Why do research?
Adopting an approach to your teaching which draws on research and evidence should help you in reviewing and developing your practice, for example in answering the following questions:
- Am I being effective as a teacher?
- Are there new ways of teaching I could use which might enhance pupil learning?
Changing needs in education
The justification for research comes from the need for the education system to be continually reviewing practice to meet society's demands on the education system. The collection of evidence and the use of research provide a professional foundation for change and development. Questions about how to improve classroom practice and the operation of the school as a community of learning arise continually. Evidence indicating needs to be met, issues to be addressed or the impact of new techniques provides teachers with a professional rationale and justification for change.
Studying how children learn
Teaching requires not only good subject knowledge but also professional knowledge about how children learn and skill in creating classroom conditions which maximise learning, namely a high level of pedagogical understanding. As the requirements from teachers change to accommodate changes in society, so too pedagogy may need to be changed to ensure that pupil learning is maximised in the new circumstances. Answers to questions about why we, as teachers, do what we do and how effective it is, may be supported through the collection of evidence.
Where research and evidence are used to provide a sound foundation for change, it is possible for teachers, parents and all stakeholders in education to enter into a debate in an informed way and to have confidence that changes may be called for.
