Session time

Session details

Welcome and introduction

Presenters: Georgina Newton and Jen Rowan-Lancaster

Keynote

Title: The importance of teacher engagement in research and the role of The Chartered College.

Presenter: Cat Scutt, MBE, Deputy CEO, Education and Research at the Chartered College of Teaching.

Outline: Research use and evidence-engagement have become almost ‘buzzwords’ in education in recent years. But how can engaging with research and evidence really help to support and improve your practice? This session will consider some of the opportunities and challenges with using evidence in education, as well as highlighting how the Chartered College of Teaching is helping teachers to make the most of research evidence. 

Facilitator: Georgina

Supplementary materials: Presentation

Parallel Sessions 1

Parallel Session 1A

Title: How can the introduction and development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) improve teaching and learning in an international school?

Presenter: Peter Round

Bio: Former Head of School at Khartoum International Community School (closed by war in April 2023) and been teaching and Administrating in 6 international schools in Europe, Middle East, SE Asia and Africa for the past 30 years. Now based in Coventry UK and working as a Coach, Gardener and teacher of IB DP Physic's online with a class in a Hungary; International School of Debrecen.

Outline:This interactive presentation will describe the What and Why of PLCs , then look at a case study in detail at Jakarta International (now Intercultural) school, JIS. We will also explore recruitment and how knowledge and practice in PLCs might give you a career advantage.

Facilitator: Jonty

Suitable for: Teachers aiming for a career at International Schools.

Parallel Session 1B

Title: Chapter One - Early Literacy Intervention

Presenter: Kathryn Taylor and Jo Dobb

Bio: My name is Kathryn Taylor and I am the Schools Development Manager at Chapter One. I was a primary teacher for 9 years, teaching both KS1 and KS2 and have also supported my local authority with assessment practice since 2016. My role at Chapter One involves overseeing our Early Literacy Programme which provides one-to-one phonics support for Reception and Year 1 pupils so that they can keep-up with whole class phonics sessions. So far, our individualised and targeted support has ensured more children can master phonics and excel in their reading.

Outline: My talk will be about the Early Literacy Intervention (ELI) that Chapter One provides. I will outline what ChapterOne is and how we support schools; how the ELI programme works; what it provides; the successes we have had so far and the data that we have gathered over the last year.

Facilitator: Miriam

Suitable for: Primary

Parallel session 1C

Title: Surviving and Thriving in Difficult Classrooms

Presenter: Louise Elizabeth Ansell

Bio: I worked in industry before coming in to teaching when my eldest daughter was 2 . I have worked in a variety of schools with OFSTED ratings from 'outstanding' schools to 'requires improvement' schools. My roles have varied from 6th form leadership to KS5 lead for English . I am in my 6th year at Bilton School, having been part of the Character and Culture team I am now involved in academic alterative provision.

Outline: How to deal with difficult classes and regularly face apathy, defiance and aggression.

Facilitator: Jen

Supplementary resources: Presentation

WTV: Intellectual Curiosity

Suitable for: Secondary

Parallel Session 1D

Title: Teacher wellbeing sounds great, but what does it mean for me?

Presenter: Georgina Newton

Outline: Come along and explore some of the issues connected with workload and wellbeing . This session will empower you to make decisions about your own workload and wellbeing and to support pupils with theirs.

Suitable for: All

Parallel Session 1E

Title: Supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine's Education

Presenter: Prof Gwen Van der Velden

Bio: Professor Gwen Van der Velden DBA NTF PFHEA was until recently Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) at the University of Warwick. She is currently on sabbatical leave until 2024/25. Coming from a background in Education, Gwen has specialised in Organisational Culture and Leadership and has worked nationally and internationally with policy leaders on a range of educational matters. Gwen has chaired the oversight group for the UK’s National Student Survey, contributed to the setting of national standards on Student Engagement and has a track record of leading cross institutional educational change in different Universities.

Outline: Gwen will share insights from Warwick’s pioneering postgraduate award aimed at reconstruction and reform of the Ukrainian Education sector. The programme focused on leading during war, supporting displaced and war affected learners, reform towards European models of Education and ensuring inclusion and engagement across all parts of the education sector.

Facilitator: Alison

Supplimentary resources: Presentation

WTV: Social Justice

Suitable for: All

Parallel Sessions 2

Parallel Session 2A

Title: The what, why and how of research-informed professional development

Presenters: Drs Tom Perry and Becky Morris

Bios: Tom’s research and teaching focus on research methodology and the role of research, evidence and data in improving education policy and practice. Topics of particular interest include cognitive science, structural reform, inequalities, accountability and professional development. Tom leads the University of Warwick’s education doctorate (EdD) programme, co-directs postgraduate research in education studies, and teaches across postgraduate research methods courses. Becky’s research interests include education and social policy; teachers and teaching; social justice and inequalities in education; widening participation and access to higher education; teaching and learning in HE; English and literacy; assessment and feedback; research methods; evidence use in education. Becky teaches across the department’s undergraduate and postgraduate research programmes and is the education studies widening participation lead.

Outline: In this talk we will discuss opportunities for early career teachers to engage with and carry out research as a form of professional development. We outline different forms and aims for professional development, sources of and approaches to research, and how early career teachers can combine these to foster professional development for themselves and their schools.

Facilitator: Jen

WTV: Intellectual Curiosity

Suitable for: All

Parallel Session 2B

Title: Research is for Life - Not Just for Christmas (Conferences)!

Presenters: Dr Nic Crossley (The Liberty Trust)

Bio: Dr Nic Crossley, Chief Executive Officer at Liberty Academy Trust, has over 20 years’ experience in education which spans primary, secondary, mainstream and specialist provision and her research interests are in the factors which contribute to educational underachievement. Her Masters in Educational Leadership and Management (MA) and Masters in Practice-Based Educational Research (MEd), also support these interests. She is a Council member for ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) as the national SEND representative, and a member of the Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee. She was founding Chair of the Women Leaders’ Network. In September 2021, Nic was made an Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick, in recognition of her commitment and contribution to Teacher Education and Research within the Centre for Teacher Education. She is co-author of Inclusion: A Principled Guide for School Leaders, published by Routledge. She can be found via X (formally Twitter) @Nic_Crossley1

Outline: In this session, Nic will share her research journey and illustrate how this is possible alongside a full-time job. She will then share how research principles have allowed her to develop research-informed practice across a group of schools - and highlight some principles all early-career researchers can utilise.

Facilitator: Jonty

Supplementary resources: Presentation

WTV: Intellectual Curiosity

Suitable for: All

Parallel Session 2C

Title: Bringing history to life in the classroom: An exploration of how the study of visual and aural artefacts can give voice to the forgotten and disenfranchised.

Presenters: Alison Morgan

Bio: Alison Morgan is an associate professor and head of secondary teacher education at the University of Warwick. Following completion of her PhD on Shelley’s Peterloo poems in 2012, Alison has continued to research in the field of radical poetry and song in the long nineteenth century and has published a range of work, including a monograph, Ballads and Songs of Peterloo, in 2018. Currently, Alison is researching the life and work of John Stafford, a working-class balladeer from Lancashire and has recently written a book chapter on Stafford’s contribution to electoral culture which will be published next year.

Outline: Alison uses the Peterloo Massacre (1819) as a case study to explore how visual and aural representations of historical events can give voice to those ignored in dominant cultural narratives. Using feminist and historicist approaches, participants will examine the representations of gender and class, considering how to adopt and adapt these approaches in the classroom.

Suitable for: All

Parallel session 2D

Title: Design thinking in action: learner and educator perspectives

Presenter: Dr Bo Kelestyn

Bio: Bo is a design thinking academic and practitioner and an award winning educator. She invented the Warwick Secret Challenge, a design thinking-based methodology for co-creation in Higher Education. Bo also co-founded the first in the UK school design thinking qualification the Warwick Design Thinking Award (EduQual) with over 100 Warwick School Year 8 pupils completing the award in 2022/23. An Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Bo held multiple roles at Warwick, including Bo's most recent role as the founder of the Leadership for Educational Transformation programme for educational leaders in Ukraine.

Outline: Bo will share a brief introduction to design thinking, an empathy-based innovation methodology that unlocks a range of skills, whilst also growing learners’ intellectual curiosity, reflection skills and sustainability competences. Followed by insights from the Warwick Design Thinking Award, participants can find out about teacher design thinking training at Warwick.

Facilitator: Georgina

Supplimentary resources:Presentation

WTV: Creativity

Suitable for: Secondary

Parallel Sessions 3

Parallel Session 3A

Title: Instructional Coaching; student teacher learning; and how engaging in research can change your thinking.

Presenter: Chris Westwood

Bio: My name is Chris Westwood and I am an SEND teacher, currently working in Bolton. I did my PGCE (Primary) at Warwick in 2016-17 and finished my MA with the CTE this year. I am currently responsible for developing partnerships with ITT providers in the local region and have mentored several trainee teachers. I also mentor new-to-school teachers, supporting them through their first year at our school.

Outline: My MA research focussed on how Instructional Coaching could contribute to student teacher learning. I used Iterative Thematic Inquiry (Morgan and Nica, 2020) as a method for analysing my data. This method encourages the researcher to reflect on their preconceived ideas and beliefs before building new ones as they engage with their data. In this session, we will explore how engaging in this kind of reflexive research process can lead to a change in our thinking and how we might apply this thinking in our everyday practice.

Facilitator: Georgina

Supplementary resources: Presentation

WTV: Intellectual Curiosity

Suitable for: Primary & Secondary

Parallel Session 3B

Title: How is vulnerable children’s wellbeing supported at the point of transition from primary to secondary school?

Presenters: Amhan Kaur

Bio: Hi! My name is Amhan Kaur and I am a class teacher at a 3-form entry primary school. After studying English Language & Linguistics at the University of Reading, I worked in PR for a couple of years before deciding to jump into teaching. I undertook my PGCE at the University of Warwick in 2018 and spontaneously decided to complete my MA at Warwick part-time in the January following (which was definitely an experience during Covid!)

Outline:

My research focused on how vulnerable children’s wellbeing is supported at the point of transition from primary to secondary school. Not only was I was able to gain a unique view of children’s perspectives, but I also knew I could potentially have a positive influence ahead of their journey to secondary school, which was a great motivator. I used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data to help me triangulate my findings and come to my conclusions.

Facilitator: Alison

Supplementary resources:Presentation

WTV: Intellectual Curiosity

Suitable for: Primary & Secondary

Parallel Session 3C

Title: Can adopting positive student-teacher relationships with ethnic minority students improve classroom interactions?’ An Autoethnographic study of the students’ perspective, through the theoretical lens of a Black teacher.

Presenters: Toyah Smikle-Mason

Bio: Hi, my name is Toyah. I’m a 4th year Secondary Science teacher who has recently completed an MA in Professional Education. My research investigated whether adopting positive studentteacher relationships with ethnic minority students improves classroom interactions. I pride myself in the relationships built with my students and aspire to be a role model for them.

Facilitator: Jen

Supplimentary resources: Presentation

Suitable for: All

Parallel Session 3D

Title: Pushing the boundaries of how we might think about non-speaking students

Presenters: Beverley Samways

Bio: Beverley is the founder-director of the social enterprise Unique Connections, which exists to improve the lives of individuals with learning disabilities who self-injure or are distressed. Her PhD research was entitled: Non-spoken stories: an ethnographic account of the emotional lives of three teenagers with severe learning disabilities who sometimes self-injured.

Facilitator: Jonty

Outline: Drawing on recent research with teenagers with learning disabilities and autism who were non-speaking, this session challenges some of the assumptions around how we might think about non-speaking students. It pulls on a wide evidence base to support why it’s so important to adopt a curious and open mindset with students with neurodiversity or special educational needs.

Supplementary resources: Presentation

Suitable for: All

Closing plenary and Prize draw