1. SHIFT 2017: Annual Conference of Learning, Teaching & Assessment
“ Innovative approaches and epistemological challenges to teacher development Anna Costantino Greenwich University Dr Assia Rolls Regent’s University London Collaborative Research Project Regent’s University London & Greenwich University Dr A. Rolls, C. Banister, A. Costantino, M. Goral, J. Houghton
SHIFT 2017: Annual Conference of Learning, Teaching & Assessment
University of Greenwich, Maritime Campus,
6th January 2017

2. “Modern foreign language teachers do not
“Much of the literature suggests that language teachers rarely engage with research” Borg 2010, 2013
“Modern foreign language teachers do not
engage with research”
Marsden & Kasprowicz 2016

3. A two year long project ( ) to develop language teacher research (LTR) in an Institute of Languages following the principles of Exploratory Practice 
Aims of the project
How do teachers make the process of EP work in the classroom?
What opportunities and challenges emerge in EP?

4. “Exploratory Practice (EP) … is a particular conceptualisation of teacher research that merits attention”.
(Borg, 2010:397)

5. The LTR project (2014-2016) has been successful
All six participants
stayed on task throughout the project ( );
worked together as well with their learners;
shared their understanding internally;
shared their understanding externally in high profile conferences in groups but also individually;
some have published about their work in professional reviews;
all are currently writing a case study each about their work in a peer reviewed book (Palgrave Macmillan) to be published in 2017;
the Symposium run at the BERA 2016 on the LTR project was acknowledged as an example of the best of recent British educational research and/or scholarship;
are currently encouraging Ls puzzle ( ) investigation.

6. Principles of Exploratory Practice
put‘quality of life’first
work primarily to understand classroom language learning life
Involve everybody (inclusivity)
work to bring people together (collegiality)
work for mutual development
make the work a continuous enterprise
Integrate the work for understanding into ‘existing curricular practices’ (minimise the burden, maximise sustainability)
Adapted from Allwright (2005); Allwright & Hanks 2009

7. Teachers’ Puzzles 1. Why don’t the students make the most of the written feedback? 2. Why do students use the mother tongue during the class? 3. Why do I feel I need to improve my skills for teaching speaking & listening? 4. Why do students use their mobiles during the class? 5. Why do students’ presentations and discussion board work well? 6. Why do I feel that I do not obtain from students sufficient high quality, usable feedback & evaluation of course content & methodology?

8. Teacher leadership development through
collaborative learning to create a community of practice (POT, group discussions led by EP’s call for collegiality, inclusivity & prioritisation of quality of life, trust, respect)
Mentoring and coaching as professional support
(individual sessions where particular individual issue are discussed
by mentee & mentor  feeding into group discussions)
Learning through Reflective Practice
Exploratory practice
Katzenmeyer & Moller 2009

9. Understandings Tapping into unforeseen Opportunities
* Value of teachers working together alongside their learners
* Renewed interest in the learners as co-partners
* Renewed interest in pedagogy/practice
* Renewed creativity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996)

10. “People are willing to spend considerable effort on things that are important to them. The value dimension for truly personal meaningful activities is more important than the effort dimension” Fisher 2007

11. with the help of the learners” (JH)
“you know, learners as co-partners isn’t such a daft idea after all. There are possibilities. My students were very responsive to a text that enabled us to understand better my puzzle” (CB)
“Initial phase, I spent much time analysing transcripts and video recorded sessions. I realised that I was trying to be a researcher and a teacher at the same time rather than researching through teaching ….
with the help of the learners” (JH)

12. is necessary to make you a better teacher
is necessary to make you a better teacher. Teaching is very skill-oriented Before I joined this research group, I never thought a research like this is necessary to make you a better teacher. Teaching is very skill-oriented and one has the knowledge & skill […] I can do this in my sleep. That I think, had limited my approach to improving the teaching […] because I always thought of it from a teacher’s point of view, I never thought of it from a student perspective. Going through this research, and reading the third party observation of what is happening in the class – listening to me and listening to the feedback, even looking at the video which I have never done, in my 16 years of teaching. This was very good because I was seeing it from a student perspective. This is telling me that nothing is wrong with the knowledge, but the conveyance could be better structured, so I am thinking of ways now in which I can include multiple techniques in lectures and tutorials […] so that they are more engaged, for example in relation to reading the material”.

13. REFERENCES
Allwright, D & J. Hanks Exploratory Practice- The Developing Language Learner. Palgrave MacMillan.
Allwright, D ‘A brief guide to Exploratory Practice: rethinking practitioners
research in language teaching’. Language Teaching Research. Vol 7, no2. pp
Allwright, D.  and K. Bailey. (1991) Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. CUP.
Borg, S. (2010). ‘Language Teacher Research Engagement’. 43:4, CUP.
Burns, A. (2011). Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching: A guide for practioners. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching And Research Press.
Cochran-Smith, M. (2005). Teacher Educators as researchers: multiple perspectives. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(2),
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. L. (2009). Inquiry as stance: Practitioner research for the next generation. Teachers College Press.
Gieve S. and Miller, IK. (2006). Understanding the language classroom. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Katzenmeyer, M., & Moller, G. (2009). Awakening the sleeping giant: helping teachers develop as leaders: Thousands Oaks, Corwin Press.

14. Lytle, S. L. , & Cochran-Smith, M. (1990)
Lytle, S. L., & Cochran-Smith, M. (1990). Learning from Teacher Research: A Working Typology. Teachers College Record, 92(1),
Perpignan, H. (2003). Exploring the written feedback dialogue: a research, learning and teaching practice. Language Teaching Research, 7(2),
Rowland, L. (2011). Lessons about learning: Comparing learner experiences with language research. Language Teaching Research, 15(2),
Slimani-Rolls, A. & R. Kiely. (2014) ‘We are the change that we seek: Developing Teachers’ Understanding of classroom Practice. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. The Journal of the SEDA. Routledge
Slimani-Rolls, A. (2003) ‘Exploring a world of paradoxes: an investigation of group work.’ Language Teaching Research, 7 (2):
Wenger, E. (2004) Knowledge Management as a Doughnut. Ivey Business Journal. January/February (Online) Available at: (Last accessed 5 Jan 2016)