Giving Pupils the Licence to Lead on ICT CPD: Findings from the Teach a Teacher Project

Author(s):

David Morris(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 11 A, Perspectives on Teacher Learning

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-25

17:15-18:45

Room:

OB-Theatre F

Chair:

David Morris

Contribution

This paper returns to conclude and present final findings from a doctoral research project which was first introduced at ECER in Porto in 2014. The study, which became known by the pupils and staff involved as the Teach a Teacher project, took place in one secondary school in England over the course of eighteen months. At the time, fieldwork had just begun and tentative initial findings showed that there was a general willingness between pupils and teachers to collaborate in terms of teachers’ ICT CPD.

Since then, I gathered both qualitative and quantitative data to investigate and evaluate the ways in which pupils can share their technological expertise with teachers and how this can bring about a transformative step-change in the way teachers teach and the way pupils learn, and perhaps more importantly, how this can have a positive impact on the relationships between teachers and pupils.

To articulate these converging themes, this study draws upon the theoretical bodies of work concerning CPD (cf. Earley and Bubb; Opfer; Pachler; Pedder) and student voice (cf. Fielding; Mitra; Rudduck). This work also draws upon aspects of Bourdieu’s thinking as a key to gaining a better understanding of the social dynamics and educational landscape(s) that these themes presented during the fieldwork. Data was generated from interviews, participant observations, focus groups and questionnaires and is used to demonstrate the ways in which a pupil-to-teacher model of CPD can influence shifts in knowledge, policy and practice and relationships between teachers and pupils.

The research questions were as follows: If the teacher-to-pupil model of instruction is reversed enabling the pupil to become the educator, and the teacher the learner, then: (1) How will this influence the way pupils and teachers engage with technology? (2) What impact will this have on the relationships between pupils and teachers? (3) In what ways will this affect the nature of learning and teaching experiences, and therefore approaches to CPD?

A cohort of 16 pupils and 8 teachers took part in the project on a voluntary basis and this became the vehicle through which I was able to explore the complex relationship between CPD, student voice and the pedagogical issues surrounding ICT and how this impacts upon policy and practice and the school environment. Although this is a small-scale research study, it is significant given that research reporting on teacher ICT CPD initiatives delivered by pupils appears to be thin on the ground and following a review a literature only two studies emerged. The first source considers CPD practice in English schools where examples of both formal and informal ICT INSET sessions were held by pupils (Pachler et al., 2010). The second concerns a project in Israel involving Jewish and Arab primary-aged pupils providing their teachers instruction with using computers and the internet (Gamliel and Hazan, 2014).

In terms of considering a wider international perspective it is important to stress the need to avoid a purely Anglo-centric approach and to be aware of what is happening elsewhere. Both approaches to CPD and student voice initiatives vary across countries. Attitudes towards recognising the importance of what young people have to say would appear to be strongest in European countries where there is legislation and a political commitment in supporting this. Systems to implement and promote CPD initiatives would appear to be strongest in England where there is a statutory requirement for teachers to complete a minimum number of INSET days. There is, however, across all nations a general level of dissatisfaction concerning the usefulness or relevance of CPD activities with a unilateral recognition of the importance of promoting opportunities for collegial collaboration.

Method

This study deploys a predominantly qualitative methodology as it seeks to understand and make sense of situations and social interactions (Robson, 2011) which concern both the opportunity to promote and engage in ICT CPD within a secondary school setting (Cohen et al., 2011). Methods of data collection included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. As a researcher, gathering predominantly qualitative data has allowed me to engage with what Geertz (1973) refers to as ‘thick description’ because this involves considering the thoughts, feelings and experiences of people in their setting and allows them to speak for themselves as opposed to their opinions, beliefs and actions being judged, evaluated or otherwise interpreted by myself, their superiors or their peers. This research therefore adopts an action research paradigm and epistemology (Creswell, 2005; Elliott, 2009; McNiff et al., 2002; Noffke, 2009) which by definition entails practitioner based enquiry in order to improve and transform professional practice (McNiff et al., 2002; Elliott, 1991). Although observation was the principal research method – because it actually allowed me to witness the dynamics involved when pupils teach their teacher – pupil focus groups and teacher interviews were useful in facilitating the gathering of additional data following on from this experience. Combining a variety of approaches in order to facilitate the answers to research questions is a legitimate approach and sometimes employing other methods can be used to explore motivations or examine more closely unexpected results (Kerlinger, 1970). Questionnaires were used as a secondary method of data collection (Robson, 2011) and during the Teach a Teacher project I used them in order to supplement my primary methods. Questionnaires were useful as they collected data at a given moment in time and although only providing a snap shot, they offered me the advantage of further measuring the practices of both the pupils and the teachers as the need arose (Creswell, 2005; Walsh, 2001). Using a combination of interviews, observations, focus groups and questionnaires allowed me to triangulate findings by using a range of different methods in different situations (Denscombe, 2007). Once transcripts of the data had been completed, I began seeking ways of classifying the data by starting out with themes informed by the literature and the research questions. This process led to the coding of sub-themes until data saturation was reached, and in doing so moved beyond into data analysis and interpretation (Charmaz, 2006).

Expected Outcomes

The main findings which emerge from the research demonstrate that: (1) some teachers’ ICT knowledge is problematic in that they still lack basic ICT skills; (2) pupils can provide teachers with this knowledge through those methods of CPD delivery which are both recognised to be most effective as well as being the preferred model by teachers themselves, and; (3) the teacher-pupil role reversal has a beneficial impact on relationships where teachers are empowered in their teaching and pupils receive a form of vocational training and sense of personal development that the curriculum does not otherwise provide. Other trends and patterns worth noting were the teachers’ increased levels of confidence, their sense of achievement and their development in the use of ICT in their subject teaching. This was significant in that it had a positive impact within subject departments where teachers either cascaded their skills and practice to colleagues, or where teachers previously cautious about the project were inspired to become involved. This study provides a contribution to the body of knowledge on ICT CPD given that research in the area of pupils providing such CPD opportunities for teachers is under reported. Since the completion of the research, the Teacher a Teacher project has grown and developed organically and is still active in the school. In doing so, the project has created a shared school ethos between pupils and teachers for learning and teaching with ICT. In the spirit of this year’s conference theme, this study provides an example of new ‘compass readings’ within the landscape of ICT teacher CPD and it thrives because it is based on ‘what works’.

References

Bourdieu, P. (1990) The Logic of Practice. R. Nice [Trans.] Cambridge: Polity Press. Bourdieu, P. & Wacquant, L. (1992) An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Charmaz, K. (2006) Constructing Grounded Theory. London: Sage. Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education. (7th Edn.). London: Routledge. Creswell, J. (2005) Educational Research: Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Denscombe, M. (2007) The Good Research Guide. [3rd Edn.] Maidenhead: Open University Press. Earley, P. & Bubb, S. (2004) Leading and Managing Continuing Professional Development. London: Paul Chapman Fielding, M. (1996) Empowerment: emancipation or enervation? Journal of Educational Policy, 11 (3): 399–417. Elliott, J. (1991) Action Research for Educational Change. Buckingham: Open University Press. Elliott, J. (2009) ‘Building Educational Theory through Action Research. In Handbook of educational action research, S. Noffke, and B. Somekh [Eds.]. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.28-38. Fielding, M. (2001) Students as radical agents of change. Journal of Educational Change, 2: 123–141. Gamliel, T. & Hazan, H. (2014) ‘Digital Natives’: Honour and respect in computerised encounters between Israeli Jewish and Arab children and adult learners. British Education Research Journal, 40 (5): 886–905. Geertz, C. (1973) Thick Description: towards an interpretive theory of culture. In C. Geertz [Ed.] The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books. Kerlinger, F. N. (1970) Foundations of Behavioural Research. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. McNiff, J., Lomax, P. & Whitehead, J. (2002) You and your action research project. London: Routledge. Mitra, D. (2006) Student voice from the inside and outside: the positioning of challengers. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 9 (4): 315--328. Noffke, S (2009) ‘Revisiting the Professional, Personal, and Political Dimensions of Action Research’. In Handbook of educational action research, S. Noffke, and B. Somekh [Eds.]. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 6-24. Opfer, V., Pedder, D. and Lavicza, Z. (2008) Schools and continuing professional development (CPD) in England – State of the Nation research project. A report for the Training and Development Agency for Schools. Cambridge University. Pachler, N., Preston, C., Cuthell, J., Allen, A., & Pinheiro-Torres, C. (2010) ICT CPD landscape: Final report. Coventry: Becta. Robson, C. (2011) Real World Research. [3rd Edn.] Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Rudduck, J. (2005) Pupil Voice is here to Stay! QCDA. Walsh, M. (2001) Research Made Real. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

Author Information

David Morris (presenting / submitting)

University of East London

London

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