2. Agenda
Introductions – who are we?
What is evidence-based practice 1
Why do we need it?
What is evidence-based practice 2
Criticisms of evidence-based practice
Asking well-formulated questions that matter
Acquiring the evidence
What next
2
3. Who are we?
Dr Gary Jones
Blogger, speaker, author and
former FE senior leader
Michelle Prosser Haywood
Senior Lecturer, University of
Wolverhampton
Co-founder - ResearchSEND
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4. • There is data (information) available, which might tell a different
story
• LAs are working on SEND Transformation
• Trainee Teachers do have experience of SEND
• Schools can work together to change practice
• Teachers are undertaking research and are using research in their
classrooms (and they are willing to share it)
What is ResearchSEND in Ordinary
Classrooms telling us?
5. Every Teacher a Teacher of #SEND
6.19 The first response to such progress should be high quality teaching targeted at their
areas of weakness. Where progress continues to be less than expected the class or subject
teacher, working with the SENCO, should assess whether the child has SEN.
While informally gathering evidence (including the views of the pupil and their parents)
schools should not delay in putting in place extra teaching or other rigorous interventions
designed to secure better progress, where required. The pupil’s response to such support
can help identify their particular needs.
6. School Support
Education, Health & Care
Plan
Class Teacher
SENCO
Cognition & Learning
Speech, language & Communication
Sensory & Physical
Social, Emotional & Mental Health
7. What is evidence-based practice (EBP)? 1
Evidence-based practice (EBP) can be defined as
the production or creation of desirable change
and the prevention of undesirable change,
somehow guided by evidence of what works.
Kvernbekk, T. (2016). Evidence-Based Practice in Education: Functions of Evidence and Causal
Presuppositions. London. Routledge.
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8. Why do we need evidence-based practice?
When evidence is used during practice, our chances of the
following are increased
effective interventions are introduced;
interventions that do more harm than good are not
introduced;
interventions that do more good than harm are not
discontinued;
and interventions that are ineffective or do more harm than
good are discontinued.
Adapted from Gray, J. (2001). Evidence-based healthcare: how to make health policy and
management decisions (Second ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone.
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9. Other reasons why we need evidence-based
practice
Education is prone to fads and faddism
The half-life of facts
Fake news and social media
Bounded rationality and cognitive biases
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11. Evidence-based practice is about making
decisions though the conscientious, explicit and
judicious use of the best available evidence from
multiple sources by
Asking: translating a practical issue or problem into an answerable
question
Acquiring: systematically searching for and retrieving the evidence
Appraising: critically judging the trustworthiness and relevance of the
evidence
Aggregating: weighting and pulling together the evidence
Applying: incorporating the evidence into the decision-making process
Assessing: evaluating the outcome of the decision taken
to increase the likelihood of a favourable outcome
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15. Criticisms of evidence-based practice
Evidence-based decisions can be tainted with self-interest;
Cast-iron evidence can get rusty later on;
Evidence-based principles are used very selectively;
Evidence isn't always self-evident;
Evidence on what to changes isn't the same as how to change;
Positive initiatives based on evidence in one area can inflict collateral
damage;
People can cook the data;
Evidence-based teaching is only somewhat like evidence-based medicine;
Evidence comes from experience as well as research. (adapted from p47)
Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in
Every School. New York. Teachers College Press.
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16. Critics of evidence-based practice?
• Biesta, G. (2007). Why “What Works” Won’t Work: Evidence‐Based Practice
and the Democratic Deficit in Educational Research. Educational theory. 57.
1. 1-22.
• Elliott, J. (2001). Making Evidence‐Based Practice Educational. British
Educational Research Journal. 27. 5. 555-574.
• Hammersley, M. (2004). Some Questions About Evidence-Based Practice in
Educaiton In Thomas, G. and R. Pring. Evidence-Based Practice in
Educations Maidenhead. Open University Press.
• MacLure, M. (2005). ‘Clarity Bordering on Stupidity’: Where’s the Quality in
Systematic Review? Journal of Education Policy. 20. 4. 393-416.
• Sanderson, I. (2003). Is It ‘What Works’ That Matters? Evaluation and
Evidence‐Based Policy‐Making. Research papers in education. 18. 4. 331-345.
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17. Getting better at evidence-based practice
Asking: translating a practical issue or problem into an answerable question
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19. So what?
What’s the topic or problem you are trying to learn/find out
about.
Ask an indirect question about the topic/problem in order to
identify what you do not know
Answer So What? then ask a second indirect question that
explains why you asked your first indirect question.
Think: ‘I am interested in … because …. because …’
Booth, W. C., Colob, G., G, Williams, J. M., J., B., & Fitzgerald, W. T. (2016). The Craft of Research
(Fourth Edition). Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press.
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21. I am interested in ….. because …. because
I am interested in children’s play
because I want to find out the best way of incorporating play into
my teaching
because I want to increase children’s independence as learners
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22. I am interested in ….. because …. because
I am interested in coaching
because I want to support teaching assistants
because I want them to be more effective supporting pupils with
SEN
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23. Now you try
I am interested in …..
because ….
because …..
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24. Well formulated and answerable questions
using PICO
P Pupils/Problem. How would you describe the group of pupils or
problem?
I Intervention. What are you planning to do with your pupils?
C Comparison. What is the alternative to your planned
intervention? What else could you do?
O Outcomes. What are the desired effects of the intervention?
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25. Pico
P Pupils/Problem. How would
you describe the group of pupils
or problem?
I Intervention. What are you
planning to do with your pupils?
C Comparison. What is the
alternative to your planned
intervention? What else could
you do?
O Outcomes. What are the
desired effects of the
intervention?
• For Y6 pupils with literacy
difficulties how does A R R OW
compare to Academy of Reading
in bringing about changes in
spelling and reading
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26. Now you try
P Pupils/Problem. How would
you describe the group of pupils
or problem?
I Intervention. What are you
planning to do with your pupils?
C Comparison. What is the
alternative to your planned
intervention? What else could
you do?
O Outcomes. What are the
desired effects of the
intervention
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28. SPICE
Setting – where?
Perspective – for whom?
Intervention – what?
Comparison – compared with
what?
Evaluation – with what result
• Mainstream school
• NQTs
• Mentor observation
• Observation of expert teacher
• Pupil Behaviour
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29. Now you try
Setting – where?
Perspective – for whom?
Intervention – what?
Comparison – compared with
what?
Evaluation – with what result
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30. How to develop FINER questions
F Feasibility: Are there sufficient resources, within the school in terms
of time, money, resources and skills to adequately answer the
question?
I Interesting: Is the question interesting to those given the job of
researching the answer?
N Novel: Is this a recurring problem/question or something which is
new to the school and may become an ongoing issue?
E Ethical: Have any ethical issues been identified and considered
R Relevant: Is it relevant to the school’s development plan and is it
going to influence school policy and practice
https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/LearningAndDevelopment/EventPresentations/PICO_or_
not_to_PICO_Pach_Massarella_Sharma_2016.pdf
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32. 321. Inclusive culture, leadership and
management
2. High quality teaching
3. Use of expertise
4. Personalisation
5. Flexible use of evidence-based
strategies
6. Progress tracking
7. Communication and
collaboration
