This article discusses the relationship with time in early childhood practice and research. It is based on a 2-year study, Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child (2020-21). The study was underpinned by a concern about time pressures, testing, and measurement within the early childhood education and care sector and a desire to seek alternative…

Background: Student teachers can find it difficult to inform their classroom practice with knowledge gained from education theory and research. Working with Design and Technology teacher education students, the authors have developed a model to support integration of knowledge-based thinking in lesson design for classroom practice. Purpose: This…

Aim: This position paper illustrates prominent theories of reading comprehension and considers how these models have informed reading instruction within the classroom. It then considers how reading comprehension can be supported by educational psychologists (EPs). Methods: This paper presents five sociocultural models of reading comprehension.…

This book draws together various theoretical and research-based perspectives to examine the institutionalization of mentoring processes for beginning teachers. Teacher induction, defined as the guidance provided to new teachers, is increasingly gaining traction as a key stage in promoting quality education. Major efforts have been put into…

Background: Evidence-based practice in social care and health is widely promoted. Making it a reality remains challenging, partly because practitioners generally see practice-based knowledge as more relevant than empirical research. A further challenge regarding the creative, contextual use of research and other evidence including lived experience…

Little is known about how language teacher educators become, and also develop professionally as, teachers of teachers. One avenue for teacher education professional development is that of teacher research, whereby teacher educators can not only improve their practices in their immediate context but also help develop transformative pedagogies in…

The importance of engaging in high quality program evaluation is a generally accepted principle underscored by external pressure from funders. High quality evaluation necessarily begins with good evaluation planning. This paper outlines Evolutionary Evaluation and specifically the Systems Evaluation Protocol, an approach that emphasizes…

In the UK, teachers are increasingly being encouraged to support and undertake outdoor learning. Despite such support there is a paucity of research that has considered how outdoor learning can be implemented and offered on a regular basis by teachers. The lack of empirical research that has centralised the role of the teacher is at odds with the…

Barriers to using research in practice are well documented. This paper describes an innovative process developed by the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships to address these barriers. We supported people to define what they needed to know; how existing evidence could help; and how to use evidence in practice. An action-focused…

Given widespread acceptance of the role of teaching in improving student outcomes, it is not surprising that policy makers have turned to teaching standards as a lever for educational improvement. There are, however, long-standing critiques of standards that suggest they are reductionist and promote a dualism between theory and practice. Our…

This article explores the role of drawing as a tool for reflection. It reports on a PhD research project that aims to identify and analyse the value that co-design processes can bring to participants and their communities. The research is associated with Leapfrog, a three-year project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).…

This paper will question the notion of research, evidence and tools within a practitioner enquiry orientated practice. Basing the discussion within the current education research and policy context in the UK and the wider Global Education Reform Movement, I will ask questions about how a practitioner enquiry frame as located within Scottish…

This paper begins by setting out the vision and aims of the General Teaching Council for Scotland. In its efforts to deliver this vision and to meet these aims, GTC Scotland has given extensive consideration to various aspects of teacher professionalism. A discussion of a range of teacher professionalism paradigms follows before an explanation of…

The importance of social interaction in a community of practice for promoting effective teacher learning is well established (Johnson & Golombek, 2011; Lave & Wenger, 1991). Research outlines the challenges language teachers experience in transitioning between teacher education programmes and the classroom, particularly regarding the…

This paper considers the role of independent research in helping an education and training system "know itself", illustrating this through the experience of the Centre for Educational Sociology (CES) of which David Raffe was a member and director. It highlights the tensions in the research-policy relationship arising from the different…