excellent teaching through action research
TRANSCRIPT
Excellent Teaching: Action Research
Jo Leaver-Cole
@joleavercole
What and why?
• Start to design your own action research in ‘effective pedagogy’ in a specific area
• Identify ways to use reflective practice to inform your action research projects
• You will be able to lead and support action research projects for yourself and as a group
• You develop your own reflective practice as part of your everyday teaching and learning
What do you do?
• Choose a focus (sub-group & focus on either literacy or differentiation)
• Decide what you want to focus on within that broader area (e.g. improving students’ speaking/ listening/ vocabulary/engagement)
• Select how you will do this (e.g. observations, learning walks, interviews etc.)
• Agree when you will do this (at least first observation of each other)
• Identify what is effective for you• Identify what is effective for your students
It probably makes sense to start here so you’re committing to improving your practice through action research and sharing your findings with others
How do you focus your ideas?
• What common themes can you identify?
• What impact do you want to see?
• How will you recognise this impact?
Breaking down what you’ll research
What do you want to try?
(intervention)
What change do you want to see?
(intended outcome)
Where you want to see the change?
(target group)
I want to try to improve students’
use of subject specific vocabulary
Students able to use subject specific vocab in verbal and
written answers
I want to see the change in my Set 4
class (Year 7)
E.g.
Designing your project
Who will you focus on? (students)
Who will you work with?(your triad)
How will you help each
other do the research and
collect evidence?
How will you involve
students in your
research?
How will you keep in touch
with each other?
How can you collect the evidence?
Ideas of ways to evidence your research…
• Focussed learning walks
• Student focus group
• Your own observations
• Observations by others in your group / student interviews
• Quantitative data (levels/grades)
• Student evaluation/reflection
• Lesson observation notes
• Audio recordings
• Filming
How can you collect the evidence?
• Student voice – interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, feedback forms, post it notes
• Lesson observations – formative of teaching interventions (possibly using prompt sheets in the pack)
• Parent/carer voice/observations
• Work scrutiny
• Quantitative data (levels, test scores etc.)
• Peer coaching conversations
• General group ideas and discussions
• Lesson plans
• Annotated photographs
The Process
1. Enquiry question
2. Rationale (changes you want to see and where you want to
see them)
3. Research
4.Methods (how you’ll check for
impact – what do you expect to see?)
5. Trying it!With…When…Where…
6. Collecting the evidence
7. Noting/evidencing any changes (positive
or negative)
8. Looking for patterns/connections
9. Sharing with others
So…
• You now know more about ****
• You are now keen to find out more about ****
• You are ready to decide what you will do next
• And how you will do it…
• And when you will do it…
• And who you’ll do it with…
• And you are clear on knowing how success will look, sound and feel like
Developmental & leadership Questions
• What evidence do I have?Documenting findings and processes
• What patterns and connections can I make?Recognising impact
• How will I build and develop this?Next steps
• How will I share this?Sharing
• How will I lead others in this?Coaching others, development opportunities and tools
Personal Planning Sheet
• This is in your pack and is to help you with your planning.
• It shouldn’t be onerous!
• Key: watch, reflect and share