Hard to Teach – Secondary Maths Using ICT
The resource is a Teachers TV video highlighting a Mathematical Association project developed to support mathematics teachers tackling hard to teach subjects through the use of ICT. The programme features three different teachers working in their classrooms looking at different KS3 topics of mathematics, supported by two project leaders from the Mathematical Association.
Tool-kit 1: planning your research project
This 2005 Topic (now PRE-Online) article focuses on planning research projects in schools. It is the first in a series of articles published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) designed to equip the reader in primary or secondary education with the tools to conduct their own research project.
Crossing Views on the First World War
Crossing Views on the First World War is a project website. The partners in the project include educational associations and teaching bodies and are carrying out research in schools in France, Belgium, Romania, Austria, Italy, Poland and Germany.
DCSF Gender Agenda Project Publications
Findings from the the Gender Agenda Project research are now available in the form of three publications.
School Report Cards: Review of the use of school report cards internationally
One of the proposals within the recent white paper, 'Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system', is the introduction of a School Report Card to measure school progress. This resource is a report of a small research project conducted by NFER into how these are used in other countries, and is intended to complement the work already undertaken in this area by the DCSF.
Effective Pre-School and Primary Education 3-11 Project (EPPE 3-11) Pupils’ Self-perceptions and V
The resource is a research brief that reports the findings of ‘Pupils’ Self-perceptions and Views of Primary School in Year 5’, part of ‘The Effective Pre-School and Primary Education 3-11 Project (EPPE 3-11)’, which was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
An evaluation of the use of the BBC News School Report project in initial teacher education for the
This is an evaluation report of the use of the BBC News School Report project in initial teacher education, which was undertaken on behalf of the TDA by the Association of IT in Teacher Education (ITTE), and was published in July 2009.
Evaluation of the Training and Development Agency for Schools’ funding for ICT in ITT Projects
The key component of this resource is a 60 page report outlining the impact on Initial Teacher Training (ITT) of targeted funding to support developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In addition, an executive summary is available separately, and there is also a short video overview, six video case studies with notes, a video summary of the case studies and two further documents for ITT providers aimed at supporting their planning and evaluation of TDA-funded projects. The r
Fade or flourish: how primary schools can build on children’s early progress
The resource is a report which is the final stage of an ongoing project at the Social Market Foundation (supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Sutton Trust). It explores the contribution of good quality pre-school experience to improving the life chances of disadvantaged children and their families. The paper sets out a review of the evidence and best-practice in primary schools with a particular emphasis on the needs of those children who are most vulnerable to falling behind thei
citizED: The MACI (Music, Art, Citizenship, ICT) Project – An example of a Cross Curricula Citizen
The MACI project is an example of a cross-curricular citizenship project. It challenges students to work in groups and over thirteen weeks to use citizenship, music, art and ICT to produce a video about ‘A problem in the school or community that concerns them most’. This word document includes the pupils' work book as well as briefing notes for teachers.
Technology and school improvement: reducing social inequity with technology?
This resource is a 124-page description of a survey of schools to investigate the degree to which technology enhances social equality and school improvement. The schools selected are those being removed from special measures or are under notice to improve (following Ofsted inspection). The Becta funded project was conducted by the Institute for Policy Studies in Education (IPSE) at London Metropolitan University. The conclusions are clearly stated over three pages. The research “found no direc
How to shape the future of Partnership to best meet the needs of schools and providers
This article, written in December 2007 by Provider Link Advisers (PLAs) for The Training and Development Agency (TDA), details a vision for future partnership work which meets the needs of schools and providers. The report evaluates the impact of TDA-funded work, including the National Partnership Project (NPP), Partnership Development Schools (PDS) programme and the Training Schools initiative. It also evaluates the use of TDA consultants in supporting partnership in schools and providers. It f
Botanic Gardens as Environments for Learning
This is a report for teachers from a project looking at the educational opportunities offered by Botanic gardens. The work at King’s College London was funded by the National Science Foundation. The report provides background knowledge on why plants matter, on science concepts, on the roles of botanic gardens, on research on teaching about plants, and on types of visits and possible outcomes. Case studies show the variety of learning that pupils might gain from visits. The report ends with sug
Promoting Creativity in Initial Teacher Education; a study by tutors and students at Canterbury Chri
The resource is a research paper that forms part of a much wider initiative, the Higher Education Arts and Schools (HEARTS) project, and specifically discusses the development of a collaborative project between the education faculty at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and local schools. Entitled ‘Strangely Familiar’, the researchers aimed to demonstrate the impact of involvement in the Arts on creative teaching and thinking.
citizED: Citizenship and Multiculturalism: A Critical Assessment
A research report of a project which investigated the views of young members of BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities and highlighted subsequent implications for professional development.
Teachers as Readers: Building Communities of Readers
This is an executive summary of the United Kingdom Literacy Association’s project focusing on the role of teachers in developing communities of readers. It follows the Phase I report that sought to ascertain teachers’ personal reading habits, investigated their knowledge of children’s literature and noted how teachers reported use of literature in their classrooms.
Gathering data
Professor Jerry Wellington provides a commentary on a sample chapter on data gathering from 'Action Research for Improving Educational Practice' by Valsa Koshy. When it comes to data, should we talk about gathering, collecting, creating, acquiring, harvesting or nurturing? Koshy uses the term ‘gathering' data is if it were unproblematic. This is one of the weaknesses of this chapter, but it has many strengths and will be valuable for anyone embarking on a research project in their own setting,
Evaluation of the Making Good Progress Pilot
The resource is the final evaluation report of the Making Good Progress Pilot. Commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the pilot was launched in June 2007 to respond to the continuing challenge of raising educational achievement. This is an independent evaluation completed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP which reports on the two year project and assesses the effectiveness of the approaches used by the participating Local Authorities in raising attainment.
Responsiveness of student teachers to the supervision of associate teachers
This resource is a paper which reports on a research project carried out at the University of Auckland in New Zealand into the relationship between preservice (student) teachers and the school teachers who supervise their school practice. The paper was presented at the 2009 British Education Research Association Annual Conference at the University of Manchester in the UK.
"It would have been nice to know about that piece of software!" Preparing Early Years Practitioners
The resource is a report on a TDA funded research project comparing Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) student-teachers’ and Primary student-teachers’ confidence with and knowledge of ICT appropriate for use in school.
