Those who can, write poetry: Developing teaching assistants’ reflective practice and exploring the personal and professional challenges for those working in schools through the use of poetry

Students on the BA Learning and Teaching are all teaching assistants, working within schools. Students are required to develop their reflective practice, and this research project aims to explore how students currently do this, and invite them to develop this skill using creative writing methods.

The research team will consider content and learning outcomes for Reflective Practice modules and, in partnership with 2 professional poets, develop relevant workshops resulting in the co-production of a reflective framework to use with students working in Education; findings from student and staff feedback will be used to shape and produce the final framework.

Poems created from sessions will also be used to provide an insight into the challenges facing cohorts, informing staff of potential barriers and challenges, and providing important research data.