In this episode, teacher Laura Heads and researcher Gill Adams discuss the shifting meanings and contexts of credibility when it comes to literacy research.

What researchers mean by research credibility may differ from the markers of credibility that matter to teachers. Different teacher priorities and pressures influence their understanding of credibility. Some may want research that provides answers to classroom problems; others may prefer research that questions their assumptions about children’s literacies. Finding the time to critically gauge the credibility of research can become difficult. All this makes considerations of credibility messy, contextual and complex. Much like literacy research itself, there are no easy answers, no one correct way of doing things. Critical conversations within professional communities can offer teachers valuable signposts, provide some space for reflection, and empower them to question research.

This podcast is produced for the Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education project. You can find the episode transcript and more information about the Research Mobilities project on our website: https://research.shu.ac.uk/researchconversations/

In this episode, teacher Ross Watson and researcher Debra Myhill explore the discrepancies between the various practices of researchers and the messages teachers receive about research.

Simplistic research guidelines overlook the complexities and differences within learning spaces that generalisations cannot account for. Teachers rarely have the time and space to critically reflect or share ideas about research amongst themselves. Moreover, the narrative of research having “the answers” ignores the ways in which teachers can raise questions and practice can inform research. The episode advocates for more collaborative spaces to develop and change relationships among teachers and researchers. By working together in communities, they can have conversations about different possibilities, limitations, nuances and contexts. Consequently, research will not be a product that is given to teachers, but rather a process that researchers and teachers engage in collaboratively.

This podcast is produced for the Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education project. You can find the episode transcript and more information about the Research Mobilities project on our website:

https://research.shu.ac.uk/researchconversations/

In this episode, teacher Vikki Varley and researcher Sinéad Harmey talk about the value of teachers conducting their own research in their classrooms.

Such projects can not only have a positive impact on their students but also provide learning opportunities for the teachers themselves. These research projects give teachers time to dwell and reflect on their own thinking and practice. They end up contributing to their professional and personal development. This episode also explores the different ways in which both teachers and researchers can tune into each other.

This podcast is produced for the Research Mobilities in Primary Literacy Education project. You can find the episode transcript and more information about the Research Mobilities project on our website:

https://research.shu.ac.uk/researchconversations/