Research and Links

A new journal on the block – Future FE Pedagogies

Edited by Vicky Duckworth and colleagues, using ‘think pieces’ this journal will address a variety of topics including unseen observations, the implications of using technologies in teaching and learning, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the FE landscape. 

Latest Research Suggests Retrieval Practice Benefits All Students Part 2.

Additional factors may have an impact on the effectiveness of retrieval practice so it is important teachers have an awareness of these when using retrieval practices in class. For example, if students know the retrieval practice activities are to help them learn, rather than as an assessment tool, they will be more effective.  

Latest Research Suggests Retrieval Practice Benefits All Students Part1.

InnerDrive discusses the latest research by Bertilsson et al. (2021) which shows that students’ perseverance, tendency to engage or working memory capacity do not have an impact on the testing effect. This suggests that individual differences between students, such as personality characteristics or ability, do not affect retrieval practice and that it is beneficial for all students.  

Online and blended delivery in FE. A literature review into pedagogy, including digital forms of assessment June 2021

• online and blended learning pedagogies  
• quality and effectiveness of online and blended teaching and learning  
• assessment  
• professional development and support for staff 

Why You Should Teach Your Students About Neuroplasticity

InnerDrive summarises Sarrasin et al’s (2018) meta-analysis that looked at the findings of 10 different studies. They found that teaching students about the neuroplasticity of the brain has an overall positive effect on motivation, achievement, and brain activity.

The Surprising Impact Of Digital Tools On Student Achievement

Visible Learning analysed the research findings from 9 meta-analyses to determine how beneficial using online and digital tools were on improving student achievement. They found a small to moderate effect size (which shows if the statistical differences found are important or meaningful) of 0.33. InnerDrive summarises their findings.

Research: Is Online or Traditional Homework Better?

If you are wondering whether traditional homework has greater benefits for the student than setting online homework, read this article by Ross Morrison McGill of the Teacher Toolkit. In this, he summarises a systematic review of education research conducted to answer this question.  

What Impact Does Group Work Have On Cognitive Load?

InnerDrive’s blog post discusses the research on “Collective working-memory effects” (Kirschner, Pass & Kirschner, 2011) which supports the benefits of group working.

What is an effective digital experience for learners?

Sarah Knight, Head of Learning and Teaching Transformation at Jisc, shares the findings of its recent Digital Experience Insight survey on learners’ experiences and expectations of digital learning. 

Why effective assessment of prior knowledge is so important

Ben Crockett’s (2020) blog article from the Durrington Research School  on the evidence behind the importance of assessing prior knowledge and how best to do so. 

Using peer working to increase students’ task effort

Innerdrive discusses how working alongside their hard-working peers will increase the effort students exert when engaging in tasks.

The Learning and Skills Research Network

The LSRN is an open network enabling people interested in research and the use of evidence to share ideas and work together. 

The Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education

Free-to-join , the ARPCE is the leading organisation on research in the field of post-compulsory education.  

Teacher Toolkit article: Spacing, Feedback, and Retrieval Boosts Learning Online

A 3 minute read from @TeacherToolkit summarising Belardi, et al’s (2020) research paper investigating the application of four established learning principles to improve online learning of vocabulary.

“Five things I wish I knew when I started teaching”

An interesting blog post by Carl Hendrick for new and seasoned teachers giving his insight into educational research ideas, such as academic self-concept, critical thinking, and the role of deliberate practice. 

FE practitioners applying research to practice effectively

This in-tuition Research Supplement contains several articles discussing how teachers have applied research to practice effectively to make a difference to their learners (from The Society for Education and Training). 

Heutagogy Explained: Self-Determined Learning in Education

Davis (2018) provides a good explanation of Heutagogy, otherwise known as self-determined learning. , with tips for applying this approach. Davis describes the differences between pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy and gives tips for applying this approach with your students.

A Brief Guide to Rosenshine’s 10 Principles of Instruction

This draws together the research areas of cognitive science, cognitive support and classroom practices to provide a guide on how: 

People learn and acquire new information, Master teachers implement effective classroom strategies and teachers can support students whilst learning complex material.