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Whoa, this is massive, this is huge:leading the inquiry-focused primary school

A critical examination of Senior Leaders’ experiences of introducing and leading inquiry from an East Midlands Primary School under Special Measures

Dr Val Poultney: Academic Mr Jon Fordham: Headteacher

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• This primary school was under Special Measures, now has Academy status and looking to improve school outcomes; it requires strong leadership.

• Teaching and learning is slowly improving, but teachers are largely disenfranchised when it comes to being creative in their practice.

• Local HEI is investing in ITE partnership and research into evidenced-based practice, Head and HEI representative plan a pilot year to trial inquiry.

• The outcomes of this pilot are being fed to the Derby Teaching School Alliance and to other Derby primary schools.

This is what we discovered...

Background to the study

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Aims and design of the pilot study

Aims:1. How to introduce inquiry (role of Head and HEI)2. How to lead inquiry (by whom, how and when)3. How to sustain inquiry (what support is needed)4. What lessons did the school and academy learn?Pilot DesignA sequential mixed methods study which was addressing questions about how the leadership team experienced and evaluated the impact of using inquiry as a means of improving their pedagogy. The Head and three senior teachers formed the sample for this pilot phase.

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Introducing inquiry to teachers: ‘turning initiatives into inquiry’

HEI meets with Head

HEI-led workshop with teachers

Head’s inquiry role-modelled & evaluated with HEI and staff

SLT x 3 inquiries based on Peer Review (Austin’s Butterfly) Mastery & Transition

Inquiry outcomes disseminated, evaluated and made available school-wide

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The questionnaire: what do SLT already understand about inquiry?

Understanding of how inquiry promotes:Unsure about:

• Who to ask when I need support for my inquiry

• Finding a clear focus and questions for my inquiry

• Ensuring I work ethically • Making sense of the evidence I

collect

• Networking opportunities in school & wider

• Engaging children in learning• Providing a link with planning and

performance• Wider knowledge of inquiry, not just

accredited courses (Masters)• Link with part of school evaluation

procedures• A positive understanding of teaching• Dialogue with my colleagues about

teaching• My career opportunities

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Introducing inquiry: Head as role-model

• With HEI support, the ‘DIRT’ inquiry is run.

• Analysis and evaluation of data is supported by HEI.

• Outcomes are disseminated to staff at staff meetings

• Assistant Heads are encouraged to undertake their own inquiries: one is focused on Peer Critique, the second on Mastery and the third on Transition from Foundation to Year 1.

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Headteacher as advocate and role model for inquiry.

Methodology: Teacher and pupil questionnaires

Children’s Reflections on Previous Learning

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Relationship between HEI, School leaders and teachers

HEI Academic

TeachersHead and SLTLearning opportunities

Role modelling

opportunitiesProfessi

onal

development

opportunities

Inquiry opportunities

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Inquiry as an opportunity to develop my professional practice

Questionnaire item Mean score (n=4)

Interviewees completing the questionnaire (n= 4)

I think networking with other inquirers internally and externally would be a valuable experience for me

4.0 Not doing (inquiry) in isolation...it has been a nice way to build relationships with some of my staff...some are hard to reach...but they needed me for certain things...(H)

I see inquiry as a normal part of my professional practice

3.75 In a way inquiry, when I trained, was part of reflective teaching, new ideas from magazines or discussions were used and then reflected upon to see how well it had gone (J).

SLT had to make sense of how inquiry would benefit their practice related to first, how they trained to be a teacher, and second, how it would help them reach and support other teaching staff. Inquiry has been a vehicle in sharing ‘what works’ to other staff and helping to forge better working relationships between members of SLT and teaching staff. Socially, inquiry has brought many teachers together across the Year groups. It has reduced the ‘distance’ between the school and HEI.

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School and University relationshipQuestionnaire item Mean

score (n=4)

Interviewees completing the questionnaire (n= 4)

I would welcome support in how to identify a clear and worthwhile focus/question for my inquiry

3.25 When you can in to talk to us I was a bit like woah!, this is massive, this is huge...then we discussed it a bit more...it was everyday things we do all the time...you don’t think of it in an inquiry way (S).

I would welcome support in ensuring I undertake my inquiry ethically/responsibly

3.00 You showed us how to do it (inquiry), it really helped us with the language to do inquiry, you gave us examples and that’s what’s helped to grip the staff (H).

The initial workshop with SLT and staff was a bridge too far. Many staff felt daunted and lacking direction. There was too much theory. The use of initiatives such as ‘Peer Critique’ from the Head has provided context and with support for the focus for the inquiry SLT have been able to role model to other staff the outcomes of their work. Such examples establish professional credibility and empower staff to have confidence in this work. It helps SLT & teachers to be leaders of learning: development of Professional Learning Community

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Draft

Re-Draft

Peer Critique: Foundation Stage 2

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Peer Critique: Key Stage 1

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Peer Critique: Key Stage 2

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Improved Writing through Peer Critique Key Stage 2

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Critique responses Peer Review: Year 6

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Accessing Inquiry Knowledge Questionnaire item Mean score

(n=4)Interviewees completing the questionnaire (n= 4)

I struggle to understand what inquiry would look like in my classroom context

1.25 Jon had come back from another school and peer-critique was on the hand-outs so we decided we could use it in Year 6 – it helped to adapt our practice and take it to the next step (J)

Inquiry should only be part of a validated course, such as Masters’ study

1.0 You qualify don’t you and then come into the job and suddenly someone says inquiry and you go back to uni days and big dissertations... you start to panic... whereas it’s just part of practice (S)

SLT had in part rejected theory as something carried out when training in the University. A focus on inquiry had made them focus on their existing approach to practice and enabled them to reflect and make changes to pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. The overriding factor was fear of engaging with the language of research instead of making the link between theory and practice.

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Early stages of inquiry dissemination by staff located outside staff room

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Model of knowledge, practice and inquiry for the Reflective Practitioner

Explicit knowledge for practice (critical

evaluation)

Tacit knowledge in practice (theory in practice)

Explicit knowledge

about practice (data collection)

Explicit knowledge about inquiry...links to knowledge sharing

New practice Sense

making

Inquiry questions

12

3

45

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Outcomes of the pilot phase: a typology of professionally constructed knowledge for learning-centred leadership

SLT leading inquiry as:

•Boundary-crossers•Collaborators•Coaches•Inquiry advocates•Disseminators•Change agents•Role models•Inquiry supporters•Knowledge producers•Instructional leaders•Research evangelists•Initiative Hunter-gatherers•Networkers

Teachers leading inquiry as:

•Boundary crossers•Collaborators•Coaches•Inquiry advocates•Disseminators•Leaders of learning•Activists•Sense-makers•Knowledge producers•Researchers•Space-makers•Networkers

HEI academics: leading inquiry as:

•Catalysts for inquiry•Collaborators•Coaches•Inquiry advocates •Disseminators•Translators of theory to practice•Researchers•Partnership builders•Research evangelists•Developers of critical epistemological base for practice•Mentors•Partnership builders

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Conclusions and some supporting direction from the literatureNext steps:• The outcomes of this pilot are to be evaluated with leaders and teachers from this school in the

next few days. • Development of an approach/model of introducing, sustaining and supporting inquiry.• Dissemination to wider audiences including Derby and Northampton TSAs

For the school:• The notion of the ‘good enough school’ (James and Oplatkas, 2015)• Development of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) (Harris, 2014)• Development of learning culture linked to teacher identity and building teacher confidence.• Teacher-leaders working on the ‘interstices’ between classroom, whole school and academy

(Broadhead 2010).• Teacher-leaders working as agents to change the symbolism of pedagogy throughout the school

(Menter and Hulme, 2010).• Opening up of the ‘third space’ (Bhabah, 1994), moving teacher mind-sets.

For the Academy:• Transforming practitioners’ problem-based ‘answerism’ approach into powerful knowledge (Orland-

Barak (2009) • ITE trainees can see inquiry ‘in action’ making their research theory come to life. Messages for HEI

about how to teach research skills.• How to introduce, sustain and improve inquiry capacity in partnership schools and within the

institution: at the personal and professional level (Hargreaves and Fullan, 2012)

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ReferencesBhabha, H. K. (1994) The Location of Culture. New York: Routledge.

Broadhead, P. (2010) ‘Insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ researching together to create new understandings and to shape policy and practice: is it all possible?’ In Anne Campbell and Susan Groundwater-Smith (Eds.) Connecting Inquiry and Professional Learning in Education: International perspectives and practical solutions. London and New York: Routledge.

Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M. (2012) Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York, London: Teachers’ College Press.

Harris, A. (2014) Distributed Leadership Matters: Perspectives, Practicalities, and Potential. London, New Delhi, Singapore: Corwin: Sage.

James, C. and Oplatka, I. (2015) ‘An exploration of the notion of the ‘good enough school’. Management in Education, 29 (2) 77-82.

McIntyre, J. and Hobson, J. (2015) ‘Supporting beginner teacher identity development: external mentors and the third space’. Research Papers in Education, DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2015.1015438

Menter, I. and Hulme, M. (2010) Teacher researchers in the UK: what are their needs? In Anne Campbell and Susan Groundwater-Smith (Eds.) Connecting Inquiry and Professional Learning in Education: International perspectives and practical solutions. London and New York: Routledge.

Orland-Barak, L. (2009) ‘Unpacking variety in practitioner inquiry on teaching and teacher education’. Educational Action Research, 17 (1) 111-119.

Postholm, M. B. ‘Research and development work: developing teachers as researchers or just teachers?’ Educational Action Research, 17 (1) 111-119;