Abstract

The practitioner based research project Standing ‘on our own two feet’: A comparison of teacher-directed and group learning in an extra-curricular instrumental group was undertaken by Kathryn Andrews, during her master’s degree, with her own pupils, through videoing of lessons and semi-structured pupil interviews. In this seminar she will examine the journey undertaken in carrying out this research, the methodology, procedures and design of the project, and the data collection and analysis. She will share her experience of the practicalities of carrying out such research in the context of everyday working life in a school, the problems encountered and the solutions found. There will also be consideration of the limitations of this kind of research and the doubts and difficulties encountered along the way, as well as the rewards such research brings and its ongoing impact on her as a practising teacher. This seminar will include a presentation and opportunity to ask questions.

Biographical note

Kathryn Andrews is Subject Leader for Music and Performing Arts in a London primary school where she teaches national curriculum music and also extra-curricular instrumental groups and choirs. She graduated with a B.Ed from Homerton College, Cambridge, and gained her MA in Music Education with distinction at the Institute of Education, University of London, in 2011. Her recently published article Standing ‘on our own two feet’: A comparison of teacher-directed and group learning in an extra-curricular instrumental group (BJME March 2013) summarises her master’s research project, a practitioner based project undertaken with her own pupils. She is currently exploring ways in which informal learning approaches, especially with regard to group learning and aural learning, can be used to enhance her pupils’ learning and motivation across a range of learning contexts.