In this talk I examine how ideas associated with what are commonly termed evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence based teaching (EBT) have been re-formed and interpreted by governments and state funded gateways for teachers in the lifelong learning sector in England (such as LLUK, SVUK, LSIS, DFE, Ofsted). I chart the relationship between interpretations of educational research and EBP/T and teacher education policy and practice in the sector from the early 1990’s until the most recent reviews of vocational education (the Wolf Report) and Professionalism in Further Education (Lingfield Report 2012). Links are made between notions of routinised practices (Iredale 2012) and the ‘ruinous twins’ of evidence and policy. The conclusion will caution against the influence of both simplistic ‘evidence-based’ approaches on teachers, systematic review, and the rising tendency for policymakers and managers in the sector to lose interest in wider more critical educational research.
�
Chris Winberg's presentation at ICED, Stockholm, 2014Brenda Leibowitz
Chris presented data from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology case study, which forms part of the Structure, Culture and Agency research project.
1. What are your areas of educational research interest?
2. What are educational research questions of interest to you?
3. What are some of your go-to educational research methods? Why? What types of questions do these help you answer?
4. What are some of your educational research methods that you might want to learn and apply? Why? How did you learn about these new educational research methods?
In this presentation, we will provide some insight into the lived experience of academic middle managers in the role of heads of departments. The narratives evolve from issues such as circumstances of the decision to become an academic manager, how that feeds into increased demands of the academic middle manager role, and finally, we provide a brief evaluation of the career impact at the moment of the interview. This presentation is built on the data collected in 2015-2016, and currently, we are collecting interviews in a follow-up study with the same set of respondents.
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
Chris Winberg's presentation at ICED, Stockholm, 2014Brenda Leibowitz
Chris presented data from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology case study, which forms part of the Structure, Culture and Agency research project.
1. What are your areas of educational research interest?
2. What are educational research questions of interest to you?
3. What are some of your go-to educational research methods? Why? What types of questions do these help you answer?
4. What are some of your educational research methods that you might want to learn and apply? Why? How did you learn about these new educational research methods?
In this presentation, we will provide some insight into the lived experience of academic middle managers in the role of heads of departments. The narratives evolve from issues such as circumstances of the decision to become an academic manager, how that feeds into increased demands of the academic middle manager role, and finally, we provide a brief evaluation of the career impact at the moment of the interview. This presentation is built on the data collected in 2015-2016, and currently, we are collecting interviews in a follow-up study with the same set of respondents.
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
AHDS Conference November 2014 - Workshop; Glasgow UniversityAHDScotland
AHDS Annual Conference November 2014 'Teaching Scotland's Future: What you need to know and do.' Workshop from Moyra Boland of Glasgow University on partnership working
Instructional practices in Education for Sustainable Development: teachers’ and students’ perspectives.
Eleni Sinakou (presenting), Vincent Donche, Peter Van Petegem
The learning styles revelation - research from cognitive scienceJolly Holden
As the learning style debate continues, recent research casts doubt of their efficacy in predicting learning outcomes. This presentation presents the evidence based upon research, as well as introducing the cognitive information procession model and its implications for designing multimedia instruction.
My presentation at the British Educational Research Association's (BERA) International Conference, University of Warwick, 1-4 September 2010. This was part of practitioner research in physical education symposium.
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
Presentation given at the HEA Social Sciences learning and teaching summit 'Teaching ethics: The ethics of teaching'
A blog post outlining the issues discussed at the summit is available via http://bit.ly/1lndTnX
AHDS Conference November 2014 - Workshop; Glasgow UniversityAHDScotland
AHDS Annual Conference November 2014 'Teaching Scotland's Future: What you need to know and do.' Workshop from Moyra Boland of Glasgow University on partnership working
Instructional practices in Education for Sustainable Development: teachers’ and students’ perspectives.
Eleni Sinakou (presenting), Vincent Donche, Peter Van Petegem
The learning styles revelation - research from cognitive scienceJolly Holden
As the learning style debate continues, recent research casts doubt of their efficacy in predicting learning outcomes. This presentation presents the evidence based upon research, as well as introducing the cognitive information procession model and its implications for designing multimedia instruction.
My presentation at the British Educational Research Association's (BERA) International Conference, University of Warwick, 1-4 September 2010. This was part of practitioner research in physical education symposium.
ETUG Spring 2013 - E-Portfolios in Assessment By Gail Morong and Donna Desbien BCcampus
What are educational e-portfolios? How and when should we use them? What are some interesting current applications of e-portfolios in higher education? What are some of the benefits and challenges in using e-portfolios in assessment? What are some promising practices to address student learning goals and concerns about e-portfolios?
In this session, the presenters will provide you with an overview of recent research and practice examples of e-portfolios in post-secondary student assessment. You’re also invited to discuss your own experience with e-portfolios, uptake in your workplace, and ways to address some of the challenges for faculty and students.
http://etug.ca/2013/04/11/spring-workshop-2013-keynote-and-facilitators/#gail
you can't teach present generation students any more.... you can only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn...here is an alternate learning technique
2022_01_21 «Teaching Computing in School: Is research reaching classroom prac...eMadrid network
2022_01_21 «Teaching Computing in School: Is research reaching classroom practice?». Sue Sentance, director of the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, University of Cambridge
A question of fundamentals: teacher standards and teacher preparation. Presentation by Dr Gavin Hazel, Hunter Institute of Mental Health for the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) conference 6-9 July 2014, Sydney.
Online support for teachers: Theory, design and impact (July 2017, CLRI, Univ...nickkelly
In this seminar we address the complex question of: What should online support for Australia’s teachers look like?
We provide an overview of the complicated network of government, commercial, and research websites that provide resources and communities for teachers. We turn to the literature and the theory to discuss the gaps that remain. For example, why, in the face of so many online portals, do teachers resort to querying through Google?
We posit suggestions about the kinds of online support would have a significant impact, in terms of initial teacher education, professional identity, job satisfaction, and retention. Our talk is grounded in four years’ experience developing TeachConnect (www.teachconnect.edu.au) a design-based research project creating an online platform to support teachers. We discuss the policy context within which the challenge of supporting teachers online occurs and pragmatic approaches to research within this paradigm.
MATATAG CURRICULUM: ASSESSING THE READINESS OF ELEM. PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS I...NelTorrente
In this research, it concludes that while the readiness of teachers in Caloocan City to implement the MATATAG Curriculum is generally positive, targeted efforts in professional development, resource distribution, support networks, and comprehensive preparation can address the existing gaps and ensure successful curriculum implementation.
The simplified electron and muon model, Oscillating Spacetime: The Foundation...RitikBhardwaj56
Discover the Simplified Electron and Muon Model: A New Wave-Based Approach to Understanding Particles delves into a groundbreaking theory that presents electrons and muons as rotating soliton waves within oscillating spacetime. Geared towards students, researchers, and science buffs, this book breaks down complex ideas into simple explanations. It covers topics such as electron waves, temporal dynamics, and the implications of this model on particle physics. With clear illustrations and easy-to-follow explanations, readers will gain a new outlook on the universe's fundamental nature.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
How to Build a Module in Odoo 17 Using the Scaffold MethodCeline George
Odoo provides an option for creating a module by using a single line command. By using this command the user can make a whole structure of a module. It is very easy for a beginner to make a module. There is no need to make each file manually. This slide will show how to create a module using the scaffold method.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
Where’s the evidence of evidence-based practice? Exposing the ruinous twins of evidence and policy in teacher education
1.
2. HERE is Edward Bear,
coming downstairs now,
bump, bump, bump.
It is, as far as he knows, the
only way of coming
downstairs, but sometimes
he feels that there really is
another way, if only he could
stop bumping for a moment
and think of it.
3.
4. • Evidence based research
• Evidence based policy
• Research informed evidence
• Evidence informed research
Types of research in education
– practitioner research
– action research
– teacher as researcher
– Participant research
– research on education, about education, in education
11. • Folk psychology
• Commonsense
psychology
• Randomised control
trials (Ben Goldacre)
12. ‘..teacher identity
was primarily tied
to subject or
occupational
expertise, resulting
in fragmented
practices and
professional
cultures’
(Lucas 2007:94)
13. • Lack of pedagogic knowledge
• Teacher training based upon short CPD courses
• No checks on competence (for example by
observation of teaching)
• No accepted code of professional conduct
• High levels of emotional labour
• No professional organization
(Clow 2001)
14. • Regulation and control
structures have
replaced professional
autonomy
• Observable processes
(after Foucault 1979)
are rewarded as
norms above subtler,
less visible reflective
activities.
15. • “There can be no quarrel with the notion of
efficiency as such. The inherent problem lies
instead at another level – with the criteria that
define what count as costs and benefits; with
the loss of social intelligence; and with the
number and range of potentially constructive
discourses that have been suppressed.”
(Pusey 1991:22)
16. A process of acculturation to the
“existing practices of the setting with an emphasis
on the reproduction of routinised behaviours and
the development of bureaucratic virtues such as
compliance and the collection of evidence.”
(Ellis 2010:106)
20. • The rise in influence of simplistic evidence based
approaches on teachers who face complex educational
and pedagogical challenges
• The tendency for policy makers and institutions to lose
interest in wider, more critical educational research
• Evidence becomes reified and unchallenged as it finds its
way into educational policy and teacher education texts.
• Distortion of research leads to uncontested practices.
21.
22. • Clow, R. (2001) Further education Teachers’ Constructions of Professionalism. Journal of
Vocational Education and Training 53:3:407-418
• http://www.ebtn.org.uk/home
• Ellis, V. (2010): Impoverishing experience: the problem of teacher education in England,
Journal of Education for Teaching: International research and pedagogy, 36:1, 105-120
• Ewan McIntosh ICOT 2012
• Iredale, A. (2012) Down the rabbit-hole: Routinised Practices, Dewey and Teacher Training
in the Lifelong
• Lucas, N. (2007) Rethinking Initial Teacher Education for Further Education Teachers: From
a standards‐led to a knowledge‐based approach, Teaching Education, 18:2, 93-106
• MacLure, M. (2005) 'Clarity bordering on stupidity': where's the quality in systematic
review? Journal of Education Policy 20(4) pp393-416 online here (reprinted in B. Somekh
and T. Schwandt (eds) Knowledge Production: Research Work in Interesting Times.
London: Routledge)
• Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J. (2001) Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-
Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
• Pusey, M. (1991) Economic Rationalism in Canberra: A Nation-Building State Changes its
Mind, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.
Editor's Notes
In this talk I examine how ideas associated with what are commonly termed evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence based teaching (EBT) have been re-formed and interpreted by governments and state funded gateways for teachers in the lifelong learning sector in England (such as LLUK, SVUK, LSIS, DFE, Ofsted). I chart the relationship between interpretations of educational research and EBP/T and teacher education policy and practice in the sector from the early 1990’s until the most recent reviews of vocational education (the Wolf Review) and Professionalism in Further Education (Lingfield Report 2012). Links are made between notions of routinised practices (Iredale 2012) and the ‘ruinous twins’ of evidence and policy. The conclusion will caution against the influence of both simplistic ‘evidence-based’ approaches on teachers, systematic review, and the rising tendency for policymakers and managers in the sector to lose interest in wider more critical educational research.
Literature suggests that the process of reification of situational knowledge formed out of EBP/T may lead to the endorsement by teacher educators of routinised ‘safe’ teaching methods and the avoidance of risk in professional practice.Furthermore that EBP/T is being used to value what is measured, not to measure what is valued in education.Kemmis cautions against research that changes practice from without and ‘spectator research’ that names and judges – Kemmis. Much of this sort of research relates to school teaching rather than our sector, but it is reasonable to assume that with the new common mandatory content for the level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (the new qualifications), the emphasis of research and scholarship including EBP) will increase research in and for our sector.
EBT is a Disputed concept. A little like the pshmepullu it faces in opposite directions and is both castigated and celebrated in the same breath in the research.Thomas (2004) distinguishes the criteria for evidence in science and philosophy. He relates evidence in scientific research with Levi-Strauss’s metaphor of the bricoleur and the engineer. The bricoleur uses inductive reasoning and is not limited in his search for what might constitute evidence for his arguments, whereas the engineer begins with a theoretical proposition, applying deductive reasoning to verify empirical sources. Thomas goes on to clarify the crossover in technique for both types, concluding that the common problems in educational research for both the teacher as bricoleur and the teacher as engineer are those of veracity, sufficiency and generalisability. Similarly in philosophical research the emphasis is on the sufficiency of evidence in the quest for knowledge about the world.For further reading on this you might want to read:What works – Biesta 2007Deterministic top-down state driven managerialism – Avis 2010EBT marshalled to promote routinised or safe practices and to marginalise risk taking (Iredale 2012).
From the EBTNLearning styles (Learning preferences)There is not significant evidence to support the idea that different students have different learning styles and that teaching them in that style improves learning. The brain has three main 'inputs': vision, hearing and touch. All three should be used and any weak ones developed.Left brain, right brainLike 'learning styles', this myth builds on some truth. The brain does have 2 halves. Different activities take place in different halves. However, most thinking requires several different areas, in different parts of the brain, to work together. Weak areas need practice, not avoidance.HydrationThe belief that students need water on their desks in order to keep hydrated, is not proven. It requires significant dehydration to affect the brain.Brain GymThe claims that certain exercises stimulate certain parts of the brain are pseudo-science. However, gentle exercise wakes students up and routines develop self-control. Keep the exercise, but ditch the theory.Neuro-Linguistic ProgrammingCreated in the 1970's, this scientific-sounding approach is largely pseudo-science. No evidence has been found for theories about eye-movements etc and the majority of studies show it to be ineffective.Fish OilWhile it is true to say that the Omega 3 fatty acids in fish-oil are used in the brain, they are also available from non-fish sources. No evidence exists which shows that giving fish-oil to pupils, in general, improves thinking/learning. However, if their diet is low in Omega 3, then any source will help.
The final sense of “folk psychology” is closely associated with the work of David Lewis. On this view, folk psychology is a psychological theory constituted by the platitudes about the mind ordinary people are inclined to endorse.
Until the late 1990’s ITE for further education was voluntary, relying on college management attitudes. Government fee grants and bursaries helped to maintain a relatively healthy ITE provision across the country. 59% of FE teachers held a teaching qualification beyond what was then the assessor award.European comparison: Most ITE programmes were, and still are in the main, formed from diverse subject specialisms. This is different from most of Europe.Vocational teachers are expected to train at masters level. Higher status of vocational education
The context for ITE LLS has been the focus of research that consistently identifies neglect by all political parties and constituencies (see Avis 2002, Lucas 2004, Gleeson et al, Keep 2006). Paradoxically it has faced levels of control beyond that of most of the public sector. Since the early 1990’s the prevalent accusation is that of structural regimes characterized by managerialism, audit and control (see Avis 2002:79). Avis traces managerialism back to the scientific movement and Taylorism. Ball (1990) and Enteman (1993), provide reductionist definitions where bureaucratic society is replaced and becomes a function of the sum of the application of organizational practices. Citing Child (1969) Fitzsimons (1999) characterizes managerialsim as both technical and social, binding practices and processes together in a system that maintains itself through authoritative, rather than bureaucratic governance. The relationship between managerialism and the LLS is illustrated well by Pusey (1991: 22), albeit from an Australian perspective, arguing that “There can be no quarrel with the notion of efficiency as such. The inherent problem lies instead at another level – with the criteria that define what count as costs and benefits; with the loss of social intelligence; and with the number and range of potentially constructive discourses that have been suppressed”.The push towards managerialism could be said to have begun at state level In 1992 following the introduction of the Further and Higher Education Act. Clow, commenting about the effects of the 1992 Act noted that many FE teachers did not have pedagogic knowledge, with only 59% holding a recognized teaching qualification beyond the Training and Development lead Body units D32/33 (Clow 2001:409). She argued that much of what might be considered professional about teaching in FE was restricted, rather than extended (after Hoyle 1974), “there seems to be no evidence for arguing that FE teachers belong to a profession” (2001:409).
It can be argued that an outcome driven instrumental approach to criteria at all levels in the LLS has suppressed the ‘social intelligence’ and ‘constructive discourses’ provided by teachers and allied professionals in the sector. Regulation and control structures have replaced professional autonomy, particularly in the LLS where observable processes (after Foucault 1979) are rewarded as norms above subtler, less visible reflective activities. Lucas et al (2012:693) argued that:“after a decade of reform, successive standards and regulatory frameworks have not brought about coherence and in many respects have fragmented the system even further. The overwhelming message from those who have had to design ITT programmes in response to quickly changing standards and assessment requirements is that being forced to play a game of complying with external standards and regulations has diverted attention from addressing more fundamental weaknesses such as developing stronger mentoring support and achieving a better synergy between the taught and practice elements of courses.” They further concluded that the effects of regulation reform fail to impact on those intended as recipients, suggesting: “that a more flexible, less prescriptive approach is required that allows for specifications to be interpreted within different contexts, actively encouraging variation and innovation to meet the diverse needs of trainees”.
Lucas (2007) describes the learning environment for student teachers within the Lifelong Learning Sector as both “expansive” and “restrictive”. He describes an expansive learning environment as a place where there are opportunities to engage in ‘multiple communities of practice at and beyond the workplace, access to a multidimensional approach to the acquisition of expertise, and the opportunity to pursue knowledge-based courses and qualifications’ (2007:99). There are opportunities for student teachers to participate beyond their narrow subject range, particularly with regard to functional skills teaching and support, tutorial and extra curricula activities, but more commonly student teachers are located with their subject specialist mentor, restricted to the classes offered by the subject team. They are also restricted by a teacher education curriculum that transfers largely uncontroversial professional standards (Simmons and Thompson 2007). Whilst the standards referred to by Simmons and Thompson were the FENTO standards, their replacement, the LLUK New Overarching Professional Standards (LLUK 2006) continue to restrict student teachers to a set of criteria aimed at experienced teachers, with no accommodation for levels of study, inexperienced teachers and student teachers. Furthermore Ellis (2010), referring to schoolteacher education, sees the landscape of teacher education as a process of acculturation to the ‘existing practices of the setting with an emphasis on the reproduction of routinisedbehaviours and the development of bureaucratic virtues such as compliance and the collection of evidence’ (2010:106).
Thomas (2004) distinguishes the criteria for evidence in science and philosophy. He relates evidence in scientific research with Levi-Strauss’s metaphor of the bricoleur and the engineer. The bricoleur uses inductive reasoning and is not limited in his search for what might constitute evidence for his arguments, whereas the engineer begins with a theoretical proposition, applying deductive reasoning to verify empirical sources. Thomas goes on to clarify the crossover in technique for both types, concluding that the common problems in educational research for both the teacher as bricoleur and the teacher as engineer are those of veracity, sufficiency and generalisability. Similarly in philosophical research the emphasis is on the sufficiency of evidence in the quest for knowledge about the world. Historically the movement towards EBP began with Cochrane (1972) who advocated a move towards evidence resulting from practice to be available to the general public, rather than a narrow field of researchers. He believed that the public needed to be reassured that decisions made by health professionals were based on sound evidence and not just personal beliefs about the efficacy of decisions. The model required that practitioners should be able to show that their actions and decisions were effective, efficient and equitable. Several groups began to collaborate from the 1970’s onwards, mainly in the scientific field but with the shift in Government emphasis on policy making in the late 1990’s social science research began to establish large-scale data analyses. Of the three principles outlined by Cochrane in the 1970’s, effectiveness, efficiently and equity, it is only recently that the third (more challenging to measure) one has come to the fore in the drive to contextualize and localize practice decisions. Whereas the scientific and social scientific research community has developed EBP for over 50 years educational research, perhaps because of the difficulties associated with measuring effectiveness, efficiency and equity, has been slower to develop.
To focus on educational research and EBP I take as my starting point the flurry of contributions and rejoinders that came initially from a lecture by David Hargreaves to the Teacher Training Agency in 1996 (Hargreaves 1996). In this lecture Hargreaves compares research within the teaching profession with that in the medical profession – both claimed as ‘people-centred professions’ (2007:44). His main argument is that what counts as research in the educational research community has failed to serve the needs of teachers. This is based upon a premise that improvements are required in the quality of teaching in schools. In this sense his premise is bounded up in technicist notions of efficiency and effectiveness across a large and diverse sector (albeit less so than the LLS). His view resonates with Kemmis’s discussion on spectator research (2012) and its effect on the ‘conversational space’ (2012:894). Hargreaves’ comparison with the medical profession assumes similarities in that they both use their respective professional knowledge and skills to respond to individual needs. It also points to fundamental differences in that whereas traditional western medicine can claim to possess an agreed professional knowledge base teaching does not. For every educational researcher who claims a sociological basis to professional knowledge, there will be another who attests to psychological and therapeutic bases (see Avis, Biesta, Dweck and Ecclestone). Whatever the perspective there is a growing emphasis in the LLS on knowledge derived from practice, skills and attitudinal knowledge, and personalised learning for employability. It is useful to review some recent developments in EBP in the LLS, starting with the then Department for Education and Skills (DfES) who produced ‘Equipping our Teachers for the Future’ (Ofsted 2004)which, amongst reforms to initial teacher training, required all new teachers and trainers from to be registered with IFL. Government regulation followed in the Further Education Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development and Registration (England) Regulations 2007, and the Further Education Teachers’ Qualifications (England) Regulations 2007. Alongside these moves to regulate the teaching workforce the Government produced the White Paper Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances (DES 2006)which sought to drive forward reforms to the sector in terms of a set of objectives, amongst which was the “Improved use of a range of practices and techniques, including e-learning, use of new technologies and target-setting to provide a personalised learning experience” (DES 2006).Evidence from a recent evaluation report found that for this objective:There is evidence from interviews with teachers, department and faculty heads and team leaders, that new staff systematically being enrolled on and obtaining the ITE qualification equips staff with increased confidence, the ability to use different teaching methods to support learners with varying needs and learning preferences, and increased reflective practice (DBIS 2012).The systematic approach to teacher development, deriving from regulatory activity is, in this quotation, linked to confidence, technical proficiency and reflective practice. It is in the area of technical proficiency - the use of teaching methods, the ability to respond to learner needs, and use of e-learning - that EBP/T has found the most purchase
The final report by Lord Lingfield into professionalism in further education (DBIS 2012), charts the plethora of changes in the national policy landscape with six different Government departments having had a hand in regulating the sector since 2004 (DBIS 2012:16). In addition since Success for All (2002) and theOfsted survey of Initial Training of FE Teachers – (2003) no fewer than twenty one governmental and sector-related publications have provided commentary on aspects of teacher development. One specific example of the morphing of improvement levers was the Standards Unit in 2003 (, set up as part of a Government initiative to improve the sector, which then became subsumed into the Excellence Gateway in its earlier incarnation, and, more recently as part of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). Since this time the coalition government (2011 – present) has at least recognised the faulty premise of deficit policy, as it acknowledges that much of the sector’s provision is judged to be good or outstanding by successive Ofsted inspections (DBIS 2012:). Coffield and Edward (2009:386) encourage researchers and practitioners to restore the notion of complexity and connectedness when considering how to interpret and apply good, best or excellent practice in the classroom. They urge that where regulatory influence seeks to homogenise practice into measurable standards, teachers should develop their practice by forming questions within a shared community against a topology of dimensions of good practice. Derived from Alexander (1997) Coffield and Edward argue for professional autonomy and stability, as a counterbalance to the ‘ratchet screwdriver’ representation of successive government policy (2009:386).