Episode 6: Implications for Teaching & Whole-School Practice.

What does effective classroom research mean for teaching — and for schools as learning communities?

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen explores the implications of his action research findings for both classroom practice and whole-school development.

This episode examines:

•How research-informed strategies can strengthen everyday teaching

•Why scaffolding, reflection, and confidence matter — especially for EAL learners

•How action research can move from individual inquiry to collective professional growth

•Practical ways schools can embed reflective practice into CPD

Grounded in established educational research, this episode supports teachers and leaders looking to create sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-informed learning environments.

References:

•Alqahtani, S. S. (2024). A meta-analysis of technology-based interventions for
elementary students with reading difficulties. Humanities and Social Sciences
Communications, 11, Article 1629. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04159-y

•British Educational Research Association. (2018). Ethical guidelines for
educational research (4th ed.)
https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-20
18

•CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2. CAST.
http://udlguidelines.cast.org

•CColorín Colorado. (2012). ELLs and reading fluency in English.
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/ells-and-reading-fluency-english

•Hammond, J., & Gibbons, P. (2005). Putting scaffolding to work: The contribution
of scaffolding in articulating ESL education. Prospect: An Australian Journal of
TESOL, 20(1), 6–30.
https://neilwhitfield.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/20_1_1_hammo
nd.pdf

•Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

•Piaget, J. (1973). To understand is to invent: The future of education. Grossman
Publishers. https://archive.org/details/tounderstandisto0000piag

•Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.).
Harvard University Press.
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674576292

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome back to Education Unlocked. Learn, Apply, Thrive. Today's episode, I want to start off with a question. What if improving reading outcomes wasn't about adopting new programs, but about rethinking how teachers learn, reflect, and collaborate? So far in this series, I've shared the design, implementation, analysis, and the impact of my action research in reading fluency and learner confidence. In this episode, I want to take a step back. I want to zoom out a bit because the real question now is what does this mean for everyday teaching and for schools as learning organizations? First thing I want to talk about is the implications for classroom teaching. One of the clearest implications from this research is that effective practice doesn't have to be complex. It has to be intentional. The strategies that made the biggest difference were audio modeling, repeated supported reading, structured reflection, and safe, low-stake assessment environments. Audio reading was based on what teachers provided for their students to listen to. The repeated supported reading was that students could listen back to that over and over again and practice those skills. The structured reflection was journaling after every week, self-reflecting on that. What areas could they improve on themselves? And the safe low-stake assessment environment was based that it was happening at home, in a safe environment, not reading in front of their peers or feeling like they were judged. Now, these align strongly with scaffolding theory, where learners are supported just beyond their current ability. This was seen by Vygotsky in 1978 and Hammond and Gibbons in 2005. If scaffolding supports learners so effectively, are we always scaffolding the right things? Or just delivering more content? It's a very interesting question to think about and to reflect on in your own teaching practice. Now, this brings us to the second point: practical classroom application. Now, I want you to try this. Teachers can apply this immediately by firstly embedding short audio modelings into reading tasks for their students. The second thing is replacing high-pressure reading aloud with recordings or prepared reading, just even reading with a partner, either of the same ability or maybe a little bit higher to build that confidence. The third thing is using reflection prompts instead of extra worksheets. Have discussions with your class or your students, or get them to fill out a piece of paper to submit to you on the side in a box, you know, like a student reflection box. And then tracking confidence indicators, not just accuracy. How are they doing on their own ability? Are they growing in confidence? Do you notice that their confidence is growing? Is that something that you can encourage them with? Now, these approaches align with the Universal Design for Learning, which emphasizes flexibility, engagement, and multiple means of expression. And this can be found on CAST 2018. Now, with that, being emphasizing on flexibility, is that they can do it when they're ready. The engagement comes with them feeling safe, with them feeling confident, and being in an environment where they can do that. And they can use multiple means of that. So they can use their phone, they could use iPads, computers, whatever they have. It's not limited to only a certain program that they can use. Most days now, actually, all cell phones come or mobile phones come with audio recording abilities on them. It's that simple. Using something that's practical and in their hands. The third thing is implication for EAL and inclusive practice. So this research enforced that EAL learners benefit most from clarity, consistency, and emotional safety, which is so important, especially now with today's mental and well-being structures that we need to put in place as teachers and as schools. So Colorado or Coloring Colorado 2012 highlighted that fluency developments for EAL students require explicit modeling. Something that is deliberate. Something that is structured, something that is linked to what they're learning. It also needs to be opportunities for oral rehearsal. So they need to practice that over. Record themselves reading, listening back to it. Where can they adjust? Where they can they change? Can they improve it? Self-reflection first, before teacher reflection, because self-reflection builds independence, builds them to understand where they can grow. And this then leads to reduced cognitive load during performances. So the more they're practicing that, listening back to it, rehearsing that, before that, it reduces that cognitive overload that the fact is that now they have to perform, put on the spot. So technology supported strategies are effective because they reduce anxiety. Not because it's replacing teaching, but it's supporting it. So a finding supported by this was in Al Cutany's 2024 meta-analysis and reading intervention. The link can be found in the notes. If technology lowers barriers for learners, how can we ensure it's enhancing pedagogy rather than driving it? Using technology to enhance the learning environment. I've always said with my colleagues or in my classroom, if technology is not going to enhance that lesson, it shouldn't be in it. So we need to, as teachers, effectively find ways of which we can use technology that lowers those barriers to enhance the learning experience for our teacher, for our students, and pedagogy skills for our teachers. Now, this brings us to our fourth point: whole school implications. So for either individual inquiry or for collective growth. Perhaps the most important implication here is this action research should not live in isolation. You should be having PLC groups where you can collaborate with other teachers, find out what is supporting or working in their classroom. It might be something that impacts your teaching application as well. And the only way you can do that is by talking. What began as a Master's Link research project for me became a model for reflective teaching. How can I best support my students? What ways can I enhance my own skills? It also comes with the a shared language around fluency and confidence. Talking with other teachers, like how are you noticing your students in your classroom with their reading fluency? What things are you working with or developing to grow that? And that at that starting point, that starts with professional dialogue, developing those PLC groups, professional learning communities within your school, beyond your school boundaries, just talking with other people from other places. And this reflects Poget's 1973 review that learning is an active process, not just for students, but for teachers too. If you aren't linking arms with other teachers, how you're growing your profession, how you're finding out things that could impact your classroom further. It's not the easiest thing to maybe talk, but you know what? It's the biggest step is self-reflection first, because that self-reflection leads to steps moving forward. And now, schools that encourage teacher-led inquiry create cultures where practice is questioned constructively, reflecting on yourself, reflecting on other teachers. It's data-informed decisions that is meaningful, moving forward and growing in the same direction. And as professional development is owned, it's not imposed. Because when you're reflecting on your own practice and listening to other teachers reflect on theirs, you're growing that community within your organization and within your classroom. This brings us to our fifth point: practical whole school application. Schools can scale this impact by four things. Firstly, creating small inquiry circles instead of just once off CBD. Okay, so this is what we're focusing on. This is a school goal we're wanting to grow and develop. This is where we're wanting to move. Let's break out into groups. Let's discuss that. Let's meet on once a month or twice every second week, whatever it is, just to build that. That not just a once off CBD as a tick box, but creating small group inquiry cycles where you can meet regularly to discuss things. The second thing is using classroom data as discussion points in team meetings, reflecting on that. So you as a teacher are reflecting your classroom, but then you as a year group or as a collective cycle are also reflecting on that. The third thing is encouraging teachers to share what works and why. You are at the forefront of your classroom, which means you're at the forefront of innovation. Encouraging teachers to share that is vital for a growing organization, which fourthly aligns innovation with ethical practice. Okay, and this is reflected in BERA of 2018. So, what if professional development felt more like professional learning, not just dictation? Guys, this is what we're going to be doing. Go watch this PD. Okay. Are we following up with those PDs? Are we following with how that's implicating or impacting my classroom? Are we reflecting like what worked, what didn't work? That's vitally important. So moving away from that fresh professional development that feels like we must do it to a professional learning environment because you're growing as a teacher, as well as a learning organization moving as a whole in one direction. Brings us to our sixth point, leadership reflection. So this research highlights that leadership matters, not through mandates, but through permission and trust. So when teachers are entrusted to research their own practice by engagement increases, practical improvements, student benefits, it doesn't just benefit the teacher, it benefits the school. And when you're growing that drive as a school, it is meaningful. Now, this aligns with Lincoln and Guber's 1985, which emphasis emphasizes that on naturalistic inquiry where research grows authentically from real context. So it's not just about what we're doing in our classroom, it's about how we're moving forward with that. So as we close, this closing reflection, I want to ask you is what is the biggest impact in your classroom from listening to this podcast? So the biggest implications from this research are simple for me, and hopefully that's coming across to you, is improvement doesn't come from doing more. It comes from doing what you think is better. It comes from what affects your students for progress, attainment, and progression. So when teachers reflect intentionally, when they apply the research thoughtfully, and when they share learning openly, the classroom improves, school grows overall, and learners thrive. And that's what a school environment is meant to do. So in the next episode, we'll explore limitations, the challenges, and my honest reflections from this research, because credibility inquiries includes what didn't work as well as what did work. So thank you for listening to Education Unlocked. Learn, apply, thrive. If today's episode gave you something to think about, something to try, or something to grow with, please share that with colleagues who you feel might need it too. Or leave a review or help others discover this podcast. So you can follow the podcast for more episodes where we continue to break down real strategies, real research, and real classroom impact. Until next time, keep learning, keep applying, and keep thriving. And I will see you in the next episode.