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Title: |
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How do I improve my
educational practice; supporting educators developing inclusive and
inclusional theory and practice of gifts and talents as I respond to national
developments? |
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Relevance of study or enquiry to BERA members The government's 'Gifted
and Talented' education initiatives is have an increasing national high
profile as they launch the next phase of their programme. Schools are being told they
are expected to: -
Have an agreed process for identifying gifted and talented pupils -
Ensure that all staff understand this and use it -
Keep an accurate record of gifted and talented pupils -
Review the gifted and talented cohort regularly -
Self-evaluate and update the school's process as necessary Details
can be found on http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/giftedandtalented/ At
the same time schools are required to respond to other national
strategies and agendas: Every Child
Matters, Personalised Learning, Thinking, Emotional Literacy, the
Standards Agenda, the 14-19 Agenda, the Primary Strategy... with
values, aims and purposes such as these from the National Curriculum: The
National Curriculum document concludes: Schools and teachers can have confidence that there is general agreement in society upon these values. They can therefore expect the support and encouragement of society if they base their teaching and the school ethos on these values. ... the full document is
accessible from http://www.nc.uk.net/nc_resources/html/values.shtml There is a considerable tension
in meeting government demands, which can be mutually contradictory, while
maintaining a commitment to educational research which is rooted in inclusive
and educational values. Clarity
of research question(s) or focus of enquiry; As I work as a Senior Educational Psychologist,
coordinating APEX (Able Pupils Extending Opportunities Project), and building
on the work of Huxtable (2005) my research is currently focused on the
question: how do I contribute to the development of an inclusive and
inclusional educational understanding of the creation of gifts and talents
through supporting educators and schools to research answers to two
questions:
Appropriateness
of research method(s) and/or literature I am engaged in my own self-study of knowledge-creation in the process of
researching my educational influence in my professional practice and
supporting those of educators and pupils through a living theory approach to action
research in which the individual practitioner generates explanations for
their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others
and in the learning of social formations (Whitehead, 2006, Farren &
Whitehead, 2006). I have been working with many educators, children and young
people locally in an action research approach which follows the model of
Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC), developed by Wallace (Wallace,
et. al. 2004). To enhance the rigour and validity of the accounts I use
methods advocated by Winter (1989) and Habermas (2006) Robustness
of analytical and/or theoretical frame; The robustness of the theoretical frameworks of living
educational theories can be judged from their genesis (Whitehead, 1989) to
their global spread in processes of enquiry that are withstanding evaluations
of validity and legitimacy in a range of communities of educational
researchers in Britain, China, Japan, Canada, South Africa, the USA,
Australia and Singapore. Research
findings and/or contribution to knowledge -Significance for educational
practice, policy or theory The major contribution to educational knowledge will be the living
theories produced by educators and their pupils/students as they explain
their educational influences in enhancing their learning through the exercise
and development of their gifts and talents. It will be in the evidence of the
integration of living theories into improving educational practice. It will
be in an analysis of integrating these ideas on improving practice and
generating educational theory in a local authorities educational policy. References Farren, M. & Whitehead, J. (2006) Educational Influences in Learning with
Visual Narratives, in Childs, M, Cuttle, M, & Riley, K. (2006) Developing Innovative
Video Resources For Students Everywhere. DIVERSE Proceedings: 2005 & 2006
5th International DIVERSE Conference 5th to 7th July 2005 Vanderbilt
Universit yNashville , USA 6th International DIVERSE Conference 5th to 7th
July 2006, Glasgow Caledonian University Press, pp. 219-234. Retrieved 15
January 2007 from http://www.jackwhitehead.com/mfjwDIVERSEcomplete.pdf Habermas, J. (1976) Communication and the Evolution of Society.
London; Heinemann. Huxtable, M. (2005) Everyone a Winner – Towards Exceptional
Achievement for All. Gifted Education International, Vol. 20, No.1, pp.
51-69. Wallace, B. (2004) Thinking Skills and Problem-Solving – an
Inclusive Approach: A Practical Guide for Teachers in Primary Schools. London; NACE/Fulton. Whitehead, J. (2006) Living Inclusional Values in Educational
Standards of Practice and Judgment. Ontario Action Researcher, Vol.
8.2.1. Retrieved 18 January 2007
from http://www.nipissingu.ca/oar/new_issue-V821E.htm Whitehead, J. (1989) Creating a living educational theory from
questions of the kind, "How do I improve my practice?'. Published in the
Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol. 19, No.1,1989, pp. 41-52. Winter, R. (1989) Learning From Experience. London; Falmer. |
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