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Enhancing achievement for vulnerable students

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Enhancing achievement for vulnerable students: the role of research engagement and knowledge and capacity building in complex systems

This paper to the 2013 AERA conference in San Francisco focuses on two aspects of the use of research and evidence in increasing educational effectiveness. It explores the contribution of use of research and evidence to meeting the needs of vulnerable students (Proposition 1) and the way in which it becomes increasingly important as the governance of education moves from central regulation to de-regulation, from a small number of high profile players to an increasingly diffuse, diverse and localised group of stakeholders. (Proposition 2), As remarked in OECD (Fazekas & Burns, 2012) knowledge and its use moves centre stage in the context of increasing complexity in education governance systems. Similarly, in the context of the complexity of the learning needs of the most vulnerable and the difficulties education systems have in responding effectively to them, research and evidence about high leverage approaches have a particularly important part to play. (Ibid).

Inference training

Inference training helps students make meaning as they read. This involves learning vocabulary, using their background knowledge, making inferences and building up meaning. It helps weak readers to get the full message from the text, making reading more enjoyable for them. In each session students: consider their prior knowledge; define and elaborate on words; ask questions; fill in a missing sentence; create images of their reading; and summarise and predict.

Research Lesson Study

Lesson Study is a structured professional development process in which teachers systematically examine their practice and work together to improve it. Teachers work collaboratively on a small number of "study lessons", in a plan-teach-observe-critique cycle. Teachers select an overarching goal and related research question that they want to explore to provide focus and direction to this work.

RTI

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behaviour needs. The RTI process begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children in the general education classroom. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning.  A variety of staff are engaged in the process, including classroom and specialist teachers.

Numicon

The Numicon approach is built on the work of Catherine Stern, using multi disciplinary/ multi-sensory, using apparatus and focusing on Action, Imagery and Conversation. The programme of activities with Numicon Shapes and rods helps children understand number relationships, spot patterns and make generalisations. The Numicon Shapes and rods help teachers and children to communicate their ideas. Children are encouraged to work together on activities which emphasise applying understanding to solve problems.

Mini-enquiry Tools for Narrowing the Attainment Gap

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These two mini-enquiry tools help school leaders and practitioners gather and use evidence of teaching and learning practice in the classroom and/or school.

The 'Observing Others' tool helps middle and senior leaders structure lesson (and other practice) observation to serve an R& D purpose rather than, say , performance management.

The other Tool is an introduction to a group of  research 'tasters' covering a wide range of evidence based teaching and learning topics.