Teacher Enquiry as a vehicle for

professional development:

Lessons from the SUPER Partnership

Teacher Enquiry as a vehicle for

professional development:

Lessons from the SUPER Partnership

Ros McLellan rwm11@cam.ac.uk

Overview

• Will be talking about CPDL not ITE

• Enquiry work in school and linked formal

accreditation – particularly MEd

• Methodological approaches

• Integrating practical teaching to academic work

• Collaboration

Who are we? 12 Schools + Faculty

The ‘Why’

The 'Schools-University Partnership for Educational

Research’ (founded 1998) aims:

• to create useful educational research within a schools-

university partnership;

• to document and explore partnership between schools

and the university.

Key Questions include:

• What kinds of research knowledge do schools and teachers value and

find useful, in what ways and why?

• How can research with teachers be facilitated from within and without

schools?

Professional Learning for Whole School

Development

Need for an external ‘expert’ Cordingley et al, (2007) / enquiry-oriented

learning and leadership BERA / RSA Inquiry (2013)

• Specialists built the CPD processes on what teachers knew and could do

already, with an emphasis on individual learning.

• In most cases, the CPD lasted longer than two terms, and the specialist

contact with teachers (both scheduled and ‘on call’ sessions) took place over

10 days or more.

• Specialists encouraged and guided the teachers in supporting each other.

• Specialists introduced the theoretical and practical knowledge base.

• Ongoing specialist support included modeling, workshops, observation and

feedback, coaching, and planned and informal meetings for discussion.

http://www.eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=2275

The ‘What’: Research - inquiry groups & support

• An inquiry group of Teacher Research Co-ordinators (TRCs) and faculty

• meet around 6 times a year to discuss, share and plan research

• Critical friendship for all schools from faculty team members

• Partnership Steering Group: strategic planning, review and development

Research Projects: within schools

Research Project across schools: Pupil Engagement

Research Project across Schools: Embedding /

enhancing a research culture

What are the opportunities?

What are the barriers?

What are the constraints?

Research Project across schools: Third Space

School Faculty

Bhabha: Third space

Bourdieu: Habitus,

capital & field

Structures: Annual Conference in June

Structures: Faculty seminars & events

• Hosting seminars

& guest speakers

at the Faculty of

Education

• Publicise faculty

events of interest

to teachers

Structures: Masters in Education

• 2 years part-time

• Faculty-based

lectures /

workshops

• 2 X 6,500 word

essays

• School-based

research project

(Thesis)

• Individual & group

supervision

• Membership of a

Cambridge college

https://camtools.cam.ac.uk

Follow us on Twitter / Blog

http://schooluniversitypartn

ership.wordpress.com/

Faculty Website:

http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/super/