Engaging in and with research
Membership of the Deanery enables local schools and staff to access and engage with research in three different ways:
Research Champions in schools: As a member of the Deanery local schools nominate a Research Champion who fosters collaboration between colleagues, schools and University of Oxford Department of Education researchers. The Research Champion benefits the schools by helping teachers ask the right question/s, access relevant publications, design and carry out research. Research Champions have the status of an Academic Visitor within the University, enabling them to access the University’s libraries and online publications. Find out more here.
University of Oxford Department of Education Research Projects in Collaboration with Schools: The Deanery has secured funding for a number of research projects being carried out in collaboration with local partner schools. The aim is to strengthen these links with further funded projects that not only respond to the needs of local schools but also work effectively to ensure that findings are securely embedded and evaluated in schools’ practice. Find out more here.
Research in different departments at the University of Oxford: The Deanery also works as an intermediary between schools and other University of Oxford departments, helping to ensure that the research expertise of the wider university (within subject disciplines as well as in relation to educational research and policy) is used to support teachers’ professional learning and so contribute to improved learning outcomes for local young people. This happens in a variety of ways, but particularly through special events such as our Oxford History Teachers Network Conference, our Early Career Teacher conference (which has previously included workshops led by members of the MYRIAD project on Mindfulness) and occasional seminars.
Analysing the Relationship between Teachers’ Collaboration Patterns, Teaching Practices and Student Literacy Learning and Engagement (2015-2016). This project, which builds on an earlier analysis of the ways in which, and the extent to which, teachers in local schools collaborate with one another to develop their practice in support of vulnerable students, is now looking at the impact of that collaboration on their students’ levels of engagement and the development of their literacy. They are trying to find out what difference that collaboration actually makes to the teachers’ practice and to the engagement and attainment of their students particularly those at risk of not achieving their potential.