Project IRIS: April 2009 - Ongoing
A longitudinal study over three years examining how special education is provided within Irish schools, the experiences of pupils/students with special education needs (SEN) receiving this education and their associated outcomes.

Escalate: Face-zine the Future: Moving to online teaching - Current (2010 - 2011)
With the current proliferation of online courses, there is a new and different dimension in the learning culture of teacher education. Many tutors are moving from traditional pedagogies of face-to-face (F2F) teaching to become online educators often with limited or no pedagogical training in this context.

SCoTENS: Completed 2009
The purpose of this research project was to investigate the professional development requirements of second level teachers who have a specific remit to work with students who have special educational needs in mainstream school settings in both Northern and Southern Ireland. This research was funded by SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South).

Research Project: August - September 2008
Literature review on the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs.

PROJECT IRIS

A longitudinal study over three years examining how special education is provided within Irish schools, the experiences of pupils/students with special education needs (SEN) receiving this education and their associated outcomes.

April 2009 - Ongoing

Project description:

Project IRIS (Inclusive Research in Irish Schools) was commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and is being carried out by ICEP Europe in conjunction with The Centre for Special Needs Education and Research, University of Northampton and the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin.

The research is a longitudinal study over 3 years and seeks to examine the way school policies and practices impact on children's educational experiences, how the curriculum is delivered to those with special educational needs, the way in which resources and support services are used by schools, and the application of individual education plans for the students.

Research process:

The research project is divided into five main phases and is scheduled to be completed in 2013. The phases are as follows:

Phase 1: The main focus of this phase is to conduct a critical review of current literature in special education provision and practice. Focus group interviews will also be carried out which will inform surveys to be used later in the study and help identify examples of interesting and innovative practice.

Phase 2: The goal of this phase is to conduct an electronic survey delivered to all primary schools in Ireland and aimed at collecting data on the provision of special education in those schools. This phase will also involve carrying out case studies of SEN provision in individual primary schools, and case studies of individual students within those schools.

Phase 3: This phase will involve conducting an electronic survey to collect data on special education provision within post-primary schools in Ireland. As with phase 2, case studies of individual post-primary schools and individual pupils within those schools will be carried out.

Phase 4: The focus of phase four will be to revisit both the primary and post-primary schools, and students, from the earlier phases. Developments in key aspects of school policy and procedures, and any changes in the pupils experience will be examined.

Phase 5: The principle focus of this phase is to review all aspects of the data generated over the course of the project and the preparation and delivery of a final report. This will include the review and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data and the development of recommendations based on the overall findings from each phase.

Escalate Research Project

Project Title: Face-zine the Future: Moving to online teaching

Duration: Current (2010-2011)

The Research Team

This research will be carried out by a collaborative team comprised of Dr Pamela Cowan, School of Education, Queen’s University, Belfast, Reverend Professor Peter Neil, School of Education, University of the West of Scotland and Dr Eileen C. Winter, ICEP Europe (adjunct tutor, School of Education, QUB).

Funding

The project is funded by ESCalate (Education Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy).

Project Description

With the current proliferation of online courses, there is a new and different dimension in the learning culture of teacher education. Many tutors are moving from traditional pedagogies of face-to-face (F2F) teaching to become online educators often with limited or no pedagogical training in this context.

As the numbers of pre-service, in-service, and continuing professional development courses being offered online at Universities and Colleges increase, it has become evident that experienced F2F tutors do not become expert online tutors overnight. Levy (2003) suggests that tutors need to be willing to make the change to online teaching but need training and support to do this successfully.

Palloff and Pratt (2001, p.23) claim, “faculty cannot be expected to know intuitively how to design and deliver an effective online course”. The pedagogy of online learning requires training the role of the online tutor is vital in developing and maintaining an effective online learning environment. Tutors must be skilled in preparing and presenting online courses that promote learning and must be able to develop an effective and dynamic community of learners. As Palloff and Pratt (2001, p.29) suggest, “Without the support and participation of a learning community, there is no online course”.

Research Objectives

This project examines the role of the teacher education tutor and the strategies used to facilitate teaching and learning online. It examines ways that effective teacher-educators utilize technology to support student learning and participation, and to develop effective communities of practice.

The three main aims for this study are:

1. To examine current teacher educators’ experiences of moving from the traditional model of regular F2F classes to one where students and tutors can participate fully and interactively online at any time during the course, and to highlight the potential ‘enablers’ and ‘barriers’ to this mode of teaching and learning;
2. To provide specific recommendations and priorities for professional development of tutors involved in all aspects of teacher education to support their transition to online teaching and in the development of communities of practice.
3. To develop an e-zine (electronic toolkit) containing tried and tested strategies that can be used in the professional development of tutors as they move into the virtual world of online pedagogy.

 Key Research Questions

1. What are the experiences of teacher educators moving from F2F to online teaching;
2. What strategies do teacher educators implement before, during, and after their online course to ensure quality learning for students?’
3. How do teacher educators measure ‘quality learning’ online?
4. What strategies do teacher educators employ that enable the development of a community of practice?
5. What are the main enablers and/or barriers to successful online teaching?
6. What priorities do teacher educators have for professional development in online teaching?

Methodology

The researchers will take a mixed method approach as recommended by Creswell (2007) giving equal priority to the qualitative and quantitative data. This includes interviews, an electronic survey, and focus groups with current teacher education practitioners involved in online teaching. Data will be collected and analyzed in phases and results merged for the final report. The research utilizes both forms of data in order to provide more complete insights into the research problem and to address the specific research questions. The strength of a mixed method approach is that it combines the advantages of both forms of data and increases the acceptance of findings and conclusions by stakeholders.

Outcomes

The main outcome of the project will be an e-zine (online toolkit) highlighting recommendations for the professional development of teacher education tutors making the change to online teaching. The contents will include both updates on theoretical models and exemplifications of good practice in implementing these models as captured from the survey, the focus group interviews, wiki tasks and/or YouTube videos. It is anticipated that the findings from this research will contribute to an informed debate about what should be expected from effective teacher-educators in the 21st century. Findings could be incorporated into current staff development and CPD for school or college tutors and lecturers in Initial Teacher Education, Masters in Education courses and in programmes such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCHET) offered by Universities throughout the UK and similar programmes further afield. A consequence of this staff development opportunity will be the improved use of online pedagogies by tutors resulting in an improved experience of online teaching and learning for all.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Levy, S. (2003). Six Factors to Consider when Planning Online Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education. Retrieved December 14^th 2009 from Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring61/levy61.htm

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The realities of online teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

SCoTENS Research Project

Professional Development for Post-Primary SEN Teachers in Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland

Funded by SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South)

Completed 2009

Research Team: Elizabeth O’Gorman, UCD; Sheelagh Drudy, UCD; Eileen Winter, ICEP Europe (formerly QUB); Ron Smith, QUB; Mairin Barry, UCD.

Project Overview

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the professional development requirements of those second level (post primary) teachers who have a specific remit to work with students who have special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream school settings in both Northern and Southern Ireland. With the inclusion of many more students with additional needs and disabilities in mainstream classes, teachers at second level face ever increasing challenges as they work to meet the needs of the students on a daily basis. Second level teachers are now working in a variety of roles within schools as they strive to meet these various needs.

This research drew on the experiences of current, second level practitioners whose remit is to work with students with special and additional needs both North and South, to establish their professional development requirements across a variety of school-based roles.

Aims of the research project

The main aims of this research:

• To contribute to the knowledge base, north and south, in the area of teacher education for special educational needs at post-primary level;
• To provide information, north and south, for curriculum development in teacher professional development;
• To give direction, north and south, in efficiently targeting resources in special educational needs professional development.

The main objectives of this research:

• To identify the professional development requirements, north and south, of post primary teachers working in the area of special educational needs in mainstream schools
• To identify the roles and functions, north and south, of post-primary teachers working in the area of special educational needs in mainstream schools
• To develop recommendations for continuous professional development programmes, north and south, in the area of special educational needs

The Outcomes:

• To strengthen best practice currently in operation in the training of special needs teachers, north and south.

Report

The report of the project was launched at the October 2009 SCoTENS Annual Conference in Malahide, Co Dublin.

A copy can be accessed at www.scotens.org or by contacting SCoTENS, The Centre for Cross Border Studies, 39 Abbey Street, Armagh, NI, BT61 7EB.

Research Project

Literature review on the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs

April - September 2008

Project description:

This research project was commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in July 2008 and completed in collaboration with the Council’s Consultative Forum. Its purpose was to conduct a literature review on the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs.

Specifically, the project sought first to produce a detailed summary of existing literature on inclusion, current definitions of inclusion, and a collation of the main principles and practices involved in inclusive education. Second, the project aimed to develop and report criteria that can be used to assess a school’s level of inclusiveness, and to create a tool for all schools to use as part of their development plans in relation to including pupils with special educational needs and disability.

Research process:

The general approach to completing the research project involved three main strands:

• The first strand involved conducting a literature review, gathering relevant information from national and international sources on the background to inclusion, the principles that underpin inclusive education, and the various definitions of inclusion.

• The second strand incorporated an analysis of the information gathered during strand one and the construction of a framework of inclusion based on themes developed from the literature and from the initial written input from the Consultative Forum and provided by the NCSE. The framework allows for the evaluation of practices associated with successful inclusive education. In constructing the framework, the research team adopted a holistic model wherein inclusion is viewed as a dynamic system that encompasses mainstream schools, special classes, special schools and the wider community.

• The final strand builds on the framework of inclusive practices developed in strand two and involved the construction of a checklist of inclusive practice that can be used to determine the level of inclusiveness within a school

Outcome:

A report was produced for the NCSE and consisted in two parts. Part one featured the main literature review, encompassing the background and reasons for the movement towards inclusive education, and the definitions and principles underlying inclusion. Part two outlines the various practices of inclusion within the framework for inclusion developed for this research, detailing how the framework was constructed, its rationale, and how it can be used in practice.