Warwick Journal of Education - Transforming Teaching

Editorial: The Changing Face of Education

2017-06-22T00:31:27+01:00

On behalf of the Editorial Board, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of the Warwick Journal of Education – Transforming Teaching (WJETT). At time of writing, education at all levels in the United Kingdom faces a host of challenges; but with challenge comes change, and it is such change that draws the focus of this journal. WJETT has been established in order to capture the work that goes on, at all levels and across all kinds of educational institutions, in transforming teaching and learning to address these various challenges, in pursuit of high quality outcomes for all learners.

You get what you came for? A Case Study and Reflections on Applying an English Inspection Model in International Schooling

2017-06-22T00:31:27+01:00

This article considers the position of international education, and the ways in which it ‘borrows’ performativity structures from the English education system. Utilising a recent Case Study and analysing Ralph Tabberer’s personal reflections on it, the article outlines ways in which we can continue to learn from the socio-cultural dimensions of the English schooling system that are regularly utilised in an international educational context.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Raising Awareness and Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists

2017-06-22T00:31:30+01:00

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to modern medicine and has a wider socio-economic impact worldwide. Public awareness is a key priority in decreasing the burden of AMR, and so we describe the development and execution of ‘Antibiotic Awareness’, a workshop for key stage 3 (KS3) pupils delivered by researchers from the University of Warwick. The workshop aimed to highlight the importance of antibiotic resistance, in addition to providing a novel opportunity for students to engage with scientists in this widening participation project. The session was one hour, comprising an introductory talk, three activities and a plenary question and answer session. The workshop was delivered to 233 students, in two schools, and complemented the KS3 curriculum. The workshop was assessed on three criteria; student responses to questions (at the end of the session and in a two month follow-up), student feedback, and teacher feedback. Overall, 88% of students felt that we ‘had done a good job’. Immediately after the workshop, the majority were able to define antibiotic resistance and answer plenary questions. However, at follow-up, retention was low. The initial delivery of the workshop indicated that it was informative and engaging, but also identified opportunities for improvement.

A Personal Reflection on Establishing a New Multi Author Blog and its Role in Developing Research-Informed Teachers

2017-07-13T17:44:40+01:00

In 2016 a Multi Author Blog was established to engage student participation in the community of research-informed teachers. This reflection discusses the reasons for its conception and some of the opportunities the Multi Author Blog could provide to schools. In a time when developing teachers as researchers is a priority for ITT providers and schools and when there is a national drive towards a research-informed profession, it is suggested that the use of new technology could be a way to satisfy both professional development and general teacher engagement with research in a sustainable and affordable way.

An Interview with Philippa Cordingley (CUREE)

2017-06-22T00:31:29+01:00

Philippa Cordingley is the Chief Executive of CUREE and an internationally acknowledged expert in using evidence to develop education policy and practice. She leads CUREE and has a hands-on role in many of its projects including the development of the evidence based National Framework for Mentoring and Coaching; the creation of innovative practical resources to engage practitioners with research (e.g. Research for Teachers, The Research Informed Practice (TRIPs) web site and of a bank of micro enquiry tools for the Economic and Social Research Council’s Teaching and Learning Research Programme and for the General Teaching Council. She also leads CUREE’s research and evaluation projects ranging from a three-year large scale, multi-disciplinary evaluation of the implementation of the National Curriculum to the evaluation of in-school development projects. She has particularly enjoyed designing and leading CUREE’s innovative and rigorous, yet user friendly, approach to evaluation that has proved very successful in the creativity and education field through, for example, CUREE’s work for the National Gallery, the Sage Gateshead and Sing Up.

She is the founder and professional adviser to the National Teacher Research Panel, chair of the EPPI Centre Impact of CPD Review Group, an Honorary Fellow of the College for Teachers, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Sussex University and a member of the Steering Groups of several HE research centres/projects. She also leads CUREE’s strategic partnership with the Nuffield Foundation.

Shakespeare in the Classroom: to be or not to be?

2017-06-22T00:31:28+01:00

This paper explores the arguments surrounding Shakespeare's place in the classroom amid recent changes to the National Curriculum. First, it will explore arguments suggesting that the works of William Shakespeare are not relevant to the lives of young people today: as a result, the compulsory study of Shakespeare in schools risks alienating students, many of whom come from different ethnic backgrounds. Once acknowledging these arguments, however, the paper will propose that the themes and ideas that run through Shakespeare's works are universal, surpassing barriers such as race and class. In this way, the plays are as relevant today as on the day they were written. The paper will argue that rather than Shakespeare being irrelevant, it is outdated teaching practices that limit the benefits of Shakespeare. Finally, the paper will explore a range of creative approaches to the teaching and learning of Shakespeare which possess the potential to significantly increase student engagement.

Addressing the Low Skill Levels of University Undergraduates in the United Kingdom

2017-06-22T00:31:28+01:00

There seems to be an increasing problem with basic skills acquisition for young people in the UK. Lower levels of facility with literacy and numeracy than older generations are being reported, including for those with higher levels of education. In this article, we attribute the problem to prevalent fixed mindsets, resulting in a lack of attention to developing both narrative and scientific modes of thought in all learners, and also to the important affective domain: beliefs, attitudes and emotions. This can lead to the unintended exclusion of learners within certain subjects, based on their existing strengths and weaknesses.

We propose the development of a newly sensitive and inclusive approach, rooted in the use of both narrative and scientific modes of thoughts across all subject areas, developing growth mindsets, promoting academic resilience and using the ‘growth zone model’ explicitly with learners.

Contested Knowledge: A Critical Review of the Concept of Differentiation in Teaching and Learning

2017-06-22T00:31:28+01:00

This paper explores the concept of differentiation in teaching and learning. It argues that theoretical perspectives, policies, frameworks and the implementation of ideas relating to the technique have become conflated, because of the contested nature of the term. This has led to increased inequality in the classroom, which is the opposite result of its intended purpose. The unevenness of differentiation is most apparent in attempts to improve the attainment of individual students and tailoring the curriculum to meet their needs. Even though differentiation appears to be a successful framework on the surface level, with deeper analysis, it is rather difficult to quantify the real benefits, as non-school factors such as the influence of culture, socio-economic background, gender, ability/disability, language and social class have an effect on the outcome of learners’ educational achievement. Consideration of factors such as these on individual students could provide greater insights and help schools build a platform for more inclusive differentiated learning. This paper suggests that, for differentiation to be successful, teachers should make accommodation for learners’ varied levels, needs and backgrounds. Moreover, this paper highlights the need for more research-led strategies aimed at closing the attainment gap among learners, particularly where differentiation fails to challenge existing learning paradigms.

Transforming Mathematics: Using Dynamic Geometry Software to Strengthen Understanding of Enlargement and Similarity

2017-06-23T10:44:28+01:00

This article discusses the potential to use Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) to form conceptual links across enlargement and similarity by developing learners’ understanding of scale factor and ratio. From the theoretical perspective of situated abstraction, a combination of both situated cognition and mathematical abstraction, it analyses existing literature on the teaching, learning and assessment of enlargement and similarity as well as literature on DGS and how it acts as a microworld, where an array of situations in a mathematically consistent environment can be created. Particular focus is given to how the dragging and measurement facilities in DGS support abstractions through both amplification and reorganisation of traditional pencil and paper methods. The empirical element of this article describes a small scale classroom based project on the use of DGS as a microworld for transformation geometry. Through analysing learners’ dialogue and written responses to tasks, it proposes that a combination of minimally pre-constructed tasks, peer-discussion and utilising the dragging and measurement facilities, can enhance the observation of patterns in transformation geometry and concludes that these conditions can support learners to move from the particular to the general, allowing abstractions to be conceived and strengthening learners’ understanding of enlargement and similarity.

To What Extent do Reading Strategies have an Impact on Students’ Reading Motivations?

2017-06-22T00:31:29+01:00

This study investigates the relationship between employing extrinsic reading motivations and the impact they have on students’ intrinsic reading motivations. Within this study, two rewarding motivations were introduced in a secondary school over a period of three months where in the final month there were no rewards implemented. This study particularly focused on Year Seven students and how their motivations to read have been influenced by the set rewards or motivations employed. Evidently, through the student questionnaires and teacher interviews, these motivations may not have the same effect on students’ motivations to read on a long-term basis as when the motivations were taken away, some students were de-motivated. Interestingly, both teachers and students seem to play a role in reading for pleasure. Using teachers to support reading through promoting and encouraging it in their classroom had its benefits, yet it is down to the individual student to choose to work towards the rewards in place by reading. There is evidence that employing these motivations does play a part in motivating students intrinsically to read, however only to a short-term degree as when the motivations had been removed, the students’ intrinsic motivation to read declined slightly. Throughout this study, it was clear that these motivations had some impact on encouraging students to read even when these motivations were taken away. This study also provides scope for further, long-term study.