Yesterday was the incredible ResearchEd 2014. If you missed it, have a look at the “day in pictures” over at Academies Week or peruse the #rED14 hashtag on twitter.
It was inspiring, incredible, fun and – most of all – reminded me that education is a serious profession. It brings together politicians, policy makers, school leaders, classroom teachers, and those (like me) who now spend our days writing and reporting on what’s happening.
My talk was in the seventh session, so I went for lightness, and did a straightforward list of things I’ve done wrong when trying to communicate research with other people – particularly those who aren’t interested or are inherently sceptical.
The slides below should give you everything you need to know, but there’s one small bit of context needed. In terms of the Mistake #1 – “Not including ACTUAL research” is down to the number of times I have read pieces or listened to INSETs about the wonders of research without anyone ever saying what research is, or presenting any of it for me to consider. If research is so darn good then I expect to see you using it. The study mentioned is an example of something you might use to get people thinking.
Sadly, the slides don’t capture the questions – which were great. Especially Alex Bigham’s, which has essentially ensured that any future career in politics is now highly unlikely.
“If you were a politician, how would you avoid confirmation bias?” @miss_mcinerney: “If I were a politician I wouldn’t” #rED14
— Michael Shaw (@MrMichaelShaw) September 6, 2014
Oh well, guess I’ll just have to stay in education.
Slides
[slideshare id=38794864&w=476&h=400&sc=no]
Reblogged this on The Echo Chamber.