CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT

Conference Presentation

How we like to learn vs. How schools teach: Insights from a case study exploring children’s autonomous learning in online personal learning networks

2023 Research Conversations Conference, St Andrews’s Cathedral School, Australia (Virtual)

Abstract:

Studies report that engagement declines as children progress through school and that children’s digital technology use increases as they grow older. This indicates that when school engagement may be declining, technology use is increasing, implying that while children may be disengaging from schooling, they are actively learning in digital spaces. Eguara’s research sought to understand this paradox, exploring factors supporting the engagement of six children in online personal networks. This session presents practical applications from the study for effective school transitions, engaging pedagogy and school engagement.

Keywords: Digital technology, school engagement, personal learning networks, school transition, pedagogy

Conference Presentation

A journey to learner autonomy and self-efficacy via technology-mediated scaffolding 

8th November 2021, International Conference on Student-led Research and Innovation in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (Virtual)

Abstract: 

In this small scale action research, the researcher explores pedagogical changes to wean a class of 9 year olds off adult dependence and onto autonomy and self-efficacy with their writing. The researcher draws out insights from 6 participating pupils in a learning journey mediated by Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar check. The researcher seeks to understand from participant responses how connectivist pedagogy can impact on learner autonomy and self-efficacy. The study begins with the hypothesis that learner autonomy and self-efficacy can be facilitated by connectivism-based learner-centred pedagogy. Data was collected by pupil observation, informal conversation; field notes and a focus group session for response validation. The participants share their experiences of independently working with immediate feedback from the Spelling and Grammar check feature vis-à-vis having to wait for adult feedback and support. The findings suggest that learner autonomy and self-efficacy can be scaffolded using technology-mediated scaffolding. Implications for the training and development of teachers and support staff are discussed.

Keywords: Learner autonomy, self-efficacy, adult-dependence, critical pedagogy, action research

See paper here.

Conference Presentation

Changing Childhood, New Direction

3rd June 2021, International Conference on Student-led Research and Innovation in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (Virtual)

Abstract: 

My doctoral research explores the engagement practices of 10 to 16 year olds in informal learning networks. This is motivated by studies indicating that student engagement tends to decline as children progress through school, particularly at transition points across phases. However, research also indicates that this demographic is increasingly engaging via technology in informal networks. Why are they disengaging in one setting but engaging in another? My earlier studies suggest that the child for whom traditional formal educational settings have been created is fading out of existence. And it is time to reconceptualise childhood, school and research.  

• About the conference:  https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/icri-hass/
• Programme: https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/icri-hass/programme/
• 10 to 16 year olds living in the UK are invited to take part in this research. Parents/guardians, please find out more here.

Key words: Student engagement, networked learning, informal learning, research engagement, educational research

Conference Presentation & Publication

What are Primary School Teachers’ Conceptions of Childhood and How can these Influence their Technology Integration Practice?

3rd June 2020, International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI), Seville, Spain

Abstract:

This study unpacks the cultural conceptions held by four primary school teachers regarding childhood. It explores how these influence the participants’ technology integration and learning design. This study departs from the knowledge that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs influence their technology use in teaching and learning. It extends the knowledge by exploring teachers’ conceptions of childhood as an additional influence on integration. The data, drawn from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, were unpacked using phenomenological analysis and discussed through the resulting outcome space. The findings suggest that where teachers hold a medical model of childhood, their pedagogy tends towards teacher-controlled technology and where teachers’ hold a social model, pedagogy tends towards learner-autonomy and learner-controlled technology. As learner autonomy and the resulting digital skills are the aim of integration, interventions to facilitate integration should therefore include long term professional development to make visible the cultural biases underpinning deficit models of childhood and to facilitate the adoption of empowering models and pedagogies. This study is relevant to teachers, teacher mentors and school leaders in the compulsory education sector and in initial teacher training and teacher development. Recommendations are provided for unpacking and overcoming teachers’ cultural biases and for professional development.

Keywords: childhood, teacher beliefs, technology integration, learning design, pedagogy, research engagement, educational research

See paper here.

Conference Presentation & Publication

Cultural Competence in the Mentoring, Recruitment and Retention of Black Teachers in the UK

November 12, 2019, International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI), Seville, Spain 

January, 3rd 2020, Doing Autoethnography Conference, 2020, Florida, USA

Abstract:

This autoethnography interrogates the early career mentoring experiences of a Black teacher with the aim of exploring the role of cultural competence in the mentoring of Black teachers and their recruitment and retention in the UK. The findings suggest that cultural competence in pre-service teachers, teacher mentors, school leaders and initial teacher education programmes could aid Black teacher recruitment and retention. This research begins by querying: How can cross-cultural understanding in teacher mentoring relationships impact teacher recruitment and retention? It ends with the question: Do we really want more Black teachers in UK schools? The theoretical lens of Standpoint Theory was used to foreground Black teachers’ lived experiences. Critical Race Theory was used to unpack the findings with regards to teacher recruitment and completion rates of trainee teachers of all ethnicities. The insights from this research may engender cross-cultural awakening in persons interested in subjective knowledge and multiculturalism in the workplace. This research is relevant to teachers at all career stages, teacher mentors, initial teacher training providers and school leaders. Recommendations for culturally competent teacher mentoring are provided to aid the recruitment and retention of Black teachers.

keywords: cultural competence, recruitment and retention, black teachers, teacher mentoring, multiculturalism

See paper here.

Keywords: Teacher recruitment, teacher retention, teacher mentoring, educational research, research engagement