Educational Research Association of Dr. Chris Slatter Raffles Girls’ School (Sec.) Singapore Educational Research Association of Singapore Conference 8th and 9th September Raffles Institution

Provisions for Research Conversations: Enabling Practitioner Inquiry and Professional Sharing at Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) Paper Number 2-3-42-055

Abstract A cursory look through textbooks and journals will reveal that the field of education is full of advice for teachers with regards to students’ motivation, inquiry based learning, using technology in the classroom and so on. But what works best for a certain teacher, with a certain student profile, in a certain school in a certain country with a certain culture? One way is for the teacher - equipped with some information from the literature - to find out for themselves through practitioner inquiry. But what support is available to teachers who wish to perform research in their own classrooms and what platforms are available for them to share their findings?

Abstract Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) has established a Pedagogical Research Laboratory (RGS PeRL) with the aim of performing research, conducting workshops and supporting teachers who wish to engage in their own practitioner inquiry. This presentation will discuss the different ways in which RGS PeRL offers provisions that are necessary for teachers to perform research, whether it is to satisfy their own curiosity, or with the objective of publishing in an international journal. It is hoped that individuals attending the presentation will leave with some useful ideas that will contribute to the development of research in their own institution.

A Need to Perform Research In (Gifted) Education “Although most psychosocial studies are conducted in the context of gifted education, there still seems to be a gap between theory and practice, between psychological understanding of gifted development and promoting such development through education. More systematic, sustainable programs of research and more coordination among researchers are warranted to move the field forward.” Dai, D. Y., Swanson, J. A., & Cheng, H. (2011). State of research on giftedness and gifted education: A survey of empirical studies published during 1998 – 2010 (April). Gifted Child Quarterly, 55(2), 126-138.

A Need to Perform Research In (Gifted) Education Jolly and Kettler (2008, p. 440) conclude that, “Perhaps the lack of research on teaching and instruction is indicative of a growing divide between those who conduct research in gifted education and practitioners who work daily in classrooms with gifted students.” Jolly, J. L., & Kettler, T. (2008). Gifted education research 1994-2003: A disconnect between priorities and practice. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 31(4), 427-446.

A Need to Perform Research In (Gifted) Education Best practice in gifted education must be built upon evidence that is derived from sound empirical research. However, Sternberg (2010, p. X) notes that, “...the field of giftedness has been less blessed by strongly designed research than have some other fields in education...” Sternberg, R. J. (2010). Foreword. In B. Thompson, & R. F. Subotnik (Eds.), Methodologies for conducting research on giftedness (p. X). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

A Need to Perform Research In (Gifted) Education

“You'll do me a much greater good if you give my soul relief from ignorance, than if you gave my body relief from disease.” Plato

Medicine is not an exact science, neither is education. The doctor will question their patient in order to make a diagnosis and give them the best treatment. Medicine is not an exact science, neither is education. An Analogy… What about the classroom teacher?

The Reflective Practitioner A classroom teacher who asks reflective questions in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their classroom. The reflective questions are synonymous with research questions.

The Reflective Practitioner Every classroom teacher is a potential researcher, able to collect a wealth of information about their classroom environment. The research findings can contribute to the quality of teaching and learning at many different levels:  Classroom.  Whole level.  School wide.  Education in general.

Teachers and students who participate in the research study. The Research Sample Teachers and students who participate in the research study. Teachers and students should benefit from the research study. Data collected through classroom observations, interviews, surveys, academic achievement etc.

How is Practitioner Inquiry and Professional Sharing Encouraged at Raffles Girls’ School (Sec.)? Raffles Girls’ School (Sec.) Singapore

RGS PeRL  Raffles Girls’ School Pedagogical Research Laboratory (RGS PeRL) was officially launched in August 2010.

RGS PeRL  Raffles Girls’ School Pedagogical Research Laboratory (RGS PeRL) was officially launched in August 2010.  The centre has a single Director and four Teacher Specialists whose work allocation is 0.5 teaching and 0.5 research.

RGS PeRL  Raffles Girls’ School Pedagogical Research Laboratory (RGS PeRL) was officially launched in August 2010.  The centre has a single Director and four Teacher Specialists whose work allocation is 0.5 teaching and 0.5 research.  The teacher specialists perform their own research and also act as consultants for other members of RGS staff.

Mrs. Mary Cheriyan Mrs. Lucille Yap Mrs. Chew Meek Lin Mr. Christopher Ow Mr. Teo Chin Leong Dr. Chris Slatter

RGS PeRL  Culture of informed practice: Teachers integrate their experience, judgement and knowledge with current, relevant and reliable research.

RGS PeRL  Culture of informed practice: Teachers integrate their experience, judgement and knowledge with current, relevant and reliable research.  Reflective Practice: habit of inquiring and investigating a problem situation in order to understand how to frame a solution.

 Give an “Asian voice” to the field of (gifted) education. RGS PeRL  Culture of informed practice: Teachers integrate their experience, judgement and knowledge with current, relevant and reliable research.  Reflective Practice: habit of inquiring and investigating a problem situation in order to understand how to frame a solution.  Give an “Asian voice” to the field of (gifted) education.

RGS PeRL Consultants and Collaboration: RGS PeRL is very fortunate to have Dr. Lee Yim Ping (CRPP), Dr. Tan Liang See (NIE) and Prof. Maureen Neihart (NIE) lend their expert knowledge to help guide its research.

RGS PeRL Platforms for Professional Sharing: Research findings are shared at a variety of platforms within the school:  Staff meetings.  Good Practice Day.  End-of-year Staff Conference.  Hall Assembly (for students).

RGS PeRL Conference Presentations:  11th Asia Pacific Conference on Giftedness (Sydney, Australia, 2010).  4th Redsigning Pedagogy Conference (National Institute of Education, Singapore, 2011).  Educational Research Association of Singapore Conference (Raffles Institution, Singapore, 2011).

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects:

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects:

RGS PeRL Current Research Projects: The structure of a performance task... G - real world Goal R - real world Role A - real world Audience S - real world Situation P - real world Products and Performance S - Standards criteria to judge product and performance Uncovering Wisdom Through Pedagogy

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects: Uncovering Wisdom Through Pedagogy

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects:  Limitations of the performance task appear to be grounded in the technical details of its implementation. For example, deadlines, duration and mark allocation. Uncovering Wisdom Through Pedagogy

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects:  Limitations of the performance task appear to be grounded in the technical details of its implementation. For example, deadlines, duration and mark allocation.  Some issues centred around pedagogy were raised. For example, some – but not all – teachers will discuss the grading rubric with their students. This needs to be addressed at a schoolwide level. Uncovering Wisdom Through Pedagogy

Current Research Projects: RGS PeRL Current Research Projects:  Limitations of the performance task appear to be grounded in the technical details of its implementation. For example, deadlines, duration and mark allocation.  Some issues centred around pedagogy were raised. For example, some – but not all – teachers will discuss the grading rubric with their students. This needs to be addressed at a schoolwide level.  In general, the students recognise the importance of performance tasks and are able to verbalise this. Their feedback is in general agreement with the pedagogical objectives of performance tasks as stated in the literature. Uncovering Wisdom Through Pedagogy

RGS PeRL Future Projects:  Treffinger’s Levels of Service approach applied to practitioner inquiry.  Possible research collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia.  Continued research into performance tasks as an alternative means of assessment.  Research Symposium for RGS Staff.  “Bite-sized” research publications for RGS staff.

RGS PeRL Requirements for Success:  Staff training.  Expert help.  Strong support from RGS administration.  Allocation of resources (time and money).  Curiosity and motivation of Teacher Specialists.  Clear leadership.  Responsible risk taking.  A culture of informed practice.

How can Practitioner Inquiry and Professional Sharing be Encouraged at At Schools Across Singapore?

Resources to Get Started

Starting a Research Culture  It is already happening, but it needs to be nurtured.  Leverage on staff who are studying for an M.Ed.  Encourage staff to attend conferences.  Keep up-to-date with the literature on education.  Peer observations – a new perspective.  Seek advice form experts.  Seek help from the school’s administration.  Nurture a curious / reflective attitude.  Set aside time at department / staff meetings for research discussions.

Thank you for your attention. What questions do you have to ask? ● Chris Slatter – RGS PeRL cslatter@rgs.edu.sg