For the 16th June Meeting. We can focus on your developing enquiries. I'm hoping to have the results of 8 MEEs that went through the examinations board on Friday. Any missing for this group will go to the next examination board in the Autumn. I'm hoping that Anastasia will give us an update on her enquiry, maybe with video clips. I'd also like to focus on Alan Feldman's paper from the April 2003 issue of Educational Researcher where he is writing about Validity and Quality in Self-Study.

I'm also wondering if you might find it helpful for me to link your present enquiries with other writings. For example, after Jane went to Latvia a report was produced by the group and I've created a hot-link to the report from Jane's note below. Do see if this kinf of communication is helpful in strengthening our network of communications.

From Jane Toy at Chandag Infants School:

"I have been enquiring into whether the use of curriculum targets in KS1
writing raises attainment.

I have been working all year and have had brilliant support from the
staff at school. At the moment I am looking at the SAT results for this
year which have greatly improved and trying to find out why.
Unfortunately there are lots of changes this year that could have had an
affect and I am now interested in looking at other school's results to
see if there has been a general improvement.
Just before SATs I went on a study visit to Latvia and saw 6 and 7 year
olds enjoying a wonderful practical and creative curriculum with no
pressure to be 'academic'. I returned to England and saw the hall full
of our children sitting SATs and I have had lots of meeting with parents
who want their young children to get high scores and couldn't help
compare the systems. None of our European neighbours - including Wales -
puts this pressure on young children but they still get the same results
in the end. Anyway I digress, if anyone could help by sending me KS1
writing results for 2002 and 2003 I would be grateful."

For the 3rd June, 2003. 4.30 in 1WN 3.8

After reviewing your enquiries, I'd like to concentrate on the resources for learning at:

http://www.actionresearch.net/jbs/jbsconnect.html

My aim is to help you to connect your educational enquiries to international networks of teacher-researchers and other educational researchers. The live urls should take you to papers to download. In the case of the papers from Educational Researcher they are in pdf files that you can view on screen, download, or print off. The pdf files may take a little time.

First Session for Educational Enquiry Module

I'll be sending round information on the start date of our new sessions - either 6th or 13th May

What I'd like to do on our first session of the educational enquiry unit is to catch up with the focus of your present enquiry after you have had the opportunity to talk with a partner about what you are now wanting to work on.

A new website was launched on Monday by the Brislington Training School in partnership with the University of the West of England. They are using ideas on action research for professional development generated at Bath and I'd like to show you the site at:

http://pathways2002.uwe.ac.uk/trainingschool/

and to look at some of the updates on

http://www.actionresearch.net

(What I'm hoping the update will stimulate is the development of interconnecting and branching networks of communications and the sharing of ideas and resources between the different communities of teacher-researchers)

I'll review your methods of educational enquiry unitin terms of four of the five standards of judgement used to assess the masters units:

i) Made critical use of literature, professional experience and, where appropriate, knowledge from other sources, to inform the focus and methodology of the study or enquiry.
ii) Made appropriate critical use of the literature and, where appropriate, knowledge from other sources, in the development of the study or enquiry and its conclusions.
iii) Demonstrated an ability to identify and categorise issues, and to undertake an educational study or enquiry in an appropriately critical, original, and balanced fashion.
iv) Demonstrated an ability to analyse, interpret and critique findings and arguments and, where appropriate, to apply these in a reflective manner to the improvement of educational practices.

The Westwood Group have asked me to write an introduction to a collection of their writings. I'm hoping to have this done by next week. At some time during our first session I'd like to share the introduction with you. I'm also hoping to do this with the John Bentley group next week. Here is what I've just written to the Westwood and I'm hoping that you will see its significance for your enquiries:

"What I'm hoping the introduction to your collection of writings will provide is a better understanding of the connection I'm making between your educational enquiries and those that I see going on in a range of national and international contexts that include the British Educational Research Association and the American Educational Research Association. In particular I'll relate your enquiries to those in the self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) of AERA and to ideas in Educational Researcher, a publication of AERA."

Love Jack.