Teachers and school-based research
May 2003
Introduction
Why and how do teachers engage in and with research?
To read a one-page summary of this RoM, go to the overview.
Teacher engagement in and with research is a cornerstone of the GTC’s Teachers’ Professional Learning Framework (TPLF). In a recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) inspection of educational research and development (R and D) work in the UK, teacher engagement in and with research was highlighted as a strong feature of UK educational research. We have therefore decided to summarise one example of such work in this month’s RoM. Because teachers’ engagement in/with research involves a dynamic mixture of empirical enquiry, experimenting with new approaches and is often supplemented by peer observation and support, the work is not usually undertaken or reported in forms that are traditional for research. This month’s RoM explores how four quite different consortia of schools, funded by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) and the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) and working with LEA and university partners, blended research and professional development to make a difference to teachers and learners.
Each consortium of schools identified and developed a research and development focus relevant to its own needs: for example, thinking skills, mental mathematics, speaking and listening, and student disaffection. The consortium reports provide a detailed description of teacher engagement in and with research. The experiences of teachers, pupils and others involved in the initiative offer insights into key aspects of the processes. This summary highlights the benefits of this activity for the teachers, their schools and their pupils.
The initiative created a springboard for further research related activities from which teachers are now benefiting, including Best Practice Research Scholarships and the newly emerging Networked Learning Communities, which involve groups of schools working together.
We believe this work is particularly significant in a climate where (i) teachers’ professional development is increasingly on the agenda as a lever for school improvement; (ii) educationists are acquiring a better understanding of the challenges – and opportunities – of ‘evidence-informed practice’.
We would love to hear from any teachers engaged in/with research themselves, whether as part of a higher degree or as part of a school improvement team approach – do tell us about your work.
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