University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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More than just a quiz - how Kahoot! can help trainee teachers understand the learning process
Get PDFThis paper evaluates the findings of a small-scale research project into how trainee teachers can use Kahoot! to help them reflect on the learning process. Kahoot! is an online collaborative learning platform - a game-based student response system (GSRS), which was launched in 2012. It is frequently used as a quiz by experienced and trainee teachers. These quizzes are frequently focused on recall and low order thinking. This paper aims to explore how teachers can design Kahoot! quizzes in a way that enables them to better understand the links between educational technologies and learning. A complementary element to the research assessed the effectiveness of Kahoot! as an example of using edtech to gather formative data and also develop their learners’ own questioning techniques. Through questionnaires, focus groups, individual interviews and Kahoot! surveys, this paper gained an insight into future areas that may be worthy of pursuit
A multinational perspective on aspects of schooling to which Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) could contribute
Get PDFThe purpose of this grounded approach study is to provide answers to the research question ‘what aspect(s) of schooling could newly qualified teachers contribute to, and why?’ Via emails, 22 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) from 10 countries provided answers to the research question. The analysis of the data revealed that NQTs thought attributional, informational and skill and ability based contributions and associated actions and activities could be made to various aspects of schooling. I define attributional contributions as actions and activities in which NQTs engage which are the results of personal qualities/attributes they possess, informational contributions as facts which NQTs share and gain via experience and/or initial teacher education and training, and skill and ability based contributions as school-based activities in which NQTs engage based on personal skills, abilities and interests. Examples of implications of the findings for policy and practice include schools’ leadership teams re-examining their views on the use of NQTs and the need to reduce negative human dynamics which prevent NQTs from being recognised and used
Students’ informal peer feedback networks
Get PDFThe nature and significance of students’ informal peer feedback networks is an under-explored area. This paper offers the findings of a longitudinal investigation of the informal peer feedback networks of a cohort of student teachers [n=105] across the three years of a UK primary education degree programme. It tracked the dynamic nature of these networks through the use of Social Network Analysis and gained qualitative insights into the significance of informal peer feedback through diaries and interviews of a smaller student group [n=12].
The research found that students were actively engaged in informal peer feedback networks from their first year of study. Where some students found strength within feedback ‘cliques’, others preferred the fluidity of relationships that were based upon identified needs and changing circumstances. The inter-connections between students’ personal (ego) networks offered access to information flow across and beyond the cohort. Identified levels of informal peer feedback ranged from proof-reading aspects of assignment completion to the development of conceptual understanding that drew upon shared analysis of tutor feedback, assignment briefs and assessment criteria. While aspects of informal peer feedback built upon examples from tutor-led scenarios, trust and reciprocity were fundamental to the success of these informal peer feedback relationships
Defining Practice: Exploring the meaning of practice in the process of learning to teach
Get PDFThis paper explores the meaning of practice in relation to learning to teach. There are many different definitions of practice and it is intended that by reflecting on these teacher educators can come some way to defining what practice means for beginning teachers and in their programmes. Differing definitions of practice in relation to learning to teach are discussed, namely, practice as distinct from theory; practise as a verb; core and high leverage practices and practice as a social construct. Drawing on a range of published research from both the UK and the US, the paper seeks to make delineations between the differing definitions and draws a distinction between teacher training and teacher education. Finally, it is suggested that it is the transformative and inherently social definition of practice that is most helpful and productive for teacher educators, policy makers and beginning teachers in the development of resilient and adaptive teaching professionals
‘I came out feeling scared and pressured, and just like a number\u27: undergraduate Education Studies students\u27 perceptions of postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) routes and selection processes for 2016-17
Get PDFThis paper reports on one phase of a research project examining the National College of Teaching and Leadership’s (NCTL) revised methodology for the allocation of postgraduate ITE places for the 2016-17 academic year. The paper’s focus is the often-neglected voices of applicants as they negotiated this process, for whom this revised methodology ‘pilot’ year was their first and potentially only engagement with the ITE recruitment system, and doing so often represented a significant personal milestone on a life-long journey towards a career in the classroom. In all, 21 participants from a large Undergraduate Education Studies degree took part in focus groups or interviews during May and June 2016 about their experiences of applying and interviewing for a range of ITE routes and providers. The findings indicate the significance of (assumed) differences between University-based and School-based routes in shaping applicants’ perceptions of their experiences; the impact of the frenetic atmosphere generated by the ‘race’ to secure a place during this recruitment cycle; and applicants’ varied responses to providers’ tactics and reported ‘gaming’ of the system. Implications and recommendations for ITE providers are made, set briefly in the context of the ‘teacher recruitment crisis’ and the direction of travel for ITE provision
The impact of a coaching project on the resilience of Newly Qualified Teachers
Get PDFConcerns over teacher retention and resilience led to a coaching project designed to support and nurture a group of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in a University school partnership. Research interviews were conducted with the group to ascertain the issues that they had faced during the year and impact of the coaching experience. The NQTs reported familiar stresses related to workload, pupil behaviour and in some cases a lack of support from the schools that they worked in. The coaching had, to varying degrees, acted as a protector where the NQTs felt that they could ‘let off steam’ in an environment that was less judgemental as the coaches were removed from school organisations. This allowed the NQTs to recalibrate and be reminded of the bigger picture of why they came into teaching. They were then in a position to develop their practice. Recommendations are made that coaching can be an important part of professional development in rather low stakes environments that can have valuable returns for those concerned and that this should be considered at a time when the Government in England is reviewing the process of awarding Qualified Teacher Status
Developing 5-6 Year olds’ Social Competence using Concept Cartoons: A Neurocognitive Approach
Get PDFEffective social skills training in schools primarily focuses on teachers having training or researchers implementing the selected programme (Bianco & Leece, 2016; Ratkalkar et al., 2017), potentially disrupting the academic curriculum due to inconsistent teaching styles (Uibu & Kikas, 2012). The present study utilises Concept Cartoons in Year 1 primary Science lessons, delivered by the classroom teacher, with no training, to develop social competence in 5-6-year-old children within a low-socioeconomic status school. This study utilises and synthesises pedagogical theory and neurocognitive evidence to establish a neurocognitive network which describes peer-peer interaction who engages within argumentation, leading to cognitive conflict. Two Year 1 teachers and 56 children took part in a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test mixed methods design. Both teachers were interviewed at pre-test and the experimental teaching participant was interviewed at post-test. All 56 children were rated on the Social Competence Rating Questionnaire (SCRQ; Liddle & Nettle, 2006) at pre-test and post-test. Sensitivity and control elements of social competence were found to be significant in favour the experimental group at post-test along with an improvement among all means. Findings also revealed teachers need no training with Concept Cartoons to effectively develop social competence in 5-6-year-olds as well as a strong development of SEN pupil engagement. Future research would benefit the exploration of Concept Cartoon use and Theory of Mind (ToM) development and the effects of Concept Cartoons on children with SEN.  
Minute by Minute: Building Student-Teacher Relationships in Initial Teacher Education
Get PDFIn their training, student teachers are introduced to the effectiveness of formative assessment, which relies on the teacher having in-depth understanding of their learners. Ironically, this personal understanding is not always modelled in university sessions; with tutors struggling to learn the names, let alone the individual needs of their learners. In this action research project, an inductive approach was used to evaluate the development of student-teacher relationships through written dialogue, building on research on the ‘one-minute paper’. The teacher completed a reflective diary throughout the project and the students’ views on the value of written dialogues were collected by means of a questionnaire. Students were positive about the benefits of using ‘one-minute papers’, and content analysis of the questionnaire responses drew out themes around personal student-teacher relationships and how these can support student learning. This paper concludes by discussing the importance of making learning explicit for student teachers and using teaching approaches that nurture student-teacher relationships (such as ‘one-minute papers’) to empower students to become partners in the business of learning
