School of Education academics support teacher-led action research within Bristol-based schools.

Monday 7^th October saw a group of Bristol-based schools, including a mixture of primary and secondary schools, come together to share their findings on how education and teacher practice in the classroomcan be improved.

This came as a result of the annual ‘Developing Pedagogy Projects’ scheme ran by Trust in Learning – a Bristol-based education charity with overcoming social disadvantage and promoting inclusivity within education at its forefront.

As part of the scheme, teachers in Years 6 to 8 spent a year carrying out action research in their classrooms. Action research is a method of systematic enquiry that teachers undertake as researchers of their own practice, questioning the assumptions and values that are often made as part of school life.

Throughout the year-long project, teachers were supported in turning ‘interesting problems’ into ‘researchable questions’, developing actions to try out in the classroom and then evaluating the consequences.

Dr Jon James delivering a keynote speech at the Developing Pedagogy Projects Presentation Event on 7th October 2024.

As part of this, Dr Jon James, Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, University of Bristol, supported the teachers by providing his input on research methods in education, giving feedback on their research proposals and reviewing final reports. Dr Jon James has supported Trust in Learning’s Developing Pedagogy Project for the last four years.

On Monday 7^th October, all participating schools came together for a presentation event, in which teachers in the 2023/2024 cohort delivered the findings of their action research projects.

The presentations touched on a range of topics, including:

• Developing mathematical reasoning in the lower Key Stage 2 (KS2) classroom through the use of oracy.
• The use of journal clubs to improve collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants.
• How increased physical activity might influence the confidence and self-esteem or Pupil Premium pupils within Year 4.
• The use of writing interventions to accelerate the academic progress of EAL students at Key Stage 4 (KS4).

Dr Jon James was in attendance on the night and presented certificates of validation to the participating teachers.

Reflecting on the event, Dr Jon James said:

‘It was great to hear about such a diverse range of topics […] it gave the evening the feel of being an academic conference, while the research being reported was very much grounded in school contexts.’

‘The 2024/25 cohort have already got going and are showing a similar enthusiasm for engaging with and participating in research!’