Narrator

Welcome to the High potential and gifted education Action research resource video series. This is Video 1: what is action research?

There are five videos in this resource. In this video the action research cycle will be explored.

The learning intentions for video 1 are to understand what is action research, the action research cycle, and how it can be used for schools in high potential and gifted education.

This resource series has been designed to scaffold school leaders and teachers through the action research process to support schools to build towards excellence in the implementation of the High potential and gifted education policy. The action research process will assist schools in acting upon particular policy statements, such as those identified in the completion of the evaluation page of the HPGE Evaluation and Planning Tool. Firstly, the action research cycle is described in this video. In the following videos each stage of the cycle is unpacked. Reflective questions are used throughout the resource, targeting procedures, programs and practices, to prompt school leaders and teachers to engage with each stage of the cycle, considering High potential and gifted education in their individual context or setting, thus supporting school improvement progress measures and monitoring.

Action research is a deliberate approach for investigating questions and finding solutions to authentic problems. It is a reflective approach that drives decision-making and critical reflection to support student learning outcomes. It is often used by school leaders and teachers to trial and evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based strategies in their unique contexts and individual classrooms. Action research creates contextualised knowledge, based on enquiries conducted within specific and often practical contexts. The purpose of action research is to learn through action and reflection that then leads to personal, professional and practice development. Action research is participatory in nature, that is, that the researcher is actively taking part in the collection, reflection and implementation of change.

Action research involves a spiral of self-reflecting cycles. The first stage being planning a change and setting a goal by identifying the focus, using available information to inform the researchers of the current situation and organising how data will be collected and analysed. The second stage is acting, where the researchers finalise the actions to be taken, trial the change, collect evidence of progress and continue to question and reflect on the focus area. The third stage is observing the process and consequences of the changes trialled, where evidence and data are analysed, reported on and shared. The fourth stage of the cycle is reflecting on the observations by evaluating the first cycle, implementing long standing change based on the results and revisiting the process to answer more questions or to plan another cycle to further improve or gain deeper insights. This cyclic process can be repeated as many times as necessary as we work towards excellence. It’s not recommended that this is used as a rigid structure or process that may not be as neat as these spirals of self-contained cycles of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting suggests.

Some stages will overlap, and initial plans will quickly become obsolete in the light of learning from experience. As such, the process is likely to be more fluid, open, and responsive to findings. What is important is to analyse the principles involved in the model, which in turn should lead to a deeper understanding of the processes involved in action research. Schools should be looking at their own unique context when undertaking action research and decision-making, bearing in mind the successful implementation in each school and classroom will be different.

The deep learning gained through action research will benefit high potential and gifted students when it is committed to school improvement in targeting talent development across the four domains of potential. High expectations and effective, explicit, evidenced-based teaching creates optimal learning environments where all students are challenged and engaged to achieve personal excellence. The role of action research in this case is to assist schools to do this effectively for their high potential and gifted students.

Thank you for watching video 1 of the High potential and gifted education Action research resource. Together, let’s find the high potential, so we can develop the talent and make the difference.

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Narrator

Welcome to the High potential and gifted education Action research resource video series. This is video 2: planning to identify, inform and organise. This resource series has been designed to scaffold school leaders and teachers through the action research process to support schools to build towards excellence in the implementation of the High potential and gifted education policy.

The learning intentions for this video are to assist you in identifying a focus for your action research while considering the High potential and gifted education policy, getting started with your planning, refining your focus, and considering best practice.

Action research starts with identifying what you are going to focus in on. Your focus for this project will be determined by your school’s current Strategic improvement plan, which has been developed through the school’s current Situational analysis. You will also use the information from the completed self-evaluation page of the HPGE Evaluation and planning tool. To further refine your focus, you should also consider the High potential and gifted education policy, and the five key actions developed to provide a framework for schools to support the implementation of the policy.

All five key actions apply within an action research framework. However, the actions particularly relevant are evaluate school procedures, programs and practices, and analyse student growth and achievement data to inform school planning and policy implementation, collaborate with families, school communities and the wider community to enhance growth and achievement for all high potential and gifted students, and building teacher and leadership capacity through engagement with quality research and ongoing professional learning on effective practices to improve growth and achievement for all high potential and gifted students.

It is also essential that all four domains of high potential are considered throughout the project, these being physical, intellectual, creative and social-emotional.

To get started with your action research please download the HPGE Action research resource – planning document or the full resource document. It is recommended that you use the

completed self-evaluation page of the HPGE Evaluation and planning tool to support your planning. As you work through the reflective questions in the planning document you should ensure that you consider best practice, stakeholder priorities, equity and inclusion within your school context.

In the resource document you will find a series of tables that contain reflective questions to support your research. Table 1 in the document is used to assist you in identifying the focus for your action research. Initially you will be asked to state which of the HPGE policy statements you have identified as the focus for the project and to consider why you have chosen this focus. Utilising the HPGE Evaluation and planning tool and the school SIP will assist in completing this. You will notice that the terms delivering, sustaining and growing, and excelling have been used to align your action research with the SEF.

The final question in table 1 asks you to develop your action research questions, based on your chosen focus. Example sentence starters have been provided below.

[How could you improve…? What procedures, programs and/or practices can we implement to demonstrate…? How do we know our impact…?]

This example question is for a focus on the policy statement 1.5 and refers to the SEF domain Reporting: parent engagement. What procedures, programs and or practices can we implement to engage in strong collaborations between schools, students, parents, carers and the community and how is this used to inform and support the social-emotional development and wellbeing of high potential and gifted students? As you can see the research question has been framed using concepts from the SEF utilising terminology from the HPGE policy and Evaluation and planning tool.

Take a moment now to read through these other examples and consider how the policy and SEF have been used to inform their development.

[HPGE policy 1.2.1 with SEF Learning Domain > Assessment > Formative assessment > Excelling How do we know that we are flexibly and responsively using formative assessment to assess high potential and gifted students as part of daily classroom instruction? HPGE policy 1.6 with SEF Teaching Domain > Learning and Development > Professional Learning > Excelling How do we know that our targeted HPGE professional learning is systematically promoting and implementing the most effective strategies to improve the teaching and learning outcomes for high potential and gifted students?]

Research requires devising methods of collecting information to get a broad picture of what is happening and why. To refine your focus requires analysis of current procedures, programs and

practices in your school context or setting taking into consideration the priorities of all stakeholders in your school context, current research in high potential and gifted education, and best practice including critical reflection, meaningful engagement and solutions that can be embedded into practice. Use the reflective question prompts in table 2a to critically reflect and consider the positions of stakeholders such as executive, teaching and support staff, students and families, in your school.

These questions target current practices that drive decision making in relation to HPGE, the professional learning priorities of the staff, the current procedures, programs and practices that support growth and achievement for HPG students, priorities of HPG student families, and how your HPG student families would like to engage in their children’s learning. It will also include questions around which domains of potential are currently included in school policies, assessments and teaching and learning practices, access to HPGE opportunities and supports for HPG students with disability. You will be asked to consider what each reflective question looks like in your current context and how you will collect and analyse information to inform your understanding of this area.

In table 2b, each policy statement is listed in the left-hand column. Find the policy focus area that is relevant to you and check the box under the statement number. You only need to answer the associated questions to your focus area, again considering how it looks like in the current context and how you will collect and analyse information to better inform your understanding.

Once you have collected information, reflected on multiple positions and analysed your context, you will have a broad and deep understanding of your school’s current practices. Now you should revisit your identified focus area from table 1. Reflecting on your context analysis, review and fine tune your focus area and action research question to ensure that you are targeting your chosen policy statement. Your focus area is not set in stone and may continue to develop and change throughout the process as you discuss and analyse data from your research. Once you have finalised your focus, develop a plan related to your specific school context. Invite colleagues to support your action research through a facilitated approach, for example: the principal, Learning and support team and colleagues, including those with training or experience in gifted education.

Thank you for watching video 2 of the High potential and gifted education Action research resource. Together, let’s find the high potential, so we can develop the talent and make the difference.

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Narrator

Welcome to the High potential and gifted education Action research resource video series. This is video 3: acting to trial, question and collect data. This resource series has been designed to scaffold school leaders and teachers through the action research process to support schools to build towards excellence in the implementation of the High potential and gifted education policy.

The learning intentions for this video are to prepare you to start the acting stage of the action research cycle, reframe your thinking to be action orientated, identify possible data sources for your context, explore the reflective questions, and finalise your plan.

To start the Acting stage, ensure you have a copy of the HPGE Action research resource – acting document or the full resource document. During this stage you will also be engaging in reflective questioning to identify new procedures, programs or practices to trial, planning your trial, considering what data you will be collecting, and who will be involved. You should consider what research and evidence-based strategies could be applied creatively in your school context to meet the HPGE goals of your Strategic improvement plan. You will find that you may be making changes as you move through the cycle. That is not unexpected.

As the title suggests, the acting stage of the cycle is action orientated. Actions are initiated and trialled following your plan over a selected period. During this stage both qualitative and quantitative data is collected and compiled. Data sources will be determined before initiating the action research, and when selecting your data sources all four domains of potential should be considered.

Data collection tools applicable to all four domains of potential might include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

[Best Start, NAP VALID, NCCD, Scout, interviews and focus groups, student and parent surveys, individual learning plans with SMART goals, student work samples, PSC performance and external examinations, talent development programs and mentors]

Use the reflective questions in table 3 of the document to reflect on what and how you will trial your action, collect data, and who will be involved. As you run your trial, ensure that you are collecting evidence and reflecting on your progress as you go. If you have completed the Tier 1 leaders’ course in the past, then you may find that the HPGE Attitudes and teaching practices survey useful in guiding your planning.

Next you will be using the supporting document to identify the action you will trial, determine how the trial will run, determine what data needs to be collected and how it will be collected, who will be involved, then you can initiate your trial action.

Thank you for watching video 3 of the high potential and gifted education action research resource series. Together, let’s find the high potential, so we can develop the talent and make the difference.

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Narrator

Welcome to the High potential and gifted education Action research resource video series. This is video 4: observing to analyse, report and share. This resource series has been designed to scaffold school leaders and teachers through the action research process to support schools to build towards excellence in the implementation of the High potential and gifted education policy. 

In videos 1, 2 and 3, the action research cycle was described as were the planning and acting stages. In this video the observing stage of the cycle will be explored.

The learning intentions for this video are to support you as you get started on the observing stage of the cycle, determine the duration of your action research, and to explore the reflective questions that will support this stage of the cycle.

To start the observing stage, ensure you have a copy of the HPGE action research resource – observing document or the full document. During this stage you will be engaging in reflective questions to assist you in making observations about the data you have collected.

By this stage you have already decided on and implemented a course of action. In the observing stage you need to be collecting continuous data so that it is a reliable indication of the impact your action has had. Therefore, your observation time will vary depending on the action you have taken. You may set a timeframe for data collection as a guide, but it is important to stop when you are either no longer learning anything new, or you’ve identified clear themes or patterns in the data. It is then time for you to start analysing the data. To do this you will need to take a systematic approach to collating and sorting the data looking for trends and patterns. Sorting the data into categories, for example, could assist in this process. Set aside any data that does not directly relate to your research question. You may consider watching the CESE evaluative thinking film to support your evaluation and analysis process.

Once you have analysed the data, you should engage with the reflective questions found in table 4 of the resource. These questions will prompt you to identify what you observed or found, consider what worked, what didn’t work and how do you know, consider what the data is not telling you, consider what other information is needed to complete a valid analysis, and finally, to consider how you will report and share your findings. For example, to the principal, DEL, another school team, the P&C or the wider community.

Thank you for watching video 4 of the High potential and gifted education Action research resource. Together, let’s find the high potential, so we can develop the talent and make the difference.

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Narrator

Welcome to the High potential and gifted education Action research resource video series. This is Video 5 – reflecting to evaluate, implement and revisit. This resource series has been designed to scaffold school leaders and teachers through the action research process to support schools to build towards excellence in the implementation of the High potential and gifted education policy. 

The learning intentions for this video are to help you get started on the reflecting stage of the cycle, to explore the reflective questions that will support you in evaluating the action research that you have just completed, and to offer suggestions on your next steps.

To start the reflecting stage, ensure you have a copy of the HPGE Action research resource – reflecting document, or the full resource document. During this stage you will be engaging in reflective questioning to assist you in reflecting on what you have learnt during your action research.

This stage of the cycle starts after you have finished analysing your data. It is now time to evaluate the effects of your action to determine if improvement has occurred in your focus area. Use the questions to reflect on what you have learnt from your action research cycle and what you will do as a result. Openness and honesty are key. Be willing to share your work, its successes and the challenges. After you have evaluated your first cycle of action research, implement the finding or new practice in a sustained manner. It is still important to maintain openness to possible revisions, redirections, new problems and assumptions.

Engage with the reflective questions. What have you learned from this cycle of action research? What haven’t you learnt that you were expecting to? Were there any surprises? Are you now delivering, sustaining and growing, or excelling in this area? Do you need to adjust any of the procedures, programs or practices that you trialled? Do you need to trial something new or different? Has your data collection and documentation provided you with enough information to

analyse and make informed decisions? What aspects will you keep the same and what will you do differently during the next action research cycle? Based on your findings, do you need to revisit, refine, or change your focus? And lastly, what equity or inclusion issues are arising from the research?

Congratulations. You have now completed your first action research cycle. Action research is directed towards both understanding and improving. Now that you have completed your first cycle of action research, decide what steps, if any, need to be taken to alter or further improve practice. Action research often leads to new questions to examine, so you can revisit the process to forge new forms of understanding and deeper insights into practice. You may repeat the action research cycle as many times as needed.

Thank you for watching video 5 of the High potential and gifted education Action research resource. This video is the last in the Action research resource series. You may continue to access any of the resource videos to support you though through your journey. Now it is time for you to find the high potential, develop the talent and make the difference.

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