University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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Investigating Current Practice: How are Year 2 pupils’ reactions to stories about children with ADHD influenced by the featured teachers’ response to symptoms?
Get PDFThis research project, conducted in a Primary School within Essex, explores the influence of teacher actions, in response to the symptoms associated with ADHD in the classroom, upon the reactions of young children towards individuals with ADHD. In this small-scale study of 24 children in Year 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted in groups of 4 on their responses to the children featured in two vignettes. The two vignettes included the identical symptoms of ADHD as the behaviours of the featured child, but varied in the teacher’s response to these symptoms. This allowed the comparison of responses during analysis in attempts to give insight into the social experiences of pupils with ADHD in the classroom and the possible influence of teaching practitioners upon these experiences
Deliberative Inquiry, Criminal Justice, and Vulnerability
Get PDFThis paper discusses the project and encounter phases of Rowan (1981) dialectic research cycle in the use of Deliberative Inquiry (DI). The method was chosen to examine further the area of Vulnerable and Intimidated witnesses and follows from previous research and literature reviews (Ewin, 2015; Ewin 2016). The central tenet was to create a more in depth analysis in doing research \u27with people\u27 instead of offering access to it via the inclusion of their response to data. The participants were a mixture of Detectives, Police Constables, victim advocates and specialists within the management or research of vulnerable populations. Three DI sessions were held to discuss the identification of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses and the process of being a witness in a criminal trial. The methodology was found to be both positive for the co-researching participant, offering an open exchange of knowledge between researcher and practitioner, and generating empirical discussion. There are however limitations that were drawn into sharp focus in an operational Policing environment; in particular, the demand on co-researchers to commit to higher priority, sporadic incidents, impacts on the time available. The method might be most valuable in conjunction with other data collection techniques, quantitative methods, and after an informed literature review has taken place. DI could be used within the framework of evidence based Policing to help integrate research into practice through the use of ‘action’ initiators or groups, using a combination of the dialectic research cycle and other qualitative methods to make a purposeful and informed research project or evaluation (Rowan, 1981; Heron, 1996; Reason, 1988)
Balancing academic gatekeeping and interpersonal positioning: A qualitative analysis of written feedback to undergraduate students
Get PDFThis article will discuss the findings from a qualitative analysis of 136 pieces of written feedback on summative student assessments. The assessment and feedback mechanisms vary in format, and the sample covered all three levels of an undergraduate programme (four courses) in one case department. This article will evidence linguistic variations in written feedback which signify an unequal discursive relationship between the marker and student. This variation is likely to contribute to issues in feedback clarity and consistency. Tensions amid the language used reflect academic gatekeeping, and the interpersonal aspect of feedback, will be discussed with reference to notions of \u27linguistic capital\u27. Assisting students in the interpretation of written feedback, and encouraging alternative forms of feedback to enhance staff-student dialogue will be suggested as recommendations
Lesson observation and feedback in relation to the developing identity of student teachers
Get PDFThe paper shares selected findings from a small scale qualitative research project in to pre-service student teachers’ perceptions of lesson observation and feedback in relation to their developing identities as teachers. It focused on observation and feedback processes; including action planning as an integral element linked to the post-compulsory sector professional standards (Education and Training Foundation (ETF) 2014), as they occurred on a PGCE in PCE programme; a one year full time postgraduate certificate in post-compulsory education course at a university. The research approach saw interactions between the researchers and the student-teachers at various stages of their development. In Semester One, individual pen portraits and focus group contributions reflected early perceptions of their development from student-teacher to teacher. In Semester Two, all students were asked to reflect back on their individual data sets and the researchers’ analyses and interpretations in a semi-structured interview. Student teachers referred to the ways in which they were actively developing and sustaining effective relationships with their students. They explored their sense of developing an identity as teacher and that included reference to the policies and practices of the contexts in which they were placed; such as a recognition of lesson observation as a performance. It included learning from experienced teachers (related to a community of practice model). The researchers also looked at how student teachers invited and/ or commented on their own development with a few explicitly asking questions of their observer in a peer- colleague observation feedback dialogue. That suggested transitions towards ecological learning systems in embodying an increasingly independent, multi-layered approach to own development.
Catching them early: Identifying potential early-career leavers
Get PDFThis article describes a small-scale quantitative study that explored levels of satisfaction within a sample of student teachers at two points in time. A first questionnaire was completed during students’ final year at an English university and comprised of questions relating to their satisfaction with school experience. A second was conducted mid-way through their subsequent Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year, asking similar questions to the first, but applicable to their NQT school. Data indicated that a notable proportion of NQTs had considered leaving the teaching profession since they had qualified. Significantly, it was possible to identify these individuals from the rest of the student cohort by examining their responses from the first questionnaire. This indicates that teachers in danger of leaving the teaching profession at an early stage in their post-qualification career could potentially be recognised during their university training. Finally, issues surrounding the overt labelling of students as being a ‘leaving risk’ are discussed
The Machine Society: The Current Situation for Arts in Education and the Wider Society
Get PDFThe Arts are marginalised in education because of a lack of fit with a dominant market-capitalist ideology, based around economic utility and measurement. To become acceptable, the Arts are using its values and language, so becoming part of the culture has seen the Arts as having little worth. Rather than being an opportunity for individual and progressive change, the Arts become an agent of conformity.
Empowering Positive Partnerships: a review of the processes, benefits and challenges of a university and charity social and emotional learning partnership
Get PDF‘Working in partnership to transform society through education’ is the inspirational mission statement of our Faculty of Education. But what can and does ‘working in partnership’ mean in practice? This paper outlines a partnership development story with a charity and a university Faculty. There is limited research surrounding academic partnerships with social enterprises, although no shortage of claims to be ‘working in partnership’. This is a research informed review of a social and emotional learning partnership between the charity Family Links and Canterbury Christ Church University which we suggest has had a profound and positive impact on individuals and organisations. We draw on theory based partnership evaluation frameworks and partnership review data, including filmed interviews with project participants, training evaluations and action research case studies to tell this story and discuss the processes, benefits and challenges of our partnership. The impact of key actors’ personal responses to participation and subsequent empowerment as agents of change is highlighted. The active nurturing of emotional leaders and agreeing and reviewing protocols at all levels are key review recommendations. The complexity of measuring improved wellbeing outcomes for learning communities as a desired goal is also highlighted
Challenges to implementing a new technology in Teacher Education. Phase One: ‘meaningful’ digital reflections
Get PDFThis paper describes the challenges of introducing a digital tool to trainee teachers. A group of nineteen undergraduate students studying primary education and in their third year of a four year course was introduced to PebblePad5. PebblePad is an online tool which is not new in the world of ITE. However, the latest version has more useful features and is less ‘clunky’ than older versions. The students each had their own private account where eventually they would be expected to store all of their placement files, add multi-modal content and then choose to share some or all of this content publically or by personal invitation via email. One of the benefits for us as an ITE provider is that we can view our students’ files electronically and comment on them without necessarily making the one/two hour round trip to the placement school. Although students used some technology, this research shows that students need more training in using technology competently in the workplace setting. Phase One of the project was to encourage the students to write their reflections on placement digitally. It was hoped that the students would be enthusiastic about using PebblePad and I would see an improvement in the levels of engagement with the reflective process and thus, the quality of teaching and learning as a result of this. Data obtained from questionnaires and a focus group indicate that PebblePad was viewed as a useful tool, but training issues and time constraints of the project meant it was not as successful for this cohort as was hoped. This paper discusses the issues that arose and the plan to overcome these barriers in the next phase of the implementation of PebblePad
Mind the Gap: Encouraging boys to read
Get PDFThis paper begins by establishing the veracity of the perception that boys underperform relative to girls in literacy attainment. A discussion of the reasons for this disparity follows, considering biological and societal arguments. The paper goes on to discuss approaches that can combat these issues and improve outcomes for boys in literacy. It is argued that selecting texts and media which affirm male readers’ validity will increase investment from male learners. The paper concludes by commenting on the gender imbalance of the early years workforce, and its impact on the attainment of male learners
Providing parents with support on fractions through use of a Podcast
Get PDFResearch has shown that positive effect parental engagement has with children’s academic achievement. The main aim of this study was to create a resource (Appendices 1 and 2) which would enable parents to help their children with mathematics. It is based on the teaching of fractions at KS3, a topic which literature has shown to be very problematic for both children and adults. The research questions considered in this project were to measure the effectiveness of a podcast for teaching fractions to parents and to explore if parents would use this resource to help their children. The podcast lasting approximately 8-10 minutes guides busy parents through a step to step guide of fraction equivalence whilst incorporating some activities so that parent can test their knowledge. The feedback received from parents was very positive with all parents agreeing that the use of podcasts was an enjoyable, interactive method of learning which would provide them with more confidence when helping their children with Mathematics.