Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.
Wernher von Braun
To be an effective SENCO we are often led to believe that we need to know everything about, well pretty much everything. The truth is, we can’t, and we don’t. However, it is vital to know three things:
- Where can I find out? Where are the sources that I know are reliable and that I can trust?
- What is it I need to find out? What question am I trying to find the answer to and why am I asking that question?
- How much time and energy can I give to finding things out? Am I being efficient in my approach to research.
Our time and our energy are our precious commodities, and we need to be disciplined about how we use them. So, let’s address these questions in reverse order.
Time and wellbeing
Learning new things is one of the #5aDay wellbeing strands, and clearly benefits not only us, but our colleagues and the community we serve. So research has to be part of the role. I wrote it into the job description of the SENCO for my school when I became head, which also meant that they needed to be given time to do it. When planning out your workload think about dedicated research time on your diary. Regular shortish slots often feels more manageable and will be more productive. For example, 30 minutes dedicated slot a week turn research into a pro-active leadership activity, as opposed to a reactive management task.
Top tip: If you are not sure what it is you need to be researching, then the regular slots are the best time to pick up that article you meant to read last month, or explore a handout given out at a conference from an expert speaker.
Case study: I know Anita Devi has a research question book, Trello list of ideas and a long reading list. So, she is actively using weekly slots to update her knowledge and skills, whilst ensuing she does not work into the night or on weekends.
Focus your research
Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
Zora Neal Hurston (an American Anthropologist)
I love this quote, it really gets me thinking:
- Where is my curiosity currently taking me?
- What do I want to find out about and why?
We talk regularly about purpose and taking a strand of inquiry to research in order to solve a problem or have a positive impact on a child, a group of children or a community strikes at the heart of what we are as SENCOs. Therefore, this will not only have a positive impact on our wellbeing but also on our development as a SENCO (and a leader).
Make sure you know specifically what it is your curious about and frame it as a question. For example, I examined would regular group play therapy have a positive impact for children identified as having a social emotional mental health (SEMH) need? When embarking on a research journey consider what you know already, and what has already been done in this field, is there research out there already that gives a strong basis for investigating this in your setting, or negates the necessity to do the research in your school? This is where the regular 30 minutes a week time slot comes in handy.
Case study: Have researched the literature, I also needed to then to collect on-going data pertinent to our setting. I considered attendance data, progress data, answers to questions about social and emotional feelings and behaviour from the children and their teachers. As a school we also considered how we would compare the evidence with children who are not accessing play therapy, but who were similar in attendance, age, attainment). Our next step was to consider data interval collection points (half termly, termly and a complete school year).
Not all research needs primary data from your setting, or a direct line of inquiry using your classes. It may be that you want to research the best assisted technology or the best resource for a particular need. Here you would be looking to your secondary sources and use those that you trust. These might include other SENCOs in your network, information you have picked up in training, forums or conferences, as well as online articles. Make sure you are comfortable with your sources and that you can identify their values and purpose Do these align with you? Triangulate the information you are reading with other sources.
Develop yourself and your ideas through research
In my current work I started from the premise supervision for SENCOs and leaders is vital, so my question was:
‘What benefits would supervision bring for SENCOs and leaders and how do I know?’
I then went to look at the research, (which is very limited for education), and so I have had to look beyond education into social care and health and translate that into what it might mean for school staff. I also had to explore the use of supervision beyond the UK. This meant I had to ensure what they say supervision is, is what I know it as. The limited education specific research has led me to build my own evidence-base, as well as continue conversations with others working in the field to see what the common threads are. My research is very much in the exploring and building evidence phase.
So, knowing what we don’t know (or suspecting something but not being sure) and then going to find out more is good for our wellbeing, and good for the community we serve. The caveat being of course that we need to have boundaries of time, energy and purpose. It has to have value.
Let me know what you are currently researching, what you now know, and I will return to the strand of research and learning in later blogs!
Till next time,
Jenny