Teachers’ Curriculum Making in Changing Times

Research Q: How is the (enacted) curriculum made?

Pilot Case Study for PhD research:An analysis of interview with teacher A (interviewed July 30, 2013)

David Mitchell – IOE d.mitchell@ioe.ac.uk

• Aims• Why this research?• Approach and methodology• Analysis• Pilot findings• Next steps • Issues to address

AimsResearch Q: How is the (enacted) curriculum

made?

Why this research?

Power & control

Curriculum Ideologies (value-belief systems)

Life Stories

Approach and methodology

• Interpretivism• Case Study 6 - 8 geography teachers• Selection - ‘Strong Curriculum Makers’• Analysis – thematic (based on literature review), draw

out narratives, tentative propositions, test by gathering further data

Research design & process

‘Thick description’ (tables with illustrative excerpts)

TranscriptionDocumentary data e.g. schemes of work

Interview data

Case study selection

Research Q

Themes emerging

Initial interest – geography curriculum making

Central ‘story’

Coding: thematic (deductive) subdivided according to interview data (deductive)

Sub-plots (other narratives)

Literature review

Historical analysis of power & control over curriculum

Tentative Propositions

Research strategy

Lesson observation data?

*Note – these can be seen as different scales – from personal , through school level to the

national and international

a.Power & Control* PT – teacherPFam – teacher’s familyPTs – other teachers/ the school & consortiumPH – headteacherPP – pupil (self-regulation)PPs – other pupils (peers)PEn – pupil enjoymentPG – educational ‘gurus’PPr – Pupils’ parentsPF – teacher’s friendsPB – textbooksPNC – national curriculum PGA – geographical educational agencies (such as GA & RGs)PI – internetPA – exams and assessmentPL – local area context

b. Value/ belief systems (after Schiro)VSE – social efficiencyVSR – social reconstructionVAc – academic/ scholarlyVCC – child-centred

Codes

c. Conflict Con – conflict (incl. tensions & contradictions)

d. ChangeChg – changeChgR – resistance to change

Alternative coding possibility

Curriculum content

CurGK – geographical knowledge, non-specificCurGKSp - geographical knowledge, specifiedCurGS – geographical skills, non-specificCurGS – geographical skills, specifiedCurWS – wider (generic) skills

(But, not one of the themes drawn out of literature review)

Examples from my ‘thick description’ drawing on Geertz, 1973 and Hennik, Hutter and Bailey, 2011: 241).

“In terms of a more...self-centred support, I’m very motivated...erm, you know I’m...I’m middle class, but my parents are...when I was growing up my parents were both on minimum wage, so...before I became more affluent and bought feta cheese and designer yoghurt and stuff, erm...it was a fairly...yeh it was quite poor, so I think I can relate a bit to the kids over that and I was fortunate enough to have my family’s fortunes to be turn around because of education, cos my mum got a grant to go to university and she trained and now she’s doing what she wants to do and I’ve seen that some people are doing a job that they hate and their getting paid peanuts...and to go back to education and doing something she’s always wanted to do and working as...earning enough money to support...us, and seeing THAT (teacher A’s emphasis) is a real benefit and it certainly a driving force for THIS (teacher A’s emphasis) year during my darkest days of school two (smiling) to think just how powerful education could be...erm, yeh so selfishly I...tell myself that’s actually relevant...to sympathise with the kids is...incredibly useful. Erm..yeh so parents, teachers, pupil experiences....”

Page 11

Code – PPs (Power and Control: other pupils)

“You have to lead a team as well as being able to work well...sort of as a grunt...”

Page 5

“So, my lessons have been focused on landforms, erm... so the kids became an expert on one landform and taught each other, so a group of six taught each other landforms. So they all went away, became experts, came back and taught each other and then they all erm sat a test...erm the same test, cos that’s another thing about how we, we...er....how we...erm utilise groups at (school name) we had to very clearly, we had to make it very clear to the students that there’s a group aim, cos it’s very competitive otherwise, like there’s a winner group or something...ah but there’s also individual accountability. So when they sat this test they had to say well my delta’s expert was Dave, or whatever, so there’s that pressure to deliver, erm...deliver for their team.”

Page 2

“You have to lead a team as well as being able to work well...sort of as a grunt...”

Page 5

“So, my lessons have been focused on landforms, erm... so the kids became an expert on one landform and taught each other, so a group of six taught each other landforms. So they all went away, became experts, came back and taught each other and then they all erm sat a test...erm the same test, cos that’s another thing about how we, we...er....how we...erm utilise groups at (school name) we had to very clearly, we had to make it very clear to the students that there’s a group aim, cos it’s very competitive otherwise, like there’s a winner group or something...ah but there’s also individual accountability. So when they sat this test they had to say well my delta’s expert was Dave, or whatever, so there’s that pressure to deliver, erm...deliver for their team.”

Page 2

Findings – narratives

• Central Story – a ‘success’ story• Sub-plot – a ‘learning to learn’ story• Sub-plot – a ‘life’ story• Sub-plot – a ‘freedom’ story• Sub plot – contradictory stories• Untold Story – a ‘geography’ story

Findings – narratives

• Central Story – a ‘success’ story

“The best thing for them is to have the best possible qualifications...but in order to achieve that aim of social mobility obviously they need to develop all kinds of skills and attributes.”

Interview A, July 30, 2013, Page 9

Findings – narratives

• Sub-plot – a ‘learning to learn’ story

“We’ve done workshops on meta learning...and there’s a lot out there to suggest it really is, erm...very effective in improving learning in students.”

“We’re ENCOURAGED (teacher A’s emphasis) to use this (BLP ‘learning wheel’) when we’re planning lessons”

Ibid, Page 6

Findings – narratives

• Sub-plot – a ‘life’ story

“I’m very motivated...erm, you know I’m...I’m middle class, but my parents are...when I was growing up my parents were both on minimum wage, so...before I became more affluent and bought feta cheese and designer yoghurt and stuff, erm...it was a fairly...yeh it was quite poor, so I think I can relate a bit to the kids over that and I was fortunate enough to have my family’s fortunes to be turned around because of education, cos my mum got a grant to go to university...”

Findings – narratives• Sub-plot – a ‘freedom’ story

“It’s very much up to the individual teachers to exercise our professional ....er...erm... discretion...selecting resources and how we go about delivering it...sum total, that’s up to us, there’s no question. There’s no pressure from on high to follow a standardised, er...system.”

“We’re ENCOURAGED (teacher A’s emphasis) to use this (BLP ‘learning wheel’) when we’re planning lessons.”

“What really struck me when I first arrived at the school is the, the emphasis..in terms of skills, is on teamwork...You have to lead a team as well as being able to work well...sort of as a grunt...but being individually accountable...erm so we can make sure that the kids are stretched.”

Ibid, Page 6

Findings – narratives• Sub plot – contradictory stories

“So, as before, the best thing for them is to have the best possible qualifications...but in order to achieve that aim of social mobility obviously they need to develop all kinds of skills and attributes, so in terms of what is learnt in a lesson. I think it’s really important to teach them to think critically. So you’re realising that in some ways the world is...is ultimately man made. The situation that they may find themselves in, is ultimately man made and they can change it I guess, and they’ve got this sense of control.”

Ibid, Page 9

Findings – narratives• Sub plot – contradictory stories

“So, as before, the best thing for them is to have the best possible qualifications...but in order to achieve that aim of social mobility obviously they need to develop all kinds of skills and attributes, so in terms of what is learnt in a lesson. I think it’s really important to teach them to think critically. So you’re realising that in some ways the world is...is ultimately man made. The situation that they may find themselves in, is ultimately man made and they can change it I guess, and they’ve got this sense of control.”

Ibid, Page 9

Findings – narratives

• Untold Story – a ‘geography’ story

“The skills are there to serve the geography rather than as an end in themselves...even if you do think they’re important, ultimately they’re there to make sure that the pace of learning in the lessons is as great as possible...as fast as possible...and that the pupils ENJOY (teacher A’s emphasis) learning about geography...”

Ibid Page 8

Pilot Analysis:Context

• start up, ‘free school’ (opened in September 2012) • initially Yr 7 & 8 only, scheduled to expand over the next five years to a large 11-18

school. • one of London’s most deprived boroughs.• teacher A strong PGCE, high grades, strong geography curriculum making potential• beginning his NQT year, only at the school for three weeks • interview is held in late July - summer holiday ahead

Teacher A may therefore be in a ‘honeymoon period’ in his relationship with the school and with teaching.

Conclusion – what new knowledge does (or might) the case study bring?

• neoliberal forces are powerful controls over the school curriculum

supports the literature...

Conclusion – what new knowledge does (or might) the case study bring?

imbalanced curriculum making...subject thinking squeezed out by learning effectiveness.

supports the literature...

Conclusion – what new knowledge does (or might) the case study bring?curriculum value/ belief systems can operate simultaneously, and can be contradictory within the teacher’s curriculum thinking

supports the literature...

Conclusion – what new knowledge does (or might) the case study bring?curriculum value/ belief systems can operate simultaneously, and can be contradictory within the teacher’s curriculum thinking

supports the literature...

New knowledge...tentative propositions

Proposition 1: Early in the first teaching post, the teacher’s curriculum making (and the thought and values which underpin it) is subsumed by the dominant school culture.Proposition 2: A strong geography teacher’s geographical (disciplinary) rationale in curriculum making is resilient and will withstand competing pressures, running deep but resurfacing in the longer term.Proposition 3: The teacher’s relationships with other teachers control their curriculum making.Proposition 4: Each teacher constructs a complex web of narratives around their curriculum making and they will create a ‘central story’ narrative which makes sense of other narratives. This can be to the extent that apparently contradictory narratives can be rationalised, or harmonised by the teacher.

1. Sufficient challenge is seen as essential by teacher A (’getting stuck’) - how does this relate to the geographical content? (Is the geographical content significant, or incidental?)...ie. How does teacher A select the subject content with which to develop his ‘challenging’ lessons which ‘build learning power’?

2. How does the focus on skills support the geographical learning?3. How do the people mentioned in the interview, influence teacher A’s

curriculum making?4. Is there a hidden influence of performance management at work in

the school...to what extent is the teacher as autonomous as teacher A suggests?

5. How are curriculum resources - textbooks, GA, RGS (and others not yet mentioned) used by teacher A to make the curriculum?

6. How are the local area and the children’s lives taken into account in making curriculum decisions?

7. Is teacher A’s geographical understanding playing a larger role in his curriculum making than he has made explicit?

Next steps (towards tentative propositions)Further questions arising

Issues to address (reflecting on the research design & methodology)

Helpful questions to ask are:

•Does the data ‘do the job’ (help answer my research question)?And •Can I defend the choices I have made in my research design?

1. Interview questions Q 1. How do you decide what to do in your lessons?

2. Interview structure3. Trustworthiness and coherence of data collection and

analysis4. Alternative coding systems5. Additional sources of data

i) Curriculum documentsii) Lesson observation

6. Presenting findings 7. Definitions8. Selection of cases

1. Interview questions Q 1. How do you decide what to do in your lessons?

2. Interview structure3. Trustworthiness and coherence of data collection and

analysis4. Alternative coding systems5. Additional sources of data

i) Curriculum documentsii) Lesson observation

6. Presenting findings 7. Definitions8. Selection of cases

References & key literatureBassey, M. (1999) Case study Research in Educational Settings. Buckingham: Open University Press.Claxton, G. (2005) Building learning power : helping young people become better learners. Bristol: TLOCohen, L. and Manion, L. (2011) Research Methods in Education, 7th Edition. London: Routledge.Geertz, C. (1973) ‘Thick Description’. In Clifford Geertz, 1973. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.Hennink, M., Hutter, I. & Bailey, A. (2011) Qualitative Research Methods. London: SageLambert, D. & Morgan, J. (2010) Teaching Geography 11-18 – A Conceptual Approach. Maidenhead: Open University PressLincoln and Guba (1985) Naturalistic Inquiry. London: SageMiles, B.M. & Huberman, A. M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, second edition. London: SageRobson, C. (1993) Real world Research. Oxford: Blackwell.Simons, H. (1996) ‘The Paradox of case Study’, Cambridge Journal of Education, 26, 2: 225-40.Stake, R.E. (1995) The art of case study research. London: SageYin, R.K. (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nd Edition. London: Sage.

Teachers’ Curriculum Making in Changing Times

Research Q: How is the (enacted) curriculum made?

Pilot Case Study for PhD research:An analysis of interview with teacher A (interviewed July 30, 2013)

David Mitchell – IOE d.mitchell@ioe.ac.uk

• Aims• Why this research?• Approach and methodology• Analysis• Pilot findings• Next steps • Issues to address