Teacher Enquiry as a Tool for Professional Development - Investigating Pupils’ Effective Talk While Learning

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

The Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 3 Evaluation was a four-year project across England, carried out in 33 primary and secondary schools and funded by the UK Campaign for Learning. The project aimed to keep the locus of control with schools, which chose innovation priorities within “Learning to Learn.” A Newcastle University research team supported teachers in systematically evaluating their experiences through two professional enquiries on pupil talk, examining methods, decisions, findings, and professional learning impact, including implications for cultivating a Learning to Learn culture.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Project aims and evaluation context

Learning to Learn definition and enquiry approach

Action research cycle and support mechanisms

Teacher Enquiry as a Tool for Professional Development: Investigating Pupils’ Effective Talk While Learning Kate Wall Newcastle University, UK Steve Higgins Durham University, UK Emma Glasner Ulf..et Mahmout Fleecefield Primary School, London, UK Jane Gormally Fallibroome High School, Cheshire, UK Abstract The Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 3 Evaluation was a four year project across England exploring the concept of Learning to Learn in 33 primary and secondary schools. The project was funded through the UK based Campaign for Learning. One of the key aims of the project was to ensure that the locus of control in terms of development remains with the schools, who decided on the focus of innovation relevant to them under the umbrella heading of Learning to Learn . A team from the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University then supported and facilitated the teachers in the systematic evaluation of their experiences. As a result we believe that this process supported meaningful professional development about teaching and learning. This paper exemplifies this process through two professional enquiries into pupil talk in the classroom and how it supported learning. The projects were carried out by teachers in two schools, one secondary (11-18 years) and one primary (4-11 years). Both schools decided that encouraging pupil talk about learning best fit with their priorities and the project aims of exploring Learning to Learn . The paper describes the different research methods and findings of the teachers’ The Australian Educational Researcher, Volume 36, Number 2, August 2009 •93 K WALL, S HIGGINS, E GLASNER,U MAHMOUT AND J GORMALLY research, focusing on the decision making which occurred and how the process of the research has impacted on their professional development. Conclusions are drawn about how the philosophy of Learning to Learn can be as easily applied to the process of professional enquiry through action research and teachers’ learning, as to the more traditional domain of students’ learning and how this might contribute to the development of a successful Learning to Learn school culture. Introduction The Learning to Learn Phase 3 Evaluation was a research project funded through the Campaign for Learning1 and facilitated by the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University, UK. The aims of the project were similar to the Australian project which shares the same name (Le Cornu & Peters, 2005): to foster greater understanding of the learning processes in schools, to motivate and develop teacher knowledge about learning and to encourage learner reflection about the process of learning to learn (Higgins et al. , 2007) . The English project involved 33 primary and secondary schools in three Local Education Authorities (LEAs), representing a wide range of socio-economic contexts (for further information see Higgins et al. , 2005, 2006, 2007) . All of the schools implemented interventions under the general umbrella term of Learning to Learn (L2L) . Working definitions of L2L draw on ideas of metacognition, thinking skills, selfregulation, self-efficacy and self-esteem (see, for example, Claxton 2002) . However, within this project, definitions remained fairly flexible since one of the outcomes of the project was to develop new understandings of what Learning to Learn is in practice through the process of enquiry which the teachers themselves were undertaking (reported in Higgins et al. , 2007 and exemplified in Baumfield, Hall, & Wall, 2008) . The starting point for this discussion was taken as the Campaign for Learning definition: . . . a process of discovery about learning. It involves a set of principles and skills which, if understood and used, help learners learn more effectively and so become learners for life. At its heart is the belief that learning is learnable. (Higgins et al. , 2007, p. 13) This project was therefore based in the bel

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the Learning to Learn Phase 3 Evaluation?

To improve understanding of learning processes in schools while motivating and developing teacher knowledge and encouraging learner reflection, with schools retaining control over innovation priorities under “Learning to Learn.”

How did the project support teachers’ professional development?

Teachers were facilitated to undertake systematic evaluation through professional enquiries based on an enquiry approach loosely aligned with action research, supported by a university team providing evidence and guidance on data collection and write-up.

What did the paper investigate regarding classroom practice?

It exemplified the process through two teacher-led enquiries into pupils’ effective talk while learning, focusing on research decision-making and how the enquiry process influenced teachers’ professional development.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine