Faculty of Education Professorial Lecture 9 December 2008

1. Collaborating to learn and learning to collaborateDonald ChristieDepartment of Childhood and Primary Studiesand Applied Educational Research CentreUniversity of Strathclyde Faculty of Education Professorial Lecture 9 December 2008

2. Outline • Prologue: research roots (routes?) • Collaborating to Learn and Learning to Collaborate • Researching collaborative group work in schools (TLRP ScotSPRinG Project) • Researching teachers as collaborative learners (AERS LLT Network Project 2) • Researching the research process itself: community of enquiry as a collaborative model for educational research (AERS LLT Network Project 1) • Reflections and Future directions • Epilogue

3. Prologue • Early experiences of collaborating in research teams at Stirling and Aberdeen as contract researcher in Pure and Applied Cognitive Psychology • Family and entry into teaching profession • Early Jordanhill College collaborations • Anne Ramsay (Children and computers) • John MacBeath and Ken Dundas (ITE student experiences) • Ralph Dutch (Northern College) and Peter Clarke (Stress survey) • University of Strathclyde, post-merger collaboration with David Warden, Department Psychology • Perceptions of prosocial and antisocial behaviour • Fostering interpersonal awareness through peer learning (ESRC) • Collaboration in Educational Studies with Joan Menmuir • Personal Constructs of Early Years Practitioners

4. Lessons.. • The importance of respecting and valuing others • Willingness to share and to contribute is vital • Need to create space for dialogue • Need to listen

5. Collaborating to learn and learning to collaborate?

6. Theoretical framework • Learning construed as a social process • Potential of social interaction as a powerful means of facilitating learning. • Ideas of Piaget, Vygotsky, Leont’ev, Lave, Wenger, Engeström and others • Role of differences in conceptual understanding and expertise • Pivotal interrelationship between language and thought and hence the importance of dialogue • All activities can be seen as cultural practices or ways of achieving particular objectives which are shared between members of a community.

7. Conceptual complexity or confusion? • Collaboration • versus • Co-operation • versus • Co-location • Other related ideas… • Partnership, community(?), peer mediation, reciprocity • scaffolding • Key mediating role of language and • importance of dialogue

8. ScotSPRinG Project:Supporting group work in primary classrooms • Donald Christie, University of Strathclyde • Caroline Donaldson, formerly University of Dundee • Christine Howe, formerly Strathclyde, now Cambridge University • Emma Jessiman, formerly University of Strathclyde • Allen Thurston, formerly Dundee, now Stirling University • Andrew Tolmie, formerly Strathclyde, now Institute of Education, London • Keith Topping, University of Dundee • Kay Livingston, formerly Strathclyde, now Glasgow University • www.tlrp.org/proj/phase111/Scot_extb.html and www.groupworkscotland.org

9. Background and Funding • ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme www.tlrp.org • Scottish Extension Project • Linked to TLRP Phase II Project: • Social Pedagogic Research into Grouping (SPRinG) Project (Maurice Galton, Peter Blatchford and Peter Kutnick) • ScotSPRinG focused investigation on • P6/P7 stage, age range 10-12 • Curriculum area: Primary Science - general and specific attainment • Social relationships, attitudes and self-esteem • Looking at composite and non-composite classes and • Urban and rural school contexts

10. Research Design • Initial Survey • Two-phase intervention • Phase 1: Social and communication skills training • Phase 2: Group work in science topic studies • Intervention sample: 24 schools/classes (+ 3 controls); 31 teachers; and c. 600 pupils in P6/P7 classes • Classroom observations and ratings (at 3 time points) • Pre- and post-test battery • General attainment measures (PIPS tests) • Specific attainment measures in science • Attitudes, social relations, self esteem measures, etc.

11. Intervention Sample: Urban and Rural schools; Composite and Non-composite classes24 Primary Schools:12 in West/Central Scotland; 12 in East/North Scotland

12. In-service session Photo credit Dr Allen Thurston

13. Observed v. Reported Group Work • National survey of teachers suggested “group work” was a common feature of classroom practice. • However, initial observations showed in most classrooms children were unfamiliar with skills and processes of collaborative group work • At Time 1, children were more likely to be working on their own in supposed group lessons • At Time 1, children working IN groups, not working AS groups • Quality of interaction and amount of collaborative dialogue significantly improved from Time 1 to Time 3, especially children sharing ‘propositions’ and ‘explanations’ (cf. ‘exploratory talk’, Mercer, 1996).

14. Gains in Science attainment ANCOVAs E&C pre- v. post- F (1, 509) = 63.31, p < .001, partial eta squared = .29 F&M pre- v. post- F (1, 460) = 43.10, p < .001, partial eta squared = .23

15. Process x Outcome Interaction • Regression analysis showed cognitive gains were predicted by improved group work quality, in terms of: • collaborative quality of pupil dialogue: sharing ideas and explanations • quality of teacher support: non-intrusive, scaffolding

16. Teacher Perceptions • Teachers rated all aspects positively: • Value of the in-service training provision • Quality and value of materials and resources provided • Impact of intervention on their practice • Impact of intervention on the children’s learning

17. Findings of ScotSPRinG Project • In the cognitive domain: • Collaborative group work is effective across wide range of class/school contexts • Gains made attributable to the quality of collaborative dialogue in groups (explanations/ propositions) • Successful group work in is associated with tasks that emphasise children sharing, discussing, agreeing and recording. • Successful group work is also associated with a non-directive, but supportive role on the part of the teacher

18. More ScotSPRinG findings • In the social and affective domains: • High quality preparation for/implementation of group work yields benefits in social relationships • And some small but measurable effects in self-esteem • Overall conclusion: • Good planning, preparation and implementation of collaborative group work enables it to yield socio-emotional as well as cognitive benefits • Children need to learn to collaborate if they are going to collaborate to learn!

19. Teachers as collaborative learners? Deriving the Standard for Chartered Teacher:a collaborative research exercise. • International literature review • 20 Focus Groups (N=300) on general issues surrounding Chartered Teacher Programme • 17 Focus Groups specifically on qualities of accomplished teaching with range of stakeholders (N=235: HMI, TEI, teachers, parents, pupils) • Individual behavioural event interviews with 19 “accomplished” teachers • Plus.. • Data from two national consultations (2 x 60,000 questionnaires!) • Collaborative project team: Edinburgh, Strathclyde Univ. and private sector partner…Arthur Andersen Consultants(!)

20. Researching the Standard for Chartered Teacher (SCT) • Grounded theory/content analysis by the hexagonal ‘post-it’ method!

21. Modelof the CharteredTeacher

22. New models of teacher professionalism • Standard for Chartered Teacher includes commitment to: • “…Collaboration with, and influence on, colleagues” • “For example, by: • acting as a source of advice to colleagues on particular aspects of teaching and learning • contributing to school development and to strengthening its capacity for self-evaluation through analysis, sharing and dialogue with colleagues, and modelling good practice • contributing to the school's in-service and CPD activities • working as a leading member of a team, inside and outside the classroom, to share good practice, improve teaching and learning and develop resources for use in the school.” • (Standard for Chartered Teacher, Scottish Executive, 2003)

23. Extended teacher professionalism entails collaboration • Strong drive towards multi-professional approaches in the “caring professions” • “Full service schools” serving children, their families and their communities • Demands collaboration • with other teachers • with other professions • with parents • with community groups, agencies and businesses • BUT ALSO with children and young people themselves • (See Daniels et al. Learning in and for interagency working, www.tlrp.org )

24. Teachers as collaborative learners? • Applied Educational Research Scheme (AERS) • Learners, Learning and Teaching Network (LLTN) • Project 2: “Teachers as Learners” • Donald Christie, Strathclyde • Morwenna Griffiths, Edinburgh • Aileen Kennedy, Strathclyde • Lesley Reid, Edinburgh • Christine Fraser, Aberdeen • Stephen McKinney, Glasgow • Mary Welsh, Strathclyde • Alastair Wilson, Strathclyde • (With research support from Eleni Karagiannidou and Liz Seagraves)

25. Triple-lens framework

26. Collaborative CPD • Learning as socially-situated and not an individual activity • Value of sustained and collaborative CPD (Cordingley et al., 2005) • Role of collaborative CPD in shaping professional identity, especially in early years (Rhodes et al., 2005) • Successful learning communities: learning is central; good relationships fundamental (Bolam et al., 2005) • Electronic (Wilson et al., 2008) and/or local collaboration (James et al., 2006) • Attends to personal, social and occupational dimensions (Bell & Gilbert, 1996) • Emphasis on importance of relationships in early professional development (Jim McNally, TLRP EPL Project)

27. Levels of engagement in collaborative learning

28. Research as form of collaborative activity? • Applied Educational Research Scheme (AERS) • Learners, Learning and Teaching Network (LLTN) • Project 1: Building Communities of Enquiry • in Educational Research • Donald Christie, Strathclyde • Claire Cassidy, Strathclyde • Norman Coutts, Aberdeen • Jayne Dunn, Dept of Education, South Australia, formerly Dundee • Sanna Rimpilainen, Stirling, formerly Strathclyde • Christine Sinclair, Strathclyde • Don Skinner, Edinburgh • Alastair Wilson, Strathclyde

29. Community of Enquiry: model for educational research? • International literature review and conceptual analysis yielded seven factors worthy of consideration by those seeking to establish community of educational enquiry • Dialogue and participation • Quality of relationships • Perspectives and assumptions • Structure and context • Climate • Purpose(s) • Control

30. Research as form of collaborative activity? • Community of Enquiry • Collaborative enquiry creates new knowledge AND new models of applied research (Cassidy, et al., 2008) • Entails collaboration • with other practitioners, • with policy makers, • with HEI researchers, • with all stakeholders, including: • children as co-enquirers/co-researchers

31. The Virtual Research Environment (VRE) as platform for collaborative enquiry • Use of VRE first suggested by Prof Mary James (TLRP Learning to Learn Project) and then pioneered by LLT2 • Incredible explosion of interest: now over 200 worksites supported through AERS LLTN. • Particularly successful have been examples where children and young people (and B.Ed.4 students) are participants/co-enquirers. • Provides space for “voices” of marginalised groups to be expressed and listened to, creating new forms of research evidence (see Wilson, et al., 2008) • Adopted as part of the Research to Support Schools of Ambition Project (led by Prof Menter at Glasgow) • Now accepted as platform for research communications in faculty. • Not all worksites have thrived and many have defied predictions in terms of the way they have been used.

32. Why collaborate in research? • Sound theoreticallyand ethically • Social learning • Cultural capital/Social capital • Respectful, participatory, inclusive • Sound methodologically and pragmatically • Facilitates capacity building in broad sense • Potentially more ecologically valid • Pooling expertise increases capability within any given project • Sound economically and politically • Scarce resources better used • Policy imperative: “joined-up” research for “joined-up” policy

33. Learning to Collaborate • Requires… • Effort • Commitment • Social and communication skills • Organisation • Engagement with, and in, action/activity • Plus…Need to consider 7 factors!

34. Collaboration can enhance learning in schools, BUT…. • Collaboration is not a panacea! • In classroom learning • Collaborative learning is most suitable where there is a need for learners to reach new levels of conceptual insight by transcending current understanding through being challenged by others’ perspectives (E.g. Damon & Phelps, 1989) • Collaborative learning is not best suited to situations calling for the acquisition of new skills, routines or strategies, or to practice-based learning tasks. • Collaborative group work can also enhance motivation, but individual effort remains essential • Learning to collaborate has both intrinsic and instrumental value, but need for individual self regulation clearly also remains

35. Community of Enquiry may be a powerful model for educational research, BUT… • Again, collaboration is not a panacea! • Research entails many phases of activity, not all of which are collaborative in nature or necessarily lend themselves to collaboration. • Some phases of research have clear potential for collaboration, e.g. research planning and generating research questions. • Others like reading, thinking, data analysis and report writing may at times entail essentially individual activity • Some of these may call for a combination of individual and collaborative approaches, with interesting possibilities emerging.

36. Future directions for my research • AERS LLTN projects will continue to publish for at least 18 months; Project 2 team to align with SERA Network; Project 1 team to continue pioneering work with VRE • Opening up to scrutiny the area of inter-professional/ multi-professional forms of collaborative working to address social disadvantage • Cross-faculty research group from GSSW, CPS, EPS and CS • Developing pump-priming bid to University RDF for preparatory review of policy and research • Aim to submit bid to ESRC in by Summer 2009 • Collaborative group work across the curriculum • Harness significant expertise within CPS and across Faculty to form group to research collaborative learning in context of ACfE

37. Epilogue • “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts” (Einstein) • Ultimately it is people that matter • Thank you everyone for listening!