Practitioner researchers: can an innovative approach to professional development boost pedagogical engagement across the entire teaching body?
This dissertation begins by considering the role of a headteacher in school improvement through the lens of educational literature and determines that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teaching staff is considered as an effective method for improving outcomes for young people across the...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2020
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| Summary: | This dissertation begins by considering the role of a headteacher in school improvement through the lens of educational literature and determines that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teaching staff is considered as an effective method for improving outcomes for young people across the educational spectrum. In the context of a selective, London independent school, a project enabling teachers to collaborate in small groups which cut across traditional subject divides and which extend across the entire academic year is devised. The ethics of a headteacher both leading and researching a school-improvement initiative are considered and key research questions are drawn up including whether seven “Collaborative Enquiry Groups” can promote innovation in the classroom, encourage engagement with academic literature and support even the ‘hard-to-reach’ teachers. Quantitative and qualitative data sources are deployed in order to assess the impact of the “Collaborative Enquiry Groups” which are ultimately judged to have been successful and well-received. Teachers appreciated especially the opportunity to work together and to discuss their pedagogy and a majority of staff finished the year by describing themselves as “practitioner-researchers”, although the required workload was considered burdensome by some participants. This paper adds to the field of educational research by offering a rare insight into pedagogy within an independent school and by developing a model of teacher CPD which could be extended to other schools. |
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