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Teachers don’t have the time to do research?

Working with teachers to understand research mobilities in primary literacy education in turbulent times

May 31 2022

Petra Vackova

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When we launched our Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education research project we knew that listening to and thinking together with teachers must be at its core. In the current turbulent educational climate, in which teachers are dealing with the effects of a COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to come together, to talk, and to learn from teachers about what we can do to support and build a strong, equitable, and forward-looking education system for all. Reading worrisome newspaper and magazine headlines that teachers are “overwhelmed and exhausted” and teachers are “buckling up under strain,” or hearing directly from teachers that their workloads have tripled as colleagues are off-sick or quitting due to rising pressures, we knew that getting teachers to commit to yet another project, adding another to-do-item to their already long list, would not be easy. Nevertheless, more than 30 teachers at different career stages and with different roles have already signed up to take part in our project. Some of these have been teaching for many years while others are newly qualified. Some are Literacy leads, others are headteachers or have other roles. Many share a passion for English and literacy. Attending our workshops in between meetings, after work, and taking time away from family, these teachers have engaged with us in future-looking discussions about the intersection of research and literacy education, demonstrating the considerable enthusiasm and commitment that teachers dedicate to their roles and to education even at the most difficult of times.

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How do teachers encounter research?

May 05 2022

Cathy Burnett

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In the recent Schools White Paper Nadhim Zahawi includes a commitment to ‘placing the generation and mobilisation of evidence at the heart of our education system.’  The mobilisation of research evidence is a key concern of our current ESRC funded project, Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education (ES/W000571/1), which is exploring how research moves to and between teachers. The project is a partnership between Sheffield Hallam University, Lancaster University and University of Stirling.  Our starting point is that the mobilisation of research is an increasingly complex business.

We are interested particularly in research that has potential to speak in useful ways to literacy education in primary schools. Literacy is a huge area and there is a wide variety of research available internationally that could be of value and interest to primary teachers. Some of this focuses on pedagogical approaches (such as the use of drama or group discussion) but there is also work that provides useful insights into children’s experiences of literacy at home and at school, as well as that which generates searching questions about the purposes and priorities of literacy education.

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Project Launch

New project to examine how primary educators access research to inform teaching

We are excited to launch our two-year research project today, 4th January 2022. You can read our press release at the links below:

Sheffield Hallam University press release 

“It is important for primary teachers to be able to draw on a range of research to inform their practice. The way teachers access that research has evolved in recent years due to changes in the educational landscape and communication channels. 

We also want to find out whether some kinds of research move more easily than others, and if so, how the key messages from research studies change as they move between researchers and teachers.

The project’s findings will be valuable to all those with interest in the relationship between research and literacy education.” – Professor Cathy Burnett

Lancaster University press release

“Recent upheavals in our education system, not least those caused by the pandemic, have disrupted traditional routes of accessing research. We know that teachers in England display ingenuity and creativity in accessing good ideas and advice to help them improve their practice.

In this project we’ll be exploring their networks and strategies, from Twitter accessed at home to research disseminated in their schools.” – Professor Julia Gillen

University of Stirling press release 

“Examining the ways research moves (or not) is important given the complex array of digital platforms, increasing digitization and datafication of research, and number of new influential actors.

This study is an opportunity to explore the dynamic nature of the mobilities of research using innovative methodologies and will help educational professionals and researchers better understand what is needed to encourage research movement.” – Dr Terrie Lynn Thompson