Title: Researching Networks in Education
1Researching Networks in Education
- Symposium for Annual Conference of British
Educational Research Association - University of Glamorgan
- 16 September 2005
2Practitioner learning, enquiry and research
- Colleen McLaughlin, Kristine Black Hawkins and
Andrew Townsend - University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
- BERA Glamorgan September 16th, 2005
3Research undertaken
- Research questions from Networked Learning
Communities research strands - 25. How are practitioner research and enquiry
developed and sustained in networked learning
communities? - 27 How do networked learning communities support
schools to learn from research and evidence? - 28 Are there particular kinds of learning process
that are more likely to occur through
school-school connections?
4Our specific questions were
- 1. What is understood by research and enquiry?
- by different people who engage in this activity
- What do people chose to do as research and
enquiry? - And why do they do it purposes?
- 2. What is the impact or effect of research and
enquiry on a school? - How does it benefit a school or schools?
- And, how is it understood by those engaging in
and promoting research and enquiry? - 3. What sustains the effective use of research
and enquiry in schools? What are the implications
for sustainability and organisational redesign at
the following levels- - The organisational level
- The leadership level
- The level of external support e.g. relationships
between schools and other organisations such as
LEAs, universities, national government bodies
and other professionally related organisations?
5Research strategy
- Review of the literature on teachers, schools and
networks and research and enquiry - 2004 - Case studies of 6 Networked Learning Communities
- 2005 - Special schools Primary schools
- Secondary schools Rural and urban schools
- A geographical spread in the country
- A spread in terms of school characteristics
- A range of experience and stage of development in
terms of working in this field of practitioner
research and enquiry - Questionnaires to all staff in those schools -
approx. 651 returned
6Overview of this presentation
- What R and E occurred and what influenced it?
- How was it conceived and the emergent issues?
- The impact of undertaking research and enquiry
- Sustaining and developing research and enquiry
and the emergent issues - Implications for organisations and networks
7What Research and Enquiry occurred and what
influenced it?
- Did occur in every context we examined
- Mirrored the purposes and context
- EAZ, Subject area, challenging circumstances
- Conceptions often mirrored external pressures and
external models of R and E - Room for manoeuvre dependent on external and
particular contexts of networks - limits to risk
taking and networking? - Different emphases at different levels within the
network or system
8How was it conceived and the emergent issues?
- Wide ranging definitions that encompassed and
included classroom, school improvement and
professional learning. - Conceptions emphasised
- Professional learning through collaborative
problem solving and knowledge sharing - Reflection on practice and sharing of that
reflection - A process of improvement focused on teaching and
learning - A process of refining developing and changing
practice - action research - A process of professional development and
refreshment - professional dialogue - A process of enquiry that relies on the use of
and collection of evidence in a systematic way
9Issues of definition or conception
- This blurring of boundaries had assets and
drawbacks - Encouraged experimentation and involvement
- Lack of clarity about outcomes or the basis for
judging the claims made - Hargreaves 1999 noted that 2 most challenging
aspects of knowledge creating schools were the
issues of validation and dissemination - our
research supports that - Pressure to adhere to conventional ways of
conducting and disseminating R and E - Need to refine, develop and articulate the
distinctions and implications of the differences.
10The three fields of knowledge
- Concept widely used in the networks
- What is known- knowledge from theory, research
and best practice - What we know- practitioner knowledge
- New knowledge - created through collaborative
work - Very limited evidence of the use of current
knowledge - Practitioners -serious issues re the
availability, accessibility, use and form of
wider educational research - how to take up this
challenge without dumbing down. Has
implications for support of networks and
teachers. - Engaging in research enhances the use of others
research and deepens involvement and motivation. - Polarities and mediation between the different
fields of knowledge.
11The impact on practitioners, schools and networks
- Reported considerable and powerful impact on
practitioners - Sense of professionalism, professional learning
and professional development. Most effective
form of staff development - Refreshment and retention
- Lessening isolation
- Collaboration seemed to be the most important
factor in many cases. Range of forms of
collaboration. - Impact on school policy where focus is clear and
routes to implementation planned and clear e.g.
subject areas in secondary schools and shared
agendas in primary e.g. KS1 or 2 - Takes longer than expected
12Sustaining and developing research and enquiry
and the emergent issues
- Alignment a key concept.
- Need to develop mechanisms and thinking re
sustainability - Mediator or external agent crucial - image of
bridge - Need for technical, professional and personal
support - group dynamics key - Manageability - a key concept
- Dissemination - a key challenge
- Capacity and conditional change connected
13Alignment
- A professional realm is healthiest when the
values of the culture are in line with those of
the domain, when the expectations of stakeholders
match those of the field and when domain and
field are themselves in sync. When these
conditions exist, individual practitioners are
free to operate at their best, morale is high and
the professional realm flourishes. We term this a
situation of authentic alignment. - Gardner, Csikszentmihalyi and Damon, 2001 27
14Implications for organisations and networks
- The notion of the self-facilitating network free
of external support and resources is a myth - The development of research, enquiry and
collaboration is powerful lever and will involve
re-examining structures and organisation in order
to facilitate the work if it is to endure - Building on commonality
15References
- Gardner, H., Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Damon, W.
2001 Good Work when excellence and ethics
meet. New York Basic Books. - Hargreaves, D. 1999 'The Knowledge Creating
School'. British Journal of Educational Studies,
Vol. 47, no 2, pp.122-144 - National College of School Leadership 2005
Networked Learning Communities learning about
learning networks. Cranfield, NCSL.
16New Spaces for Dialogue? What are adults learning
about pupil involvement and participation in
Networked Learning Communities?
Dr. Jane McGregor
17Networked Learning Communities
Networked Learning Communities (NLCs) programme -
largest research development project of the
National College of School Leadership (NCSL) in
England Aims to bring together clusters of
schools with partners to develop good network
forums, learn about networked learning and
influence the wider education system
18NLCs
- 135 networks collaborating across England,
possibly the largest such initiative in the
world - Approximately 1,500 schools,25,000 staff and over
500,000 pupils. - Represents 5 of schools in the country
- Based around principles of collaborative enquiry
joint practice development to support networked
learning
19Pupil involvementin NLCs
- 41 (cohort 1) NLCs identified pupil voice as a
strong feature of networked learning development,
eg through - Pupil perception questionnaires
- Pupil voice conferences direct feedback on
teaching learning - Pupil intervisitations and Learning Walks
- Students as Researchers and co-researchers
20NCSL cross-phase PupilInvolvement
Conference,Nottingham 2005
21Fieldings typology ofpupil involvement
22NLC National Conference,Birmingham, June 2005
23Gap Year consultants
24(No Transcript)
25What makes us Think First Schools?
Pupil involvement in Think First questions,
processes and outcomes
- SC developed a 3 minute video of their school
Video shown within their school
8 videos shown at Pupil Conference and debated
What is the same and what is different?
What is good learning in a TF School?
Diamond nine developed by staff
Council chamber debate
SC lead diamond nine in their own schools
Protocols for Pupil Learning Walks developed
Pupils Question How do we use VAK in our
teaching and learning?
School Councils visit as VAK detectives and then
meet at second Pupil Conference
School Council feedback to their schools good
practice in VAK teaching and learning
26Think First Networked LearningCommunity Pupil
Involvementin Teaching and Learning
27Involving students innetwork development
28Shotgun Weddings, Arranged Marriages or Love
Matches? An Investigation of Networked
Learning Communities and Higher Education
Partnerships in England
- Anne Campbell
- Liverpool Hope University
- Iris Keating
- MMU
29Networked Learning (NLCs) Communities and Higher
Education (HEIs) Links Project
- Funded by the National College for School
Leadership( NCSL) Networked Learning Group (NLG)
2004-05 - Aims were 3 fold
- To identify the range of NLC/HEI partnerships
- To explore how best practice in partnerships
could be shared more widely - To work in tandem with the NLG
30Methodology
- Eclectic, flexible approaches drawing on
qualitative and quantitative methods - An interrogation of the NCSL database to discover
existing and planned relationships - Classification of links
- Questionnaire to explore the nature of identified
relationships - Interviews with a small sample of different
relationships
31Thinking About Linking Modes of Collaboration
- Each NLC/HEI link is unique- no rigid conceptual
framework possible - 2 dimensional graph degree of involvement
- (continuum) and model of collaboration
- Control, Trust and Power issues
- Geographical perspectives
323 Models
- The action research model
- The customised CPD model
- The special purposes model
- Issues of overlap
33General Factors influencing Collaboration
- Only a minority of NLCs have engaged in
collaborative work with HEIs - ITT and NQT links play a small part in links
- CPD and research are at the interface of links
- Personal contact or personal initiative are
frequent - A perceived requirement to link alienated some,
prompted others into shotgun marriages with
some quickie divorces- or longer arranged
marriages and some lucky love matches
34General Factors continued
- 70 of NLCs linked on paper only
- The theme of personality remained dominant
- Geography had a role to play
- Structures, money, and funding issues
- Mutual perceptions and the advent of the new
CPD - Action Research
35What should Key Players do to bring about more
effective collaboration?
- HEIs should consider- structures, flexibility,
research agendas, clarity re benefits, financial
issues, bartering re ITT and exchange of
teacher-tutor expertise - NLCs should consider what they want from external
expertise re action research, evaluation,
critical friendship - NLG should consider- avoiding prescription,
publicising good practice, national conferences,
DVDs and videos, journal and a code of practice
for collaboration - HE needs to be part of the learning community
36Further information
- Full report will be available from NLG
- Planned tool for dissemination
- Case studies, major, mini and micro available
- Campbea_at_hope.ac.uk