A blog by Jasmin Taylor.
Background:
I have been in education for 15 years now and I am currently a headteacher of a two-form entry primary school. I have been reflecting on my journey of being a being a research informed practitioner. After my second year of teaching, I moved schools for a promotion to lead maths across the school. The headteacher, at the time, was forward thinking (she still is and is now a research informed CEO) and encouraged us to engage in research, become involved in EEF trials and provide CPD for other for our own school and other schools. The first year at my new school, I enrolled on the MasT Degree and then become an NCETM Maths Specialist in 2016. Over the next few years (almost decade), we created a learning community at school– a culture of using research to inform our practice.
Why?
Firstly, I love to learn! Secondly, I believe (any research suggests) that to improve outcomes for pupils, we need to improve teaching. I think it’s important to reference Dylan William here, ‘Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.’ This is something I have been working on for many years now – not only developing and improving my own pedagogical approaches and subject knowledge, but developing professional development for teachers to help them improve.
I believe that the purpose of engaging in research is to help us to observe and evaluate own practice, which then helps us to develop our own wisdom through experience – if we are reflective teachers, the reading makes us more informed. I feel that it would be odd if our profession didn’t take notice of research about how students learn – cognitive science. And observational studies about what effective teachers do. This is NOT about being told what to do but to consider how we think. Research helps shape thinking and understanding.
Simon Sinek ‘Start With Why’ is how you explain your purpose and the reason you exist and behave as you do. Why’ is probably the most important message that an organization or individual can communicate as this is what inspires others to action. Being Research informed can help us ensure that we always start with the ‘why’.
How? Create a culture of a learning community in school: a culture of being research informed.
Creating a culture takes time and as a leader I believe that understanding culture is most important thing. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is a quote by management consultant and author Peter Drucker that means a company’s culture is more important than its strategy for success. Culture comprises a group of people’s standard view, values, presumptions that they learn from one another and pass on to others showing them how to behave, think and feel in the right ways. Culture can be considered in the following 5 ways. Culture can be learned. Culture can be shared. Culture can be dynamic. Culture is systemic. Culture is symbolic and I use these to help build and maintain culture.
I believe that I need to make being research informed a priority. Engage in the research. But there’s so much to read and I only have so much time.
What – What do you do? The result of Why
To foster a culture of being research-informed, I develop a clear, three-year strategic plan, with every priority grounded in research. I use the EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) implementation guidance to support the process of putting plans into action, ensuring that any changes we make are sustainable.
For my own professional development, I engage in the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) and facilitate two of the programs. These programs are research-informed and closely aligned with one another, creating a cohesive learning experience. I encourage staff to complete NPQs too and use their learning from this to design PD for others. The research I engage with is intentional, purposeful, and spans a range of sources, from academic articles and books to podcasts. As I explore this research, I actively apply it to design professional development (PD) opportunities for my colleagues.
All the resources I share with staff are backed by research, and I make it a point to either explain or demonstrate the research behind them. Staff are encouraged to incorporate research into their practice, and their performance management is centred on growth, development, and research-driven strategies that align with our school priorities. Further to this, staff are encouraged to use the EEF implementation and PD guidance linked with their action plans.
I also use the EEF guidance on professional development to design a structured PD cycle throughout the year, ensuring it includes various mechanisms of effective PD. Additionally, I allocate dedicated time for staff to focus on the research connected to their performance management. Personally, I set aside time in my calendar to read and engage with research, carefully selecting materials based on their accessibility and relevance.
