What works in ESOL? Evidence from Research. Cathy and Katharine aced this ! #natecla25

Fade or flourish. Is it useful to have cross-sector discussions about language education. #BigQuestion

Inspiring discussions from Coalition for Language Education event, a reminder of the importance of translanguaging and a helpful reminder of this fabulous resource ourlanguages.co.uk

Coalition for language education. Amazing turnout for this launch event. #ESOL

Join us online on Thurs 24th April when Amy Jowett (Xenia), Becky Winstanley (English for Action London) & Mel Cooke (King's College, London) will present their research on participatory ESOL teaching. It’s free to attend, all welcome! forms.office.com/Pages/Respon... @cathywint.bsky.social

Oh the irony of an article talking about sixth form college’s being neglected in favour of schools - with no mention of FE colleges www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Really looking forward to this session. There’s still time to register …… #ESOL #amplifyFE

#100daysofphd Some reading on action research today. Pondering the relationship between doing the (good) research and writing (well) about the research - and how these are intertwined in AR.

#100daysofphd Have enjoyed a 1st class upgrade for my train ride home, the bliss of a double table all to myself as I continue the read through my final draft, coloured highlighters fully exploited. #EdDlife #phdlife

Love a bit of train travel for some focused study time. Time for a re-read, have highlighter pens at the ready. #phdlife #edlife London here I come.

Day 24 #researchadvent I am looking forward to an action packed 2025, both professionally and personally. There’s the ESOL research community events, the Yorkshire ESOL ITE meetings, NATECLA national conference. And most excited to have tix for Lloyd Cole, Pulp and Alannis Morissette 🎶

Day 23 #ResearchAdvent Dare I say it, in six months I may well have graduated! Yep, it is tantalisingly close. And I need to Dig Dip and get get a paper together to submit to ……. Well, step 1 is to choose a journal to submit to!

Day 22 #ResearchAdvent The perfect gift for a researcher is some Lovely Stationary. A nice dotted notebook that can be used as a bullet journal, a nice pen and a couple of highlighters. Oh, and a desk by a window and a log burner to write in said journal. 😜

Day 21 #ResearchAdvent my theoretical framework is an under explored aspect of CoP, I used the four dualities of the Learning Architecture to explore the back channel environment created by the text-chat while-observing. #CELTA #ESOL #UKFE

Good luck to Bradford College, a finalist for the #ESOL Beacon Award www.aoc.co.uk/awards/beaco... #FE

Day 20 #researchAdvent I would like to meet other ESOL teacher educators in #FE Not just CELTA and CertTESOL, but those doing other English & ESOL specialist pathways. What is our signature pedagogy?

Day 19 #ResearchAdvent my approach to analysis was Reflexive Thematic Analysis, with a twist of Action Research. There was an extended ‘familiarisation’ stage through each cycle, before coding started once all data was collected and transcribed. And I didn’t present my ‘findings’ by theme ….

Day 18 #ResearchAdvent having to dig deep this late in the year to think of inspiration and motivation. I talk about my EdD as my ‘at home adventure’, it’s my Everest. That has carried me through this last 6 years. And I get inspiration from all my fellow doctoral travellers.

@natecla proposal submitted 🤞 @kathrynsidaway.bsky.social and I hope to be doing a session linked to our ESOL Research Community. It’s the Must Attend Event of the ESOL calendar www.natecla.org.uk/news/natecla...

Day 17 #ResearchAdvent I get professional nourishment from my action research www.bera.ac.uk/blog/the-act.... Rest - well. As a peri-menopausal woman need I say more? Health - tennis, swimming, woodland walks and batch cooking of veggie goodness (and the occasional *hic* 🍪 🍫 🍷)

Day 16 #ResearchAdvent Public engagement has been vital throughout my EdD. Selfishly it’s helped move my thinking forward at all stages of my research & im a huge advocate of practitioner research being systematic enquiry made public.

Day 15 #ResearchAdvent 1st favourite place to study is on my small ikea desk by the bay window overlooking the garden. But I’m also partial to a good train journey, it’s a real treat to go 1st class to London on the Grand Central line.

Day 14 #ReaearchAdvent In three years I’ll look back and think ‘I’ll never get tired of people calling me Dr Cathy’ 😆

Day 13 #ResearchAdvent The thing I love most about doing my EdD is the joy of creating something. The struggles of the blank page rewarded by words that become a thesis.

Day 12 #ResearchAdvent Appreciation for Big Sis as she does the heavy lifting in caring for our parents, for Husband who lets me hog the wood burning stove where my desk is, for Son for being his best Teenage Self.

Day 11 ResearchAdvent I am excited for the January meeting of the ESOL Research Community, where @steve11brown.bsky.social will be exploring the relevance & application of current literature for ESOL. Deets and sign up here padlet.com/kathrynsidaw...

Day 10 #ResearchAdvent Amazingly not so freaked out about methodology anymore. What are you doing and more importantly why are you doing it that way. What does the methodology allow us to know (and what doesn’t it allow). More intrigued by the philosophical discussion than I thought I would be!

Day 9 #ResearchAdvent I have attended conferences more than published through my EdD. I’ve had an article in RaPAL, and a couple of blog posts, here’s the one for BERA on the awesomeness of action research www.bera.ac.uk/person/cathy...

First blog post I've shared here, thinking about how emergent language works with beginner ESOL students. samuelshep.wordpress.com/2024/12/07/e...

Day 8 #ResearchAdvent Challenges have been personal more than research tbh, I’ve lost both my in-laws. Both sudden & unexpected, & my parents deteriorating health has meant I’ve become a carer for both. Dementia is a cruel disease. Couldn’t do any of this without support of my partner and Big Sis

Day 7. #ResearchAdvent I think everyone should watch Tara Babazon’s channel, but especially her three vlogs on ontology, epistemology and methodology youtu.be/75cmEkiZk08

Day 5 #ResearchAdvent I want others to know that action research is a valid and empowering form of research, and would highly recommend this ETF guide www.et-foundation.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Looking for a creative, fun, winter/festive/Christmas themed lesson? I have a FREE activity idea for you! This was inspired by #NotAGingerbreadMan. Students create something that IS NOT a candle, snowman, bell, santa, etc. www.emilybrysonelt.com/its-not-a-sn... #TEFL #Teachingideas #ESOL #YLTsig

Day 4 #ResearchAdvent My best conference experience was NATECLA24, giving a 3-min pitch for the ESOLResearch community at the Teachmeet, and seeing so many hands raised when I asked who’d attended any of our events, and then people coming up to me afterwards to chat. @kathrynsidaway.bsky.social

Day 3 #ResearchAdvent This year I have really valued the opportunity to present my research, for the discussions that helped move my thinking forward, and all the fabulous people that have influenced my journey.

Day 2 #ResearchAdvent Why? Well, because it’s there. This is my Everest. It’s my ‘at home adventure’. To live my values as a Lifelong Learner, because learning to teach is a lifelong pursuit.

Day 1 #ResearchAdvent I am an FE teacher educator, my specialism is ESOL. I’m in my final year EdD, interested in how we learn to teach through observation using Wenger’s concepts of Learning Architecture and action research to explore synchronous text-chat while peer observing. #CELTA #ESOL

Are you ready for this year’s #ResearchAdvent? Get ready! #phdsky #phdchat #edusky #educationalresearch

In response to OpenAI’s recent ‘A Student’s Guide to Writing with ChatGPT’, Arthur Perret (maître de conferénces, Jean Moulin Lyon 3) writes a line-by-line rebuttal — A Student’s Guide to Not Writing with ChatGPT www.arthurperret.fr/blog/2024-11...

Thought provoking study on learner v staff perceptions of #AI presented by Earle Abrahamson at DEE webinars. Shows a worrying divide emerging regarding friend v fear perceptions. I'd be happy if we cut point 5 from the students' list and replaced it with 3 from staff! #EduSky #AmplifyFE

New, #Edtech video, this time I have a look at #Bluesky a relatively new social media platform, Here is my beginner guide #Socialmedia #networking youtu.be/V-866DtH0P4?...

As the consultation on the Curriculum and Assessment Review closes today, Edge’s policy team reflect on the key messages of our submission and how the Review could go further. www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...

While working through the curriculum review I shared Bradford College's involvement in the RSC's New Generation Backstage program and their recent trip to Stratford. #ESOL www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/news/bringin...

Thinking of making changes to your #FE social media presence? Many people are! Join Chloe Hynes and Lynne Taylerson for an @AmplifyFE webinar on 13th December at 12 to discuss 'Where Next After Twitter?' Which platform/s work best and how do we choose? https://buff.ly/3YZGf0j #loveFE #AmplifyFE

Got a bit of time this morning to look at the govt curriculum review, helpful advise from #NATECLA on this #FE #ESOL www.natecla.org.uk/news/curricu...

Join us on 16th January to hear @steve11brown.bsky.social discuss how recent ELT publications connect to adult ESOL. Click here to register - shorturl.at/4Ml4d and more details on our padlet - shorturl.at/yjfov @kathrynsidaway.bsky.social #NATECLA #ESOL #research