Content uploaded by Chris Watkins
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Chris Watkins
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Learning, Performance and Improvement. Research Matters series No. 34.
Figures
Figures - uploaded by Chris Watkins
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Chris Watkins
Content may be subject to copyright.
... The engagement of the students in the process of reflecting on their own learning and taking the appropriate measures to adjust it is of a paramount importance. This process of self-regulation is called "metalearning" (Watkins, 2010). Reflection cannot stand in isolation without the activation of other supporting elements. ...
... If the students are trained on reflection, they do not take things for granted, however, they develop a sense of reflection on the process of their thinking and learning to learn (McDonough & McDonough, 1997, p. 125). To help the students develop the competency of learning to learn, they are required to nurture the following habits and strategies (Watkins, 2010): ...
By drawing on Chomsky's (2000) theory of I-concept and McNiff's and Whitehead's (2001) concept of reflective practice as an enquiry by the self into the self, this research study aims at investigating the impact of the practitioner researcher self-assessment and reflection on bringing change into teaching academic writing at university. A focus group was held with a group of Master 1 students at the University of Ibn Khaldoun, Tiaret, and a combination of teacher self-assessment checklist and diary writing was used by the practitioner researcher. Findings indicated that change occurred when there was a willingness to question current practices and sought support to promote quality teaching and learning in the writing classroom.
... The correlation between stronger imaginings of particular future selves and academic attainment (Hock et al., 2003;Oyserman et al., 2004Oyserman et al., , 2011 suggests that when attempting to increase progression to HE these possible selves need reinforcing over timerather than merely introduced as a single event -in order to ensure that within the 'flux' of possible selves, HE is retained as both a desirable and probable option. Harrison and colleagues (2018) suggest that this elaboration includes both metacognitive and self-efficacy based interventions (Bellaera, 2020;Watkins, 2010), as well as what could be seen as more traditional CIAG. (2018, p. 14). ...
This thesis examines the relationships between schools and universities regarding progression to higher education. It asks: what are the characteristics of school-university relationships in this sphere and how do they vary? It examines schools with different rates of progression to higher education, as defined by the Department for Education’s destinations data (Department for Education, 2019c) to frame a qualitative study. This thesis examines the relationships between schools and universities regarding progression to higher education. It asks: what are the characteristics of school-university relationships in this sphere and how do they vary? It examines schools with different rates of progression to higher education, as defined by the Department for Education’s destinations data (Department for Education, 2019c) to frame a qualitative study. This thesis makes several contributions to the academic literature. Empirically, the involvement of schools in progression to higher education is under-researched, with university-focused studies dominating the literature. Theoretically, the thesis draws upon partnership theory in order to understand the relationship between schools and universities, using policy sociology as an analytical lens. In doing so, it examines theory in a new space. Finally, this thesis focuses on an under-researched geographical area, the North East of England, in order to consider how university progression occurs in a particular physical area outside of London. This thesis may be of value to practitioners and policymakers, as well as contribute to the debate surrounding the access and participation agenda, and inequality discourses such as ‘levelling up’ and ‘closing the attainment gap’.
... The accountability and performance management framework in England has created what Chris Watkins has depicted as a tension between lesson observation as a tool to improve learning and as a means of proving one's performance (see figure 1). 13 ...
... Self-regulating learners' primary concern is to improve and less to prove their competence (cf. Watkins, 2010). General agreement exists upon the importance that student performance builds on or is the result of students' self-regulated learning. ...
This study addresses student learning in Dutch academic primary teacher education (PTE), a new route to the teaching profession in the Netherlands since 2008. The creation of academic PTE is in line with international developments. As a consequence of a growing political and social need to bring both a higher quality and a broader range of teachers into education, many countries have reformed their teacher education (McMahon, Forde, & Dickson, 2015). One aspect of this reform pertains to raising the level of the entry qualification (Barber & Mourshed, 2007). In the Netherlands, concerns about the quality of primary teachers has led to several changes in Dutch PTE and to the development of a new, academically oriented route. Dutch regular PTE is a form of higher vocational education (in Dutch abbreviated as hbo). Students who have completed an upper secondary track (havo or mbo) are admissible. Academic PTE has been introduced alongside regular PTE. With the introduction of academic PTE, students with at least pre-university education (vwo) and students who prove otherwise to meet the academic admission requirements are able to opt for either academic or regular PTE. In academic PTE, both professional and scientific competencies are developed (Van der Wel & Van Bergen, 2012). It is expected that academically qualified primary teachers contribute to changes in the school culture, for example by bringing recent scientific findings and research competencies into schools. Academic primary teachers are also expected to be more capable of contributing to educational innovations at both classroom and school level than those who are not academically qualified (Van der Wel & Van Bergen, 2012). It is furthermore assumed that the inclusion of academic primary teachers in primary school teams may help bridge the traditional gap between educational research and educational practice (Klingel & Erbes, 2012). In this dissertation we take the position that for being able to learn throughout their career demonstrating a meaning-oriented learning pattern is important for all teachers (cf. Oosterheert, 2001; Vermunt & Endedijk, 2011), but that this is a prerequisite for academic primary teachers to meet the expectations set. Learners with a meaning-oriented learning pattern view learning as an active process of knowledge construction, are capable of regulating their own learning, want to thoroughly understand a topic, form their opinion about it, and draw their own conclusions (Vermunt & Vermetten, 2004). Previous research revealed that many student teachers are not meaning-oriented, but combine an application-oriented learning pattern with a reproduction-oriented learning pattern (Gordon & Debus, 2002; Oosterheert & Vermunt, 2001; Van Petegem, Donche, & Vanhoof, 2005). It may be that students enrolled in academic PTE will not form an exception to this. All academic students have to maintain or, more likely, have to increase their meaning-oriented learning pattern during PTE. The focus of this study is to learn more about academic PTE students and their learning in academic PTE, especially about (changes in) students’ meaning-oriented learning patterns and about what in their learning environments enhances this learning pattern.
... Recent calls for improved teacher professional development that draws on research into effective learning (eg Coe et al., 2015;Coughlan, 2014;Hallgarten et al., 2014) have contributed to a surge of interest in lesson study in the UK. In line with recent research on high impact professional development for teachers, lesson study offers a learning (not performance) focus (Watkins, 2010), starts with an end goal (Stoll, Harris and Hanscomb, 2012) engages teachers in and with research (Cordingley et al., 2012) through structured collaboration (Timperley et al., 2014), includes processes to mobilise knowledge across schools (Stoll, 2009) and operates over a sustained timeframe (Hallgarten et al. 2014). ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a systematic literature review of recent studies of the implementation of Japanese lesson study beyond Japan, reviewing evidence of impact and robustness of the studies. Two studies of the implementation of lesson study from outside the timeframe for the literature review are also reviewed in detail, in order to explore the problematic nature of impact evaluation of lesson study.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review of 154 English language studies of the implementation of lesson study with in-service teachers beyond Japan published between 2006 and 2016 identifies 56 as a measuring impact. A lesson study-specific adaptation of Guskey’s (2000) five levels for the evaluation of professional development enables an analysis of the types of impact measured. An analysis using the Maryland Scientific Method Scale (MSMS) enables a review of robustness. Two recent robust studies from beyond this timeframe are then analysed in detail in terms of their framing of lesson study as an intervention and selection of related impact measures.
Findings
The literature review and subsequent analysis shows that studies are largely small-scale US case studies ranking as 1, or “least robust” on MSMS. Studies demonstrate the impact of lesson study on teacher learning and positive reactions, but little evidence of it making a difference to teaching, nor of the impact on schools’ professional learning cultures and structures, is present. The detailed analysis of the two recent studies shows that there are many potential pitfalls for researchers to avoid when measuring the impact of lesson study, specifically in relation to distinguishing lesson study as a professional development intervention, and measuring its impact accordingly.
Research limitations/implications
The systematic review is limited to articles available in the English language, and there is a clear bias towards the USA. The study suggests that future research on lesson study in the UK and beyond should evaluate the implementation of lesson study over a larger scale, gather evidence of the difference lesson study makes to daily teaching and learning, and to its effect on school culture and structures.
Practical implications
The study suggests that researchers should pay careful attention to the fact that lesson study is not an end in itself, merely a means to achieve an identified change to teaching and learning, and design impact measures accordingly.
Originality/value
Unlike other systematic reviews of lesson study, this study analyses the impact evidence for lesson study that might be seen as most relevant to its introduction in cultural and structural contexts beyond Japan. It also explores in detail the potential pitfalls of lesson study impact evaluations, offering guidance to both practitioners and researchers.
This paper describes how an action research process, centred around aprofessional development program for teaching critical thinking, enabled teachers in aspecialised program for high-achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Solid Pathways) to develop their pedagogical practices to support student cognition. It argues that awell-structured action research approach supports and enables teachers to link theory to practice in developing their pedagogy, especially where such development implies ashift away from content and curriculum-oriented pedagogy. Principal among these mechanisms are the grounding of practice in theory, well-designed practical activities, special materials that help bridge theory and practice, and collaboration among practitioners in undertaking transformative pedagogical change. The conclusions from this study support the claim that these four key mechanisms are crucial to the implementation of acritical thinking pedagogy and describe how action research can support the advent of such mechanisms into pedagogical development programs that have the capacity to contribute to significant and sustainable change. Overall, findings suggest that where support of student cognition is the goal, pedagogical development predicated on theory and focused on independent practice in aculture of collegial collaboration and dialogue, works best to create sustainable practices of teaching for thinking.
This chapter aims to outline a process of school collaboration with peer review at its heart, conceived at UCL Institute of Education by David Godfrey and piloted by the authors for the first time in 2016/17 in London. We outline some of the learning that has resulted for participating school staff and reflect on what we have learned as facilitators and evaluators of Research-informed Peer Review (RiPR). The chapter looks at the principles and theories that underpin RiPR and its relationship to other research-practice models. We present findings from follow up surveys two years since completing the first RiPR cycle, and apply additional learning from its implementation and adaptation in Chile (see also Chap.10.1007/978-3-030-48130-8_7). Finally we look at how evaluation theory is linked to evaluation policy in this model and on the potential impact of RiPR on teacher collective efficacy
This study describes the teachers’ perception regarding humanistic approach in teaching English for young learners in Public Elementary Schools in Badung Regency. The objectives of this study were (1) to find out the perceptions of the English teachers in public elementary schools in Badung Regency on humanism values in teaching English for young learners, (2) to find out how the English teachers implement humanism values in teaching English as a foreign language in public elementary schools in Badung Regency, and (3) to find out teachers’ perceptions about humanism values related to their strategies in teaching English for young learners in the classroom. The results indicated that the English teachers practice often reflect their stated beliefs about humanism values. In dealing with feeling of the students, the activity of both T2 and T3 appeared around 30 times. The average of three teachers was 28.0 or (15.3%). In dealing with students’ motivation in learning process, the average was 25.0 or (13.8%). The most activities appeared in this component was 28 times and it appeared mostly in T3.This study offers some contributions to the body of knowledge about teacher’s competences, particularly the implementation of Teaching English Learners at the Elementary School.
Achinstein (2002) suggests that conflict is essential in a learning community, yet while some communities will be conflict-embracing others will externalise the conflict and become conflict-avoidant. Over the past five years, I have been using Lesson Study to support the development of a learning community in my school, so that it is increasingly conflict-embracing. In this reflective piece, I will explore the challenges, pitfalls and experiences we have had on our journey to becoming a more conflict-embracing school.
Raelin (2006) explored facilitation in praxis, which identified some fundamental principles needed to develop andragogy (the method and practice of teaching adult learners), and I will show alongside these that there is a need to be mindful of the fact that too much dissonance or too little dissonance can mean potential teacher learning does not occur. I postulate that when there is the optimum amount of conflict it can support teacher learning. In this article, I will explore how just the right amount of professional conflict in the school can work, and if professional conflict is facilitated well it can aid teachers and leaders in developing the andragogy of their schools.
Contrary to the extant thinking on motivation in the workplace, we argue that performance or outcome goals can have a deleterious effect on one's performance. We demonstrate that in situations where primarily the acquisition of knowledge and skills rather than an increase in effort and persistence is required, a specific challenging learning rather than an outcome goal should be set. A learning goal draws attention away from the end result. The focus instead is on the discovery of effective strategies or processes to attain desired results. The practical implications of learning goals for leadership, performance appraisal, and professional development are explained.
Two studies examined the relationship between undergraduates' perceptions of their classroom environment, their adoption of achievement goals for the course, and their graded performance and intrinsic motivation. Results revealed a distinct antecedent profile for each goal in the trichotomous framework: Mastery goals were linked to the presence of lecture engagement and the absence of an evaluation focus and harsh evaluation, performance-approach goals were linked to the presence of evaluation focus, and performance-avoidance goals were linked to the presence of evaluation focus and harsh evaluation. When the perceived classroom environment and achievement goal variables were tested together as predictors of graded performance and intrinsic motivation, the results clearly demonstrated that the influence of the perceived classroom environment on these outcomes measures was indirect; the perceived classroom environment influenced achievement goal adoption, and achievement goal adoption, in turn, directly influenced graded performance and intrinsic motivation.
The relation between the learning environment (e.g., students' perceptions of the classroom goal structure and teachers' instructional discourse) and students' reported use of avoidance strategies (self-handicapping, avoidance of help seeking) and preference to avoid novelty in mathematics was examined. Quantitative analyses indicated that students' reports of avoidance behaviors varied significantly among classrooms. A perceived emphasis on mastery goals in the classroom was positively related to lower reports of avoidance. Qualitative analyses revealed that teachers in high-mastery/low-avoidance and low-mastery/high-avoidance classrooms used distinctively different patterns of instructional and motivational discourse. High incidence of motivational support was uniquely characteristic of high-mastery/low-avoidance classrooms, suggesting that mastery goals may include an affective component. Implications of the results for both theory and practice are discussed.