The TEG resource: initial evaluation and possible / emerging pedagogic strategies for its use as a capacity building resource The TEG Group: Anne Campbell,

The TEG resource: initial evaluation and possible / emerging pedagogic strategies for its use as a capacity

building resource

The TEG Group:

Anne Campbell, Ian Hextall, Moira Hulme, Marion Jones, Pat Mahony, Ian Menter, Jean Murray, Richard Procter and Karl Wall,

in collaboration with Steve Baron, Mary James and Andrew Pollard

Teacher Education Group

ESCalate 2009

• Should be embedded in existing research on teacher education in the varying contexts of the UK

• Commitment to building new researchers’ knowledge and understanding of the field and of the implications of the research already undertaken

• An example of what Rees et al (2007:776) term ‘(a) starting point for developing new and perhaps more imaginative strategies for research-capacity building’

TEG

A resource for: teacher educators and teachers in training and undergoing continuing professional development, broadly defined and conceived

TEG’s underlying principles

• To construct a literature mapping

• To draw on this mapping to analyse what it revealed about existing research activities in the field

• To develop a series of ‘walkthroughs’ to be placed on the TLRP website and to serve as a pedagogical tool for new researchers

TEG Objectives of the initial research activities set within a broad framework

TEG

• Limited funding • Limited time• Funding for two field researchers• Expenses through TLRP• TEG team: time and expertise gratis • Meetings focused on:- developing an underlying model for the data base- what it would address- how it would be bounded - how information might be structured and categorised bearing in mind the range of potential users  

Issues and constraints

TEGWhen the resource is opened the user sees…

• Online search - using various filters e.g. core categories’ and ‘core methods’

• Downloadable citation lists organised by ‘author’, ‘journal’ and ‘year’

• Direct links to resources via thematic walkthroughs related to ‘core categories’

The TEG annotated bibliography was launched at three meetings in 2008: February (Glasgow); March (Roehampton); May (Liverpool John Moores)

Presented at AERA,BERA,ECER 2008 /2009

Updated to include items published in 2007 and 2008.

TEGTEG Resources available via three routes:

TEGThe Walkthrough

Purpose: To facilitate a journey of exploration which may result in the acquisition of knowledge and skills in research

Aims: - to provide a stimulus for those wishing to find out about or

study or research a particular topic and

- to provide connections to a selection of relevant key literature, web resources and examples of policy, projects and practice through ‘jump out’ links, including the TEG resource itself and the TLRP resources and capacity building materials

A pedagogical tool for building capacity in research

TEGThe Walkthrough – an EXAMPLE

Offers an introductory ‘overview’ and a way into the issue

Gives ‘Starter links’ to key resources

TEG Vignette1

“ The fact that it accesses so many relevant journal entries, all of which have been pre-reviewed. A great time saver when carrying out in-depth research. Additionally, the categorisation should be really useful to both staff and students for focusing in on specific issues.”“

TE-researcher as teacher

Time saver

First sweep of literature

Detailed search of literature

Use of search categories to narrow focus

Staff...and students

TEG Vignette 2

“It’s an extremely useful resource for academic colleagues engaged in teacher education working in HEI and as school based mentors”

TE-researcher as cross institutional link

Action research contexts

In using current literature to develop Mentor understandingOf the mentor role

In understanding links between settings

In relation to informing working practice with mentors

TEG Vignette 3

“It’s an extremely useful resource for academic colleagues engaged in teacher education working in HEI and as school based mentors”

School based mentors

Sources for students being supervised

Current literature

Research informing the mentor role

Reflections on practice

Mentors as researchers

TEG Vignette 4

“Access to literature distinctly concerning issues and methodology aligned to teacher educative research methods.”

TE-researcher as researcher

‘Methods-results-analysis’ process

Preparing for research activity

Exploring methodologies

Exploring methods

In a teacher educative context

TEG Vignette 5

“Access to literature distinctly concerning issues and methodology aligned to teacher educative research methods.”

Student teacher as researcher ” to be”

Exploring how methods are used and why?

Looking at the range of research around a specific issue / topic / method

Exploring the nature of ‘evidence’ in relation to practice

Comparing accounts to ‘be critical’

In a specific educative context

• Professional learning

• Partnership

• Regulatory frameworks/policy

• Curriculum and assessment

• TE professional development

• National context

• Equity issues

• Ethical issues

TEG Core topics

TEG

• Qualitative• Quantitative• Mixed• Practice-based• Interviews• Questionnaire• Longitudinal• Survey

• Small-scale• Large-scale• Reflection• Political economy• Case study• Action research• Literature review• Content analysis• Quasi-experimental

Core Methods

TEGFeedback…cons…

• It does not look at subject specific areas and therefore would be limited with current students if they wanted to investigate subjects taught in school

• Shame about the UK limitations; in some contexts there are also problems using it off-site by teachers/students because of restrictions on access

• There is a need for detailed guidance re. searching the resource. Although it is easy to use it does need an explanatory guide to begin with.

TEG

Piloting of evaluation approaches• Questionnaires• Email list contacts e.g. BERA members• Cited author lists• Use in projects (e.g. TERN)

Pedagogic and analytical resources• Bounding Statement• Video ‘talk throughs’• TEG User Tools (TUTs)

Funding

?

Developments

TEGTEG User Tools (TUTs) – pedagogic tools

(1) Planning a search:• Identifying key terms• Developing a search strategy Single term Combined terms Free word

(2) What is an ‘abstract’? Components and purpose ‘Reading’ an abstract.

(3) Using the TEG Bibliography Search options: Author Journal Year Theme Method Free word Extension

Pedagogic and analytical resources

TEGTEG User Tools (TUTs) – analytical tools: looking for patterns

In development

(1) Capturing abstracts(2) Analysing a single abstract(3) Analysing a suite of abstracts (group of three)(4) Analysing across examples within a theme or method: (5) Analysing over time within a theme or method: (6) Analysing examples longitudinally (across 2000-2008)

Pedagogic and analytical resources

TEG Conclusion

In this paper we have sought to:

• Give a brief background to the updated TEG Bibliography

• Comment on the pilot evaluation strategies deployed so far

• Use vignettes to raise issues about how the resource might be used by different types of users

• To indicate some future pedagogic and analytical developments in the form of TEG User Tools (TUTs)