Research-informed Teaching Revolution - Early Years

Research Informed teaching is big news! Indeed one might argue that there has been a bottom up revolution encouraging teachers’ use of research (e.g. ResearchED). But at the same time there is a gap between what teachers do and what research suggests might provide effective ways to support young children’s learning. It’s not that a wealth of educational research doesn’t exist (just look at the What Works Clearinghouse, the Best Evidence Encyclopaedia or Hattie’s Visible Learning), but the Early Years sector is often under-represented. This book is an attempt to address this disparity and provide Early Years leaders and practitioners with an understanding of how to embed this research within their everyday practice offering top tips of how others in the field have done this and considering topics such as outdoor learning, early writing skills and parental engagement. Drawing on the wisdom of those at the top of their game, this book intends to provide just that: a practical handbook for EYs practitioner and leaders that can help make the research use revolution a reality.

Jane Flood has been an Infant Teacher for more than 20 years, working in a variety of schools in various roles; from supply teacher to Head, in one-form entry Infants to large inner-city Primaries. Achieving an MA(Ed) in 1998, completing a Best Practice Research Scholarship 2001-2002, a Recognition in Excellence in Inquiry-Based learning in Science Education (IBSE) Certificate in 2014, and in 2018 becoming a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, throughout her career Jane has engaged in school-based research, designed to raise pupil outcomes and involving the dissemination of this learning to colleagues. Jane is studying part-time for a PhD at Durham University, focusing on ways to manage the competing priorities of teacher researchers and informal leaders in Research Learning Networks. She has presented this work at national and international conferences. She is currently Head at Netley Marsh CofE Infant School. |Professor Chris Brown is Professor in Education at Durham University's School of Education. With a longstanding interest in how evidence can aid education policy and practice, this is Chris' seventh book in this area (and his 12th overall). Chris has also presented and keynoted on the subject at a number of international conferences stretching the globe, from Africa to South America and has extensive experience of leading a range of funded projects, many of which seek to help teachers identify and scale up best practice. In 2018 Chris was awarded a Siftung Mercator Foundation Senior Fellowship. Each year Siftung Mercator identifies and invites just six people world-wide to apply each year for one of its fellowships. Potential Fellows are identified by a panel as ‘exceptionally talented and outstanding researchers and practitioners’ from areas seen as relevant to the themes and fields of activity of Stiftung Mercator. The purpose of the Mercator Fellowship programme is to offer selected fellows the space and freedom to also devote themselves to exploratory and unconventional research and practical projects (typically for six months). Previous fellows include advisors to former US President Obama and current French President Macron.