TDA R&D Awards:
Issues in evidence improved practice
Escalate May 15 2009
TDA team
Award holders
Hilary Constable
Matt Foulds
Linda Fursland
Trisha Waters
Natalie Smith
Dave Miller
developing people, improving young lives
TDA SEN R&D Awards
This workshop presents discussion points arising from a
tranche of research and development projects supported by
the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).
It has long been argued that small scale research should, or
even does, add up to making an important contribution to
knowledge or to practice. This symposium will critically
examine such propositions in terms of the outcomes for a
group of research and development projects in Special
Educational Needs
TDA SEN R&D Awards
1.
2.
3.
The context
Award holders will each tell you about their project
Discussion
At issue is:
In what ways do small scale pieces of research add up to
more than the sum of the parts?
TDA SEN R&D Awards
To what extent are these projects (different and relatively
small scale) able to create synergy or add value to each other
in respect of key priorities for the funder such as
• Dissemination
• Capacity building,
• Evidence based improvements to practice
TDA SEN R&D Awards
These awards are designed to
support innovative and exploratory
R&D projects in the area of special
educational needs training (SEN).
Up to 18 awards will be made. We
expect the majority will focus on
approaches to SEN in the context
of initial teacher training (ITT),
however up to three will focus on
continuing professional
development. Tenders which
develop capacity building in
research (for example, by involving
people new to ITT training or
school based researchers) are
welcomed, as are collaborations
between institutions.
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TDA Our vision, our mission
•
Vision: By 2013 all schools can recruit, develop and deploy the workforce
needed to support the educational achievement and well-being of every child
and young person
•
Mission: support and challenge schools to secure an effective children’s
workforce
•
Values: listen, improve, deliver
“Our strategic vision for the next five years…will re-position us as the agency
that is the first preference as a source of advice on school workforce matters
for policy–makers and schools. That is a truly exciting vision to take with us to
Manchester.” Graham Holley
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TDA Strategic Framework
WORKFORCE SUPPLY
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Workforce outcome
Workforce outcome
Children’s workforce staff,
operating in and
through schools, are
well-trained and
developed
Schools can recruit sufficient
high-quality teachers
to their workforce
Government goal
Improved well-being and
higher educational
achievement for all
children and young
people
Workforce outcomes
Remodelled workforce
that is fit for purpose
Workforce deployment
to improve teaching and
learning and well-being
WORKFORCE REFORM
Effective and efficient
integrated working
TDA SEN and Disability Strategy
•
Resources for training providers and trainees
–
undergraduate ITT (taught sessions and placement guide)
–
PGCE (taught sessions, self-study tasks, subject booklets)
–
Induction (taught sessions, self study tasks)
•
Framework for nationally approved SENCO training – national specification
•
Postgraduate modular Masters level course for experienced teachers – beyond SENCO
•
Mandatory qualifications for sensory impairment – additional funded places for teachers
•
Development of SEN portal within the Teacher Training Resource Bank – www.sen.ttrb.ac.uk
•
Responding to emerging priorities and areas of research
TWO OVERLAPPING PROJECTS
TDA and NCETM
This research will look at how raising awareness and
understanding of Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Autistic Spectrum
Condition (ASC) impacts on the teaching experience of
mathematics PGCE students.
The intention of the research is to develop training materials using
Special Educational Needs and Secondary Mathematics
Education experts. Materials will be used with trainees who will
undertake school-based tasks. The effectiveness of the training
will be assessed in order that the findings might be more widely
disseminated.
THE EXPERT GROUP
An expert group was established comprising four people:
•
•
•
•
School SENCO and Specialist Teacher (SpLD)
Mathematics education specialist from University
Senior Advisory Teacher from the Local Authority
Senior Educational Psychologist from Local Authority
The group decided the content and format of the training
sessions, to add ADHD, that there should be follow-up work in
school.
THE PGCE course
The PGCE management team decided that they wanted the
sessions offered by the group be offered to all 250 students on the
PGCE.
It was also agree that there would be an assessed piece of followup work linked to the six hours contact time (in subject groups) of
these sessions.
This had considerable implications for PGCE costs (tuition, but
not preparation time).
Working with Parents of Pupils
at Risk of Exclusion
He decided to give it a try.
Project director
Co-evaluator
Trisha Waters, University of Chichester
Prof Helen Simons
Dino the dragon lay outside his cave. Never before had he felt
so angry. He felt his firebox heating up and before he
knew it he was breathing fire. Dino knew
that once he had learnt to control his anger all
the little dragons would want to play with him and
be his friend…
He decided to give it a try.
Boy, aged 9 at risk of exclusion for
challenging behaviour
Project Outline
Training
- Deliver 5 x 3-day training programmes to SEN professionals
5 x 3-day training courses delivered & evaluated
-Trained
Produceprofessionals
Story Links implement
logo and publicity
for intervention
training courses
the 10-week
- Liaison with LAs and schools
- Provide supervision during implementation of model in schools
Evaluation and monitoring
Assess the impact of Story Links on:
Evaluation of impact of intervention on pupils’ emotional well-being
- the emotional and social well-being of the pupil
Evaluation of pupils’ reading skills and parental involvement with learning
- Methods:
engagement
of the
parent
with with
theirparents,
child’s pupils
learning
NARA,
SDQ,
interviews
& teachers, story analysis
- Expert
incidents
of challenging
that could lead to exclusion
evaluator
monitorsbehaviour
ethics & validity
- reading skills
Dissemination
- Webpage
Write a training
manual
developed
-
Research
Teachers’report
TV programme
- Conference
Journal papers
and articles
presentations
-
Conference
presentations
Training manual
For further information
www.TherapeuticStorywriting.com/StoryLinks
Contact: t.waters@chi.ac.uk
TDA supported R&D SEN Award
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Action Research is interpreted as per Cohen and Manion 1997 (186-7)
as research which is conducted for the 'improvement of practice'.
D Tabor 'Opportunities for renewal, or 'an empty space': how can
action research help schools develop?' Research Intelligence Issue
99. June 2007 Page 18,19
My experiences show that research in schools is not easy, because of
the day-to-day pressures teachers experience in and out of the
classroom.‘
This confirmed by the Essex County Council FLARE (Forum for learning
and research enquiry) in their report ‘Making research make a
difference’ published in November 07, reported that ‘teachers found it
difficult to fit in research with their other commitments’ but ways
round this had been found, including additional funding to provide the
space for this to take place.
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Research is based in a medium sized comprehensive school
(1170 students , 11-16 years) in Weston super Mare (WSM)
 OFSTED (2006) rates the school as ‘good’ and the school is
working very hard to move from ‘good’ to ‘great’.
 Special needs in the school is described by OFSTED (2006)
as ‘outstanding’.
 An Education Extra Base for students with Additional
Needs is managed by Learning support Managers (KS3 and
4) who are also involved in training trainee teachers to
provide learning support to students.
 The research has involved participants from 4 other
secondary schools, and one special school.
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The research aims to investigate the roles and craft
knowledge of school support workers, and the activities
they engage in. This will lead to the development of
evidence of examples of good practice.
 Through the involvement of research participants who are
members of Support Staff research capacity is extended
 Dissemination is to take place through the production of
materials for trainee teachers, aiming to improve the
training provided by the school for Learning Support
collaboration and class management.
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14 five-day diaries were carried out by a range of support
workers
 The Diaries have been analysed into categories and
interview questions devised. The interviews, other than
those with the American Researchers, were videoed and
further analysis has taken place.
 The range of support workers is:
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2 Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA)
2 Key Stage Learning Managers (KSLM)
2 Teaching Assistants (TA)
1 Special School Teaching Assistant (TA)
1 Teaching Assistant who works with Looked after Children (TALAC)
2 Learning Support Assistants (LSA)
1 Learning Mentor (LMs)
3 Paraprofessionals from the USA (PP)
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Three overlapping models of support worker emerge:

Those who give learning support through direct intervention, inclass or in withdrawal, to pupils who have indentified learning
needs (LSA, TA, PP)

Those who are involved in providing advice and guidance on
student/family welfare, often through referral or appointment, to
pupils in order to overcome barriers to learning (LM, TALAC)

Those who may carry out either or both of the above functions
but also have a management role in the diagnosis, allocation and
monitoring of support (HLTA, KSLM)
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 Findings indicate that
all support workers engage in
three broad types of activity:
 In addition HLTAs and KSLMs also deal with a range of
management issues concerned with staff and students
 The three broad activity types are:
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Preparation for working with pupils, including reading
documentation and consultation with colleagues etc
Diagnosis and assessment, including marking and recording
etc
All aspects of working with pupils, including initiating and
sustaining relationships, managing behaviour etc
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HLTA comments on her work with a Y7 Literacy Support Group:
‘The third task involved me dictating a sentence and them
writing it in their book. The students found this very boring, so I
allowed them to take it in turns to write a few words each on the
board to build the sentence and then copy it from there. This
was more successful and felt like a treat to the students, so
therefore motivated them. When the sentences were complete,
they were asked to underline any ‘a’ sounds in it. All completed
this with ease, however I will continue with these exercises as
laid out in ‘spelling made easy,’ as they move on quite quickly to
longer and harder words. I may need to photocopy these
sentences as I don’t think the students will write out large
amounts of work until they have made a lot more progress.’
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Discussion
In what ways do small scale pieces of research add up to more
than the sum of the parts?
• Dissemination
• Capacity building
• Evidence based improvements to practice
How do each of the projects negotiate their own priorities with the
emphases of the funder (TDA)?