Pearson-Exploring-Effective-Pedagogy-in-Primary-Schools

Also, although the large amounts of quantitative data available provided additional support forthe frequency of use of pedagogical strategies, the main focus of the EPPSEM sub-study was onthe qualitative descriptions the researchers included in their observations, specifically designedto support practitioners, practice and policy makers with illuminative evidence. Again, thequantitative data is reported elsewhere (Sammons et al., 2006; 2008b).Finally, one other constraint of the EPPSEM approach was that the observations focused on thepedagogical strategies described and measured in the research instruments. This meant thatthere was sometimes less or more data to support or refute some of the strategies identifiedthrough the evidence-based literature search and professional focal discussions.It is clear that further research would be helpful, especially if conducted in whole-schoolcontexts where excellent, good and poor outcomes are known, so that comparisons can bemade across ages and stages. However, what clearly emerges is a “bundle” of behaviours that,taken together, can make a difference to children’s development and progress and thereforetheir later life chances. This is especially true for those children who come from disadvantagedbackgrounds, where previous EPPSE research (Sylva et al., 2010) has shown that what happensat classroom level in pre-schools and schools makes a difference to outcomes. It could beargued that good leadership is essential. There is much for leaders of education to ponder fromthis research in enhancing their knowledge. In order to advance effective practice, they couldtake some of the key messages from this research and the international literature and applythem to their schools and situations.The EPPSEM research is not alone in identifying pedagogical strategies requiring specialattention; the international literature complements these. In terms of organisation, there is goodliterature on the productive use of instructional time (Evertson, 1995; Muijs & Reynolds, 2003;Alexander et al., 2006), which emphasises the importance of good organisational skills and thedevelopment of whole-school policies on maximising lesson times, whole-class interaction andtime on tasks. Maximising learning time with consideration to pace, variety and resources hasbeen well documented. Classroom routines, well-organised resources that are fit for purposeand higher levels of self-reliance and responsibility for pupils have all been shown to enhancelearning experiences for children (Claxton & Carr, 2004; Gipps et al., 2000; Watson et al., 2007).Sharing objectives, and making the teacher’s intentions clear to pupils in relation to the conceptsand ideas presented in lessons, is vital (Borich 2000; Gipps et al., 2000).Another aspect related to a positive classroom climate is relationships between children andbetween teachers and children. This was a major feature of excellent classroom teachers in anOECD review of 11 countries and the Hay McBer review (DfEE, 2000a) conducted for the UK’sDepartment for Education. It is also a key feature of a number of rating scales that measurequality of pedagogy (Creemers & Reezigt, 1999; NICHD, 2001). Many socio-cultural researchershave emphasised the importance of creating “communities of learners” (Shulman, 2004).Research on climate also emphasises teacher sensitivity (Anderson et al., 2004) and good peerrelations (Kutnick & Kington 2005). Effective discipline and sound behaviour management arealso key to excellent practice (Rogers, 2007; Woodcock & Reupert, 2012) and the effectiverunning of classroom practice to enhance learning. However, over-control is not effective.Evidence from Research | 39