Are you open to building a culture of research in your school?

What do you think when you hear the word, ‘research’?

In my role as research director at Pymble Ladies’ College in Sydney, Australia, I have the great privilege of playing with meanings of this prismatic word every day. Moving between interactions with students, colleagues and external researchers, I collect lived examples in a range of contexts of what research is. How to create, use and benefit from research is a thought always exercising itself in my mind. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting HMC’s Kate Howell and Dr Simon Hyde during their visit to Australia and we talked about research cultures in schools. This was a great opportunity to step back from my own context and reflect on why and how research takes such an active role at Pymble, a 3 -18 girls’ school in the northern suburbs of Sydney.

Over a cup of tea and delicious biscuits with my visitors (along with the mutual delight of appreciating how happy we all were to sit down together with a cup of hot tea!), I considered where to start an explanation about research at Pymble. Although we were meeting in my ‘research’ office and I could proudly point to the collection of ‘research’ journals, flyers, posters and publications on my bookshelf, what would a visitor take away about my school’s research culture? How could I help Kate and Simon see beyond the graphics and publications to pick up on the people doing the research and to notice the culture we are, together, creating, at Pymble.

Before we go further, let’s ensure we’re on the same page about research. What is it?

To synthesise some definitions, allow me to suggest that research is the process of looking systematically at evidence, information or artefacts to understand something in a different way.

Going further, research is also defined as a creative process leading to the production of new knowledge which is then applied to problems needing new solutions.

I love both definitions – the simple and complex – and it may not surprise you to learn that I also love researching research!

FUN FACT

I am currently working with colleagues from my school’s library team to create a curriculum which we’ll use to teach research to our senior students and staff seeking to gain or retrieve their research skills.

Indeed, I just love the span and the infinite possibility of research – it being something to work on with 8 year old primary pupils as they build their own investigations, and something to plan with academic colleagues as we consider how to explore the impact of something we’re doing at Pymble.

Research is an active task for me. I love being involved in the planning of research projects and there’s always a time, albeit tricky, when researchers must select a point and jump in to immerse themselves in their question and get a feel for their data. This picture of research is like a swirly, ever-moving ocean. There is no better or worse place to begin – you watch the waves, try to pick up their rhythm, then, the time comes – jump in, and begin swimming through the sea of words, numbers and papers. It can be fun! It can also be overwhelming. I also love picturing research as a silent, still and endlessly (im)possible trove of information, waiting for me to come away from the relentless busyness of school in order to spend time with it. I love contrasting this vast stillness of a research project with the frenetic pace of schools.

Working in research in a school brings me alongside the goals of others as I help them navigate the research landscapes they have around them. Sometimes I throw metaphorical life buoys into the swirling and endless seas of possibilities that people can feel a little swamped by. I had the privilege a few weeks ago of helping two colleagues define their questions, select their methods and confirm their research destinations:

Kurt

Kurt was crafting his Master of Education research unit to use action research to explore a question of his own devising. He chose to investigate inclusive practices in the theatre and ways our school productions could utilise more of these elements for the benefit of our audiences. His academic supervisor commented on the design of his proposed research as he submitted drafts for feedback and we checked in with each other to continue refining his project. Kurt’s research will help the College improve the audience experience of our school performances to make it more accessible for younger children, elders, people with access needs and people whose main languages are not English.

Christine

Christine was working on a paper for the College research journal, Illuminate: Research and Innovation, and we brainstormed a range of topics relating to her role as an ICT Integrator. It is always fun to think of research ideas and we kept going until she zoned in on one that would deliver, not just a paper on how teachers use the learning management software (LMS), but the bones of a presentation she could give at the LMS product conference in a year’s time. Her research will result in practical understandings for the College, a written paper and a fully prepared abstract and presentation in a timeframe that suits her other commitments.

Reflecting on these two anecdotes, I wondered if I had conveyed the importance of scenarios like these to Kate and Simon over our cup of tea? Within Kurt and Christine’s conversations and emails, sit the seeds of lifelong learning focused on confidence, capacity and culture, and I am honoured to play a role in bringing it to fruition.

The publications the Pymble Institute team have worked hard to produce, the research conferences we have held, and the student research activities we have supported students to initiate are the ones captured in the material in the bookshelf in my office. They reflect many years of effort and give us much to celebrate. I was proud to talk Kate and Simon through how we ‘do research’, but I hope they also gained some insight into why Pymble cherishes its research culture. Research is an active stance, it leads to transformation of self and others, and its journey through challenge and learning will change all those involved. Research is always a possibility and the role it plays in opening the world a little wider each time it is applied is vitally important to me.

The Pymble Institute is open to connecting with other HMC schools that may like to explore research partnerships with Pymble Ladies’ College in areas of mutual interest or dynamic difference. Learn more about us through our website or by connecting with me on LinkedIn.

Sarah is the founding Director of the Pymble Institute at Pymble Ladies’ College which is the school’s hub of research-related activities. She works with students, staff and alumni, along with academics and partners from external organisations, to create opportunities for research. Sarah gained her PhD in Education with a thesis examining ways young adolescent girls select school subjects and plan for their futures. She teaches History where she loves helping her students develop a passion for scholarship. She leads the College’s Social Intelligence strategic pillar and is responsible for the College Libraries, Archives, Social Impact and Careers programs.

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