Session Information
Contribution
The starting point for the following research was my work in the research project “Schools in Alpine Regions”, an INTERREG project together with colleagues from the Universities of Teacher Education in three Suisse cantons (Grisons, St. Gallen, Valais). In this project I interviewed headteachers (who are also teachers) in ten small rural primary schools in Western Austria. Visiting these schools, talking to the teachers and observing their teaching and learning practices I developed an interest in investigating three of these schools involved in more depth. This was owing to the extent of creative teaching and learning which went on in these schools.
My previous research into creative teaching and learning was undertaken in research projects in Austrian and English primary schools: 2003-2004 in the European CLASP project (Creative Learning and Students’ Perspectives) and 2005-2007 in the ESRC projects Primary Teachers Identities, Commitment and Career and CAPITAL (Creativity and Performativity in Teaching and Learning). This included also fieldwork in one small rural primary school. Whereas urban schools are the foci for many research projects, the rural school is a neglected field for educational research. One aim of this project, therefore, was to look at small rural schools more closely.
The ethnographic study presented here is taking place in three small primary schools in Vorarlberg, the most Western province in Austria. The schools are age-mixed and the teachers place an emphasis on child-centered learning practices. Many of these rural primary schools are small - and therefore the classes are age-mixed. In Vorarlberg, for example, there are in total 165 primary schools. Of these 64 are organized with age-mixed classes because of the low number of pupils. 23 of these 64 schools are very small schools with less than 20 pupils. Age-mixed classes are, therefore, a structural imperative. So the rationale of the mixed-age class system is often pragmatic in small schools but for the teachers involved in the research they provide an ideal setting to teach creatively and they enjoy the freedom these schools offer. Many creative/innovative teaching and learning practices are seen as “normal” day-to-day practices by teachers in the small age-mixed classes. On the other hand there are specific challenges primary teachers in remote areas have to cope with.
The main research questions are:
- What is it like being a primary teacher in a small rural school?
- What are the possibilities for creative teaching and learning?
- What are the constraints?
- What are the specific challenges for teachers in small schools? How do teachers manage them?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Hargreaves, Linda, M. (2009): Respect and responsibility: Review of research on small rural schools in England. In: International Journal of Educational Research, 48 (2), p. 117-128. Hillyard, Sam (2007): The Sociology of Rural Life. Oxford/New York: Berg. Jeffrey, Bob (Ed.) (2006): Creative learning practices: European experiences. London: Tufnell. Jeffrey, Bob; Woods, Peter (2003): The creative School. New York: Routledge Falmer. Raggl, Andrea (2006): The Bridge School. In: Jeffrey, B. Creative learning practices: European experiences. London: Tufnell. Troman, Geoff; Jeffrey, Bob; Raggl, Andrea: Creativity and performativity policies in primary school cultures. In: Journal of Education Policy (2008) Vol. 22, Nr. 5, p. 549-572. Vulliamy, Graham; Webb, Rosemarie (1995): The implementation of the national curriculum in small primary schools. Educational Review, 47(1), p. 25-41. Woods, Peter (1995): Creative Teachers in Primary Schools: Open University Press.
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