This paper will report on a new phase of a programme of research that is exploring how the views of learners can stimulate professional learning amongst teachers (Messiou, 2012; Messiou & Ainscow, 2015). The study, which at this point is on-going, is innovative in the way that it explores ways of engaging with the views of children in the age range 4 to 11 years.  In so doing, it builds on the findings of an earlier study, “Responding to diversity by engaging with students’ voices:  a strategy for teacher development”, which involved five universities and eight secondary schools in three European countries (Messiou et al., 2016). 

Drawing on this earlier research, the design of the study involves collaborative action research informed by the following propositions:

1. Teacher development activities should be mainly in classrooms.  Research suggests that the most powerful strategies have to take part in the context where practice develops (Walling and Lewis, 2000; Villegas-Reimers, 2003).   

2. Such development should connect to and build on the expertise available within a school.  As with all forms of learning, progress relies on making connections with existing knowledge (Ainscow, Booth & Dyson, 2006).

3. There is a need for teacher collaboration. Powerful forms of teacher development involve practitioners in planning together, sharing ideas and resources, and having opportunities to observe one another working (Opfer and Pedder, 2010).

4. Efforts are needed to develop a language of practice.  Through such collaborative activities, teachers develop ways of talking that enable them to articulate details about their practices (Huberman, 1993).  In this way, they are able to share ideas about their ways of working with colleagues (Hiebert, Gallimore & Stigler, 2002).

5. Evidence can act as a stimulus for reflection and experimentation.  Whilst the sharing of practices amongst colleagues is an effective means of encouraging teacher development, it may also lead to the closing of minds regarding new ways of responding to challenging circumstances.  Our earlier work has demonstrated how an engagement with various forms of evidence can open minds to new possibilities for moving practice forward (Ainscow et al, 2012).

Building on these propositions, our earlier research led us to conceptualise a model of teacher development in respect to engaging with student diversity. This model, which has subsequently been reported in peer-reviewed journals (i.e. Messiou & Ainscow, 2015; Messiou et al, 2016; Ainscow, 2016), combines a well-established approach to professional learning, known as ‘lesson study’, with an emphasis on listening to the views of students. This earlier study led us to conclude that it is this latter factor, more than anything else, that makes the difference as far as responding to learner diversity is concerned. In particular, it is this that brings a critical edge to the process that has the potential to challenge teachers to both share existing practices and work together in order to invent new possibilities for engaging students in their lessons.

The study described in this paper is intended to develop, trial and refine an approach to teacher development with younger children, based on this model. In so doing it sets out to fill a gap in the research literature regarding the involvement of younger children. At the same time, it seeks to make direct contributions to the improvement of practice in the field.

The research questions were:

• ·       How can primary school teachers engage with the views of children in order to stimulate their professional learning?
• ·       What are the challenges involved in using such approaches?
• ·       What impact does this have on the thinking and practices of teachers?
• ·       What evidence is there of changes in children’s engagement?

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