The document describes two case studies from a teacher education project aimed at promoting research-informed teaching. The first case study enhances student teachers' review of literature in post-graduate studies. The second fosters connections between school-based learning and research on mathematics teaching through collaborative lesson research. Both are informed by Engestrom's expansive learning cycle and aim to stimulate student teachers to use educational research to experiment and innovate teaching. The case studies address tensions in design and implementation and aim to develop student teachers' research literacy.

1. Research in Teacher Education (RiTE)
How can we engage mathematics ITE students with research?
Dr Sally Bamber Dr Christian Bokhove
University of Chester University of Southampton
s.hughes@chester.ac.uk C.Bokhove@soton.ac.uk

2. Abstract
This paper reports on the design of two UK case studies that from part of a wider Erasmus+
teacher education project that aims to promote and facilitate research informed teaching. In
the Research in Teacher Education (RiTE) project, student teachers are stimulated to use
evidence from educational and scientific research to experiment and innovate their teaching
and learning processes. Each case study is informed by Engestrom’s expansive learning cycle,
which has been interpreted in the context of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in the two UK
projects. The first case study reports on the design and implementation of materials designed
to enhance student teachers’ critical review of literature in the context of the post-graduate
study that is incorporated within their teacher education. The second case study presents the
design of collaborative lesson research that aims to foster authentic connections between
school-based learning (teaching practice) and research that informs mathematics teaching and
learning. We will discuss the aims of research-informed mathematics teacher education at each
site, demonstrate some of the approaches and materials that we utilised, and address tensions
within the design and early implementation of these projects.

3. University of Groningen The Netherlands
University of Southampton United Kingdom
Universitaet Paderborn Germany
Adam Mickiewicz University Poland
University of Chester United Kingdom
Five Case Studies - Research in Teacher Education (RiTE)

4. Each case study designed using Engeström’s (2001, 2015)
Expansive Learning Cycle
Engeström Y. (2001). Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work 14(1).
Engeström, Y. (2015). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

5. Evidence-use mechanisms (Breckon & Dodson, 2016)

6. Challenged by representations of evidence-informed or research-
informed teacher education across the partners’ teacher
education classes.
Aim - Research in Teacher Education
Promote and facilitate (student) teachers to create an evidence-
informed teaching practice in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) education.
In this RiTE project, (student) teachers are stimulated to use
evidence from educational and scientific research to experiment
and innovate their teaching and learning processes

7. Whereas the outcomes of research might play a role in professional
judgement, they can only ever assist professional judgement and action but
can never dictate what should be done. Educational practice consists of
situations that in a sense are always new and unique.
(Biesta, 2007a)
G. Biesta (2007). Bridging the gap between educational research and educational practice: The need for critical distance.
Educational Research and Evaluation, 13 (3), 295-301
Research cannot supply us with rules for action but only with hypotheses
for intelligent problem solving. Research can only tell us what has worked
in a particular situation, not what will work in any future situation. The role
of the educational professional in this process is not to translate general
rules into particular lines of action. It is rather to use research findings to
make one’s problem-solving more intelligent.
(Biesta, 2007b)
Biesta, G. (2007b). Why what works, won’t work: Evidence-based practice and the democratic deficit in educational research. Education
Theory, 57(1), 1–22.

8. Secondary school mathematics initial teacher education (ITE) is predominantly taught through a one
year post-graduate certificate of education (PGCE) which integrates school based learning with study
at Masters’ level. The case study has been designed to foster more authentic connections between
school-based learning (teaching practice) and research that informs mathematics teaching and
learning. The cycle of teacher education used in the UoC case study is characterised by small-scale
Teacher Research Group (TRG) collaborations that allow beginning mathematics teachers to use
research to inform the design of a lesson and to collaboratively interrogate learner’s responses to the
lesson design. This moves away from a lesson observation as a performance and towards a model of
collaborative enquiry that focuses on learning. This leads to a second stage of the case study that
allows beginning teachers to plan a practitioner enquiry in the latter half of their ITE course. The
rationale for their enquiries is rooted in resolving issues that they are facing in their own classrooms.
The ITE students become aware of appropriate methods for carrying out classroom enquiries whilst
further interrogating research that informs the structure and design of their classroom interventions.

9. Two Phases:
1.Small scale collaborative lesson research
Part of the wider mathematics teacher education programme that
aims to bridge university- and school-based education.
Research translated by the tutor. Small group teaching in a safe,
low-stakes context. Interrogation of the learners’ Reponses.
2.Practitioner enquiry in mathematics education
Embedded within the Master’s Level study within a PGCE course.
ITE student interrogates research, designs and implements the
enquiry.

10. Preparation
Teachers and University tutors
meet to agree the focus for the
Teacher Research Group.
Research that informs the project
is shared.
Professional learning session
Participants learn about the focus for the TRG, the concepts, pedagogy,
current practice and research that informs the learning. The session is
interactive and models lesson activities and resources. Reading sources
are shared.
Planning small group teaching
Participants use the models learned in the first session to design a lesson
so that they can interpret the impact of the learning models on the
learners’ knowledge and understanding. They work with experts to design
the lesson.
Small group teaching
Participants teach the lesson. In some cases, one participant observes
while the other teaches. All participants focus on noticing the impact of
the lesson design on the pupils’ learning. They record significant
comments or photograph pupils’ work.
Review of teaching and learning
Participants review the impact of the learning models on the pupils’
learning. They discuss significant comments or photograph pupils’ work.
They reflect on how their choices seemed to influence the learning.
Participants interrogate the relationships between the teacher, learners
and the mathematics.
Professional learning session
Participants learn how to transfer the
outcomes of their small group teaching to
each class’s context. They reflect on the
place of the learning models used in the
TRG within their schools. They discuss
potential barriers and opportunities for
enhancing learning. They identify the
significance of these models for their own
professional knowledge and for their
practice. Participants plan further reading
and identify the significance of the outcomes
of this TRG for their own practice.
The collaborative lesson research
cycle is aligned with Engestrom’s
cycle and is influenced by
• Models of transformative
teacher education (Darling-
Hammond, Lytle and Cochran-
Smith)
• Lesson study in mathematics
(Baldry and Foster) and
• Teacher Research Groups and
Lesson design (swan &
Burkhardt)

11. Small scale practitioner enquiry
Proposal Presentation
Rationale- Research question- Literature- Design- Ethics
Assignment
Justify study design and interrogate data from the enquiry. Analysis builds ITE
student’s perception of what happened in their classroom and interprets
implications for their practice and professional learning.

13. Case study UoS
• PGCE mathematics (University Led and School Direct)
• Embedded in support M level assignments 1 and 2
• Assignment 1: literature review on a topic
• Assignment 2: small empirical research project
• From October 2020 to May 2021
• Custom materials – extended and improved

14. Preliminary work
• Pre course writing task
A shorter writing task is set pre-course so that trainees have an
opportunity to start to engage with literature and to begin to connect
theory and practice. They receive brief feedback and the task is used
diagnostically to identify those who might need additional support
with assignments.
• Academic writing workshop
This session should be seen as a ‘skills building’ session. Rather than
addressing any substantive content, it provides a skills basis for what
will follow in the next stages of the expansive learning cycle.

15. • Two topics, ‘attitudes to mathematics
and resilience’ and ‘conceptions and
misconceptions in mathematics’
• The first step is aimed at “questioning,
criticizing or rejecting some aspects of
the accepted practice and existing
wisdom.” (Engeström, 2010, p.7). This
will be done to not only provide the
evidence base of the two topics, but
also critiques and comments on that
evidence base.

16. • Writing a literature review and critiquing
literature
• In this second step the analysis is fine-
tuned into a coherent synthesis of the
evidence-base, leading to the
determination of a ‘gap in the literature’.
The idea is that this gap is used to posit
an “explicit, simplified model of the new
idea that explains and offers a solution
to the problematic situation”
(Engeström, 2010, p.7).
• Note ‘problematic situation’ considered
more generally.

17. Three sessions:
• Structuring your assignment
• Choosing and using research methods
• Methodology
These sessions presents a combination
of skills building (structuring the
assignment) and making choices
regarding the empirical part of the
assignment. Focused on “running,
operating and experimenting on it in
order to fully grasp its dynamics,
potentials and limitations.”
(Engeström, 2010, p.7)

18. • Analysing the data
• This session supports
trainees in taking the
data from the previous
phase and analysing it. It
will contain both
attention to skills as a
focus ‘so what does the
data say’. This latter
focus, in our view, can be
seen as implementing
the model that trainees
set out to examine.

19. • Structuring your assignment
• This session presents a combination
of skills building (structuring the final
submission). The submission needs to
contain some discussion and
conclusion

20. Format of materials
Mix of
• Instructional
materials e.g.
presentation slides.
• Screencasts
• Annotated PDFs
• Intentionally
conflicting
literature.

21. Different data collection methods
Before-and-after
• Evidence-based practice scales
(adaption of: Melnyk et al., 2008)
• Evidence-based practice beliefs
scale (16 items)
• Evidence-based practice
implementation scale (16 items)
• Evidence-Informed Decision
Making in Education Test
(adaption of Fresno-Test, Ramos
et al., 2003)Interviews
During the cycle
• Good practices, interactions, field
notes, Journal contributions

23. Conclusion
• The RiTE project tries to embed evidence-informed practices in our
teacher training.
• Criticality is a keyword; not just uncritically adopting some sources.
• The hope is that this contributes to increased M level thinking.
• And that this then contributes to even better qualified maths
teachers.
• T&C apply!

24. Thank you
• Any questions?
• Discussion:
How do you think we can best improve
our maths trainees’ research literacy?
Dr Sally Bamber Dr Christian Bokhove
University of Chester University of Southampton
s.hughes@chester.ac.uk C.Bokhove@soton.ac.uk