Output details

Creative designs for learning

This output features in a book which was the culmination of the ESRC TLRP InterActive Education project which examined learning with ICT within classrooms and beyond. Drawing on socio-cultural theories of learning, the project’s overall aim was to examine the ways in which ICT could be used in educational settings to enhance teaching and learning.

Overview

Marina Gall made a substantial contribution to teamwork on ‘creative designs for learning’, as reflected in this chapter. The work:

• explored ways in which technology can liberate and constrain learning;

• explored issues surrounding teachers’ consideration of freedom and constraints within classroom settings;

• compared classroom work within three secondary school subject areas - music, modern foreign languages and geography - in relation to ‘liberating contraints’ (Davis, Sumara & Luce-Keplar, 2000).

Methodology

The project was organised around partnerships between researchers and teachers. It centred around the design and evaluation of longitudinal teaching and learning initiatives known as ‘Subject Design Initiatives’(SDI): short units of work, created by individuals or pairs of teachers (from a single school) within one specific subject area, together with university teacher- educator researchers.

Data was collected in the form of:

• interviews with teachers and students prior to and after each SDI;

• digital video of classroom interaction;

• digital video capture of students’ work;

• field notes collected during lessons;

• researcher notes of discussions with teachers during teacher/researcher evaluations of lessons (watching video data);

Dissemination

The project as a whole was disseminated widely to policy makers (e.g. DfES), practitioners (e.g. National Teacher Research Panel ) and researchers (e.g. invited paper at ‘Media and New Technology in Music Education’ conference, Lulea University of Technology). A research briefing was produced (http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/Sutherland_RB_19.pdf) and the research was also disseminated through Teacher’s TV and the TLRP video Principles into Practice (http://www.tlrp.org/pub/videopip.html).