We are delighted that the report from the British Educational Research Association funded project, Teaching English when Schools are Closed, is now available, identifying some of the challenges and successes experienced by English departments during lockdown 1. This project was a joint endeavour from our Centre for Research in Writing (represented by Annabel Watson and Sara Venner) and the Centre for Research in Social Mobility (represented by Anna Mountford-Zimdars)

The blog below which describes the project was first published on the British Educational Research Association Blog website in June 2021, at https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/how-do-we-teach-english-when-schools-are-closed

In this BERA-funded project we investigated how teachers adapted to the ‘new normal’ of online delivery from March 2020 until the reopening of schools on 8 March 2021. Surveys undertaken in the summer of 2020 found schools taking a wide variety of approaches to online provision, with these varying not only according to school culture, but also according to dimensions of broader school advantage and disadvantage (Cullinane & Montacute, 2020; Moss et al., 2020). We wanted to complement these broad surveys by taking a deeper look at how a small number of secondary schools delivered a particular subject, exploring the opportunities and risks afforded by the sudden change to how English was taught.

Through teacher interviews, we worked with three English departments (two state schools, one fee-paying independent school) to build case studies of their provision in the summer term of 2020. All decision-making was driven firstly by considerations of pupil, teacher and parent wellbeing, and then aimed at organising provision in a way that was structured and manageable. In the independent school, the economic pressure to provide ‘value for money’ to fee-paying parents was also important.

English is a subject that thrives on dialogue and typically has a ‘student-centred ideology’ (O’Sullivan & Goodwyn, 2020, p. 225). However, internationally, research suggests that teachers tended to use technology ‘in a predominantly teacher-led way’ when provision was moved suddenly online (Scully, Lehane, & Scully, 2020, p. 21). This was reflected in our findings. In the absence of clear guidance and with no preparation time, teachers in the state schools replicated familiar pedagogical activities that could translate straightforwardly into asynchronous online materials and tasks: teacher explanation, modelling, and independent reading and writing activities. One consequence of this, participants reported, was that students returned less confident in textual analysis when schools fully reopened – an indication perhaps of the importance of classroom dialogue for developing responses to texts (see Gordon, 2019; Newman & Watson, 2020).

‘In the absence of clear guidance and with no preparation time, teachers in the state schools replicated familiar pedagogical activities that could translate straightforwardly into asynchronous online materials and tasks: teacher explanation, modelling, and independent reading and writing activities.’

The independent school moved immediately to delivering live online lessons that followed their normal timetable. While these initially replicated the structure and content of their face-to-face curriculum, teachers gradually moved towards a project-based approach with greater opportunities for flexibility and independence. Teachers reported that this process had made them consider what they are ‘trying to achieve’ in their teaching, what transferred into their online lessons and what was lost: ‘should we emphasise more about the class, the group work, the sharing, the inter-human skills, the listening to others?’; ‘[this] very logical linear way that you do online, might free up, I hope, more space to think, well, what was the bit that was missing?’

Our study indicates that teacher’s online pedagogy during lockdown is closely linked to their knowledge of what technology can bring to learning. As schools return to ‘normal’ teaching, there is an opportunity to use the impetus generated by the rapid development of teacher knowledge to expand repertoires of online pedagogy, whether this be as an alternative to face-to-face teaching, or a supplement to it. Teachers need support to know how to use online tools in non-didactic ways, including opportunities for student collaboration and dialogue, student-centred approaches to synchronous and asynchronous online learning, and ways to target higher-order knowledge and skills.

The project raised wider questions too, particularly about the nature and purpose of the subject of English: all of our participants were targeting traditional forms of literacy in their teaching, following a national curriculum that is at odds with the broader, multimodal literacies operating in digital environments (Gillen, 2014).

The resilience and adaptability that teachers have demonstrated during this time has been remarkable. Our research presents just a snapshot of a time near the start of the pandemic, and we know that pedagogical practices in our participating schools have already moved on. We see an opportunity now to capitalise on what one participant characterised as a renewed ‘thirst for pedagogical knowledge’ among teachers, an opportunity to explore and develop effective approaches to online teaching which consider the specific needs of subject disciplines. Teaching online and remotely is likely to be a feature of education in the future. The task is now to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and skills to support and nurture learners, and to provide a high-quality, intellectually stimulating education for all.

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References

Cullinane, C., & Montacute, R. (2020). Research brief: April 2020: COVID-19 and social mobility impact brief# 1: School shutdown. Sutton Trust. https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/35356/1/COVID-19-Impact-Brief-School-Shutdown.pdf

Gillen, J. (2014). Digital literacies. Routledge.

Gordon, J. (2019). Pedagogic literary narration in theory and action. L1 Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 19, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2019.19.01.11

Moss, G., Allen, R., Bradbury, A., Duncan, S., Harmey, S., & Levy, R. (2020). Primary teachers’ experience of the COVID-19 lockdown: Eight key messages for policymakers going forward. Institute for Education International Literacy Centre. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10103669/1/Moss_DCDT%20Report%201%20Final.pdf

Newman, R., & Watson, A. (2020). Shaping spaces: Teachers’ orchestration of metatalk about written text. Linguistics and Education, 60, 100860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2020.100860

O’Sullivan, K. A., & Goodwyn, A. (2020). Contested territories: English teachers in Australia and England remaining resilient and creative in constraining times. English in Education, 54(3), 224–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2020.1793667

Scully, D., Lehane, P., & Scully, C. (2021). ‘It is no longer scary’: Digital learning before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in Irish secondary schools. Technology, Pedagogy and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2020.1854844

From the Centre from Research in Social Mobility

A major new research project will seek to highlight and address the social mobility issues blighting young lives in the South West.

A group of experts will suggest regional and local solutions to tackle issues such as the region’s huge GCSE and primary level attainment gaps. On many social mobility measures the South West performs worse than other regions.

In recent years Government attention has been focused on economic and social mobility issues in the North. It is hoped the initiative – led by academics and educational experts from the region – will mean attention now shifts to the specific needs of the South West.

The project will identify the particular challenges facing the region and examine if innovative practices elsewhere in the country could be effective, particularly those caused by pockets of significant rural and urban disadvantage. Work will focus on the barriers faced at different life stages for younger generations, especially those aged under 25

Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, who is leading the project, said: “For those growing up poor, where you grow up in the country matters hugely for your life outcomes. 60 per cent of disadvantaged pupils in the South West didn’t obtain a pass in GCSE Maths and English in 2019 – a crucial qualification for accessing most jobs. This compares with 41 per cent in Inner London.

“The extent of social mobility problems in the South West has been hugely overlooked. People think of the South West as affluent and picture postcard perfect. But actually, although the region has lower than average rates of deprivation, it provides extremely poor outcomes for disadvantaged young people growing up locally.”

The project is based at the University of Exeter’s Graduate School of Education, which hosts the University’s Centre for Social Mobility. Initial funding is being generously provided by the Cobalt Trust. The project team comprises Professor Elliot Major, Professor Will Harvey, from the Exeter Business School, and Anne-Marie Sim, Postdoctoral Research Associate. ​They will be supported by an advisory board comprising Sir Steve Smith (Chair), former Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter, Stephen Dawson, Chair of the Cobalt Trust, founder and former Chair of Impetus, Mary Curnock Cook, former Chief Executive of UCAS, and Dame Suzi Leather, former Chair of the Charity Commission.

Sir Steve Smith said: “Understanding regional and local dynamics is crucial to understanding why a region is failing to provide good life outcomes for its disadvantaged young people. And only regional and local strategies and initiatives can effectively address the specific challenges a region or area might be facing.”

The work will start with research to map social mobility in the South West. The second part of the project will involve assessing potential paths forward to improve social mobility as the region emerges from deeper inequalities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Existing statistics show:

• In the South West, 40 per cent of disadvantaged pupils passed English and maths at GCSE in 2019 – the lowest percentage of all English regions. This compared with 59 per cent in Inner London.
• The South West has some of the largest attainment gaps in the country at the end of primary school. Nationally, disadvantaged pupils are on average 9.3 months behind their non-disadvantaged peers,but in Somerset they are 12.5 months behind.
• The South West has 4 out of the 10 local authorities with the largest attainment gaps in the country at 16-19: North Somerset, Torbay, Swindon and South Gloucestershire. In these areas, gaps are equivalent to between 4.1 and 4.8 A level grades.
• Only 18 per cent of disadvantaged children in the South West enter higher education by age 19 – the lowest of all English regions. The higher education participation rate for disadvantaged children in London is now higher than that for non-disadvantaged children in the region.
• Disadvantaged young people in the region face a double bind of poor mobility prospects and a poor earnings outlook. The South West ranks third worst of 19 regions for upward occupational mobility, whilst having five of the top-25 below-Living-Wage local authorities (with between 33 per cent and 41 per cent of jobs below Living Wage).
• West Somerset has the lowest social mobility ranking of all local authority districts in England.

The research will look at how the South West compares to other parts of the country for educational achievement and social mobility, the distinctive challenges in the region, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It will examine if potential regional and local initiatives – for example children’s zones, tutoring, and increased education-workplace links – could improve social mobility.

The team will focus on Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, although statistics will cover the wider South West region. They will examine in particular three areas – West Somerset, Plymouth, and Redruth and Camborne.

The team hope that the research will attract the funding and piloting of initiatives to improve social mobility in the South West. They also aim to carry out further phases of work to develop and assess regional and local strategies and initiatives.

 

For more news from the Centre, see http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/socialmobility/

The GSE was delighted to host Professor Becky Francis, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, who gave our St Luke’s Day Lecture on October 15th. Professor Francis discussed the issue of the socio-economic gap in educational attainment, particularly in the light of Covid-19. Below, we present a short precis of the presentation, and some useful links to follow:

• https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/
• https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/

 

As well as reviewing current trends in attainment in order to highlight the profound impact of socioeconomic background on educational attainment (and therefore life opportunities) Professor Francis particularly discussed the worrying impact of Covid-19 and school closures. Citing IFS research that suggests that children from better off families spent 30% more time on home learning while schools were closed, she presented the stark prediction that the socio-economic attainment gap will grow by between 11% and 75% as a result of school closures in 2020, more than reversing the progress on narrowing the gap seen over the last decade. The EEF predicts that the gap will widen most in mathematics and for younger children.

 

What causes the gap?

Social factors – financial capital, social and cultural capital

• Financial capital – includes access to different options for schooling (e.g. moving to a better catchment area), out-of-school enrichment, tuition
• Social capital- including parental networks, connections, higher quality work experience and access to internships, knowing how to negotiate ‘the education game’
• Cultural capital – parents’ positive educational experiences which engender ease and confidence for both parents and children when engaging with schooling, parent and child self-assurance, parents’ ability to have constructive conversations with teachers and to advocate for their child.

Unequal starting points: including school readiness, vocabulary, attention and hyperactivity, early reading

Unequal access to quality provision – children from disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented in high attaining schools and over-represented in RI/inadequate schools. The attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students exists across all Ofsted school categories, but disadvantaged pupils in outstanding schools perform as well as non-disadvantaged pupils in schools rated as requiring improvement or inadequate. The impact of teaching quality is particularly strong in influencing educational outcomes, but is doubly strong for disadvantaged students. However, these students are less likely to access subject specialists (only 37% of maths 11% of physics teachers have relevant degrees in some schools in areas of deprivation).

Expectations both in terms of teacher expectations and parental/student aspiration – and the impact of this is particularly pernicious when students are misassigned to low streams or sets: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/setting-or-streaming/

Unequal access to a high quality, bespoke, curriculum

Less likely to access quality support and experience outside of school

What supports disadvantaged students?

Compensatory Approaches to address unequal starting points – not a sticking plaster, but to address profound inequalities, focus on early literacy and numeracy interventions.

Access to high quality provision and high quality teaching, high quality ITE, CPD, Teacher support and retention, policies to incentivise and develop high quality teachers, incentivising teachers to work in areas of deprivation and to stay there, supporting teachers to stay and thrive in schools with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

Approaches that address different capitals – to address additional enrichment, curriculum and careers guidance, high quality work experience, educational advice, links, experiences, guidance, not provided outside school.

Challenging stereotypes and low expectations applied to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The importance of research and the aims of the EEF:

• to provide the best available knowledge about what works to narrow the gap, for teachers and school leaders
• to inform difficult decisions about how to invest time and resources
• to protect schools from fads and fakes which create workload but don’t make a difference
• to support teachers to implement and evaluate new strategies.

For more information about the work of the Education Endowment Foundation, please visit: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/

£50 book token for participating!

Focus Groups information for participants

 

I’d like to invite you to participate in a focus group discussing gene drive, an emerging genetic technology. All participants will receive a £50 book voucher as a thank you for participating. If you decide to take part, we’ll invite you to join an online focus group discussion with up to 7 other teachers for up to 90 minutes. You will also need to watch a short film (18 minutes) and read two short newspaper articles in advance. Participants will decide together when it might be best to schedule the focus group but this is likely to be in November.

Our study looks at the views of English and Science teachers on how to best discuss this novel and controversial technology. Your participation is part of a global study to help us understand how to communicate about new technologies across cultures. I’ve attached more information to this email and am happy to answer any questions you might have.

If you would like to participate, please email by 19^th November.

If you have colleagues who are English or Science teachers at secondary schools, please feel free to forward this email to them.

 

Many thanks,

Aleksandra

 

 

Dr Aleksandra Stelmach

Postdoctoral Research Associate

University of Exeter Business School

e:

w: https://business-school.exeter.ac.uk/about/people/profile/index.php?web_id=Aleksandra_Stelmach

BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant – Now Open

The BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant is intended to support research led by schools and colleges’ with a focus on curriculum inquiry and investigation. The grant will be launched for the academic year 2020/21, and is worth up to £5,000 for the winner, with £3,500 for two other grants, for a total of £12,000. The amount of grants awarded is dependent on the number and quality of applications received. We would expect the grant work to be carried out in the 2020/21 academic year with the final report being submitted by September 2021.This prize, awarded biennially, acknowledges the importance of research led by schools and colleges.Applications must make clear how the grant will enable applicants to do the following:Identify an issue impacting on the development of an aspect of the curriculum in their school/college;Design, implement and evaluate a response to the issue identified;Disseminate the processes and outcomes of the inquiry/investigation within the school/college;Develop a strategy to sustain curriculum investigation/inquiry within the school/college;Contribute to research and scholarship in the study of the curriculum;While it is possible that the applications will include collaborative partnerships with HE institutions we are keen to support schools and colleges led research and therefore ask the primary applicant to be based in a school or college.Deadline for applications: Friday 19th June 2020

The Centre for Research in Social Mobility at Exeter has created a set of surveys to explore the impact that school closures are having on students, parents, teachers and admissions/widening participation professionals. The surveys are targeted at these different groups, with the first question taking respondents to the correct survey; each should only take around 10 minutes to complete, and we are donating to ChildLine for completed surveys.

If you are a parent of a school-aged child, a teacher or someone who works in admissions or widening participation, please consider taking part:  https://universityofexeter.researchfeedback.net/s.asp?k=158532671971

Metacognition: What’s all the fuss?

by Shirley Larkin.

What does metacognition look like? And how can we facilitate it?

Try a thought experiment. Turn your mind to think about your own memory. Is it a good memory? Can you compare it to someone else’s? Can you compare within yourself eg. I have a good memory for faces but not for names. Ask yourself how you remember best. Does it depend on what you are trying to remember. Think about short term and long term memory. Don’t conjure up a memory, just focus on memory itself. When you have had enough come back to reading.

If you did the above you have just experienced the shift in thinking we call metacognition. Metacognition is thinking about our own cognitive processes. So we turn our thoughts inward to what is in our mind rather than what is in the world.

The cognitive processes are: thinking, knowing, believing, guessing, imagining, remembering, understanding, attention, concentration, perception.

But of course we can’t see people make this shift in thinking. We can only interpret what people are thinking from what they say or what they do. So if we want to develop better metacognition in the classroom we need to provide activities that require students to shift their thinking to the meta-level. We also need to have some way of being able to see this shift happen.

We know that activities that are complex, open-ended, with no one right answer, which are novel and authentic are more likely to require this shift in thinking than simpler, familiar and repetitive tasks. We don’t need to be metacognitive all of the time. Tasks become automated for a reason eg consider reading, driving, walking. But making decisions, taking account of different perspectives, solving complex open ended problems do require a shift in thinking. We can use our metacognitive knowledge of how we think best to help us with such tasks. We can also monitor our progress and where necessary change the way we are thinking, drawing on strategies that we know have helped us in the past.

So to facilitate metacognition we first need to provide the right kinds of activities. Secondly we need to show students what metacognition is by modelling it. Thirdly we need to equip students with the language to talk about their own thinking. Fourthly we need to consider the classroom environment and turn it into a space where the focus is on good thinking rather than only good answer.

Biography: Dr. Shirley Larkin is a senior lecturer at Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter. She has researched metacognition since 1999. You can see her profile and contact information here, if you would like to get in touch:

http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/staff/profile/index.php?web_id=shirley_larkin

Shirley researches and writes about metacognition, self-regulated learning and thinking skills extensively. For a recent publication written for primary school teachers see Metacognition, Worldviews and Religious Education.