Sheffield Hallam University

You are invited to the launch of a virtual exhibition of teacher designed postcards which represent aspects of literacy teaching.

Wednesday 11th November 2020, from 16:30 to 17:30.
Online event conducted via Zoom

The postcards were produced during a British Academy funded research project - Doing Data Differently - led by Professor Cathy Burnett and Professor Guy Merchant at Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University.

Discussions about data in schools are usually linked to pupil attainment, data are represented using charts and graphs, and teachers rarely initiate data collection themselves or use it for their own purposes.This project set out to do data differently.

Inspired by Dear Data, a creative postcard exchange by two information designers, this project explored how data might be used in creative, imaginative and personalised ways to explore primary teachers’ everyday experiences of literacy teaching.

Seven primary teachers chose aspects of literacy teaching that were important to them, collected data on those aspects, found ways of representing those data on postcards and  discussed these at half-termly meetings. Their postcards provide insights into aspects of literacy teaching that are significant to them. They also raise questions about what might happen - to teachers and to teaching - if the use of data in schools started to look and feel rather different.

This post-project event will coincide with the launch of the virtual exhibition, during which we will share what we learned.  This will be of interest to any school leaders who are interested in thinking differently about the role of data in schools, the kind of data that might support professional dialogue, and the potential for creative visualisation as a form of communication and reflection on data.

Places are limited so please do sign up via the link below...