Teachers measuring their impact 

Action Research update

When teachers use data to inform their practice, they have a clearer picture of what strategies are most effective in achieving the desired student outcomes. Over the past term, teachers across the three campuses have been engaged in this process as they measure the impact of the range of strategies they have introduced for their action research projects. Whether it be through classroom observation, formative or summative assessment, student surveys and interviews, teachers are using data to determine whether to maintain and build on their new strategies or to go back to the research and try something else. 

For example, in their attempts to improve the structure and depth of senior students’ writing, members of our English Department including Mark Strong, Ingrid Eza-Smith and Chris Richardson, have been using exemplars with annotations and colour coding to model key techniques and components of good writing. Through writing practice, reflections and surveys, teachers are already noticing improvements in students’ understanding of how to approach a writing task to ensure their responses are better structured and supported and that they use language appropriate to the context of the question. 

Kate Corcoran
Action Research Coordinator