Lessons and lacunae? Practitioners’ suggestions for developing research-rich teaching and learning: Angles on innovation and change

This document is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Innovations in Education and Teaching International on 16 April 2018, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2018.1462226. Under embargo until 16 October 2019.This article explores a universal issue in higher education: how in practice can we secure the most productive relationships between the research universities pursue and the education they provide? It opens by drawing from three recent international literature reviews summarising research on research-teaching links, sometimes termed a ‘nexus’. It then proceeds inductively to analyse grounded empirical data from practitioners in an English post-1992 University. This data describes what participants think should change and where, to increase its amount and quality. To illuminate how things might change, the same data is then re-analysed deductively against six ‘lessons learnt’ from a 2012 review of literature examining the diffusion of innovative teaching and learning in higher education. Lessons are confirmed or lacunae pointed out, before the concluding discussion offers recommendations and observations for universities pursuing research-rich education.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Putting research first? Perspectives from academics and students on first-year undergraduates learning research

Exploring the place and potential of ‘research’ in undergraduate degrees has stimulated higher-educational debate for decades, strongly influencing policies, practices and structures. This article’s consideration of some problems associated with teaching and learning about research during the first year of undergraduate degrees, helps throw that debate into a sharper light. Should first-year undergraduates be asked to learn from their own or others’ research, and what difficulties might they experience? What relevant previous learning about research, or lack of it, might they bring with them into their degree? Working with empirical data from across one English university, and literature from universities across the world, these questions are discussed by exploring first-year undergraduate teaching and learning, through the lenses of critical inquiry and constructivist grounded theory.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Looking To The Future: Research Rich and Informed Teaching

Grant Bage, 'Looking To The Future: Research Rich and Informed Teaching', LINK, July 2017.As a recently-appointed University of Hertfordshire Research Fellow in research rich and informed teaching in higher education, I am exploring these questions: what does this phrase mean, how have others approached its research and how might I build on their work? That process is fleshed out by considering explanations from the sector about its importance, examining three recent (2014-16) literature reviews and reviewing the background and development of an influential diagrammatic model of ‘undergraduate research and inquiry’ produced by Healey and Jenkins (2009). The article concludes by offering ‘a map of the terrain’, research questions with which to explore that map and contact details to find out more

Learning by going – and doing?

Paper given at History in British Education (first conference

Six curricular questions of Michael Gove

This letter to Michael Gove started life as a formal submission to England’s Department for Education in March 2013. It was in response to highly controversial government proposals (spearheaded and advocated by Mr. Gove) to change the English National Curriculum in History. After three weeks the Secretary of State had not replied to the letter, so as a blog the article was disseminated by the Cambridge Primary Review website (though those links are now broken), Twitter and elsewhere

Developing the Teaching Profession ELC response

On 9 December 2014 the Department for Education launched a government consultation focused in its own words ‘on the professional leadership and development of teaching’ (p.5). The 16 page document in which the current government’s proposals about this subject were contained, was entitled ‘A World Class Teaching Profession’. At the Eastern Leadership Centre, a not-for-profit charitable business supporting educational leadership and development [NB this charity was dissolved in late 2016] we think that a question mark would have improved this consultation’s title. Carefully considered questions are one of the most powerful tools for any educator or leader: and since we believe that by definition all educators are leaders, we tend to take questions seriously

Narrative Matters : Teaching and Learning History Through Story

ix, 177 hal., bibl., index; 23,5c

Fines and Coltham Revisited

In 1979 Rogers with passion, precision and theoretical integrity examined the nature of knowledge that underpins the teaching of history, focussing upon the procedural (know how) knowledge that underpins the propositional (know that) knowledge. Rogers provides the solid foundations for the creation of a ‘New History’ curriculum that meets the demands of both political parties. Rogers contrasts markedly with the Fines prescription of 1971. This is represented starkly as a behaviourist nostrum full of checklists and targets. Yet the reality was that it represented a break with conventional thinking about History Education and forced us to consider, albeit in a totally impractical way, what history teaching was for and about. As such, it was a powerful catalyst – indeed, its liberating energy is perhaps reflected in the other John Fines, the great teacher, story teller and dramatist who brought the past to life through teaching with passion rooted in a deep, practical knowledge of both history and teaching. Fines, with Rogers, can provide us with insights for the generation of the local, teacher controlled and directed curriculum that is now under consideration. As such, they need serious consideration, and even more important, assimilation into the thinking and orientation of those who will control the History Education of the next generation of children.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Research-rich and informed teaching: what is it, why is it important and what might support its development?

This paper, the first in a series focusing on research-rich and informed teaching, explores the nature of and rationale for such teaching and proposes a number of initiatives currently being piloted in the School of Education at the University of Hertfordshire to support its development. A second paper will explore the impact of these initiative