Relating to ideas from your educational research in the generation and testing of educational theories

 

Notes for a seminar with Jack Whitehead

 

Context

 

As part of my 2002-2003 appraisal I agreed with Bill to give a talk about my research at a research seminar in the Department. IÕll do this from 1.00-2.00 on Wednesday 8th October in Room 1WN 3.17. What IÕd like to do is to explain how ideas from your own research can be included in and influence the learning and theory generation of educational researchers who are enquiring into the implications of asking questions of the kind, ŌHow am I improving what I am doing?Õ in the context of their educational relationships. As well as fulfilling an appraisal agreement, IÕm curious about the role that educational theories can play in large scale global changes in which values of humanity are lived more fully. IÕm assuming that the educational theories we are generating and testing in our research hold a possibility for contributing to personal and global transformations. While we have shown what is possible in our research IÕd like to contribute to conversations in which we are making the possible, probable Š (Joan WhiteheadÕs latest influence on my thinking from her keynote to the SCETT conference to be given this Saturday 4th Oct.).

 

IÕm thinking of the probability that the quality of our educational theorising in our diverse research, can become the most influential set of ideas about educational theory in the world over the next three years. For this to  happen I donÕt think we need to buy in anyone else, although extensions to our staffing are always welcome. All I think we need to do is to recognise the possibilities in what we have grown together at home and to make the possible probable in our future global communications.  

 

The Directory of Expertise for our Department on the University Website contains the following list:

 

Elias Avramidis, Keith Bishop, Ray Bolam, Kate Bullock, James Calderhead, Jim Cambridge, Chris Cloke, Paul Denley, Michael Fertig, John A. Fisher, S J Fletcher, Elaine S Freedman, Stephen Gough, E C Barratt Hacking, K Hawkey, Mary C Hayden, I M Jamieson, Hugh Lauder, John Lowe, Susan Martin, C L Morgan, Yolande M. Muschamp, Rajani Naidoo, Louise Poulson, Alan Reid, Jen Russ, William Scott, David Skidmore, Andrew W G Stables, Louise Stoll, J J Thompson, Mike Wallace, Jack Whitehead, Felicity Wikeley. (An update would include Rita and Trevor and delete Jen John, James & Elaine?)

 

IÕve been through each contribution to see if IÕve understood your areas of research expertise and the keywords that characterise your interests. IÕve read most of the publications in the display cabinet by the water dispenser in 1WN level 3. IÕm hoping that you feel a heuristic power of inclusivity as I connect the original contributions to educational knowledge of some of our completed doctoral and other accounts to your ideas and enquiries. As I do this IÕm thinking of Jerry AllenderÕs comment to me after a seminar of presentations of Ph.D. students from Bath at an AERA conference in New York. Jerry said Š ŌJack, IÕm not sure if I understand your ideas, but those doctoral students from Bath are inspirationalÕ!  I think the pedagogisation of our collective knowledge from our research could help with the generation and testing of educational theories that can help to transform the world into a more peaceful, just and loving place to be and enhance the international reputation of our contributions to educational research.

 

There is no particular order in what follows. IÕm starting with Yolande because IÕve been inspired by Elka YaffeÕs educational theory in her Ed.D. Thesis. I know something of a supervisorÕs influence in the learning of her students and while the originality is ElkaÕs, I can feel YolandeÕs influence through her teaching.

 

So, hereÕs to YolandeÕs educational influence through her teaching and research. IÕve already sent a note round to state my belief that if we collectively explored the implications of ElkaÕs thesis for research in the Department we could establish ourselves within three years as the most significant centre in the world for the generation and testing of educational theories.

 

I feel very close to CarolÕs interests and ideas in the continuing professional development for teachers from induction to senior management. IÕm connecting CarolÕs interests to the generation and testing of the educational theories of our own education students as they research their own professional development. In the web version of these notes in the JWÕs writings section of http://www.actionresearch.net IÕve connected this paragraph to:

 

1) Moira LaidlawÕs guide for initial teacher education at http://www.actionresearch.net/preserve.shtml

 2) Erica HolleyÕs M.Phil on How do I as a teacher-researcher contribute to the development of a living educational theory through an exploration of my values in my professional practice? Erica is Head of Upper School of Greendown School, Swindon and you can access her M.Phil. at http://www.actionresearch.net/erica.shtml

3) Moyra EvanÕs Ph.D on An action research enquiry into reflection in action as part of my role as a deputy headteacher at http://www.actionresearch.net/moyra.shtml

 4) Mike BosherÕs Ph.D. on How can I as an educator and Professional Development Manager working with teachers, support and enhance the learning and achievement of pupils in a whole school improvement process? at http://www.actionresearch.net/bosher.shtml ,

 

to show the research-based learning resources we can offer students of education. I think these support CarolÕs enquiries into continuing professional development.

 

BillÕs and SteveÕs commitment to  sustainable development and learning (along with Alan and other colleagues) seems to me to be fundamentally important in the creation and testing of educational theories in personal and global transformations. On page 145 of their recent book they stress the importance of practical, collaborative learning in relation to overcoming poverty. They set out on pages 145-146 concrete commitments for sustainable development from the Johannesburg Summit. These include issues of water and sanitation, natural resource management, health education and a focus on Africa.

 

I like DavidÕs ideas in his paper on From Pedagogical Dialogue to Dialogical Pedagogy and share his interests in inclusive education; classroom discourse; socio-cultural learning theory and qualitative research methods. Andy LarterÕs M.Phil emphasised the importance of all of these issues in the creation and testing of  his own educational theory. Andy chose to represent his learning in his educational research as a form of dialogical pedagogy in his dissertation on An Action Research Approach to Classroom Discussion in the Examination Years. You can access this at http://www.actionresearch.net/andy.shtml .Andy completed this work in 1997 and it would have been strengthened by the inclusion of DavidÕs ideas.

 

Whenever I look into our publications cabinet in the foyer of 1|WN I find energising the titles associated with HughÕs name:  Trading in Futures - why markets in education donÕt work; Capitalism and social progress - the future of society in a global economy; High skills globalization, competitiveness, and skill formation.

 

A point from Education: Culture, Economy and Society I always stress with my students is:

 

ŅThe fact of the matter is that education is just one factor, albeit an important one, in an overall melange of conditions that determines productivity and economic competitiveness as well as the levels of crime, public assistance, political participation, health, and so on. Education has the position for powerful impacts in each of these areas if the proper supportive conditions and inputs are present. It has the potential for a very nominal impact when the complementary requirements are not in place. By ignoring this set of facts in both policy and in our research, we tend to overstate the potential of education for improving society. We need to be realistic about what education can do and what other changes are necessary to maximize the effects of education and to realize our aspirations for economic and social betterment.Ó  (p.250).

 

I always stress the importance for educational researchers of creating their educational theories in a way that connects with and makes a contribution to these supportive conditions. I think Moira Laidlaw is working and researching in this way as she enquires into issues of sustainability at Guyuan Teachers College in China (see http://www.actionresearch.net/moira.shtml) . I think Paulus Murray is working and researching in this way as he invites us to participate in his doctoral enquiry into his multiracial and inclusional, living educational practice, research and theory (see the paulus murray homepage at (http://www.actionresearch.net/otherpages.shtml). Paul Hocking the director of the centre for health leadership in Wales is also researching these supportive conditions. His latest writings on Action Research and the Strategic Context in NHS Wales Or The Action Research Ecology in NHS Wales can be accessed at (http://www.actionresearch.net/arsup/pharpolec.doc)

 

JimÕs list of publications includes: with Thompson, J.J. & Hayden, M.C. (2003)Towards a structural typology for baccalaureate-style curricula in post 16 education systems. In Pound, T. & Phillips, G. (Eds) A Baccalaureate Future: a model for the reform of the 14-19 curriculum. (London, Kogan Page) ***'Global Product Branding and International Education' Journal of Research in International Education 1(2)227-44.

 

I think JimÕs ideas on global product branding will be highly significant if we are to become the ŌbrandÕ leaders in the generation and testing of educational theories for personal and global transformation.

 

I link AlanÕs and ElisabethÕs research interests in geography and environmental education to the crucial importance of a sense of place in educational theorising. I identify with ElisabethÕs interests in teachers' professional development and novice teachers' subject competence. I also identify with the educational enquiry title in AlanÕs Ph.D. How does the geography teacher contribute to pupils' environmental education? I learnt a lot from CollingwoodÕs ideas on the importance of question and answer in the growth of knowledge and use his idea that we should enquire into the nature of the question(s) which propositional assertions are claiming to answer.

 

IÕm with Sue in her focus on the importance of theory into practice in her recent publication of her research on voices and choices in coursework. ItÕs great to see SueÕs stress on exploring the relevance of insights from researchersÕ theories for improving the quality of pupilsÕ coursework. I think a number of the successfully completed educational enquiries and methods of educational enquiry assignments of our masters units would have benefited from a close engagement with SueÕs ideas. IÕm thinking here of the excellent educational theorising of Karen CollinsÕ educational enquiry of Jan. 2003: How can I effectively manage students' learning to take account of self-assessment within Modern Foreign Languages? Šat http://www.actionresearch.net/module/kcee3.pdf .

 IÕm thinking of Graham LloydÕs Methods of Educational Enquiry assignment on - How do I/we help the students in Key Stage 4 improve their learning if they are in danger of underperforming? passed in June 2003 Š at http://www.actionresearch.net/module/glmee.doc

 

I enjoyed GeorgeÕs advocacy of learning to be, learning to do, learning to know and learning to live with others (in the book edited by Mary, Jeff and George on International Education in Practice). Louise (S) reinforced this advocacy in ItÕs About Learning (and itÕs about time). I think Mary is spot on with her point about accreditation:

 

ŅThe notion of some form of accreditation of what might be described as, say, an ŌAdvanced International Education TeacherÕ (akin to the Advanced Skills Teacher concept recently introduced in England and Wales) may seem to be taking the idea too far, but such accreditation would at least have the virtue of recognizing the centrality of this dimension of a teacherÕs role in the promotion of international education.Ó

 

Mike and Louise have been wonderfully productive together. They have focused attention on the importance of  educational leadership & management and on the importance of critical reading for self-critical writing. Mike has also focused attention on

the management of complex educational change in the large-scale reorganisation of schools. I think the influence of MikeÕs ideas can be seen in the merit awarded to

Daisy Walsh's Methods of Educational Enquiry assignment on - How do I improve my leadership as a team leader in vocational educational in FE? Š at http://www.actionresearch.net/module/dlmee.doc

 IÕm also going to see if I can help my Masters and Ph.D. students to enhance the quality of their writings by integrating insights from Louise and MikeÕs work on critical reading for self-critical writing.

 

Louise and Elias have also been very productive together. EliasÕ research interests are inspiring: Inclusive Education; evaluation of inclusive education programmes; managing complex educational change; emotional and behavioural difficulties in childhood and adolescence; supporting disabled students in higher education; dyslexia in adulthood; quantitative research methods. IÕve also found inspiring the ecological thinking of Alan Rayner with his ideas of inclusionality at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~bssadmr .

 Paul RobertÕs Ph.D. (2003) on Emerging Selves in Practice: How do I and others create my practice and how does my practice shape me and influence others? contains a powerful description of his emotional and behavioural difficulties in childhood and adolescence at http://www.actionresearch.net/roberts.shtml

 

IÕve appreciated AndyÕs writings on education for diversity and making differences. I identify with his pragmatic, interpretive view of learning and his examination of this view in terms of its possible consequences for educational policy and for practice in teaching. IÕll engage with this text and encourage my students to do the same in the masterÕs module IÕm tutoring on Understanding Learners and Learning. I like AndyÕs point that:

 

ŅAll bureaucratic control (as opposed to stakeholder influence) should be light-touch: that is to say, control of the system of provision should limit itself as far as possible to attempting to ensure availability of desired types of provision. The masters become the servantsÓ

 

Jackie Delong developed the idea of servant leadership in her doctoral enquiry into her educational influence as a Superintendent of Schools in the Grand Erie District School Board in Ontario. Jackie is President of the Ontario Educational Research Council and you can access her thesis on How Can I Improve My Practice As A Superintendent of Schools and Create My Own Living Educational Theory? from (http://www.actionresearch.net/delong.shtml)

 

IÕve already expressed my delight in a previous note to the Department in the research focus on educational relationships being supported by Rita,  Felicity, Yolande and Kate. IÕm sure that it is crucially important for the generation and testing of educational theory to enhance understanding of  the relationship between parents and schools Š one of FelicityÕs interests - and I do support KateÕs and FelicityÕs ideas in:

Bullock, K. and Wikeley, F. (2001) Personal Learning Planning: strategies for pupil learning Forum Vol. 43 No. 2. 

 

Robyn PoundÕs doctoral thesis on her educational influence as a health visitor with parents and their babies highlights the importance of educational relationships in the home. You can access the Abstract and contents of RobynÕs thesis on How can I improve my health visiting support of parenting? The creation of an alongside epistemology through action enquiry at http://www.actionresearch.net/pound.shtml . Other doctoral theses by Geoff Mead as a Superintendent of Police, Jacqui Scholes Rhodes and Paul Roberts show the importance of educational relationships outside the formal context of schooling. These can  be accessed from the living theory section of actionresearch.net Š http://www.actionresearch.net/living.shtml

 

IÕm struck by the quality of RajaniÕs relational way of being. IÕm inspired by her commitment and passion for research into higher education policy in the United Kingdom and in developing and in newly industrialised countries. I identify with the keywords that characterise her interests: the commodification of higher education; students as consumers; mass higher education, quality and access; comparative education policy and globalisation.

 

IÕve worked with Ram Punia over many years and been impressed with his understanding of the need to take account of spiritual values in the creation of a globalising educational policy. RamÕs Ed.D. thesis on The Making of an International Educator with Spiritual Values is under examination. You can access RamÕs writings on the creation and testing of his educational theory of his life-long learning at http://www.actionresearch.net/arsup/punia.shtml

 

The inclusion of SarahÕs ideas in the DFES guidelines for Best Practice Scholarships was one of last yearÕs highlights. Sarah has drawn insights from her book on Mentoring in the development of her recent ideas on research mentoring:

 

ŅMentoring means guiding and supporting trainees to ease them through difficult transitions; it is about smoothing the way, enabling reassuring as well as directing, managing and instructing. It should unblock the ways to change by building self-confidence, self-esteem and a readiness to act as well as to engage in ongoing constructive interpersonal relationships. Mentoring is concerned with continuing personal as well as professional development (CPPD) and not just continuing professional development. In the process, personal and professional values come under scrutiny and are subject to change. Mentoring is not synonymous with cloning because it means developing individualsÕ strengths to maximize their professional and personal potential and also that of students who come under their care within a classroom situation.Ó (pp. 1-2) Fletcher, S. (2000) Mentoring in Schools: A Handbook of Good Practice. London; Kogan Page.

 

SarahÕs website http://www.teacherresearch.net contains a large number of accounts by teacher-researchers who have engaged in self-studies of their professional practice and is a most valuable learning resource. Sarah has influenced the development of the Wiltshire Journal of Education and IÕve expressed the reasons for my optimism on making it probable that our home grown educational theories are at the forefront of educational research in Vol. 4 No. 3 of the Wiltshire Journal of Education. You can access this from http://www.actionresearch.net/otherpages.shtml - itÕs the third item from the top.

 

MikeÕs (F)  work on effective schools in developing countries, school management in developing countries and the management of International Schools has opened up wonderful opportunites for the extension of the influence of ideas from all our research into these international contexts as do the Summer Schools organised by Mary. Peggy Leong (nee Kok) is now Director of the Academy for Best Learning in Education (ABLE) of the Institute of Technical Education in Singapore. PeggyÕs masters diisertation on the Art of an Educational Inquirer tells an entrancing story of her learning from differences in values between her supervisor Š a white westerm male and herself Š a Chinese woman. You can access details of ABLE at http://www.ite.edu.sg/~able/

and the Abstract and Contents of PeggyÕs dissertation at http://www.actionresearch.net/peggy.shtml

 

I still carry the laughter from years ago when the previous School of Education was undergoing cutbacks and ChrisÕ cry of  ŌWe are DoomedÉ. DoomedÕ echoed round the corridor Š we are still here and I still enjoy our conversations. ChrisÕ interests are information technology in education, science education, teacher education and initial teacher education. Without ChrisÕ interest in supporting the early work of Maggie Farren I wouldnÕt be supervising her research programme now. Maggie is researching the development of a pedagogy of the unique in her teaching on ICT programmes at Dublin City University. You can access her latest ideas from the action research supervision section at http://www.actionresearch.net/arsup.shtml

 

Keith recently did something I would have liked to have done. He examined Elka JaffeÕs Ed.D. thesis and recommended the award! Kate (H) was the Reader and Kate (B) responded to some earlier work with Elka.  Paul and Keith have engaged in a most productive collaboration and I identified with their book on effective learning in science of some 6 years ago. I also know how important their work is in understanding the development of subject knowledge in trainee science teachers. It was my learning from the science teachers and their pupils I worked with between 1975-77 on improving learning in mixed ability groups that moved my research onto its present dialogical and dialectical base. The 1976 publication on which this was based is still in the library. ItÕs great to see KatherineÕs latest Research Update for October 2003 and the details of PaulÕs collaborative work in Japan and the UK comparing initial and in-service approaches with science teachers.  ThereÕs an upsurge of interest in action research in Japan. You can join the living action research e-forum established by one of our research students Je Kan Adler Collins who is working in the Faculty of Nursing at Fukuoka University. Je Kan has recently received an £8000 grant to develop scientific enquiries into nursing practice. You can join the living action research e-forum from the front page of http://www.actionresearch.net

 

I find JohnÕs presence such a pleasure because of the passionate commitment he always expresses for his students and their learning as well as his living embodiment of social justice. I identify with his research interests in  education and national development, comparative and international education, assessment of student achievement; curriculum development and globalisation and its implications for education policy.

 

I first came across KateÕs (H) work on peer mentoring when someone at a conference in Canada gave me a paper of hers and asked  ŌIsnÕt this a colleague of yoursÕ! I really like KateÕs ideas in, Mentor pedagogy and student teacher development: a study of two mentoring relationships, in Teaching and Teacher Education, 1998, and in  Learning from peers: the experience of student teachers in school-based teacher education - a review of the literature, in Journal of Teacher Education, May-June, 1995.

 

I like the way Moira Laidlaw extended the idea of peer mentoring in her work on learning partners with her Year 8 pupils. IÕve still got video-tapes of Moira working with her pupils to develop learning partners in her Year 8 class Š most energising to watch.

 

If I have time in the seminar IÕll give a brief illustration of my most recent multi-media work in which IÕm seeking to communicate the educational influence of  my spiritual, aesthetic and ethical values in the learning of students as well as in my own learning.