Working With Others Research

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Working With Others Research Education Unit

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SPRinG Social Pedagogic Research into
GroupworkEducation Research Centre, University
of Brighton

• Institute of Education, London Peter Blatchford
• Cambridge University Maurice Galton
• Brighton Project Team
• Peter Kutnick
• Lucia Berdondini
• Cathy Ota
• Jennifer Smith
• Linda Rice

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SPRinG - a social relational approach

• All children work in groups in classrooms
• Previous research indicates learning together can
  be effective if relationships are right
• Children seated in a group do not always
  co-operate
• Little training for effective groupwork
  children dont necessarily know how to work
  together

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Outline of research project

• Year 1
• Literature review / handbook
• Piloting handbook training with teachers
• Year 2
• Intervention programme with SPRinG classes
• Data collection
• Year 3-4
• Data collection from control classes
• Focus on whole school implementation,
• inclusion
• longitudinal classes

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A Collaboration to Develop Effective Groupwork
Skills

• training and sensitivity
• trust
• communication
• problem solving
• pre- and de-briefing
• open dialogue and conversation
• teacher as facilitator
• supervision and peer support
• individual observation and supervision at school
• throughout the project teachers met every 6
  weeks for one day and half day sessions of
  training, collaboration and peer supervision

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Previous Research supervising teachers

• Lewis, J. and Cowie, H. (1993)
• Berdondini, L. and Cowie, H. (2000)
• McKerrow, K. (1996)
• Rolheiser, C. and Stevahn, L. (1998)

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Working With OthersWorking With Teachers

• collaborative work with teachers and TAs
• enhancing professional development
• providing support and supervision
• creating groups of peer support among teachers,
  TAs and headteachers
• offering opportunities to reflect and extend
  professional practice

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peer and individual supervision for teachers and
teaching assistants

• therapeutic, non-judgemental, encourages teacher
  to
• focus on how they are feeling
• be a reflective practitioner
• develop confidence in using own judgement to work
  with relationships in classroom
• take risks

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Impact of supervision on teachers and TAs

• feel supported in their professional practice
• become more reflective on their work
• become more motivated and enthusiastic about
  their job
• have the chance to share experiences and
  reflections with other colleagues
• more aware of pupil needs

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Results teachers experiences

• initially (first 6 months)
• challenging, problem of finding time within
  curriculum, difficult to take risks with pupils,
  demands different kind of communication
• end of first year
• activities changed class ethos
• pre and debriefing still scary but more
  confidence
• addressing curriculum easier and richer (pupil
  skills and more use of groups)

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Results teachers experiences

• after 2-4 years
• talk in terms of feeling valued, accepted,
  greater job satisfaction
• after a long time Im remembering why I wanted
  to be a teacher
• fundamental change in
• professional practice
• I cant remember what I used to do now, I just
  kind of do it without thinking really
• their relationships with their pupils
• I think you get to know the children so much
  more and once youve developed that relationship
  you see a different side to them.

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• - its much more open now, isnt it?
• - its not just sort of delivering the content of
  a national curriculum, its a lot more than that
  andsort of quite a sort of nurturing role.
• - it makes me feel more like were working
  together as a team and in fact I call us the
  team, were part of a team andits kind of...
  gelling this whole group together as best we can.
• - and you have that shared kind of open forum to
  sort of discuss anything.

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• When I first joined the project I never thought
  that becoming a reflective practitioner would be
  one of the main outcomes. Yet being involved with
  the project has made me consider my class from
  many different angles. It has also made me
  address my teaching style and relationship with
  the children and adults in my class. I now find
  myself to be extremely reflective and frequently
  consider how I can improve things within the
  learning environment I have created for my class.
  It is really nice to be able to include the class
  in any decision making process in the class.

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Working With Others

• Continuing to work with original 6 whole schools
• Now working with over 50 schools in south of
  England many heads wanting it to develop staff
  teams and address emotional health and wellbeing
  of their staff as part of Healthy Schools Scheme
• From September to include on line forum for
  support
• Expanding to take on 4 full time Trainer and
  Development Officers from original teachers to
  support schools and practitioners

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Working With Others Research Education Unit