In our ambition to embed a culture of enquiry across the school it was decided to establish research Learning Sets for all teaching staff. It was our aim to create school-based learning and development groups which would promote researchful practice through reflection, professional dialogue and systematic enquiry. These groups would be a vehicle to shape, refine and drive school development priorities through collaboration, support and challenge.
Learning Sets, embedding and understanding practitioner enquiry
The idea of Learning Sets was introduced to the teaching staff through a series of facilitated professional development sessions. These sessions included a review of the research relating to practitioner research and how implementing research Learning Sets could recognise, value and share many features of current outstanding practice. Time was also spent considering research methods and research methodologies, and introducing the Spiral model (Theobald, 2011) that the Learning Sets would follow. The sessions were interactive and encouraged teachers to share their experiences of research and how this related to their own development, challenging perceptions and reframing their understanding of professional learning and development. Emphasis was placed upon how research and enquiry are key to effective professional development and can make an important contribution to self-evaluation, improvement and professional learning (Stoll, Harris and Handscomb, 2012; Handscomb, 2013).
Professional Learning Task: Introducing the value of enquiry
How will research and practitioner enquiry be introduced to staff? How can you enable staff to understand the value of research and its potential impact on their practice and outcomes for children?
Six Learning Sets were formed focussing on aspects linked to school development issues, maths, behaviour, reading and early years, and computing. Senior staff, many of whom are designated as Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs), were asked to lead the Learning Sets. Set facilitators engaged in further training supporting their role. The first meeting of the Learning Set groups concentrating on establishing the focus of the research and beginning to draft research questions. Key to the work of the Learning Sets was their interrogation of research findings from external research sources (Stoll, Harris and Handscomb, 2012) using this to support the framing of their questions and data collection.
The Learning Sets continued to meet regularly. It was clear as the meetings progressed that there was a commitment to the process with a persistent focus on outcomes. There was a balance of collective and independent actions. Teachers valued the opportunity to take calculated risks with their practice within an ethos of innovation and change (Opfer, Pedder and Lavicza, 2008). There was a demonstrable understanding of how engagement with the research process and the exploration and reflection of their practice could significantly contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning (Handscomb, 2013).
The Leadership Team supporting a culture of effective research engagement
Key to the development of research culture has been the involvement of the senior leadership team. It has been important for the leadership team to model a ‘learning never stops’ approach to professional development and ensure that research approaches are at the heart of policy and practice (Handscomb and MacBeath, 2003). The leadership team were part of the Learning Sets and attended along with all other teachers. Their role was one of participant not leader. The leadership team recognised that the success of the Learning Set approach was dependent on their ability to create the necessary culture and conditions (Stoll, Harris and Handscomb, 2012). This included the provision of resources, especially the resources of time for teachers to meet as a Set and time to develop aspects of their findings and outcomes (McIntyre, 2004). A programme of regular staff meetings and professional development sessions were allocated to support the activity within school. Links were overtly made to school development plans and how through the work of the Learning Set teachers could have a significantly increased impact upon direction of travel.