Developing my inquiry - research questions

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER?

What defines a teacher?

What influences a teacher?

How can support staff be utilised to promote effective/good teaching practice?

Can the skills of a good teacher be learnt?

What interdisciplinary skills does the arts give to make an effective teacher?

How do outside agencies effect your teaching practice?

Does teaching children with SEN effect your teaching practice rather than mainstream?

What personal qualities are important?

Does the length of a school term impact effective teaching?

Are relationships between teacher and pupil important to help children learn?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreicated :)

Using SIG's

Here are a few examples of how my Sig's have helped me so far....

When I was debating which avenue to take my inquiry down, I was advised to use the imagery of an umbrella, to use sub-sections to gather my ideas together.

More recently, I have been pondering on research questions. As part of my SIG, Lauren Harper and I have regular skype calls and relaying of messages. Today, Lauren has helped me massively, I asked her to have a look at my research questions and offer any advice she may have. This is an image of my original research questions.

Lauren advised:

Reader 6 - How is professional inquiry similar to other professional activity you are involved with?

Targets

At the start of term, teachers gather evidence from previous years to draw together targets and aims for each individual to achieve by the end of term or more long term for the end of the year.

We then discuss how we could help them achieve this target:

What strategies we could put in place. 

What starter activities could we do to put them on the right path.

Looking at Reader 6 and the common pitfalls in research, I can compare how these relate to producing valid and realistic targets:

Having vague and ill-defined aims

If it is not clear what the student needs to have achieved to meet their target, how will we know if they have met it?

Lacking detail about the research design

There needs to be enough detail in the target to be able in order for the student, teacher, support staff, senior leadership and outside agencies to understand what level the student is currently at and where they are required to be by a specified time. It is not enough for the teacher to understand the students targets - if they are absent, support staff should have the knowledge to continue with the planned strategy to help each student. Also, the supply teacher should be able to come in to the class with no prior knowledge, read the class file (a folder, containing all the information anyone working with the children in the class needs to know about each student: behaviour plans, medical notes, targets) and understand the needs of the  class.

It is also important not to give too much detail so the aim becomes unclear.

Being overly ambitious and unrealistic in terms of scope and timetable

(Fox, Martin, Green, 2007, p .118)

Setting targets that are currently beyond the reach of that student will not help in anyway: the student may feel inadequate; the teacher's methods may be questioned; the school could appear to be underachieving. It is the same if the students are constantly over achieving: the teacher's methods may be questioned as they could appear to not be able to understand their students, or they could be questioned as it could appear that they are trying to manipulate the end results.

In terms of timetable, there is enough pressure within a classroom to deliver a certain amount of the curriculum within a time period without being unrealistic with what you wish to achieve.

Theories of Ethics

An act is morally right if, and only if the act maximises the good.

The greatest happiness for the greatest number.

To determine whether an action is morally right depends on the outcome eg, killing one person to save nine people is justified.

The motive behind and action determines if it is morally right.

This theory emphasises the character rather than the rules or consequences. 

Actions taken reveal something about the individuals character.

Traced back to Plato and Aristotle where there is great emphasis on being rather than doing.

References:

https://www.slideshare.net/aclaudiacampos/business-ethics-ethical-theory

What makes a person good?

Personal 

Honest  *  Loyal  *  Kind  *  Imaginative  *  Good heart  *  Dignity  *  Understanding  *  Generous

Professional

Punctual * Responsible * Reliable * Attentive * Passionate * Versatile * Honest * Understanding * Confident

Some qualities I found crossed over to both categories. It wouldn't do to just be honest in your personal attributes but be dishonest in your professional.

Reader 5: Ethics - Initial thoughts

This post is merely for me to put out my thoughts on the reader first time round (I aim to follow Adesola's 'cycle' process). I apologise if my ramblings don't make much sense but hopefully some clarity my arise.

The word 'ethics' originates from the greek word 'ethos' meaning character. Moral philosophy is at the roots of ethics and concerns itself with the right or wrong way to carry out actions.

Throughout time ethics has evolved to centre itself from delivering a civil society to a more religious approach. Both focus on what is right and wrong.

Aristotle considered ethics to be based around the character of an individual (this relates to the greek origins of ethos):

What makes a person good? 

What virtues do they hold?

The difference between the two is the first can be intermittent traits such as: helping others, the second is a solid trait such as: honesty - you are either an honest person or you are not. INDIVIDUAL ETHICS

Kant (1779) believes you should behave in accordance with moral principles. Everything is black and white. Whatever, the situation it cannot be twisted to suit.

JS Mill (1861) works towards the idea that the means justify the end. Direct contrast to Kant where under no circumstance should a lie be told.

Hobbes (1651) viewed ethics as social contract. Everyone should follow a set of moral rules. Working on the understanding that rational people will accept the 'contract' on the premise that everyone else will for mutual benefit.

Task 5b

The ethical framework within my workplace is made of:

Staff handbook

Safeguarding handbook

Job specification

http://www.piperhillschool.net/files/Teaching%20Assistant/Teaching%20Assistant%20Level%201%20October%202017/TA1_Job_Description_and_Person_Specification.doc

Regular online trainings

Task 5a: Ethics within my place of work

Working in a school, ethics play a big part in the overall running of the school. It is vital that people adhere to the professional and organisational ethics put in place by the school or council.

Personal Ethics

• Try my best in all aspects of the working day.
• Treat others as I wish to be treated.
• Leave problems at the door.
• Be punctual.
• Make students feel safe and valued.
• Give off positive energy.

Professional Ethics

• Keep up to date with courses (safeguarding, online safety)
• Attend all necessary meetings and training sessions
• Be punctual
• Students safety is critical
• Confidentiality

Skype call with Helen

I have just had a very uplifting call with my tutor Helen. She has smoothed out creases and overall calmed me. I had started to worry that my research and interests were sending me off on a tangent to unhelpful plains. However, after discussing this with Helen, I now realise tangents are often useful as they illuminate what aspects of our practice really interest us.

I had concerns that my inquiry (still a work in progress) was moving too far away from the arts - The Impact Of A Good Teacher/ What makes a good teacher. Helen reminded me that my knowledge and experience within the arts, would bring specialist skills to my role as a teacher, therefore bringing depth to my inquiry, as I could research whether specialist skills make a better teacher.

We also touched on how assumptions could be damaging to an inquiry. It is necessary to unpick questions to ensure the inquiry and research produced from the inquiry are valid. For example, before starting my inquiry I need to decipher what constitutes as a 'good teacher'. Different people will have different standards of 'good' and what makes a 'teacher'. This would also be relevant to any research I carried out. In the instance of producing a questionnaire, there needs to be clear questions that cannot be misinterpreted.

Mind full or mindful?

In my professional practice there is a lot of attention given to being mindful (for those of you that don't know I work in a Specialist Support High School). We promote the importance of being aware of how we feel, as some children struggle to understand the emotions they are feeling and may act out as their way of communicating. By making them aware of their emotions, they learn to channel their emotions and consequent actions into more beneficial channels.

Considering my awareness of the benefits of being mindful for my personal well being. I can only describe my mind as feeling like this:

I feel I am making steady progress with Module 2, but I am aware that the end is drawing closer. Juggling personal, professional and social aspects of my life seems to be causing me to fumble at present.

 This picture may not perfectly represent what is going on as I don't feel down by the chaos in my head, I feel I am simply hoping my journey down the waterfall and rapids brings me out to a calming pool - before the next descent that is.

The below quote is definitely going to be my mantra! Take back control, prioritise and most of all enjoy!

Anybody else feeling like this??

Further Inquiry Ideas and Developments

Looking further into my possible lines of inquiry, here are some developments:

Instead of just focusing on Dance as a form of therapy, I thought it could deepen my inquiry to look at all of the arts.

Other questions that have emerged through my research are:

Does the pressure to meet certain certain targets have an affect on a child's learning?

Is OFSTED a hinderance or a help?

Are we trying to teach children too much?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.