Niel McLean - Head of Centre, Futurelab Research at National Foundation for Educational Research

1. Naace – beyond central
prescription, towards evidence
based improvement
Niel McLean
Head of the Futurelab Research
Centre at NFER

2. Looking backward:
• What does research tell us about the intent
and design of a technology-rich curriculum?
Looking forward:
• How can schools adopt a research-focussed
approach to innovation?

3. Why educate?
• Transmit the best of a shared past?
• Prepare learners for the future?
Change introduces discontinuities.

4. Learner competences and the curriculum
• Awareness
• User
• Maker
• Evaluator
• Holistic
Prof. David Layton

5. Learner competences and the curriculum
• Awareness
• User
• Maker
• Evaluator
• Holistic
Prof. David Layton

6. Learner competences and the curriculum
• Awareness
• User
• Maker
• Evaluator
• Holistic
Prof. David Layton

7. Learner competences and the curriculum
• Awareness
• User
• Maker
• Evaluator
• Holistic
Prof. David Layton

8. Learner competences and the curriculum
• Awareness
• User
• Maker
• Evaluator
• Holistic
Prof. David Layton

9. A curriculum for capability
Black and Harrison 1985

10. A place for knowledge:
Black and Harrison 1985

11. And for enquiry
Black and Harrison 1985

12. Aiming for capability
Black and Harrison 1985

13. Looking forward
Successful change means making teaching an
attractive and effective profession by
supporting “continuous learning.. and
engaging strong teachers as active agents in
school reform, not just implementers of
plans designed by others.
It also requires strengthening the knowledge
base of education and developing a culture
of research and reflection in schoolsso that
teaching and learning can be based on the
best available knowledge.”
Building a high quality teaching profession OECD

14. “We expect teaching schools involved in research and development”
There are a number of ways a teaching school can get involved in research and
development:
• undertaking research and development projects within their alliance to identify
and/or help tackle key school improvement priorities
• show evidence of engagement in research and development which reflects agreed
priorities, builds on existing external research/evidence
• ensure that existing evidence can be accessed and used by staff and that appropriate
staff have the time and support needed to undertake research and development
activities

15. R&D at the core of CPD
+ 10 months
+ 5 months
+ 4 months
+ 4 mths
+ 3 mths
Time spent leading teaching and learning is over twice as effective at
raising student achievement than any other management task.
Source: Robinson (2009)

16. ‘Disciplined innovation’

17. Research Insights

18. City Academy Norwich
• Part of the HP Catalyst Programme.
• Eco-Virtual Environment (EVE) Project.
• Using an open source immersive simulation platform
(www.opensimulator.org) to engage students in science
and maths inquiry.

19. “Data, graphics and graphs are fed to the
students through 'tri-screens' and the students
(e.g. accountant, manager, power engineer,
environmental scientist), study their specialist
information carefully and then meet to share
their thoughts on the decision each turn.”

20. Findings
• The power of anonymity to re-engage
• “Students at our school (as with many) are developing their
confidence. They do not always feel comfortable sharing an
idea with a class due to the peer pressure and possible historic
experiences with less sensitive teachers. In EVE they are all
happy to contribute. They have the freedom to walk, run, fly,
dive, zoom in and out on details - they find themselves in a
surreal classroom with no walls and an utterly different set of
social rules. Peer pressure / bullying is often a complex and
refined interaction that involves tone of voice, expression,
physical stance etc. In EVE these things just don't exist and all
of the students are equal.”

21. Projects and prototypes
Handbooks and research insights Online tools for visioning and teaching
A community of enquiring minds Events, workshops, case studies and expertise
online and face to face

22. For more information please contact:
Niel McLean
n.mclean@nfer.ac.uk