Calversyke Middle School Teacher Training Agency Research Grant 1997-1998 Steering Arrangements

Background:

1) We have been selected as one of 25 projects across the country in which teachers research good practice. 2) We have been awarded £3000 to study The effect of INSET on Quality of Teaching on children’s achievement in History and Geography in Key Stage 2. 3) The projects will receive a lot of national publicity. · The collective aims of the projects are (as interpreted by me) · to establish teaching as a research-driven profession, · to publish a series of TTA "Findings" in a standard 4 page format · to add to the TTA’s collective description of what good teachers do.

Timescale:

1) Results of literature search by December 1997. 2) Interim report in February 1998. 3) Full report and a summary in June 1998.

Our Study:

1) We will provide · whole staff INSET as supported by Bradford Teaching Quality Initiative · opportunities for teachers to visit on another’s lessons · specific training and support for non-specialist teachers of History and Geography by Susan Holmes (who will be on leave of absence for the year). · support and training in teaching children to tackle enquiry type tasks (footnote). 2) We will monitor progress through the year and record findings. Methods used include · diaries · questionnaires · records of visits to classrooms by school staff, visiting LEA staff and Susan Holmes · diagnostic task. 3) Full details are in our original proposal.

Steering:

1) The project will be steered by Kevan Collins, William Varley and Pat Copperthwaite (Bradford LEA). 2) Most other projects are being steered by higher education institutions. 3) We are recommended to spend 20% of the budget on steering (£600). 4) Bradford LEA has promised us 6 hours of inspector’s time free of charge. 5) Steering is seen as crucial to the success of the project. 6) Steerers will · provide enthusiastic support and keep the project on track · provide assistance with establishing the theoretical base of the project (which is supposed to build on current thinking and research, not just reinvent it) · help with presentation and analysis of information. · Possibly attend one of the seminars in London. 7) There are particular complications in our case. These include: · our steerers are LEA employees, not university staff. · the approach to INSET which we are evaluating (TQI as interpreted in school) is their project, so part of what we are studying is the classroom effect of the steerers’ work. · We want to use the steerers also to visit classrooms to observe children’s work and detect changes in practice. 8) We must therefore establish a shared understanding of what is involved and of who will do the work.