A new layout for the Tips for Teachers newsletter

Key questions teachers should ask when evalulating research papers

Over the last 27 editions of the Tips for Teachers newsletter, I have taken a research paper that has influenced my thinking about education and used NotebookLM to summarise the implications for busy teachers.

For the next few editions, I am going to try something different. I will still focus on an interesting piece of research each week and provide a digestible summary. However, I will also delve deeper, asking the questions all teachers should ask when evaluating research papers.

So, from next week, I will provide the following sections for each research paper we look at:

Paper Summary

A paragraph describing the key features and findings of the study.

If teachers are to remember one thing from this study, it should be…

Essentially, a TDLR summary of the single biggest implication for your teaching practice. This should help you decide if you want to go deeper.

Then we begin our deep dive…

Define any technical terms used in the paper

Here is a list of all the key terms used in the paper, with a brief definition. This should help you better understand the paper and the following sections.

What does this paper add to the current field of research?

I would love every single research paper (and indeed, every educational book) to be obligated to answer this question. Why has this study been conducted? How does it add to our pool of knowledge?

What are the characteristics of the participants in the study?

This is important as it may determine how relevant you feel the findings are for the subject you teach and the age of your students.

What are the key implications for teachers in the classroom?

How might the study’s findings impact your classroom practice? This section goes into more detail than the “If teachers remember one thing…” bit.

Why might teachers exercise caution before applying these findings in their classroom?

Again, this is another thing that is often forgotten when reading research.

What is a single quote that summarises the key findings from the paper?

This is useful if you want a key takeaway in the authors' words.

I hope this new format still offers the quick overview of each piece of research you are used to, but with the bonus of allowing you to gain deeper insight into any particular piece of research that piques your interest.

We will see how things go over the next few issues, beginning Monday!