FROM PROJECT TO PUBLISHING

1. FROM PROJECT TO PUBLISHING ‘Through the Looking Glass’ The creation of a journal

2. Conception • The final PGCE module requires a project report of 5000 words. • Only the markers and authors are able to see this work at present. • These project reports are almost small enough to be articles in journals. • How can we disseminate good practice and research findings to a wider audience? • Photocopied versions will just add to the pile of papers on all our desks!

3. Professional Collaboration Reprographics Programme Director

4. Publishing Issues • The project reports were too big! • The students thought they had finished! • I had to make the re-working as painless as possible • The journal had to be current • Publishing time frame • had to be short

5. Selection and Support • Ear-marking potential assignments at marking • Well written, interesting or innovative aspects of practice and good qualitative research design • Invitation to submit • Writing Frame for article which took account of assignment style • Short deadline for submission

6. SUMMER @ THE COMPUTER • Luckily 2005 was not a great summer weather wise – I spent most of it at the computer. • 30 students were emailed with an invitation to submit all 30 of them sent me their original assignments to advise on cuts. • I quickly designed an effective writing frame and emailed it back!

7. The Writing Frame Approach • I hope that I resemble Claxton’s (1991) Sherpa Gardener teacher: ‘Guiding someone who is in unfamiliar territory, nurturing them by giving them the right conditions to grow, and then standing back and watching it happen.’ Claxton,G (1991) Teaching to Learn, London:Cassell

8. The Bare Bones! • The assignments had to show detailed research methodology, this was not so important for the article. • The underpinning theory had to be honed down to reference rather than long quotes. • The teaching background had to be precise and anonymised. • The findings and personal professional learning had to be very clearly stated.

9. Paper Free Experience • I aimed to have between 12 and 16 articles in the completed journal, each of approximately 3000 words. • For the first journal, 16 of the original 30 • managed to complete the work in time. • 3 colleagues helped with the final reading of the completed work. • A proof reader read all the pieces before they were sent to the printer. • All the work was done electronically, with papers moving backwards and forwards between us until the final digital files had been created.

10. CONTENTS & FORMAT • This has been largely unchanged, in the first journal we had a forward written by Fred Fawbert (now retired) who had originally designed and validated the PGCE programme. Subsequent issues have incorporated a forward written by the Programme Director, my Editorial and most recently a guest article.

11. James Corazzo – Ex PGCE student – Graphic Design Teacher! • The iconic cover design is reproduced each year using a different ‘head’ colour. • One change from year 1 is printing the journal designation on the spine.

12. The Press Launch

13. DEVELOPMENTS • We have extended our pool of readers (referees). Because there is perceived value to being published in this journal, we have had to make it a more competitive process in order to manage the potential submissions. • Currently the journals are sold nationally and we have a subscription procedure for College and University Libraries. Current students are encouraged to use this journal and its reference sections in their modular Teacher Education Programme. • In the re-validated programme, both PGCE and Cert.Ed students are required to produce research projects – both sets of students are now invited to submit their reports as articles. • The writing frame has stood the test of time, as has the motivation of invitation to submit. • I have formally retired from the Editorship this year and this role is being undertaken by Yvon Appleby. We are in year 5 of this journal which has been consistently well received by the sector.