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