident in their peers’ ability to generate feedback. The intervention changed these attitudes with confidence in their own ability growing slightly (10%) and confidence in their peers’ ability decreasing substantially (by 20%). Developing students’ evaluative judgement and the capacity to generate high-quality feedback through training and repeated opportunities to practise is a key recommendation. A longitudinal study, exploring beliefs and confidence with cumulative experiences over time, is also highly recommended
A critical reflection on audio feedback for undergraduate students as a care-full and compassionate performance of emotional labour
Full text linkThis critical reflection, structured using Gibbs’ reflective cycle, focuses on my experience, as a Senior Lecturer in a higher education Institution in the UK, of trialling providing audio summative feedback to undergraduate students for the first time. In this paper, I articulate the worries and anxieties I experienced providing audio feedback, related to the emotional labour required in performing the ‘correct’ tone; saying appropriate words; and creating an appropriate environment and atmosphere for delivering audio feedback. I argue that making visible the emotional labour involved in providing audio feedback has important implications for assisting in elevating the status of audio feedback beyond being considered a mere administrative task. Further, I contend that making this emotional labour visible may enable students to see the compassion that goes into the process of providing ‘care-full’ feedback. This paper concludes with recommendations to support colleagues and students to get the most out of audio feedback
Rationalising subjectivity: using learning technology to automate and flexibilise marker standardisation in higher education assessment
Full text linkWhen designing a marker standardisation training programme, institutions must respond to their context and choose the method appropriate to it. This article details an approach based on a self-access, automatic package of training materials that can be flexibly deployed via a learning management system. This responds to the needs of a large, multi-centre teaching network marking shared assessments, providing an authentic, flexible, and inclusive experience that is worth the up-front resource cost and has been broadly positively received. Lessons have been learned centring on the implementation of this method of training, communicating the intention behind the change, and the approach to adapting it to suit an academic community of practice. The training methodology and evaluation may serve as informative to other institutions seeking an approach to standardisation that meets their needs
Reviewing course design to support pre-service teachers’ learning around inclusivity and intersectionality
Full text linkIn this paper, we outline how we reviewed and evaluated the content of an undergraduate module on a teacher training degree and demonstrate how critical evaluation of practice informed new understanding, strategies and approaches in teacher education and development. The national and local context for this change is significant. Alongside the responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010), the Political Impartiality in Schools document (2022) forbids the promotion of partisan political views but fails to recognise the nuances when discussing sensitive issues. When this work took place, the city of Bristol, in which the university is situated, was in crisis; it was a time of social and political change in Bristol that drew global attention. This paper will highlight the complexities of supporting and equipping trainee teachers to train and work in a city where Colston’s statue was toppled; the aftermath of Kill the Bill riots and the rise in hate crimes towards the LGBTQ+ community in the city
Preservice teachers learning to teach reading using one-to-one tutoring: does learning ‘stick’ for tutees and tutors?
Full text linkTeaching reading is a key element of initial teacher education programmes in England. This study contributes to the research about the most effective way to ensure preservice teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to teach reading. One-to-one reading tutoring of children has been demonstrated to have some positive effects on preservice teacher learning, but often the impact on the child of these teacher education initiatives is not considered. This study used a mixed methods, quasi-experimental design to investigate the impact on children’s (n=205) reading of a one-to-one tutoring programme and the impact on the preservice teachers (n=75) who implemented the tutoring as part of their teacher education programme. The study investigated if gains made by children were greater than if they had maintained ‘business as usual’ adaptive classroom teaching and if there was impact on learning beyond the end of the tutoring programme for children and preservice teachers. Results show that the intervention children made statistically significant gains compared to the comparator group (n=44) however, the maintenance of gains for children was not consistent across the treatment group. However, most preservice teachers maintained their skills and knowledge six months following the end of the tutoring
What mentors do and why relationships matter: Perceptions of effective mentoring practices
Full text linkIn our research project, Mentoring in Initial Teacher Education, we have explored what mentors actually do to help student teachers learn to teach. In this paper, we share key literature on mentoring practices that helped us design mentor and student teacher questionnaires to identify which practices were perceived to be most effective. These include mentoring practices ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of teaching. Inside practices allow student teachers to learn from mentors whilst they are teaching, for example through live coaching and co-teaching. Practices outside of teaching include co-planning and giving feedback. Our analysis of the questionnaire data, together with mentor interviews, revealed that both mentors and student teachers believed that a wide range of practices were effective (to varying degrees). We focus in on three practices: observing experts, co-planning and co-teaching, and giving feedback, and share findings about how mentors optimise the effectiveness of each practice. We identify practice-specific and overarching features, concluding that relationships between mentors and mentees underpin effective decision-making, and enable mentors to adapt their approach to meet the needs of mentees. Our research led us to develop an online mentor toolkit to help mentors develop and refine their repertoire of practices
Writing Reflectively in Initial Teacher Education: Laying Foundations for Career-long Professional Learning
Full text linkReflective practice is a hallmark of many teacher education programmes and a means of moving students from novice to competent status. Reflection can support practical understanding of the out-workings of theory but can also contribute towards the development of the individual teacher’s professional identity. To help support beginning teachers through the often complex and difficult transition from student to practitioner, this study aimed to explore the benefits and challenges faced by beginning teachers in learning to become insightful thinkers and reflective writers. An interpretative, qualitative approach, utilising focus groups, individual semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis in the form of reflective portfolios was employed. Results showed that it was only when students began to think strategically and to systematically document their personal discoveries about teaching, that they were able to appreciate the power of reflective writing as a meaningful endeavour. Collaborating with university tutors and host teachers also helped deepen their understanding of the complicated and nuanced nature of pursuing their unique learning pathways. Going forward, more explicit conversations around meaning and purpose, additional modelling and guided practice around the process of reflective writing are suggested
The impact of Project-Based Learning on the development of Transversal Skills: A case study approach
Full text linkThe aim of this study is to contribute to the ongoing discourse relating to the value and assessment of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and transversal skills, with relevance to regional and national education policy-making and practice. In September 2021, 1670 students and 150 tutors participated in an evaluation of a PBL experience at South Eastern Regional College (SERC), Northern Ireland. The impact of the PBL experience was measured by the development of transversal skills. Research instruments comprised three focus groups for students, two focus groups for staff, and surveys of all participants. Results indicate very strong progression of transversal skills across all defined categories, and that this progression is specifically attributable to the PBL experience. Student survey results showed that as a direct result of the PBL experience, 19% of students intended to start a business, which compares to the average rate for total early-stage entrepreneurship of 6.5% in Northern Ireland. Staff survey results showed significantly increased enjoyment of teaching and improved efficacy of student learning. Further conclusions and recommendations are additionally identified
Inclusive pedagogical and assessment practices for visually impaired students: Shifting from a deficit to an asset based approach
Full text linkThis paper examines inclusive pedagogical and assessment practices for visually impaired students, advocating a shift from a deficit to an asset-based approach. Through narrative inquiry and literature analysis, the barriers faced by students with visual disabilities and lecturers, as well as implementation challenges and emerging best practices in South African higher education institutions, are explored. Despite progressive policy frameworks, significant gaps exist between policy intentions and classroom realities, leaving students and lecturers marginalised, with staff often feeling overwhelmed and incapacitated, and students feeling vulnerable, excluded, and disempowered in the educational process. The research reveals how traditional deficit-focused accommodations have inadvertently reinforced exclusion rather than promoting inclusion. Calling for an asset-based humanised approach that recognises students with visual disabilities as valuable contributors to educational environments rather than ‘problems requiring fixing’. This transformative approach necessitates reimagining pedagogical practices, assessment methods, and institutional support systems to harness technological innovations while centring visually impaired students’ diverse capabilities and knowledge contributions