The role of the research champions and their development as effective facilitators of research-informed practices in their contexts
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Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
As part of its partnership with Oxford University, the Cardiff Partnership for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) drew upon the research-informed clinical practice principles of the Oxford Internship scheme (Burn and Mutton, 2013), including the commitment to work more closely with schools to design together the content, structure and pedagogical strategies of the ITE provision. Clinical practice, a term that derives from the medical profession, relies on the innovative support of Research Champions (RCs) alongside the more traditional arrangements of school-based ITE depending on mentors and senior mentors. RCs have been appointed in all the partnership’s Lead Partnership Schools/Alliances (LPS/As), with a remit to promote and support student teachers’ research engagement within the LPS/A, particularly regarding school-based research assignments. They act as a positive role model and a practical source of support, whilst addressing an acknowledged gap between research and practice in the teaching profession (McIntyre, 2005). A wider ambition of the introduction of RCs is to support greater engagement with research, both within schools and across the partnership. Regular twilight sessions and development meetings for RCs and partnership colleagues encourage greater dialogue and an improved understanding of research between partners.
The introduction of RCs within the Cardiff Partnership is significant in other ways. For example, allocating the choice of the research assignment focus to schools, based on their needs, marks a shift away from university-dominated ITE (Pugh et al., 2020). University staff and systems still approve and assess the assignments, but the dissemination of the findings within school means that the research is immediately pertinent to the specific context and needs of the individual school.
RCs are supported through professional learning in a community of practice facilitated by Cardiff Metropolitan University. This engagement supports the systemic capacity building of research-informed practices and behaviours for schools, partnership staff and students.
The professional learning of RCs draws upon other national initiatives, and research undertaken in projects which promote research and enquiry (R&E). These include the national strategy for Education Research and Enquiry (NSERE) and National Professional Enquiry Project (NPEP) which inform approaches to developing the RC role.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The work of the RCs can be seen both in student outcomes and in the work of the partnership schools. Students’ assignments demonstrate a greater understanding of developing teaching, learning and well-being within a specific context. In partnership schools, the RCs support the development of research skills and practice amongst school staff more widely.
In some schools, strategic decision making has been influenced by the findings from student research. For example, in one primary school, the students’ research on well-being provided evidence to the headteacher for resourcing better provision for outdoor learning.
How have you shared your good practice?
Research Champion Coordinators take the role of building relationships and leading the provision and professional learning for research champions across the partnership. The coordinators build capacity by modelling the use of research in schools. They are pivotal in sharing and supporting research-informed practices across the partnership.
The partnership shares the outcomes of students’ assignments, in particular, the visually enhanced summaries, with stakeholders. These summaries use info-graphics to communicate the outcomes and potential impact of research clearly and succinctly. They explain and encourages the use of research to inform school development.
There are also regular collaborative research and enquiry sharing events, such as the partnership’s research conferences and research seminar series. All stakeholders are invited to attend and contribute to these events by disseminating their own research. The partnership has collaborated with other ITE partnerships to share good practice in supporting student teachers to develop their research skills.
The research assignments supported by the work of the RCs have resulted in the production of
podcasts, Youtube videos and visually enhanced summaries. These have been particularly effective in disseminating ideas from research-informed practices across and beyond the partnership.
References:
Burn, K. and Mutton, T. (2015) ‘A review of “research-informed clinical practice” in Initial Teacher Education’, Oxford review of education, 41(2), pp. 217–233. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2015.1020104.
McIntyre, D., 2005. Bridging the gap between research and practice. Cambridge journal of education, 35(3), pp.357-382.
Pugh, C., Thayer, E., Breeze, T., Beauchamp, G., Kneen, J., Watkins, S., & Rowlands, B. (2020). Perceptions of the new role of the research champion in developing a new ITE partnership: Challenges and opportunities for schools and universities. Cylchgrawn Addysg Cymru = Wales Journal of Education, 22(1), pp. 185– 207.