Strategic Planning Workshop: the future role of research and its use in the sector

1. Strategic Planning Workshop: the future role of research and its use in the sector 10 October 2013

2. Welcome and Introduction LSRN event planning group Yvonne Hillier Andrew Morris Anne Thompson

3. The event is hosted by Pearson College. Planning for the event was made possible by a small grant from LSIS. Organisation was by NIACE in liaison with Pearson College.

4. Engaging with the sector since 1997

5. A strategy for the sector and LSRN • Our aim is to develop our thinking about: • strategy for research and use of evidence • role of the Learning & Skills Research Network • We will do it by • exchanging with others in our community • sharing with other communities • highlighting possibilities for collaboration

6. Communities present • Teachers and learning support staff • Managers and leaders in provider orgs • Teacher educators • CPD providers • Researchers • Developers • Examiners and validators

7. “The Knowledge Society” Recent thinking on evidence use: • Is it time to move on from • “research impact” and “mobilising knowledge” to • The knowledge-using society? • Can the many parties work together to • Determine what knowledge is needed • Combine their sources of knowledge • Cooperate in making use of knowledge?

8. Research

9. Different cycles for different folks • But other cycles matter for practitioners • quality improvement • professional development • Strategic planning • Here is a generic example

10. Practical action

11. The challenge • How to link the cycles of research and practice • to get sufficient research appropriate for use in practice • to make the evidence available and useable • to introduce the research evidence into practice • develop practice in the light of evidence • assess the consequences • Today we hope to: • get better informed about the whole • explore what LSRN and others could do to help

12. Themes Using research evidence Producing research evidence Developing the profession

13. Stakeholder perspectives Paul Wakeling, Principal, Havering Sixth Form College Gareth Parry, Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Sheffield John Webber, Professional Learning and Development Manager, Sussex Downs College

14. Research production and collaboration Gareth Parry University of Sheffield g.w.parry@sheffield.ac.uk

15. Production = on and for Research ‘on’ E&T: ‘theory’ + field monopoly of academy independence Research ‘for’ E&T: ‘what works’ + relevant engagement with ‘users’ collaboration + co-production

16. Co-production = trade-offs ‘Practitioners’ as: informants recipients endorsers commissioners co-researchers researchers [adapted from Martin 2010]

17. Here comes everyone? John Webber Teaching and Learning Development Manager Sussex Downs College John.webber@sussexdowns.ac.uk

18. College-wide innovation in teaching and learning Addressing two dimensions of potential failure

19. College-wideinnovation in teaching and learning Addressing two dimensions of potential failure

20. Responses to innovation Are teachers like everyone else?

21. Dimension 2: Impact

22. Conventional CPD lacks impact “Nothing has promised so much and has been so frustratingly wasteful as the thousands of workshops and conferences that led to no significant change in practice when teachers returned to their classrooms” Michael Fullan, 1991

23. Action Research Model for CPD

24. The challenge is to sustain this cycle until effective change has been embedded

25. Otherwise the attempted change fails and practice returns to the status quo

26. Phase 2: sustaining the cycle • ‘Teacher Learning Communities’ • Facilitated groups • Collaborative action research projects • Common developmental focus • Meeting monthly/termly • Contain several pairs, learning 3’s, squares or similar who meet between times • Shared learning and peer commitment • Project funding can provide valuable stimulus and support for this approach

27. Discussion groups: 11.50 – 12.45 Group 1, using evidence: red dot, conference room Group 2, producing evidence: blue dot, glass room Group 3: developing the profession: green dot, conference room Charlynne Pullen, Research Manager, City & Guilds CSD Sam Broadhead, Head of Research, Leeds College of Art Rob Smith, Principal Lecturer in Post Compulsory Education, University of Wolverhampton