Fit for purpose: making research
and evidence work for all your
learners
Philippa Cordingley
Centre for the Use of Research and
Evidence in Education
Tackling wicked issues - Palfrey school
A primary serving a vulnerable community in the Black
Country
Had tried many interventions for vulnerable pupils
Opted for Response to Intervention (RTI) to help (25%)
year 6 pupils to level 4 after summer half term as part
of EEF funded RCT
Had really impressive results, especially for pupils for
whom other interventions hadn’t worked. Some made 9
months progress in 5 weeks
School now uses RTI across years 4, 5 and 6 and in all
classes with sustained success
http://www.curee.co.uk/our-projects/randomised-control-trial-response-intervention-rti-achievement-all
Keeping Excellent schools learning
St Thomas More secondary school, outstanding for 17 years
doubted it would be under the new framework
Commissioned research into effectiveness of learning
environment for both staff and pupils. Findings included need to:
Build diagnostics and differentiation into CPD activities
Connect staff and pupil learning through evidence about progress towards
aspirations for learners as an explicit part of CPDL
Increase use of enquiry based learning/ micro enquiries eg via research tasters,
research lesson study, peer observation and coaching to secure depth of analysis
Report , follow up action and evidence important in convincing
OFSTED that this is NOT a complacent school and retaining
Outstanding grades across the piece
R&D as glue and insurance – Wroxham TSA
Alison Peacock, keen researcher,
“creating learning beyond limits”,
and research user ( CPU network)
Alliance is helping primary schools
to use new National Curriculum –
to move beyond crude levelling
Used others’ research re CPDL,
assessment and curriculum design
to clarify starting points, aims and
an action plan via sessions with
school leaders and researchers
Using R&D to evidence close
attention to pupil progress, building
tools to pilot across the schools
From little acorns –Romey Tacon and
Numicon Mathematics
National teacher research award
2 teacher researchers with deep concerns about
mathematics for vulnerable learners
Started from Catherine Stern on Number relations
Developed, trialled and tested resources for “dialling
in” number relations visually
Dramatic improvements proved infectious
Developed into a mainstream approach for
mathematics and boosting vulnerable learners
5
Romey Tacon and Numicon
Waves of supported research
Grew to be a regional
movement – great results for
struggling learners- became
Numicon Mathematics taken
up by schools and local
authorities, eventually
published by OUP
Changing expectations for
pupils re: mathematics
Now being trialled via Closing
the gap test and learn
programme
6
Patterns?
What was the driver for Engaging with and/or in
R&D in these different cases?
What is similar and different about:
What drove the work?
The approach to evidence?
Whose evidence is being used?
The outcomes?
Conditions that enabled progress?
A “wicked” issue - linked to aspirations for pupils
A strong evidence base on which to build
Using evidence from existing research and current practice
Clarity & rigour re: role of evidence & quality
An emphasis on needs of users from the start
Sustained, collaborative support
Meeting needs of vulnerable pupils, especially important as
work spreads beyond one school
Specialist support
e.g. research based tools and resources, in-school champions, externally
collected/ validated evidence to challenge orthodoxies, coaching e.g. in
designing evidence collection, analysis or writing up research
8
Use of research and CPDL research reviews
Comprehensive electronic literature searches
Screened titles & abstracts against published criteria
Retrieved full studies applied 3 levels of filtering
Completed maps of the literature
Double blind data extraction
Assessment for weight of evidence for synthesis
Synthesised evidence for review questions
Commissioned anonymous peer review
Implications explored in-depth with users
Synthesised in BERA commissioned paper
http://www.curee.co.uk/news/2013/09/bera-2013
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This evidence highlights
importance for schools of:
Linking pupil and teacher learning about real concerns
Specialists providing sustained, structured support, modelling
high leverage approaches
Sustained peer support/reciprocal vulnerability to embed
learning
Learning to learn from looking
Structured dialogue about evidence from experiments
Ambitious goals – can be prescribed with peer support
Developing theory and practice side by side
Leaders modelling support by e.g.
Providing time for teachers to plan & reflect, and
encouraging experimentation and learning
11
Benefits of engaging in and with research
and evidence to support development
Sustained benefits for pupils re:
motivation, responses to subjects & curricula
performance e.g. test results and specific skills
questioning skills, thinking & responses to stimuli
organisation e.g. collaboration, choosing strategies
Improvements in teachers’:
self-confidence e.g. in taking risks and efficacy
willingness & ability to make changes to practice
knowledge & understanding of subject & pedagogy
repertoire and skills in matching to pupils’ needs
willingness to continue professional learning
‘ needs12
The nature of the support
Range of Support was crucial & provided through:
Training – including instruction in key components
and rationale for new approaches
Modelling – demonstrating strategies & enquiry
Sustained, critical friendship, mentoring or coaching
for research and enquiry based learning
Provision of tools and resources such as observation
frameworks, questionnaires, analysis grids
13
Barriers to success included
Time e.g. for induction in new strategies & elapsed time
for interpreting/adapting for context
Diverse foci – teachers struggled to engage in or with
others’ research if exploring too many different things
Inadequate facilitation and/or external support – e.g.
too little support or lack of expertise in content;
process (e.g. poor research instruments, weak
organisation e.g. re: time management)
Practicalities of enquiry, testing new approaches out in
classrooms – NB power of Video
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What does all this mean for school
leaders?
A best Evidence Synthesis from Viviane Robinson
highlights 5 key areas of leaders’ work that co
relate with benefits for pupils
Key contributions leaders make to pupil
learning a best evidence synthesis
Ensuring an orderly and supportive learning
environment
Establishing goals and expectations
Planning, co-ordinating and evaluating teaching and
the curriculum
Promoting and participating in teacher learning
Strategic resourcing – aligning efforts of all kinds
All are essential. Some are particularly important at
specific points. Which has the biggest effect over
time?
Leadership that improves outcomes
Strongest contribution is focussing on
professional learning (ES.84) via
Attending to content and process of Continuing
Professional Development and Learning (CPDL)
Uncovering systematically staff learning needs
Modelling & investing in professional learning
Effect sizes for leadership interventions
Promoting & participating in teacher learning (0.84)
Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the
curriculum (0.42)
Establishing goals and expectations (0.35)
Strategic resourcing and the use of tools ( 0.34)
Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment (0.27)
Robinson criteria for “smart”
tools to support change
Clearly explain the rationale for the change being
supported
Acknowledge the existing understandings of those at
whom the tools are targeted
Signals likely misconceptions
Connects abstract principles with detailed illustration
and practical examples
Embedded in documents that are logically structured
around a clear and unambiguous purpose.
Stepping stones and related skills
20
An in-school example
Think of a recent or impending significant
development with a neighbour
Which of these features of leadership are already
priorities - share an example you are excited about
Which might benefit from further strengthening?
Identify with a partner an area you might most
usefully review/strengthen...
How might modelling and investing in CPDL help?
What role might research and evidence play?
Important leadership
findings No. 2
Comparison of exceptional (75% + A*-C GCSE
inc. English and Maths) and strong schools
succeeding in closing gaps in very vulnerable
communities
Funded by Teach First to help them identify
how to differentiate support for TF
participants
The evidence base
6 TF schools that were classed as ‘exceptional’
6 TF schools that were classed as ‘strong’
2 non-TF (but TF eligible) ‘exceptional’ schools
The data came from:
interviews with both TF and non-TF teachers;
group interviews with members of the SLT;
focus groups consisting of three activities, with both TF
and non-TF teachers;
analysis of school documentation inc progress; and
the analysis of an online student survey
Professional learning (PL) environment
Exceptional schools invested more systematically in PL
PL in strong schools was more centrally led; less
consistent teacher ownership of responsibility for PL
Exceptional schools invested more heavily in
mentoring and coaching training cross-school
Strong schools focused less on formal coaching and
structured mentoring
Teaching and learning
Collaborative learning was more of a focus in
exceptional schools, but inconsistent in strong schools
Subject knowledge was a higher priority within
exceptional schools. Strong schools felt pedagogic
expertise was more important EG more use of ASTs
and (evaluated) internal and external expertise
Exceptional schools had a clearer focus on crossschool, explicit model of pedagogy
More teachers in the strong schools wanted more
support in behaviour management
Leadership
• Leaders more aware of the importance of modeling
learning in exceptional schools
• Exceptional schools more extensively engaged in
networked learning than strong schools.
• Policies for supporting new teachers less clear in
strong schools – in ES new recruits expected explicitly
to own schools’ values and pedagogical priorities
• Most ES involved in initial teacher education
• PM used rigorously but persistent under performers
left
Relationships with students, parents
and the community
Exceptional schools’ leaders were more
likely to work with outside organisations as
a way to enrich the curriculum than strong
schools and to take a leading role in
networks
They were also more likely to work
extremely hard at involving parents
Sauce for the Goose
Too much focus on teaching
teachers instead of focussing
on their learning about their
pupils’ learning
Learning for leaders, staff and
pupils means recognising,
reviewing, and building on
what people believe,
understand, and do
It means “learning how to
“I’ll have what he’s having!”
learn” skills for ALL learners
And integrating such skills and
experiences systematically into
the the day job
http://www.curee.org.uk/content/sauce-gooselearning-entitlements-work-teachers-well-their-pupils
Evidence behind this?
PURR
http://www.curee.co.uk/resources/publications/purr-summaries
EPPI 4 and EPPI 2
http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk
Timperley
http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/48727127.pdf
Robinson :
http://www.curee.co.uk/resources/publications/robinson-summary
RTI and AERA paper
http://www.curee-paccts.com/files/shared/Response%20to%20Intervention%202014.pdf
http://www.curee.co.uk/events/2010/04/2010-aera-conferenceTF report
http://www.curee.co.uk/publication/characteristics-high-performing-schools-teach-first-research-report
Romey Tacon NTRP summary
http://www.ntrp.org.uk/node/62
Formative assessment for all - Pearson/NESTA report
http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/good-intentions-real-impact-rethinking-role-evidence-education-businesses
This Presentation
philippa.cordingley@curee.co.uk
Contact
Details
www.curee.co.uk
Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence
in Education
8th Floor
Eaton House
Eaton Road
Coventry
CV1 2FJ
024 7652 4036
• @PhilippaCcuree
• @curee_official