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Professional Development

The Power Of Teacher Research Groups

Daniel Langley shows how Teacher Research Groups, within schools and in broader networks, have proved to be a potent way of enhancing teacher professionalism during the pandemic and beyond
Colleagues at meeting

Professional Development and Evidence-Informed Practice

Effective teaching makes a difference

An increasing body of literature recognises the quality of teaching instruction as the most significant determining factor in student achievement1. Furthermore, positive impacts arising from effective teaching are even greater for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and for those with special education needs and disabilities2. Reaching the highest academic outcomes for all students remains a central aim for teachers, schools and policymakers worldwide. Achieving this aim requires a sustained commitment to teachers' high-quality professional development (PD).

Providing consistently high-quality PD to teachers across the UK education system is challenging. Several barriers exist, including a history of systematic overhauls and political interventions, alongside disagreements over conceptualisations of effective teaching practice3. Consequently, school teachers and leaders navigate pedagogical approaches with a degree of caution as they seek the desired impact of raising student attainment4. This situation is problematic because training effective teachers is highly precarious without a universally agreed conception of effective teaching.

The growing interest in evidence-informed practice

One part of the potential solutions, gaining in popularity, is the use of ‘evidence-informed practice’ (EIP). In this article, EIP means “an approach which argues that policy and practice should be capable of being justified in terms of sound evidence about their likely effects”5. This conceptualisation clarifies the abovementioned problems by arguing that everyday school policy and practice should be built on research evidence on which teachers and leaders can base their decisions.

Interest in implementing EIP continues to grow in the UK education sector, partly due to an increasing body of literature elucidating its benefits6. Examples include pedagogical strategies more likely to improve student attainment, approaches to navigating the whims of political opinion and actions that bolster teacher professionalism7.

Many confident claims in the EIP literature are made on the findings of neural imaging technology and their subsequent implications for education, a practice variously termed ‘educational neuroscience’, ‘cognitive science’ and even ‘the science of learning’8. Viewing neural activity during learning activities has enabled educationalists to introduce scientific methodology into a field traditionally comprised of qualitative paradigms9. Some have argued that using scientific methods makes for more successful pedagogical practice as they do not rely on the inadequacies of personal opinion10.

Critique of evidence-informed practice

However, the efficacy, impact and reliability of EIP are heavily criticised by those who use contrasting research claims to argue that no tangible impacts have been made in real-world classrooms and are confined solely to academic pursuits11. Broader concerns have been raised about the over-reliance of the education sector on the limited amount of cognitive science research with proven impact, claiming the profession has moved too quickly on limited evidence and with unfounded benefits12.

These broader criticisms chime with more specific concerns on a subject-focused level13. For example, one alarming study concluded that when literacy teachers increased their research engagement over several years, it made no impact whatsoever on student attainment in reading14. Some argue that an inadequate and unsubstantial body of evidence is often used to make significant claims about pedagogical practice15. Others have identified considerable methodological flaws within existing literature to claim that education cannot be considered an evidence-based profession16.

These contradictory claims form a problematic dichotomy between the popularisation of research evidence and the level of perceived impact it makes on student attainment. More research needs to be conducted to provide additional insights into the creation, implementation and effects of EIP. However, action can be taken now. What is clear and immediate is the need for teachers and leaders to engage with research evidence first-hand and assess the evidential impact for themselves.

Teacher Research Groups as Professional Learning Networks

Connecting research evidence to teaching

I want to argue that teacher research groups (TRGs) form a critical link between research evidence and teaching practice by facilitating teachers and leaders to engage directly with research. This allows them to increase their criticality of the available research evidence.

TRGs bring groups of teachers together who collaborate and learn as a community of practice within their school and broader networks. They read, discuss and attempt to apply research in practice under the auspices of an expert teacher17. TRGs exemplify the kind of collaborative learning activities that increase the efficacy of teacher development as a whole18. This view has been recognised in government publications under New Labour and Conservative Governments19.

As communities of practice, TRGs allow participants a high level of autonomy as group members define their aims rather than following the institution's20. This includes defining what successful practice looks like internally instead of following performative standards assigned via external diktat. Participants' autonomy empowers them to conduct research-based activities with peers, colleagues and those within their wider networking communities, leading to significant benefits. Examples include increased research engagement amongst teachers and enhanced mentoring capabilities for new trainees. Studies also indicate that teachers perceive high personal growth and increased professional autonomy21.

Teacher Research Groups at the heart of professional development

The school I worked in throughout the COVID-19 pandemic started implementing TRGs as a mode of professional development within our networked community. In my professional role as a senior leader, I organised groups of four to eight teachers into TRGs who were united by a common goal. Initially, each group was given a year to complete their engagement with a chosen research area, although many subsequently decided to continue and develop their area of focus.

Workers meeting

The restrictions at the time motivated some to move beyond the school's physical boundaries, collaborating with peers from multiple schools online to establish a broader professional network. This facilitated a comprehensive network of classroom teachers to build shared knowledge and understanding of how to react and respond to the evolving challenges of the pandemic when advice and guidance from central government were scarce. Following the pandemic, collaborating within much wider networks has remained due to the increased scope of knowledge sharing amongst a boarder group of professionals attempting to achieve the same aims.

Increasing the Professionalism of Teachers

I want to argue that TRGs and the process described in the previous section increased the professionalism of our teachers during the pandemic and continue to do so now. Moreover, now the height of the pandemic has passed, many advantages remain that I want to discuss.

Teaching is a relatively modern addition to the ranks of the professions in comparison to the ‘classic professions’ of law, medicine and theology22. Several conceptualisations of teacher professionalism exist, but I want to focus on three elements that hold particular relevance.

The three dimensions of professionalism

The first is that teachers' specific pedagogical knowledge is unique to them and beyond a layperson23. The idiosyncrasy of this knowledge lies in teachers’ understanding of how to teach instead of subject-domain knowledge likely to be possessed by those outside of classroom practice. What I mean to say is that their knowledge of pedagogical strategies and how to implement them is distinctive to those actively working in classrooms.

Second, teachers must uphold high ethical and moral standards defined by members of the profession24. In such cases, transgressions are paired with appropriate sanctions, including permanent expulsion. For teachers in my school, along with all those working in UK secondary schools, the central code of conduct is the teachers’ standards which set out several professional behaviours25. Members not adhering to these standards will likely have capability measures brought against them.

The third dimension is how individual teachers integrate and remain within the profession due to their professional identity26. In this case, an individual’s sense of professional self transcends beyond their personal identity and allows them to participate in a shared understanding amongst peers as part of a broader professional body27. Operating amongst a comprehensive network of teachers enhances the professional status of each individual as the collective empowers them during decision-making activities. 

The three dimensions of teacher professionalism listed above are not without challenge. Ball convincingly argues that introducing the 1988 Education Act ignited external influences to challenge decisions regarding pedagogy, curriculum and behaviour28. Others have pinpointed the Act's introduction as the threshold moment when the socio-political mechanisms of conservative neoliberalism took control of educational policy29. Similar challenges have continued and in many cases worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic when critical interventions were often made by media outlets, talk show hosts and celebrities who have sought to erode teacher agency, autonomy and professional status.

Teacher Professionalism and COVID-19

Intense scrutiny and increased pressure

The challenges waged against teacher professionalism were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst many contentious issues existed within the UK education system before the pandemic, the impact has been to accelerate and worsen the issues. The unique circumstances of the pandemic invited criticism from external commentators, including the Department for Education through to celebrities, talk show hosts and other media outlets keen to give their personal views on the best way for teachers to navigate this ‘new normal’. Within this pattern of behaviour, teachers received intense scrutiny, resulting in some teachers within our community feeling undermined and unmotivated.

Using TRGs allowed our teachers to challenge the scrutiny received from some quarters and enhanced their professionalism. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, our teachers used networked professional learning to improve their professionalism and increase motivation and enjoyment by exploring the three dimensions of professionalism above.

Teachers taking control

They have continued to do so ever since by using teacher research group to take increasing professional control in the following ways

First, teachers could recognise that they were the individuals who collectively built exceptional knowledge about teaching synchronous and asynchronous lessons online. One clear example is how one of our TRGs pooled their experiences of retrieval practice techniques at the start of online lessons to facilitate the smooth entry of students into the digital classroom. This collection of techniques was then shared more widely within and beyond our school to increase students' engagement, establish routines and strengthen their knowledge. This TRG collaborated to create the necessary knowledge to reinforce and strengthen the pedagogical practice of a comprehensive set of teachers.

People showing notes

Second, teachers within our TRGs have interacted and collaborated during the pandemic with a reimagined code of conduct they co-constructed. For example, when our TRGs collaborated with colleagues from different schools, they created a list of ten professional expectations about how those meetings should operate, how ideas should be shared and the mutual respect that should be given to that sharing within a digital space. This list was distributed before the start of meetings and reinforced the boundaries of ethical practice in the online space for all involved without needing external intervention.

Finally, a renewed sense of individual and collective professional identity can now be established amongst teachers as the collaborative successes of individuals and the larger professional body become apparent. It is teachers who have operated within small, networked communities to create learning conditions in which they could support each other and thrive. One clear example is how history teachers with one TRG connected with colleagues from other schools during online meetings to review the sequence of their curriculum and the techniques used to deliver each topic. It was satisfying to learn that the connections have remained strong beyond the periods of remote learning and continue to operate whilst children physically attend school. The irony is that without the pandemic, these connections may have taken years to form or never have formed at all.

Beyond the Pandemic

Reinforced professional knowledge

In this article, I have argued that TRGs provided a mode of PD that enhanced the professionalism of our teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to do so now. We have continued to utilise the lessons learnt during the past three years to harness the power of TRGs as a PD tool. 

One way TRGs continue to provide a beneficial mode of professional learning is through the increased use of online meetings which engage more teachers with PD grounded in research evidence. TRGs in our school have continued to meet online due to more connections with local and national networks. As members of these professional learning networks, our teachers were initially able to construct exceptional knowledge of teaching online and in school with physical distancing measures in place. Some presented these approaches at conferences, through blogs and publications, supporting and enhancing their sense of professional agency. Beyond the pandemic, these extended connections have continued to reinforce their sense of professionalism by locating the source of knowledge within the networks teachers themselves engage with.

Increased collaboration and tailored professional development

The increased willingness of colleagues to collaborate online without the need to physically attend a professional learning course has accelerated the pace of development amongst our staff and helped to forge connections that may have taken years under pre-pandemic circumstances. Teachers who participated in our TRGs provided feedback noting that colleagues supported them. They could tailor their learning to localised concerns and provide the best possible learning opportunities for the students they see daily in their classrooms. This work was completed within a new code of conduct that all members of the online TRG adhered to, which has now become increasingly formalised. For example, PD opportunities online now start with a clear set of expectations of how members are expected to behave and interact.

Thriving as members of a respected profession

The most satisfying experience for me was learning of one colleague who had been considering retirement but had since decided to stay in the profession and seek promotion. After discussing the ideas presented in this article, he told me that his sense of achievement throughout the pandemic had made him realise that he still had much to give to the education sector and his students. He found his value because he had collaboratively redesigned the entire maths curriculum to suit online learning. The true potential of TRGs is the ability to empower teachers with a professional agency by making them the co-constructors of knowledge within a renewed code of conduct and an enhanced sense of professional self.

TRGs can play an essential role in educational recovery by supporting teachers and enhancing their professionalism, which is needed now more than ever. Following the pandemic, our highest priority must be improving and maintaining the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms to benefit all students. Achieving this aim requires a happy and healthy set of teachers and leaders who thrive as members of a respected profession. I firmly believe that TRGs can play a vital role in this recovery.

Daniel Langley is an Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for teaching and learning and professional development. He is completing an EdD at UCL Institute of Education. His research has been published by the Chartered College of Teaching, The Foundation for Educational Development and in the Journal of Eton College.

References

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