Our research literacy framework aiming to make a difference in the classroom!

Last Saturday, Kenan Dikilitas and I had the pleasure of presenting parts of our project to a wider audience of teachers, teacher researchers and researchers at the BERA Teacher Conference “Research Making a Difference in the Classroom” at Birkbeck, University of London.

We listened to very inspiring talks by enthusiastic teacher researchers presenting their various ways of engaging in research at their schools and in their classroom practice. Their motivations for introducing research projects at their schools were manifold and ranged from deep personal interests, continuous professional development and an increase in staff retention.

Some teacher researchers even incorporated research into their school profile and thereby advertised themselves as innovative schools continuously aiming for change and optimisation of teaching and learning in their classrooms. We also had the opportunity to listen to Dr Jason Anderson (Warwick University) about his definition of ‘teacher research’, ensuring that agency lies within the teachers and their individual needs and understandings of research.

The keynote speaker, Prof. Tanya Ovenden-Hope (Plymouth Marjon University), led us to reflect on our own personal educational paths in the past, shaping our research interests of today. The closing keynote was held by headteacher Rae Snape (Milton Road Grammar School in Cambridge), highlighting the deep connections between humanistic models of teaching and learning for pupils’ and teachers’ wellbeing at the primary level. 

What a wonderful opportunity to give voices to the teacher researchers and their efforts in continuously improving their classroom practices through research! Our framework is a great addition to help teachers develop the specific skills and knowledge needed to maximise the impact of their research!