Great expectations: Enhancing learning and strengthening teaching in primary schools with diverse student populations through action research

Project Description

In 2004 and 2005 this Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project investigated school-based action research for school improvement. Researchers from the University of Waikato (and later, The University of Auckland) worked with teacher-researchers from six primary schools to explore ways of changing the classroom practices of teachers.

It is now widely recognised that more detailed school and classroom research is needed to uncover the complexities of teaching and learning (Ministry of Education, 2002). One of the greatest challenges in this kind of research is to describe what happens when teachers, students, and communities work together, in order to understand the relationship between teaching action, expectation, and student achievement (Nuthall, 1999). Within New Zealand and elsewhere, investigations have looked into the impacts of assessment (for both formative and accountability purposes), the use of achievement evidence to inform teaching moves (Hill, 2003; Timperley & Parr, 2004), learning styles, leadership impacts, and teacher coaching (Robertson, 2005). Another factor known to be of considerable importance in teaching and learning is that of teacher expectations (Galton, Hargreaves, Comber, Wall, & Tell, 1999; Timperley & Phillips, 2003). While externally provided professional development has been shown to have an effect on teacher expectations, feelings of self-efficacy, and student achievement (for example, Timperley & Phillips, 2003), the rationale for this study was to investigate how schools themselves could draw on existing research and, through their own efforts, initiate and sustain high expectations and increased student achievement.

Project Outputs

2005

Publications

Allan, R. (2005). Learning logs: A path to learner-centred leadership. New Zealand Journal of Educational Leadership, 20(1), 15-28.

Allan, R. (2005). The tool to develop teacher-student relationships. An unpublished Masters thesis. Hamilton: University of Waikato.

Donaghy, A. (2005). Exploring digital classrooms through the eyes of their teachers and students. An published Masters thesis.  Hamilton: University of Waikato.

Sutton, M. (2005). Coaching for pedagogical change. New Zealand Journal of Educational Leadership, 20(2), 31-46.

Young-Loveridge, J. (2005). Student's views about mathematics learning: A case study of one school involved in the Great Expectations project. In J. Higgins, K. C. Irwin, G. Thomas, T. Trinick,  J. Young-Loveridge (Eds.), Findings from the New Zealand numeracy development project 2004. Wellington: Ministry of Education.

Presentations, conferences and workshops

Allan, R., & Clarke, R. (2005). Developing learning logs for formative assessment. Paper presented at the Teacher Research Symposium, University of Waikato, 3 November 2005.

Allan, R., & Clarke, R. (2005). Learning logs: A path to learner-centred leadership. Paper presented at the Great Expectations Research Project Symposium, at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE), Dunedin, 6-9 December 2005.

Hill, M. F., & Robertson, J. M. (2005). Great expectations. A symposium presented at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) conference, Wellington 24-26 November 2005.

Robertson, J. (2005). Education today. Teacher research, communities of learners and change in schools. Term four. Education Today.

Robertson, J. (2005). Towards a knowledge of practice. Term two. Education Today, pp. 15-16.

Robertson, J. M. (2005). Coaching leadership: Building leadership capacity through coaching partnerships. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Robertson, J. M., & Hill, M. F. (2005). Practitioner research: How valid is the experience?. Paper presented at the biennial conference of the Association for Qualitative Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 14-15 July 2005.

Robertson, J. M., & Hill, M. F. (2005). Teacher research: The heart of the learning profession. Paper presented at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE), Dunedin, 6-9 December 2005.

Robertson, J. M., & Murrihy, L. (2005). Building the capacity of teachers for improved student learning: The missing basket - personal learning. Commissioned research report.  Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.

2004

Publications

Hill, M., & Robertson, J. (2004). Great Expectations: Working in partnership to enhance learning and strengthen teaching in deverse primary schools. Teachers and curriculum, 7, 9-14.

Robertson, J. M. (2004). Leadership learning through coaching. set: Research Information for Teachers, 3, 44-48.

Presentations, conferences and workshops

Hill, M. (4 Mar 2004). Great Expectations: Enhancing learning strengthening teaching in primary schools with diverse student populations through action research.  Newsletter. Issue 1.

Hill, M., & Robertson, J. M. (2004). Practice-based evidence for improvement: Early findings of the great expectations TLRI project. Paper presented at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE), Wellington, 24-26 November 2004.

Robertson, J. M., Hill, M., & Earl, L. (2004). Conceptual frameworks in school-university action research communities. Paper presented at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE), Wellington, 24-26 November 2004.