NEWS: POSMAD to Launch Action Research Course for Teachers 03 Sep 09

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Positively MAD is in the process of researching and developing a number of courses to enhance its CPD offerings to schools. One of these courses will be on Action Research.

Effective continuing professional development (CPD) can raise standards and improve the lives of children. It supports staff development, equipping the school workforce with the skills to effectively support pupils and help them reach their full potential. It therefore plays a key role in school improvement.

CPD is relevant to teachers at all stages of their career to continue improving knowledge, understanding and skills. CPD activities are designed to support individuals' needs and improve professional practice.

We offer a number of Certificated Coaching Courses which empower teachers by adding to their arsenal of effective techniques and skill sets.  This means that schools can build an in-house pool of teaching experts who are able to conduct and run our highly successful student coaching workshops.

Not only does this save schools money in the long run, it also allows teachers to investigate the effect that these student coaching workshops have on raising attitude and improving performance in exams and assessments.

We also have new CPD courses in development – one of which revolves around the concept of reflective practice as a basis for action research. Both invite teachers to use action research to investigate areas of concern that directly affect the teaching and learning in their schools.

We understand that reflective practice has yet to become a cornerstone of good practice in the teaching profession in this country, and aim to promote this concept to as many schools as possible.

We also feel that teachers are the best people to conduct research into areas that directly affect effective teaching and learning.

With this in mind, we are in the process of creating a new teacher training course around Action Research.

The purpose of this one-day course is to show teachers how to combine reflective practice skills with those of action research so that they can conduct on-the-ground investigations into their own teaching practice.

This allows schools to research areas that are particularly relevant to their own circumstances. Teachers will be shown how to discern their own ‘essential questions’, how to align these with the School Development Plan, and how to go about conducting their own research.

We will examine research methodologies and consider the ethical implications of doing so. Data gathering and data analysis will be covered, allowing teachers to write their own in-school action research projects.

We hope to have the course ready for teachers by the start of the new year (2010).