Collaborative Action Research

Collaborative Action Research in a nutshell

Collaborative action research (CAR) is at the core of NSEE and invites teachers to work together in small cross-school enquiry groups to work on a shared project.

It is led by practitioners and school-leaders and supported by the NSEE team. Each CAR project reflects the schools’ local context and is guided by teachers’ own analyses of what their challenge area is in the classroom. 

NSEE has been working with schools to deliver CAR since 2013, and has seen improvements in classroom practice, teacher confidence in using innovative and creative ideas to solve classroom-based issues and build leadership capacity.

CAR is a toolkit of methods that teachers are asked to select from based on their needs. Examples include lesson study, instructional rounds, and specific learner-focused interventions in literacy and mathematics.

While the methods used by CAR differ, the overall framework remains the same. During your CAR project, you will be asked to:

  • Critically examine existing situations
  • Develop changes to practice based on evidence
  • Monitor the impact of these changes
  • Reflect on what could be refined if similar activities were to be repeated
  • Build the learning from CAR into wider practice and school improvement planning.

The NSEE team will be available to support you throughout your CAR project. We can offer help in developing research questions, selecting your case study pupils, and make suggestions for methodologies and analyses.

The Purpose

Our network’s purpose is to close the poverty related attainment gap by improving student outcomes in literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing.  

We use research evidence, data approaches and collaborative working to improve classroom practices, build leadership capacity and support organisational development.  

NSEE builds on approaches with a track record of improving outcomes for disadvantages students.  The NSEE approach prioritises four key areas of work:

  1. Enhancing the quality of learning and teaching, leadership and working with families & communities
  2. Building leadership capacity to manage change and improvement at all levels
  3. Building expertise for the effective use of the Pupil Equity Fund and understanding about what works and why in closing the attainment gap
  4. Providing opportunities for sharing expertise and developing new practices both locally and nationally.

Collaborative Intervention

Learn more about why NSEE is a ‘collaborative intervention’ rather than a quick fix.

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