Research: It Does Matter!

I read educational research and literature daily and obsessively! Larry and I collaborate and mentor teachers and administrators, so we always want to combine our expertise and experience with the best, most current research-based theory and practice in order to coach our schools and districts to excellence. However, I question to what degree educators value and benefit from the research in our profession. 

On occasion when I quote research in a professional development setting, as a means to authenticate a position or reinforce use of a particular pedagogy, eyes roll. Actively coaching and implementing new instructional and leadership practices are critical to improving teaching and learning, yet too often they take a back seat to less challenging tasks, and or managerial tasks.

In the United States we have access to excellent research: educational theory, brain-based research and evidence-based pedagogy, yet, somehow, results indicate we don’t seem to be connecting the dots. We have the information, but how are we applying it? Are we applying it? Are we applying our knowledge of research consistently, focusing on student needs and outcomes, or are we jumping from one innovation to another looking for that magic solution? Finally, who is accountable for results? 

Peter Serdyukov, Professor at National Universityin La Jolla, California, presents research finding in his publication, “Innovation in education: what works, what doesn’t, and what to do about it?”indicating the United States education system desperately needs effective innovations that can help produce high-quality learning outcomes across the system. He argues, “theprimary focus of educational innovations should be on teaching and learning theory and practice, as well as on the learner, parents, community, society, and its culture” (Serdyukov 2017).

The United States success has always been driven by innovation and has a unique capacity for growth (Zeihan, 2014). It is quite a paradox when we consider the US produces more research than any other country (Science Watch, 2009),yet we do not see much improvement in the way our students are prepared for life and work. The US has produced great scholars and researchers, such as John Dewey, B.F. Skinner, William Glasser, Abraham Maslow, Howard Gardner, Jerome Bruner, and others who have contributed a great deal to educational theory and practice; yet, fifty years of research, along with innovations like the computer and the internet, have yielded change at a pace too slow to significantly improve the quality and outcome of American education.

While we may be struggling in our schools, districts and universities as to how we might integrate these theories and innovations into our classrooms and schools, other nations are benefiting from the research and innovations of the US and have successfully built world-class education systems. It is ironic that success in the Finland education system relied on educational research from the United States. Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author of a bestselling book, The Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change In Finland, said in an interview to the Huffington Post, “American scholars and their writings, like Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, have been influential in building the much-admired school system in Finland” (Rubin, 2015); so wrote other authors (Strauss, 2014). Likewise, Singapore, Norway, South Korea, China, and other progressive, forward-thinking countries have learned and benefited from exceptional US educational research and ideas. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, two million of its people were unskilled and illiterate. By 2009, Singapore students place near the top for all tested subjects on the Programme for International Assessments (PISA) Tests: fifth in reading, second in mathematics and fourth in science. (Singapore, Edutopia, 2012)

So why is it we don’t benefit from our own research? Larry and I have a few hypotheses, based on experience and conversations with colleagues:

1.  “I don’t have time.” As educators, it often seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. As Charles Braxton is quoted as saying, “You will never find enough time, for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” Let’s be honest, it’s a matter of priorities. 
2. “It’s too hard.” When this is the response, generally educators do what they have always done; therefore, the result will be the same. It is much easier to do the familiar. The familiar is safe, very likely what has been modeled in traditional settings for years. The world has changed dramatically in our lifetime; therefore, we cannot teach the same way we were taught. I cannot think of another profession where we do not want and expect the most current professional pedagogy to be implemented.
3. There is no accountability for implementation of the specific strategies and innovations, which lead to changing practice. Someone must support teachers and administrators in their efforts to implement research-based best practices, and someone must accept accountability for implementation. Enough said!
4. The focus is on state assessment scores rather than mastery of teaching and learning. An incredible amount of time and energy is spent administering standardized state tests, interim tests and constant test prepping that otherwise could be spent on quality instructional and performance tasks, which focus on higher order thinking.We must have trust that research based best practices will empower students to think and problem solve at high levels, thus, transfer to any assessment. How can we have multiple, developmentally appropriate instructional experiences and assessments to achieve balance? First, we must examine our beliefs about specific research and how it impacts pedagogy. 

So, what some of the major overlapping theoretic understandings driving education at the top of the world?

• Learners learn in collaboration with others. Learners need to be a part of a community of learners that invites dialogue, exchange, and collaboration. Instructional planning and practice are collaborative.  Teachers, teams, and students work together to determine what needs to be learned, effective strategies for supporting this learning, and appropriate ways in which to demonstrate learning.
•  Learners learn through multiple intelligences. Instruction employs a variety of strategies. Teachers recognize and incorporate multiple intelligences and learning styles into their classroom instruction, meeting the needs of more students.
• Learners construct meaning for themselves. Learners learn what matters to them. Teachers understand that the most significant and enduring learning is constructed by the learner, with guidance and assistance provided by many people. (Constructivist Theory)
•  Feedback is critical to learning. Students receive clear and focused feedback about their performance on a regular basis.  Providing continuous performance-based feedback increases the student’s capacity to guide their own learning and holds them more accountable for their own learning.
•  Successful technology integration connects the classroom to the outside world. Technology makes learning relevant. It allows students to access and record data, and it allows learners opportunities for expressing understanding via publication and multimedia.
• Mentoring is a highly valuable resource. Mentoring has a positive impact when serving as a strategic purpose to develop leadership and improve teacher quality.

Comments welcome:  What research-based strategies and innovations are you successfully implementing?