This page is a collection of some of the current research evidence around teaching and learning. There is some very exciting and increasingly robust work being done about learning and teaching in this country and globally.

In the 1990s educational research was heavily criticised for being small scale, irrelevant, inaccessible and low quality. Whether this was right or wrong it has had the effect of improving the quality and effectiveness of research in recent years.

In an increasingly evidence based culture it is important that the debates and discussions that lead to the development of strategy, policy and planning are informed by sound research.

This is an attempt to gather together some of that research. There is much work still being done and a considerable amount of important work that is not represented here. It is very much a work in progress and I welcome ideas for inclusion for all staff.

Duncan McArthur Strategist (learning)

dmcarthur@aberdeencity.gov.uk

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Research papers and interesting supporting work

(Click title to download)

1. SQA Analysis, Learning & Teaching & HGIOS 3, Tony Flisch

Tony has taken the statistical data he analyses and summarised the questions various scores should prompt to SMT, linking these to HIGIOS3.

2. Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence? , John Hattie
Students account for about 50% of the variance of achievement
Schools which account for about 5-10% of the variance
Schools barely make a difference to achievement.
Teachers who account for about 30% of the variance.
It is what teachers know, do, and care about which is very powerful in this learning equation.

3. What has the greatest influence on student learning?      Geoff Petty
The work of John Hattie, Professor of Education University of Auckland has analysed 200,000 ‘effect-sizes’ from 180,000 studies representing 50+million students and covering almost every method of innovation.  This is a easy to read summary which shows that teachers really matter.¹

4. 16 ways for managers to improve the teaching of their teaching teams, Leicester College.
Good ideas on transferring meetings to improving teaching and learning rather than just giving information.

5. Making it Happen 0
6. Making it Happen 1
7. Making it Happen 2
8. Making it Happen 3
Four papers on steps to better teaching  
Explore -> Experiment -> Improve -> Celebrate -> Embed

9. What pupils tell us about teachers and lessons
Really interesting and very positive.

10. Using data to support learning Hattie 2005
A paper from a conference in 2005 on the use of targets and the importance of teachers in the process.