Inside the classroom door: Perspective on curriculum, teaching and learning.

This paper is in two parts. First, I will survey some of the major international curriculum scholarship and influences upon New Zealand school curriculum. Second, having provided this broad survey, I will move closer to the classroom to consider contemporary developments in research on learning and teaching, which needs to be considered alongside recent curriculum scholarship, and zuhich may open the way for future research activity. Within the constraints of this paper I can touch on just a little of this vast field

Grouping practices in the primary school: what influences change?

During the 1990s, there was considerable emphasis on promoting particular kinds of pupil grouping as a means of raising educational standards. This survey of 2000 primary schools explored the extent to which schools had changed their grouping practices in responses to this, the nature of the changes made and the reasons for those changes. Forty eight percent of responding schools reported that they had made no change. Twenty two percent reported changes because of the literacy hour, 2% because of the numeracy hour, 7% because of a combination of these and 21% for other reasons. Important influences on decisions about the types of grouping adopted were related to pupil learning and differentiation, teaching, the implementation of the national literacy strategy, practical issues and school self-evaluation

Effective teaching

In this paper I intend to support the hypothetical statement attributed to Socrates in Murray\u27s (1994) article, namely that \u27Excellent teaching is that which produces learning and understanding.\u27 If I am wrong in what I say it is your business to take up the argument and refute me

The Art of Questioning in Online Learning: Effective Questioning Strategies in EFL Reading Class

The advent of online learning has made it necessary for educators to develop new teaching strategies, particularly in the area of questioning techniques. This study aimed to explore the types of questioning strategies employed by teachers during online reading classes and identify the factors that contribute to the frequent use of a specific approach. The study used observation checklists and interview guidelines based on Bloom's taxonomy and Wragg and Brown's questioning strategies to gather data from second-year English language students enrolled in an online reading class. The research findings revealed that to engage students, evaluate their comprehension, and ensure alignment with the textbook material the teacher primarily utilized "Understand" and "Analyze" questions, along with directed, distributed, responded, and sequenced strategies. The teacher also utilized Zoom's chat box feature to ask questions and enable students to provide direct answers. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of effective questioning techniques in online learning environments. The teacher's use of a variety of questioning strategies had a positive impact on the students' ability to acquire knowledge, demonstrating that a diverse range of strategies can help students achieve deeper levels of understanding. The research findings have important implications for the education sector as it provides insights into effective teaching strategies that can help promote student engagement and enhance their learning outcomes

Performativity and affectivity: Lesson observations in England's Further Education colleges

Teaching and learning observations (TLOs) are used in educational environments worldwide to measure and improve quality and support professional development. TLOs can be positive, for teachers who enjoy opportunities to ‘perform’ their craft and/or engage in professional dialogue. However, if this crucial, collaborative developmental element is missing, a TLO becomes intrinsically evaluative in nature and creates complex emotions – within and beyond the classroom. For some teachers, affective reactions to perceived managerial intrusion into their professional space has a negative impact on them, and in turn, their students’ learning. International research on TLOs has focused on schools or universities. My research centres specifically on England’s Further Education colleges (FE). Through Interpretive Interactionism, I investigate the different expectations, relationships and identities of teachers and (mis)conceptions of ‘authenticity’ in TLOs. Teaching involves our unique (dis)embodied ‘performativity’ (Butler, 2004) or ‘emotional practice’ which is interpreted and judged by others (Denzin, 1989). Using the concept of ‘aesthetic labour’ (Witz, et al., 2003), I argue that rather than promoting positive transformation through reflection, TLOs promote a rejection of emotional ‘genuineness’ that causes anxiety through a fracturing of personal and professional identities. Improving the effectiveness of TLOs should perhaps encompass explicit dialogue about the affectivity involved in the process

The student review of the science curriculum

This paper presents some of the main findings of a student-led review of the science curriculum in England. Over 350 students, aged 16-19, designed possible questions for a web-based questionnaire at regional meetings held across England. In the six weeks to 8th February 2002, a total of 1,493 questionnaires were submitted. Analysis of these responses shows considerable student dissatisfaction with the science curriculum. A list of 10 student recommendations is provided

Successful teachers in schools in challenging circumstances

Full report of research project - August 2004 (49 pages). The project aim was to find out what makes a teacher successful and effective in schools in challenging circumstances, and what teachers thought constitutes challenging circumstances

Evaluating the potentials of Bloom’s Taxonomy as a tool for developing year 8 (Key Stage 3) science students’ questioning skills in a UK secondary school

This case study research employed a mixed method approach to evaluate the effectiveness of Bloom’s taxonomy in the development of questioning skills of a cohort of year 8 science students in the UK. Designed along the intervention and evaluation framework, the research compared the level of use of questioning skills by these students after they were introduced to Bloom’s taxonomy as a prompt. Students’ use of questioning n their classes pre-and post-intervention were recorded and compared through observations and field notes. In addition, the views of the teachers involved in teaching these students were collected through a survey questionnaire and discussions. The study found improvements in the quality of questions and feedback provided by the students. It also found that, teachers, through the process of modelling using Bloom’s Taxonomy prompts, contributed significantly to this improvement. It also found that a major block to teachers’ use of the model is teachers’ lack of pedagogical knowledge. The study concludes by advocating the need for appropriate CPD to enable teachers to develop the skills required for helping their learners to develop the essential questioning skills which is acknowledged as useful for promoting learning in science classrooms

Liderazgo pedagógico en directores nóveles en Chile: Prácticas de observación de clases y retroalimentación a profesores

El rol de los directores escolares es clave para movilizar la mejora de los centros escolares. A través de un enfoque cualitativo-longitudinal utilizando la técnica thin-slice, este artículo examinó la calidad de las prácticas asociadas con la observación en el aula y la retroalimentación proporcionada por 10 directores nóveles al final de su primer y su segundo año en el cargo. Los resultados de este estudio señalan que el patrón de observación de los directores nóveles experimenta cambios desde el primer al segundo año en el cargo, desde un foco en los docentes y el contenido hacia un foco en la interacción contenidos-estudiantes. Respecto del tipo de retroalimentación en el año 2 se observa mayor uso de una retroalimentación más descriptiva que evaluativa. Los resultados de esta investigación muestran cómo con más experiencia los directores fortalecen su liderazgo pedagógico. No obstante, las limitaciones observadas el año 1 y el escaso uso de retroalimentación que promueva la metacognición y reflexión en los docentes sugieren que la observación en aula y retroalimentación a los docentes son prácticas a desarrollar por los programas de formación para directores.The role of school principals is key to mobilizing the improvement of schools. Through a qualitative-longitudinal approach, using the thin-slice technique, this paper examined the quality of practices associated with classroom observation and the feedback provided by 10 novice principals at the end of their first and second year in office. Results show that from year 1 to year 2, participants changed the focus of their observation from greater attention to content and teachers to more attention to the interactions between content and students. They also changed the type of feedback they would provide to teachers, decreasing the use of evaluative feedback and increasing the use of descriptive feedback. The results of this study show how with more experience principals strengthen their pedagogical leadership. Notwithstanding, the limitations observed in year 1 and the limited use of feedback that promotes teachers’ metacognitive and reflective engagement suggest that classroom observation and feedback to teachers are practices that need to be explicitly developed by principal preparation programs