ETF Practitioner Research Conference 2016: A Storify of the Day

Form RDF to PHD: Guest Lecture by Sam Broadhead, Leeds College of Art

Past RDF Participant and now PHD candidate Sam Broadhead kindly visited our Exploratory Project Residential last week to talk to our practitioner researchers.  It was wonderful to hear how practitioner research has empowered Sam to pursue her PHD and what she has learnt along her journey.  We would like to congratulate Sam on her achievements since her time with us as Research Fellow and thank her for giving her time to talk about her experience.

We have attached her PowerPoint below in case you would like to look back over what she discussed- it may prove inspiration for your own projects.  Sam has made her email available on her PowerPoint if anyone has any questions, we are sure she would be happy to answer them for you.

Welcome Exploratory maths and English Project Practitioners 2015/16!

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our Exploratory maths and English Project Practitioners who we met for the first time at the Marriott Hotel last week.  We had a fantastic first residential and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all.

We have uploaded the residential PowerPoint and BERA Guidelines for your reference.  Over the course of the year we will continue to upload any residential materials, news, or useful reading to this site to help you work on your projects.  We hope by creating this area we will be able to create a community of research-active practitioners where the most up to date ideas, discussions and research can be shared.  We have already started uploading the research posters from last year's practitioners and would love to host yours on here once your projects have been completed.

If there is anything in particular you would like to share on the site please contact suncett@sunderland.ac.uk and one of the team can help you.

Reflections Upon a Journey: Bally Kaur reflects upon her year as a Research Development Fellow

I applied for the Research Development Fellowship with some apprehension. The kind of apprehension that surrounds some of us who have doubted more than believed that we need to do something differently if things are to change. I am talking here about courage and this ironically, was my research focus.

As a teacher educator, I was intrigued and adamant about character building. Anything related to Bloom’s affective domain, runs the risk of being a bit woolly. However, on completing the initial application form, I found myself being prompted to give shape and form to my ideas. This was challenging. I was being confronted with looking critically at a research proposal and then taking it through to concisely written objectives, primary and secondary research and some indication of the impact it would have. The following months would chisel and refine this initial proposal and point me into reading and avenues that were both unknown and provocative.

I arrived at the first residential with some naïve expectation of being trained and delivered to. I was wrong. The purpose was clear; this was genuinely a time in which I was to engage wholly with my research and the wider context which informed it.

There were many poignant strands to this experience; the opportunity to partake in professional discussions without judgement, having a research mentor and above all, the space to stop, check in and authentically reflect upon the research focus. Having to consciously consider what my educational values were, gave me a sense of ownership that was in many ways, overwhelming.  Being immersed in a practical dialogue about pedagogy was both a privilege and challenge. Why? Because we don’t talk about teaching and learning. Talking truthfully can be risky. The residential workshops made me aware of this and more importantly, encouraged confidence and active responsibility about my practice.

The input from the SUNCETT team and guest speakers modelled approaches rooted in authenticity, professionalism and democracy. For me, it served as an opportunity to reflect upon how I operated as a professional in the sector and what informed this.

Practitioners presented an updated version of their research and its progress during each residential workshop. This taught us something about the different stages of a research journey and that it is both normal and acceptable to change, adapt, modify or scrap what doesn’t work.  It also prepared us for the ETF Research Conference in July 2015.

The ETF Research Conference celebrated and critiqued the place of research in the education and training sector. Research topics were diverse and whilst these were both personal to individuals, they were made very public. In many ways, this encapsulated the strength and grit needed to question practice and the status quo. I found that at moments, I reverted back to the initial hesitation about my research only to find myself amongst immensely supportive colleagues who were interested in my thinking and findings. There were times when – as human nature dictates – I found myself comparing myself to others and admiring the choice of background slides, the delivery and the presentation of research. There was no one presentation that stood out as the ‘right way.’ This was important in highlighting that our experiences, values and research as practitioners is diverse and has its own worth.

Above everything, the RDF gave me the push that I needed to move beyond my comfort zone and walk on unknown territory knowing that this was a necessary part of the process.

By Bally Kaur

RDF Participant 2014/15

Watch this Space! RDF 2015-16

The Education and Training Foundation will soon be publishing application forms for RDF 15/16 on their website.  We are looking forward to another vibrant year of practitioner-led-research and hope that the current and past RDF participants spread the word to their fellow colleagues about the programme.  We have had some fantastic research projects this year which were disseminated at the EFT Summer Conference in London and we hope to share some of their hard work on this blog (coming soon).

For more information please see the ETF website: http://www.et-foundation.co.uk/supporting/research/practitioner-research-support/