University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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Reflections of a Researcher Teacher
Get PDFIn this retrospective, autobiographical account, the author traces her career as a teacher, teacher educator and researcher, identifying critical incidents and key influences alongside changes in education and teacher education. The persistence of teacher and researcher identities, stemming from the early influence of Lawrence Stenhouse, is highlighted, as well as a continuing commitment to feminist research and innovative practice; but identity shifts and transitions are also prominent, according to personal and external contexts, policies and communities of practice.
The development of the M.A. (Hons) in Primary Education with Teaching Qualification
Get PDFThis paper outlines the development of an innovative teacher education programme, consisting of a four year master’s course in primary education with qualified teacher status at the University of Glasgow. The origins of the course and underpinning principles are explained, as well as its progress over the first six years, including successes and problems. It is argued that this programme, which combines in-depth curriculum study, first-hand research and intensive professional development through practical experience, meets the principles of Teachers for a New Era and the recommendations of the Donaldson Report, as well as preparing teachers to meet the demands of A Curriculum for Excellence.
Is technology and design an academic subject?
Get PDFThis study examines Technology and Design within the context of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. I consider whether or not it can be classified as an academic subject. It also refers to Design & Technology in the English National Curriculum (NC). I examine how the subject is reported to be perceived within the school environment, what academic and career avenues it is purported to open and what approach the government holds in terms of the wider contribution of the subject to industry. In conclusion I then present a number of deductions based on the research and in answer to the overall research question
What are our international students telling us? Further explorations of a formative feedback intervention, to support academic literacy
Get PDFThis study reports on a further iteration of an action research cycle, discussed in Burns and Foo (2012, 2013). It explores how formative feedback on academic literacy was used and acted upon, and if a Formative Feedback Intervention (FFI) increased the students’ confidence in future assignments. It also considers whether the assignment of a grade was beneficial. Students were asked to give written reflections using Gibbs reflective model (1988) and later via a semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews were also carried out to provide rich data. Findings suggest students are taking appropriate actions to close the gap (Sadler, 1989) in particular sharing with their peers. Feedback is reported to be an emotional experience; the grade assigned is highly valued and appears to be used for self-motivation. In addition, students raised the issue of the cultural adjustment they are making to bridge the gap between the teaching and learning of their home and new environment. Keywords Academic literacy; formative feedback; international students.
Using Narrative Research as a Method in Teacher Education; a Sociocultural Approach
Get PDFResearching the relationship between narrative and teacher development has become increasingly popular. A recent literature search by the author found over forty papers published since 2005 that explored the relationship between teacher development and narrative. Many of these papers offered no explicit theorisation of narrative and its relationship to individual agency or sociocultural structure. Where a theoretical paradigm was cited, it privileged agency over structure and viewed sociocultural context only as a constraining container. As a response to this deficiency, this paper reports on research that develops Wertsch’s sociocultural approach to narrative to research the ways that initial teacher education students’ narratives of classroom experience (and hence their experiential learning) are influenced by dominant narratives in their placement school. This is intended to provide a worked example of a narrative research approach that other teacher education researchers can use to understand the learning of their students. Keywords: narrative research; sociocultural theory; initial teacher education
Implementing a social networking platform as an educational tool in a UK secondary school: a case study
Get PDFThis paper presents a case study of the implementation of a social networking platform in a UK secondary school, its use by pupils and teachers, and identification of potential advantages and challenges as an educational tool. It is intended to be of interest to secondary schools regarding the implementation of a social networking platform for use in teaching and learning, as it provides recommendations based on the research carried out in the case study school. A social networking platform was used with groups of secondary school pupils and its use observed, pupils questioned and a sample of pupils and teachers interviewed regarding its use. Analysis of the findings resulted in the implications for the use of the social networking platform being identified. Benefits were found to outweigh difficulties and implications were useful to take the use of social networking forward within the school. Whilst the study is relevant to the school and of potential interest to other schools, and serves to widen understanding of how social networking might be used effectively within education, there is scope in future for a wider scale study to be made as generalisation is not made here. In particular, the study raises the need for schools to consider not just how a tool such as a social networking platform can be used within existing pedagogy, but how teaching and learning may need to be redesigned if the benefits are to be embraced but the disadvantages to be overcome
Understanding how students process and use feedback to support their learning
Get PDFThis paper presents the results of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at a UK university in which a sample of undergraduate students were asked to reflect on the (often subconscious) processes they use to engage with, act upon, store and recall feedback. Through the use of micro-blogging, weekly diaries and semi-structured interviews, the study found that students understand what feedback is and how it should be used. Students recognise the impact of technology in enhancing the feedback process, especially in supporting dialogue around feedback. However, the study highlighted that students often struggle to make connections between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and it is recommended that further investigation is required into how tutors construct the feedback given and how students deconstruct that feedback, along with the role that technology might play in enabling students to make sense of all feedback that they receive. Key words Feedback; student engagement; Technology; Research
Being-in-the-world-of-marking: New academics’ experiences of assessment & feedback
Get PDFFor a novice academic, the first experience of marking can be as memorable as preparing for and giving the first teaching session. Yet, while academic reflections and narratives abound for the latter, there is a paucity of literature regarding the former. This study begins to address this lack of literature through an exploration of six newly appointed academics’ experiences as they mark students’ coursework. The concept of being-in-the-world-of-marking demonstrates conceptually their experiences as they began to come to know themselves as markers and academics; not through the learning of facts about marking, but through their understanding and self-interpretation of their own and others’ marking practices. The experiences shared in this paper support and further develop previous research findings, highlighting a need for additional training, guidance and reinforcing the necessity to offer newly appointed academics formal and informal mentorship in the theory and practice of assessment. Keywords Transition; socialisation; newly appointed academics; assessment and feedback
