synthesis - MirandaNet
synthesis - MirandaNet
synthesis - MirandaNet
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Ac$on research_grassroots <br />
research to inform prac$ce and <br />
policy <br />
Marilyn Leask <br />
Professor of Educa4onal Knowledge Management <br />
University of Bedfordshire <br />
ITTE Conference, Oxford, July 2012
Stenhouse, Lawrence Prof of Ed. <br />
1975 An introduc+on to curriculum research and <br />
development. Heinemann p. 142 para 1 and 2, <br />
p.157 para 5,6,7 <br />
Stenhouse developed ac4on research ideas from <br />
teacher researchers being involved in the <br />
evalua4on of a major na4onal curriculum <br />
ini4a4ve <br />
Current ac4on research prac4ce in the UK is only <br />
half of his vision for this form of research to <br />
inform policy . His vision: teachers case studies <br />
of classrooms would be <strong>synthesis</strong>ed.
Stenhouse’s vision 1975 p.142 <br />
• “[Ac4on research has] major implica4ons for the <br />
beXerment of schools…curriculum research and <br />
development ought to belong to the teacher…it will <br />
require a genera4on of work…the teacher’s <br />
professional self-‐image and condi4ons of work will <br />
have to change…each classroom is a laboratory…<br />
each teacher a member of a scien4fic community…<br />
[leading to] cri4cal tes4ng rather than acceptance
• “The idea is that the curricular [research] <br />
should feed a teacher’s personal research and <br />
development programme through which he is <br />
progressively increasing his understanding of <br />
his own work and hence beXering his <br />
teaching” p.143 <br />
• …methodological problems p.157 see research <br />
on this at <br />
hXp://library.beds.ac.uk/<br />
record=b1468955~S20
• “Each classroom should not be an island…teachers <br />
working to such a tradi4on should communicate with <br />
one another…they should report their work…a <br />
common vocabulary of concepts and a syntax of <br />
theory need to be developed…If teachers report <br />
their own work in such a tradi4on, case studies will <br />
accumulate, just as they do in medicine. <br />
• Professional research workers will have to master <br />
this material and scru+nize it for general trends. It is <br />
out of this synthe+c task that general proposi+onal <br />
theory can be developed. “ Stenhouse 1975 p. 157
Where are we with Stenhouse’s <br />
<strong>synthesis</strong> challenge <br />
UK Educa4onal research – endless genera4on of case studies <br />
and liXle <strong>synthesis</strong> <br />
-‐ 5000 case studies in primary MFL pedagogy were found when <br />
the Labour Govt wanted a <strong>synthesis</strong> of research to underpin <br />
the introduc4on of languages into primary schools <br />
-‐ While educators have missed this opportunity to <strong>synthesis</strong>, <br />
the medical profession has grasped it see www.cochrane.org <br />
-‐ Synthesis methods -‐> rapid evidence assessment toolkit <br />
hXp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/networks/gsr/resources-‐and-guidance/rapid-‐evidence-‐assessment<br />
<br />
Where could we be with evidence informed pedagogy – <br />
imagine, use technologies….
Imagine…to realise Stenhouse’s <br />
vision of ‘<strong>synthesis</strong>’ <br />
… <br />
• How might we as individuals and as a <br />
professional group work differently <br />
• What has to happen to achieve this <br />
• What can we do collec4vely and with others <br />
to realise the vision
Image…new academic prac$ces <br />
New Prac$ces <br />
– Cost effec4ve methods for scaling up small scale research -‐ <br />
Stenhouse’s idea for <strong>synthesis</strong> across ac4on research studies <br />
using extensive collabora4ons between researchers and <br />
prac44oners <br />
– Rapid evidence based responses to govt. policy <br />
– Easy collabora4ons – na4onal/interna4onal <br />
– rapid evidence review groups (like the Cochrane Collab. <br />
Connec$vity <br />
– a flexible e-‐infrastructure connec4ng people and <br />
communi4es as the physical network of motorways does. <br />
-‐> register your interest -‐ Educa$on Futures Collabora$on <br />
www.educa4oncommuni4es.org
OECD 23 Country survey <br />
KM prac4ce in educa4on sectors to be lagging behind <br />
other major sectors: <br />
• …the task in many countries is to transform <br />
tradi4onal models of schooling …into customised <br />
learning systems …This will require the crea4on of <br />
“knowledge-‐rich”, evidence-‐based educa4on <br />
systems…in many countries, educa4on is s4ll far <br />
from being a knowledge industry in the sense that its <br />
own prac4ces are not yet being transformed by <br />
knowledge about the efficacy of those prac4ces…. <br />
OECD 2009, p.3
Figure 1: A model for knowledge management provision<br />
for national education systems<br />
(Leask, M (2011) Improving the Professional Knowledge Base for Education: using knowledge management and Web 2.0 tools.<br />
Journal for Policy Futures 9 (5) 2011, 644-660)
Knowledge management ac4ons required <br />
for educa4on -‐based on Local Government <br />
Associa4on employees expecta4ons (2008) <br />
1) Finding and using: <br />
cross searching of databases, expecta4on for <br />
policy/prac4ce use <br />
2) Sharing : quick dissemina4on, easy access, <br />
transla4onal research, open access <br />
3) Crea+ng: teachers engaged, scaling up small <br />
scale, invita4ons to join projects publicised, <br />
<strong>synthesis</strong> <br />
4) Managing:
1) Educa4onal Evidence Portal <br />
hXp://www.eep.ac.uk
2) OERJ -‐ hXp://www.oerj.org
3 and 4 Online pathway <br />
Procter, R. work in progress richard.procter@beds.ac.uk
References <br />
Leask, M. and Younie, S. (forthcoming) “Na4onal models for CPD: the challenges of twenty-‐first <br />
century knowledge management”. Special Edi4on. Journal for Professional Development in <br />
Educa4on (PDiE) <br />
Leask, M. chapter on new roles for academics in Arthur et al 2012 Research Methods and <br />
Methodologies in Educa4on London: Sage <br />
Leask, M. (2011) Improving the Professional Knowledge base for Educa4on: Using knowledge <br />
management and Web 2.0 tools. Policy Futures in Educa4on. Volume 9 Number 5 <br />
Leask, M. (2004) Accumula4ng the evidence base for educa4onal prac4ce: our respec4ve <br />
responsibili4es: Paper presented at the Bri4sh Educa4onal Research Associa4on Annual <br />
conference, 16-‐18 September 2004 <br />
Leask, M. (2004) invited contribu4on: Time to be bold: mainstreaming models of educa4onal <br />
research that respond to user needs, Department for Educa4on and Skills Research <br />
Conference: Research in educa4on: What works
Ways of working online for those <br />
who want to: <br />
• online: www.educa4oncommuni4es.org; or <br />
yammer <br />
• teleconferencing, skype, google hangouts, etc <br />
• face to face: Nov workshops (see events) <br />
Examples, new tutors: <br />
• 1) share course plans and documents -‐ learn from <br />
each other, save +me. <br />
• 2) share assessment strategies <br />
• 3) collabora+ve wri+ng of papers, manage joint <br />
research projects.
Results from two year pilot: <br />
• Academic Staff <br />
• With over 700 registered users so far, the pilot <br />
research on how Academics are benefi4ng <br />
from using EdComms is shown below: <br />
• project management for research projects <br />
which include partners from other ins4tu4ons <br />
• collabora4ng with others on wri4ng research <br />
and other reports <br />
• co-‐ordina4ng an edited book
Results from pilot ctd <br />
• managing bid wri4ng with a group of na4onal <br />
and interna4onal colleagues <br />
• networking with research users to increase <br />
impact of research <br />
• networking to scale up small scale research. Social <br />
science academics might find it helpful to use <br />
EdComms to support developing and running <br />
research networks connec+ng prac++oners who wish <br />
to undertake research or be par+cipants in research <br />
with academic researchers.
ctd <br />
• networking with students once they graduate <br />
• to support working and special interest groups <br />
within professional assoca4ons <br />
• building a community of enquiry around a <br />
topic <br />
• working online with people outside the <br />
university – employers, work placement staff, <br />
experts
ctd <br />
finding specialists and services that cannot easily <br />
be found any other way, for example <br />
– experts for advice, for lectures, for consultancy <br />
– partners for projects – research, publica4on, <br />
collabora4on <br />
– people with similar interests <br />
– lecturers from the same area <br />
– organising conferences with colleagues around <br />
the world -‐ pre-‐conference planning, conference <br />
publica4ons and post-‐conference followup
Non Academic Staff <br />
• A large percentage of university staff have <br />
similar roles to staff in local authori4es – <br />
human resources, procurement, estates <br />
management, finance and similar benefits can <br />
be expected for those staff in the university <br />
sector. <br />
Communi4es can be built which join these <br />
groups of people together across universi4es <br />
to encourage 'SMART' working prac4ces.