Inside Classrooms

Peter Blatchford is Emeritus Professor in Psychology and Education at the UCL Institute of Education, UK. His research interest is better understanding social and developmental processes in classroom settings. He directed large-scale research programmes on class size effects, the impact of support staff, grouping practices and collaborative group work, and the education of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools.

'Context matters! Building on extensive research, Peter Blatchford's Inside Classrooms... offers us gap-filling explanations beyond instructional methods and learner characteristics. The corresponding classroom-level strategies of his eco-relational approach to support learning identify universal factors making it internationally relevant. A must read for everyone who cares about authentic student learning.' Michael F. Giangreco, PhD, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education, University of Vermont, USA'Class size, classroom groupings, collaborative learning, SEND pupils. In this timely and accessible volume, Peter Blatchford’s eco-relational lens integrates his 30+ years of research across these crucial topics. The result – a masterful agenda for policy, practice and research.' Christine Howe, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Cambridge, UK'Blatchford’s important book gives a richly textured picture of teaching and learning in the complex micro physical and social context of the classroom. Crucially, it shows how contextual features — class size, layout, grouping, tasks and interactional settings —are interconnected with relationships and interactions among teachers and students.' Noreen M. Webb, Distinguished Research Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, USA'In this wonderfully argued and important book, Blatchford presents a strong case for his eco-relational framework as a way of improving teaching and learning. He skilfully shows how the classroom context along with the teacher-student and peer-peer relationships contribute strongly to student learning.' Christine Rubie-Davies, Emeritus Professor, University of Auckland, Australia'This is an impressive body of work… drawing on a lifetime of research by Peter Blatchford… it is substantial, rigorous, and deeply insightful….Much existing research operates at too great a distance from the learner, privileging distal explanations over the proximal processes through which learning actually occurs. In contrast, this work insists on…understanding the lived, moment-by-moment complexity of classrooms as a prerequisite for meaningful improvement.' John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus, University of Melbourne, Australia

• 1. Toward an Eco-Relational Approach to Classroom Learning: An Introduction Section 1. Developing an Eco-Relational Approach to Classroom Learning 2. Toward an Eco-Relational Approach: The Contextual Dimension 3. Toward an Eco-Relational Approach: The Relational Dimension 4. An Eco-Relational Approach to Classroom Learning: A Description Section 2. Applying the Eco-Relational approach 5. Applying the Eco-Relational Approach: Class Size Effects and Classroom Processes. 6. Applying the Eco-Relational Approach: within Class Groups and Group Work 7. Applying the Eco-Relational Approach: The Classroom Experiences of Pupils with SEND Section 3. Realising the Eco-Relational Approach: The SPRinG Collaborative Group Work Project 8. Realising the Eco-Relational Approach: The SPRinG Collaborative Group Work Project 9. The Eco-relational Approach: Some Conclusions and Implications