This volume of topical working papers makes available to teachers and to others information intended to stimulate discussion so that all educators may bring their judgement and experience to bear on the concerns of the School Council and contribute to its work. The papers describe plans for curriculum development projects at their formative stages, when comment can be particularly helpful; report on conferences and summarize findings and opinions on debated questions about the curriculum and examination in schools.

Within the international movement for school improvement, pupil consultation is one of the strands that offers greatest hope. Consultation is a way of ensuring that teachers have access to their pupils' perspectives and can lead to a transformation of teacher-pupil relationships, to significant improvements in teachers' practices, and to pupils having a new sense of themselves as members of a community of learners. Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils discusses the potential of consultation as a strategy for signalling a more partnership-oriented relationship in teaching and learning. It also examines the challenges of introducing and sustaining consultative practices. Topics covered include: the centrality of consultation about teaching and learning in relation to broader school level concerns; national debates about young people's right to be heard; teaching approaches that pupils believe help them to learn, those that obstruct their learning and suggestions about how individual teachers mightdevelop their teaching; the social realities of classrooms for different groups of pupils; teachers' responses to pupil consultation; what they learn from it, the changes they can make to their practice and the difficulties they can face; and, the things that can get in the way of pupils trusting in consultation as something that can make a positive difference to their experiences of learning in school. While consultation is flourishing in many primary schools, the focus here is on secondary schools where the difficulties of introducing and sustaining consultation are often more daunting but where the benefits of doing so can be substantial. This innovative book will be of interest to allthose concerned with improving classroom learning.

Pupil consultation can lead to a transformation of teacher-pupil relationships, to significant improvements in teachers' practices, and to pupils having a new sense of themselves as members of a community of learners. In England, pupil involvement is at the heart of current government education policy and is a key dimension of both citizenship education and personalised learning. Drawing on research carried out as part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils discusses the potential of consultation as a strategy for signalling a more partnership-oriented relationship in teaching and learning. It also examines the challenges of introducing and sustaining consultative practices. Topics covered include: the centrality of consultation about teaching and learning in relation to broader school level concerns; teaching approaches that pupils believe help them to learn and those that obstruct their learning; teachers' responses to pupil consultation - what they learn from it, the changes they can make to their practice and the difficulties they can face; the things that can get in the way of pupils trusting in consultation as something that can make a positive difference. While consultation is flourishing in many primary schools, the focus here is on secondary schools where the difficulties of introducing and sustaining consultation are often more daunting but where the benefits of doing so can be substantial. This innovative book will be of interest to all those concerned with improving classroom learning.

Consulting Pupils considers the potential benefits and implications of talking to students about teaching and learning in school, exploring its impact at different levels. Key issues included are: * the importance of engaging young learners in a focused dialogue about learning * the role of pupil consultation in helping schools to develop new directions for improvement * the wider implications of pupil consultation and participation in teaching the principles of citizenship and democracy. Through examples of pupil consultation initiatives in primary and secondary schools, the authors demonstrate how an agenda for change based on pupils' perspectives on teaching and learning can be used to improve classroom practice. Part of the What's In It For Schools series aimed at making educational policy issues relevant to practitioners, this book will be a valuable resource for practitioners, students and researchers interested in exploring pupils' perspectives on teaching and learning.

This volume of topical working papers makes available to teachers and to others information intended to stimulate discussion so that all educators may bring their judgement and experience to bear on the concerns of the School Council and contribute to its work. The papers describe plans for curriculum development projects at their formative stages, when comment can be particularly helpful; report on conferences and summarize findings and opinions on debated questions about the curriculum and examination in schools.

This fascinating book focuses on those who are most affected by changes in education policy and systems--the pupils. It draws on empirical evidence from a number of research projects and distils this into a compelling account of contemporary schooling from the pupils' perspective. Jean Rudduck calls for a shift in the way we currently view young people at school and sets out a case for radically rethinking aspects of school organization, relationships and practice. Her research confirms that we need to see pupils differently, to re-assess their capabilities and reflect on what they are capable of being and doing.

This fascinating book focuses on those who are most affected by changes in education policy and systems--the pupils. It draws on empirical evidence from a number of research projects and distils this into a compelling account of contemporary schooling from the pupils' perspective. Jean Rudduck calls for a shift in the way we currently view young people at school and sets out a case for radically rethinking aspects of school organization, relationships and practice. Her research confirms that we need to see pupils differently, to re-assess their capabilities and reflect on what they are capable of being and doing.

`There is much in the book that is thought- provoking, and much wise counsel is offered.... I found this book immensely interesting.... I can recommend it to anyone with an interest in educational research' - British Journal of Educational Psychology `This book, edited by Jean Rudduck and Donald McIntyre, provides an insightful analysis of the key issues, involved in attempting to take stock of what should be the main purposes of educational research and how well the research that has been conducted has met these purposes..Overall, I found this book immensely interesting. It is published by Paul Chapman as one of the BERA Dialogues Series. This series is intended to provide a forum for a scholarly analysis of a theme that will be of interest to the international research community. This book fulfils this aim admirably and I can recommend it to anyone with an interest in educational research' - British Journal of Educational Psychology `of use and interest to those presently engaged in educational research and evaluating educational policy. It certainly provides food for thought for all those in educational research community' - Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning During the last few years there have been increasingly vigorous debates about the adequacy of educational research in the UK. Is it worth the money spent on it? Is it influenced enough by the user communities who ought to benefit most from it? Does it focus on the right kinds of questions? How does it compare with research in other possibly comparable fields, like medicine and engineering? Does it draw adequately on new developments in related social sciences? Is it effectively organized? Are there too many inadequately qualified people doing educational research? These are some of the questions that have been hotly debated, mainly within the educational research community itself. This book brings together many of the major figures in British educational research. Four central chapters, based on previously unpublished recent reviews of the current state of educational research and of the future directions it should take, are the focus of critical commentaries from many different perspectives. In the opening chapter the two editors, both recent presidents of the British Educational Research Association, explain the context of the arguments, and in the final chapter synthesize the issues involved. Major changes in the conduct and organization of British educational research must be anticipated in the next few years. This book sets the scene for those changes