By Cristina Costa Literacy was, still is and will continue to be a core mission of education. The ‘popular’ meaning of ‘being literate’ has usually been associated with the notion of being able to read and write; a fundamental skill to prevail in a society in which the written word has a massive impact onContinue reading “Education needs a broader definition of literacy”
Tag Archives: Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change
Advancing ‘race’ and ethnicity in educational research
By Oscar Odena and Richard Race There is a prevailing sense that the term ‘race’, used in the past to highlight difference based on perceived ability and temperament, is no longer acceptable. ‘Race’ issues appear to be currently off the policy agenda, subsumed into ‘social justice’, ‘inclusion’ and ‘ethnicity’ topics. However ‘race’ is still aContinue reading “Advancing ‘race’ and ethnicity in educational research”
Owen, music and inclusion
By Oscar Odena Robert Owen’s vision of education for all outlined the importance of arts education for personal development as well as for community cohesion. His vision of education comprised not just reading and writing but aesthetic appreciation, music and dancing, in order to achieve everybody’s holistic development and a sense of inclusion. His NewContinue reading “Owen, music and inclusion”
Exploring the impact of academy chains in England
The Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change at the University of Glasgow has been working with colleagues at the University of Southampton to explore the impact of academy chains in England. This work builds on earlier work exploring the impact of federations on student outcomes (Chapman and Muijs, 2013) and qualitative studies of academy chainsContinue reading “Exploring the impact of academy chains in England”
Knowledge is the route to emancipation: Lawrence Stenhouse on teacher work
By Clive Dimmock Since joining the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change I am experiencing constant resonances with the work of a man I have admired for most of my 30-year university career. If you espouse these – teachers researching their own practice, action research, use of data to inform improved practice, the centrality ofContinue reading “Knowledge is the route to emancipation: Lawrence Stenhouse on teacher work”
Some challenges of practice-centred research
By Oscar Odena Finding a methodological approach within which to work is not straightforward for practitioner-researchers engaged in enquiry aimed at educational change. Practitioner-researcher projects often (but not always) have a qualitative orientation, focussing on a limited number of participants and allowing for an in-depth analysis of particular cases and interactions. These projects tend toContinue reading “Some challenges of practice-centred research”
Learner-centred education, democracy, and the problem of educational change
By Michele Schweisfurth I was in New York last week, which was a very fine place to be in the autumn, or just about anytime for that matter. I was there to attend an Open Society Foundations-sponsored meeting of some of us who have been researching learner-centred education as an imported practice in developing countries.Continue reading “Learner-centred education, democracy, and the problem of educational change”
How do researchers make sense of large amounts of qualitative data?
By Oscar Odena In my experience of carrying out research in a number of contexts, making sense of large amounts of qualitative data is the real issue for many researchers. And that’s not surprising. One of the expectations of social enquiry projects is that they will have a decent amount of data which helps addressContinue reading “How do researchers make sense of large amounts of qualitative data?”
Education, justice and democracy: The struggle over ignorance and opportunity
By Professor Stephen Ball This is the name of a new report I wrote for CLASS, the Centre for Labour and Social Studies, which was published in September 2013. Below is an edited extract from the report, the full version of which can be found here. Comments are welcome. Despite the relentless and repeated criticismsContinue reading “Education, justice and democracy: The struggle over ignorance and opportunity”
Does educational research matter? Response to BERA
This is the question posed in a recent briefing document produced by the British Educational Research Association (BERA, 29 August 2013), entitled Why education research matters. The briefing document is designed to inform future funding decisions and details a range of case studies to illustrate the importance of education research and its success in impactingContinue reading “Does educational research matter? Response to BERA”