ACRE

Greater understanding of the professional lives of teachers can be achieved by drawing upon theory and key debates in the discipline area. These include teacher agency, pedagogy, ideological pull, identity and inclusion / exclusion in education. It is important that both qualified teachers and student teachers understand and reflect upon these matters, and critically engage within the wider education context in order for them to become critical pedagogues (Philpott and Spruce, 2021).

To explore this area of interest in greater depth, a study about the values, experiences and aspirations of music educators was conducted. A narrative inquiry approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight educators, resulting in the co-construction of storied accounts. Findings will be presented, with a particular focus on those that relate to Higher Education (HE).

Some of the educators raised concerns about teacher training (attributed to a lack of time, investment and curriculum content) and teacher support post-qualification. This was against a backdrop of perceived pressure from external control (management and policy), experiences of exclusion, and some disagreement about what content should be valued in music education. These issues raise important questions about the purpose and capacity of HE institutions (HEIs) to make a positive difference to the professional lives of teachers – in consideration of other priorities and policy demands, for example the Core Content Framework (Department for Education, 2019). Reflection will be encouraged about the place of HEIs to allow critical pedagogy to flourish, grounded in the context of this study.

Department for Education 2019. ITT Core Content Framework. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974307/ITT_core_content_framework_.pdf

Philpott, C. and Spruce, G., 2021. Structure and Agency in Music Education. In: R. Wright, G. Johansen, P.A. Kanellopoulos and P. Schmidt (eds), The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education. Milton: Taylor and Francis. pp. 288-299.

To foster a holistic understanding of sexuality among young individuals and empower them to make informed decisions that promote their well-being and rights, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is frequently advocated as a scientifically supported and beneficial approach. However, CSE often adopts a liberal, individualised perspective on sexuality education, failing to adequately address the broader social conditions and structures that disproportionately affect the lived experiences of young people, particularly in relation to gender, class, race, faith, disability, and coloniality. Emerging as a political practice within marginalised and oppressed groups, participatory theatre has been used to amplify the voices of young people in discussions about sexuality and to create a space for collective actions that critically analyse and challenge intersectional inequalities. Drawing from academic literature and my own teaching experiences in the Vietnamese K-12 context, this paper examines the material, affective, and symbolic implications of participatory theatre and proposes how it can serve as a valuable pedagogical tool for transgressive, intersectional sexuality education.

References:

• Bay-Cheng, L. Y. (2017). Critically sex/ed: Asking critical questions of neoliberal truths in sexuality education. The Palgrave handbook of sexuality education, 343-367.
• hooks, b. (2014). Teaching to transgress. Routledge.
• Miceli, M. (2022). The politics of sexuality and gender expression in schools. In Introducing the
  New Sexuality Studies (pp. 427-436). Routledge.
• Nguyen-Vo, T.-H. (2012). The ironies of freedom: Sex, culture, and neoliberal governance in
  Vietnam. University of Washington Press.
• Ponzetti Jr, J. J., Selman, J., Munro, B., Esmail, S., & Adams, G. (2009). The effectiveness of participatory theatre with early adolescents in school‐based sexuality education. Sex education, 9(1), 93-103.
• Renold, E. (2018). ‘Feel what I feel’: Making da (r) ta with teen girls for creative activisms on how sexual violence matters. Journal of gender studies, 27(1), 37-55.
• Taylor, S. B., Calzavara, L., Kontos, P., & Schwartz, R. (2022). Sex Education by Theatre (SExT): the impact of a culturally empowering, theatre-based, peer education intervention on the sexual health self-efficacy of newcomer youth in Canada. Sex Education, 22(6), 705-722.

My proposed research project is dedicated to improving history teaching through the lens of anti-racist pedagogy, with a specific focus on the black history curriculum in key stages 2 and 3. My research recognised the injustices perpetuated by existing textbooks, and aimed to address this issue by creating a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

At the core of my research is the development of anti-racist pedagogical principles alongside a classroom textbook tailored for Initial Teacher Educators (ITE) History specialists. This resource will serve as a cornerstone for enhancing their professional development, prioritising social justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in their teaching practices. By offering a nuanced narrative on slavery, racism, and their contemporary legacies, we seek to challenge harmful stereotypes and foster a sense of inclusivity among students (Kennett et al 2020).

Methodology thus far has combined qualitative research , including interviews with local black residents (Westgaph 2021) and forensic analysis of historical contexts, with quantitative analysis of data and historiography (Tibbles et al 2007). This comprehensive approach ensures a deep understanding of the impact and legacy of slavery and racism, informing the development of pedagogical strategies that promote anti-racism in the classroom (Moody 2020).

Moreover, we plan to provide Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions for schools, emphasising the importance of anti-racist pedagogies in history education. Drawing on contemporary sources and collaborating with experts such as Dr. Peggy Brunache, our research aims to equip ITEs with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively address racism and inequality in their teaching practices.

In conclusion, my research represents an attempt to make a significant contribution to advancing anti-racist pedagogy in history teaching, particularly within ITE programmes. By instilling a commitment to social justice and EDI principles, we strive to create a more equitable and just educational system for all educators and students.

Bibliography:

Moody, J. (2020) The persistence of memory : remembering slavery in Liverpool, ‘slaving capital of the world’. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

Brown, J.N. (1998) Black Liverpool, Black America, and the gendering of diasporic space. Cultural Anthropology, 13.

Brown, J.N. (2009) Dropping anchor, setting sail: Geographies of race in black Liverpool. Princeton University Press.

Frost, D. (1996) Racism and social segregation: Settlement patterns of West African seamen in Liverpool since the nineteenth century. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Britain’s history and memory of transatlantic slavery (2016). LIVERPOOL: LIVERPOOL UNIV Press.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ (Legacies of British Slavery)

Opportunities for learning outside the traditional classroom environments, such as the Forest School setting is a key theme underpinning the education studies programme at LJMU.

Experiences teaching on the Exploring Inclusive Practice module, where students participate in a Forest School session, enabled discussion about ways young people with learning disabilities may or may not be able to participate in these creative opportunities, thus becoming ‘othered’. Access to outdoor learning environments provide opportunity for young people to use their imagination, problem solve and gain confidence, moving beyond classroom-based learning (Rea & Waite, 2009). Existing research regarding young people with SEND participating in creative activities via outdoor learning (Price, 2018; Bradley & Male, 2016), largely focuses on mental health perspectives. However, there currently exists no research exploring engagement and participation in Forest School for young people identified as having learning disabilities. This led to conducting research during academic year 2023-24 into the experiences of young people with learning disabilities engaging in Forest School, addressing the knowledge gap in the field. This also draws upon practitioner pedagogical perspectives facilitating Forest School sessions for these young people.

Working with a specialist post-16 provider, a body of research is created, exploring the extent to which the outdoor learning environment is accessible to young people with learning disabilities and the extent to which young people are made to feel welcome and included, or othered. Additionally, it is discussed how Forest School can link to existing opportunities for outdoor learning within the school/ university curricula.

This paper aims to explore the perspectives of parents, undergraduate students and Early Childhood and Care (ECEC) practitioners on primary age children’s risk-taking in outdoor provision. An international comparison was undertaken between the participants’ perspectives in England and Denmark.

In recent years, it can be seen that there has been an increase in the protection of children and the process of shielding them from any form of harm. Yet, in doing so we may be hindering the development of children’s key skills and influencing their own ideas on risk and risk-taking. Sixteen participants completed an online questionnaire including seven Danish and nine English respondents. The responses revealed that the Danish participants were more likely to exhibit a ‘laidback’ attitude in their approaches and beliefs towards allowing children to engage in risk-taking activities in outdoor provision. Whereas the English participants were more likely to generate negative associations with children’s risk-taking such as a fear of the child getting hurt.

The result was that the English participants appeared less likely to allow children to engage in risk-taking activities in outdoor provision. Furthermore, the results gathered showed a greater cautiousness towards children’s risk-taking in English participants compared to Danish participants.

Encouraging students to become ‘reflective practitioners’ (Schon, 1983) is a key component of the Creative Arts Higher Education (HE) experience. Reflection regularly features in assessment criteria for written assignments; however, it is typically not included in schemes of work for formative technical training within film and television production degrees, an omission which misunderstands the growing demand for reflective workers in the media industries.

This paper highlights activities aimed at addressing this issue using an educational toolkit named ‘Reflective Reels’ (the name is a nod to the film and television industry). This training approach foregrounded technical knowledge and intellectual agility to empower the participating students and encourage them to become co-creators of knowledge and revealed a stark duality between the personas students shared in journal entries compared to sharing circles.

SCHON, D., 1983., The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action. Basic Books. London
WENGER, E.1998., Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive and Computational Perspectives).

Although a rich literature exists concerning the pedagogy of university-based higher education, teaching practice in college-based higher education (CBHE) has been largely overlooked in academic research. Very little is known about the methods, strategies and tools that are used to teach higher education in CBHE settings.

This paper presents novel insights from a three-round online Delphi panel study comprising 16 expert CBHE teachers from England. The teachers’ subject specialisms represented eight different academic disciplines. The research sought to ascertain which teaching approaches were commonly used by CBHE practitioners. The expert panel identified 76 teaching methods, strategies and tools before reaching a consensus agreement on 54 of these which they viewed to be commonly adopted approaches in the sector.

The teaching methods, strategies and tools were themed into six distinct categories: knowledge transmission approaches, interaction-based approaches, learning through doing, tasks and activities, use of digital technologies and a category for a small number of additional approaches which were not akin to any of the other categories. The data generated through this innovative methodology is the first of its kind and transforms what we know about CBHE teaching in England, strengthening the scarcely limited research in the area.

The findings of this research should appeal to both higher and further education audiences as it is possible that the teaching approaches which were viewed to be commonly adopted in CBHE may represent new pedagogical opportunities for teachers in university-based higher education, private higher education providers or general further education colleges.

Indicative references

Allen, J., & Parry, G. (2022). The bachelor’s degree in college systems: History, evidence and argument from England. London Review of Education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.20.1.26

Bell, L., Strafford, B. W., Coleman, M., Androulakis Korakakis, P., & Nolan, D. (2023). Integrating Deloading into Strength and Physique Sports Training Programmes: An International Delphi Consensus Approach. Sports Medicine – Open, 9(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00633-0

Burkill, S., Dyer, S. R., & Stone, M. (2008). Lecturing in higher education in further education settings. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 32(4), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098770802392915

Diamond, I. R., Grant, R. C., Feldman, B. M., Pencharz, P. B., Ling, S. C., Moore, A. M., & Wales, P. W. (2014). Defining consensus: A systematic review recommends methodologic criteria for reporting of Delphi studies. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(4), 401–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.12.002

Gale, K., Turner, R., & McKenzie, L. M. (2011). Communities of praxis? Scholarship and practice styles of the HE in FE professional. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 63(2), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2011.572175

Harwood, D., & Harwood, J. (2004). Higher education in further education: Delivering higher education in a further education context—a study of five South West colleges. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 28(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877042000206723

Keeney, S., Hasson, F., & McKenna, H. (2011). The Delphi technique in nursing and health research. John Wiley & Sons.

King, M., & Widdowson, J. (2012). Inspiring individuals: teaching higher education in a further education college. Exploring the pedagogy of HE delivered in an FE setting. Higher Education Academy.

Murphy, L., Eduljee, N. B., & Croteau, K. (2021). Teacher-Centered versus Student-Centered Teaching: Preferences and Differences Across Academic Majors. Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 4(1), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.36021/jethe.v4i1.156

Uiboleht, K., Karm, M., & Postareff, L. (2018). The interplay between teachers’ approaches to teaching, students’ approaches to learning and learning outcomes: A qualitat

In Ofsted’s Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Inspection Framework (2023), a key focus of inspections is to consider how providers assess trainees formatively. A thorough understanding of how the ITE curriculum is assessed to support trainees to build, use and apply their knowledge must be demonstrated.

Formative assessment strategies offer opportunities for tutors to provide information to the student during learning to modify their understanding, management and regulation (Leenknecht et al., 2021). Feedback provided by students is used to improve the teaching-learning process through responsive questioning, advising and interventions (Hamodi et al., 2017). Tailored formative assessments can provide diagnostic information, supporting all parties to understand where gaps in knowledge lie. If followed up with effective support from tutors and an equally determined attitude from the trainee to act, a positive impact on progress can be achieved (McCallum and Milner, 2020).

At Edge Hill University, primary education trainees’ progress is tracked via a range of formative assessment approaches. Diagnostic formative assessment quizzes form a part of this approach and are intended to inform students of where gaps in understanding lie. Quizzes should act as an impetus for students to take action to support their own progress. This research presents a mixed methods approach to analysing trainees’ engagement with and perceptions of the primary geography formative assessment quiz via their responses to a questionnaire. An understanding of the reasons behind trainee engagement with the quiz is achieved as well as a clearer understanding of trainee perceptions around the level of challenge and its impact on their motivation. The perceived impact of the quiz upon trainees’ ability to set meaningful targets is analysed. It is identified that students’ perceptions of such assessment approaches have implications for their overall satisfaction with their degree course of study.

Hamodi, C., López-Pastor, V. M. and López-Pastor, A. T. (2017) ‘If I experience formative assessment whilst studying at university, will I put it into practice later as a teacher? Formative and shared assessment in Initial Teacher Education (ITE)’, European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 40, No. 2, p. 171-190.

Leenknecht, M., Wijnia, L., Köhlen, M., Fryer, L., Rikers, R. and Loyens, S. (2021) ‘Formative assessment as practice: the role of students’ motivation’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 46, No. 2, p. 236-255.

McCallum, S. and Milner, M. M. (2020) ‘The effectiveness of formative assessment: student views and staff reflections’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 46, No. 1, p. 1-16.

Ofsted. (2023) Initial teacher education (ITE) inspection framework and handbook.

VUWBO is a lesson observation technology platform implemented in Secondary PGCE Physical Education at Edge Hill University as a tool to provide trainee teachers feedback from their mentors in a high quality and user-friendly format. VUWBO is explored and could be integral for the trainee teacher to develop through guidance on how to improve performance in the next lesson that they plan and deliver. As Dewey, (1933) states “We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience” If reflective practice is something we advocate, therefore we must be more proactive.

A well-designed assessment process can facilitate the learning process (Torrance, 2007). This in mind, VUWBO allows the evidence and examples within the lesson to be explored through dialogue between learner and observer, therefore impacting future teaching. Notwithstanding Wiliam (2020:22) claims, “There is no such thing as a formative assessment or a summative assessment. Instead, there are formative or summative uses of assessment information” either way trainee teachers can utilise VUWBO electronic reports in discussion with mentors and or reflect in their own time.

A transition away from paper and pencil, especially in inclement weather, would allow the trainee to electronically compile observation input that could be assessed for future planning and give instructors access to track progress. Teacher input has a major role within a social constructivist framework, but it is suggested that trainees must have a major role, with greater opportunity than they commonly have to give input, discuss, and reflect (Nuthall, 2002).

This symposium explores the use of lesson study in higher education (HE) and promotes its potential through the following three different, yet overlapping, areas:

1) As an approach for HE colleagues to improve working relationships and to co-construct pedagogical knowledge.
2) As a methodology for HE professionals to engage in, and contribute to, schoolteachers’ professional development.
3) As an initial teacher education tool for HE colleagues to develop future SEND teachers for the further education and skills sector.

Abstract:

1. Collaborative Working in Higher Education: A Case for Lesson Study
   Speaker: Dr David Allan, Edge Hill University
   Lesson study is a growing area of higher education (HE) and promotes professional development opportunities for pedagogy in ways that other forms of research and professional engagement lack. It can promote faculty cohesion through collaborative working and enables teaching staff to gain stronger insights into teaching and learning through its intense focus on the students’ engagement. Despite the noted benefits of using lesson study in HE to develop lecturers’ pedagogical content knowledge, for some, self-imposed barriers, arising from being a leading specialist in a particular field, can act in contraposition to the collaborative planning process and thus negate its potential.
   University professors are known for their expertise and professional development often involves research engagement in their subject area, the extent of which may include a growing self-awareness and an understanding of positionality in relation to pedagogical content knowledge. Reflection is thus a key tool for individual development, but it can also result in the manifestation of constraining parameters that can exclude or restrict much input from colleagues due to a perceived disparity in expertise. However, I argue in this symposium that once these obstacles are addressed, collaboration through lesson study can actually generate more efficient networking in HE and effective co-reflective processes, subsequently leading to a substantial growth in both general pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.
2. Developing Future SEND Teachers Through Lesson Study
   Speaker: Carrie-Anne Sturt, Edge Hill University
   Collaboration and training play a crucial role in the professional development of educators specialising in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as they frequently encounter a diverse and intricately complex student population (Webster and Blatchford, 2019). Often, specialists in SEND education find themselves assuming many roles and responsibilities. In addition to instructing a single subject in the classroom, educators are frequently required to teach a diverse range of courses, particularly in the context of higher education (Billingsley et al., 2019).
   Previous research has shown that the use of Lesson Study has the potential to transmit valuable and beneficial teaching tactics and procedures that can yield long-term benefits. Furthermore, it places these SEND specialists in a better position of contributing to the development of the next upcoming cohort of SEND educators in a comparable fashion. This leverages the initial foundations of their teacher training in a community of mutual professional learning within their practice.
   According to Wood and Smith (2017), the ongoing professional development and advancement of teachers is essential for ensuring the long-term quality and enhancement of educational standards. The primary objectives of Lesson Study are to enhance teachers’ comprehension of acquiring knowledge, and to improve pedagogical methods by using feedback from peers and students in order to engage in critical self-reflection. According to Wood and Smith (2017), the effective use of Lesson Study is, thus, very suitable for the goal of providing teacher training in higher education ITE courses.
3. Higher Education in Collaborative Lesson Study with Teachers
   Speaker: Dr Rachel Marsden, Edge Hill University
   This paper reports on a collaborative Lesson Study (LS) with two Early Career Teachers from a University Technical College. Rather than LS consisting of triads within a department (as in Hall, 2014), this project involves a University lecturer as part of the process of planning, delivering and evaluating a series of lessons (Dudley, 2014). This is more akin to LS as collaborative professional learning (Cordindley et al., 2004), utilising research expertise from Higher Education (HE)

Following the introduction of the Office for Students scrutiny of Higher Education (HE) performance has increased. This reflects changes in government attitudes towards HE, the financial costs of degree level study and feeds into a political and journalistic rhetoric of ‘low value’ and ‘poor quality’ degrees (Hinds, 2019. Morton and Weston, 2023). To address this challenge a common response within the sector is to increase activity and resource to improve performance in key areas but does not often consider academic perspectives.

A small-scale phenomenological study by Knapton and Chrostowska (n.p.) within a post-92 university investigated stakeholder understanding of the term ‘employability’. Alongside nuanced interpretations of ‘employability’ by academics and professional support staff perspectives of employability as a ‘moral endeavour’ were uncovered that had not been found through the literature review. This workshop would use stimulus materials to explore perspectives of ‘employability’ with a view to identifying ways of navigating the tensions that exists between the external drivers of OfS, government and media and the internal motivations of academics in classroom practice and programme leadership roles.

Hinds, D. (2019). Education secretary calls for an end to low value degrees Gov.UK Department for Education. Available at Education Secretary calls for an end to low value degrees – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Morton, B. and Watson, I. (2023). Poor quality university courses face limits on student numbers BBC. Available at Poor quality university courses face limits on student numbers – BBC News

No ITE institution in the country would not claim to be concerned with social justice – so much so that the claim often cancels out. This workshop attempts to identify research-informed practical principles that teacher educators could unite around when designing an ambitious ITE curriculum for social justice.

A set of principles will be presented to workshop participants as ‘provocations;’ these propositions are potentially subject to amendment, rejection or replacement. Workshop participants will be assembled into four groups, each with a ‘logovisual display kit’ comprising magnetic whiteboard, pens and sets of statements. Participants will, through a set of structured activities, to prioritise which statements they would like to further consider, modify or prioritise. The outcomes of the session will inform the presenter’s future research about teacher education for social justice.

Provocations include (not exhaustively) ‘A teacher education concerned with social justice would…’
(e.g.)
• Model and advocate a critical anti-racist pedagogy.
• Prepare students to teach in a way that is inclusive of and sensitive to all genders and sexualities.
• Communicate the value of methodological diversity in educational research.
• Foreground the moral significance of the teaching profession, and nurture in students the intellectual resources to resist the reduction of pedagogy to a ‘technical’ activity.
• Alert teachers to the hidden curriculum taught by an educational setting’s behavioural codes, systems of rewards and sanctions, etc.
• Acknowledge that education policy is a political field and that teachers cannot be neutral but must be prepared to advocate for social justice in public contexts.