This EVO Project, led by a team of volunteer teacher educators, provides a hands-on introduction to inquiry-based teacher development, especially (though not exclusively) for teachers working in difficult circumstances (large classes, low-resource classrooms, etc.). The five-week workshop takes participants through different stages of teacher-research, engaging them in practical activities to gradually build their confidence in teacher-research.
The 2021 EVO on Classroom-based research for professional development brought together many teachers from diverse educational settings together here, on this online platform.
EVO activities lasted until the end of Week 5 on 14th February. There were then online presentations of class research planned and/or conducted during this EVO by participants. Participation was absolutely on a voluntary basis and free.
While waiting to register, participants were invited to join our Facebook group.
The first weekly online live event of the EVO project was on 18th January 2020 at 15:00 GMT. There were then weekly live sessions on Saturdays at 15:00 GMT, for five weeks. A recording was made available after each session.
There was input each week, and associated activities, and registered participants were able to interact with others and with moderators via social media. Our syllabus was as follows:
Week 1 (11-17 Jan. 2021): This week has two main stages:
1) Getting to know each other
To get to know the moderators and other participants, please introduce yourself in our Facebook group /, fill out a questionnaire which will help us support you and which constitutes your official 'registration' for this EVO, and browse some of the readings and videos about teacher-research that we've made available.
2) Introduction and stepping into research for teacher development
By clicking on to week 1 link you are now able to watch video introductions to the project overall. Then various activities will: invite you to introduce your classroom and teaching situation to the group via canvas.instructure.com/courses/2456252 or Facebook group and focus on sharing recent successful teaching experiences relating to your contexts. The emphasis is on confidence-building and relationship-building via recognition of yourselves and your colleagues as experts in your own classrooms. Videos of other teachers sharing their experiences in a workshop in Nepal are also shared.
Week 2: (18-24 Jan. 2021): Identifying a focus of research and developing research questions
You will be introduced to the value of exploring before attempting to bring about a change. This entails stepping back from the situation and investigating it thoroughly. As a first step, you will be helped to identify a main research focus and develop this into a clear research question or questions. During this process, you will receive feedback from moderators and other course participants.
Week 3: (25- 31 Jan. 2021): Practical tools for exploratory research
You will be guided into considering different sources of information and appropriate data collection tools. You will be helped to determine the best type(s) for your own questions. You will continue to gain feedback from moderators. You will also be shown how you can involve your students in the research and problem-solving process.
Week 4: (1- 8 Feb. 2021): Analyzing and interpreting data
This week will be allocated to basic data analysis procedures, interpretation of findings, and deciding what to do next. Participants will learn about several ways to analyze data and will decide which analysis procedure(s) will best complement their study.
Week 5: (8 Feb -14 Feb. 2021): Sharing research
Participants will be guided to reflect on how best to share their valuable insights with their colleagues, with a focus on innovative, creative and teacher-friendly means of sharing. Some participants will then share their work in the form of research plans (context - questions - data collection methods) or reports on work so far if the research has already started. Finally, teachers will be encouraged to join specific networks (the 'Teachers Research!' Facebook group, the Teaching English in Large Classes network (TELCnet) and IATEFL Research SIG) for further development in this area. They will also be invited to stay in touch and report back about their research in March or April.
While waiting to register, participants were invited to join our Facebook group.
The first weekly online live event of the EVO project was on 18th January 2020 at 15:00 GMT. There were then weekly live sessions on Saturdays at 15:00 GMT, for five weeks. A recording was made available after each session.
There was input each week, and associated activities, and registered participants were able to interact with others and with moderators via social media. Our syllabus was as follows:
Week 1 (11-17 Jan. 2021): This week has two main stages:
1) Getting to know each other
To get to know the moderators and other participants, please introduce yourself in our Facebook group /, fill out a questionnaire which will help us support you and which constitutes your official 'registration' for this EVO, and browse some of the readings and videos about teacher-research that we've made available.
2) Introduction and stepping into research for teacher development
By clicking on to week 1 link you are now able to watch video introductions to the project overall. Then various activities will: invite you to introduce your classroom and teaching situation to the group via canvas.instructure.com/courses/2456252 or Facebook group and focus on sharing recent successful teaching experiences relating to your contexts. The emphasis is on confidence-building and relationship-building via recognition of yourselves and your colleagues as experts in your own classrooms. Videos of other teachers sharing their experiences in a workshop in Nepal are also shared.
Week 2: (18-24 Jan. 2021): Identifying a focus of research and developing research questions
You will be introduced to the value of exploring before attempting to bring about a change. This entails stepping back from the situation and investigating it thoroughly. As a first step, you will be helped to identify a main research focus and develop this into a clear research question or questions. During this process, you will receive feedback from moderators and other course participants.
Week 3: (25- 31 Jan. 2021): Practical tools for exploratory research
You will be guided into considering different sources of information and appropriate data collection tools. You will be helped to determine the best type(s) for your own questions. You will continue to gain feedback from moderators. You will also be shown how you can involve your students in the research and problem-solving process.
Week 4: (1- 8 Feb. 2021): Analyzing and interpreting data
This week will be allocated to basic data analysis procedures, interpretation of findings, and deciding what to do next. Participants will learn about several ways to analyze data and will decide which analysis procedure(s) will best complement their study.
Week 5: (8 Feb -14 Feb. 2021): Sharing research
Participants will be guided to reflect on how best to share their valuable insights with their colleagues, with a focus on innovative, creative and teacher-friendly means of sharing. Some participants will then share their work in the form of research plans (context - questions - data collection methods) or reports on work so far if the research has already started. Finally, teachers will be encouraged to join specific networks (the 'Teachers Research!' Facebook group, the Teaching English in Large Classes network (TELCnet) and IATEFL Research SIG) for further development in this area. They will also be invited to stay in touch and report back about their research in March or April.