Researching in school – creating a meaningful school/university alliance: a reflection

This paper reflects upon the experience of carrying out a piece of action research as a university academic, in partnership with a primary school. It considers roles and responsibilities, agendas, dynamics, ethical dilemmas and issues of voice. It contextualises the research within a field where educational research continues to be conceptualised as the ‘poor relation.’ In light of this, it explores the richness and value to be found in rejecting positivist tradition and re-imagining the research process as one of uniqueness and ‘dissensus’ whereby learning happens through collaborative shared-learning encounters. It concludes that research relationships such as these can illuminate new understandings in ways that are not only rich and enduring but often unforeseen.     

Prompting teachers’ constructive reflection: pupils’ questions as critical incidents

Constructive reflection is seen as an important ingredient in the professional development of teachers, in order to stimulate significant change in approaches to classroom practice and the general provision of science education in schools. This paper explores the use of pupils’ questions in provoking ‘critical incidents’ in the professional lives of teachers. It is suggested that pupils’ questions can be both indicative of their own conceptual change as well as being sophisticated prompts for teachers to examine their own thinking. Case studies of two teachers ‐‐ one primary and one secondary ‐‐ are used to illuminate how such critical incidents can lead to changes in teacher thinking, resulting then in changes in classroom practice in science. Suggestions are made for the use of pupils’ questions as critical incidents in the professional development of teachers.     

Against indifference

The idea that university teachers have a public responsibility appears to have been consigned by many to a lumber room of memory. Ideas of objectivity or expertise correspond more closely to a market-orientated higher education system which takes some pride in serving corporate, rather than social interests. Yet the obligation of the teacher to produce critically aware and engaged students demands that the classroom be a place of exchange—of knowledge, experience, passions and aspirations. As public intellectuals, if that is what we choose to be, the onus is on us to maintain a dream, affirm the creative and imaginative possibilities of those with whom we learn. Argument, debate, doubt are the stuff of human liberation; they are also the only known antidote to indifference.     

Notes on Contributors

Concepts adapted from structuration theory are employed to analyse how a disjunction has been created and sustained between the form taken by annual development plans for schools and a more flexible approach to planning that appears, from small‐scale research, to be effective at school level. The interest of LEAs and central government in a high degree of external control over school development is interpreted as contradictory to the interest at school level in maintaining a high degree of control over internal development. It is argued that action according to these contradictory interests has not led to conflict because completion of the plan has been kept largely separate from ongoing strategic planning at school level. The concepts employed in this analysis are defined, features of LEA development plans for schools are discussed, research evidence on development planning is summarized, and unintended consequences of development plans as a form of bureaucratic control are suggested.     

Improving paddling efficiency through raising sitting height in female white water kayakers

The study compared female white water paddlers over two conditions: with seat raise and with no seat raise. The aim was to determine whether raising the sitting height would improve paddling efficiency. Sitting height of each participant was recorded in order to calculate the seat raise height required and three-dimensional kinematic data was collected for six participants over both conditions. Twelve measures of efficiency were utilised. The efficiency of all participants improved on the seat condition for ≥4 of the measures, with three participants showing improvement for ≥6 of the measures. The stern snaking measure had the highest value of significance (P = 0.1455) and showed an average of 11.98% reduction in movement between no seat and seat conditions. The results indicate that improvements were seen although these were individualistic. Therefore it can be concluded that it is worth experimenting with a seat raise for a female kayaker who is lacking efficiency, noting, however, that improvements might depend on anthropometrics and the seat height selected, and therefore could elicit differing results.