ISL Research Institute: Using language stories as the foundation of student expertise in research: 10 June

ISL Research Institute is comprised of a team of middle school student researchers, and for the last six years, they have been undertaking academic research of the kind usually seen in universities, but with two key differences: 1. The research is always collaborative. 2. The research is always based on the expertise the students already have (being bilingual or multilingual teenagers in a multilingual educational environment). The work is supported by a small team of research facilitators and an academic mentor from a university and follows the same steps as that of master’s level research. You will see how using language stories and timelines can be a great foundation for conducting research with student’s own lived experiences at its core, and how that can transform the research process into an experience that will stay with the students in the future.

Presenter: Clare Brumpton

Clare is Head of Research Centre at the International School of London, an IB World School. She is responsible for three libraries from pre-K to grade 12 and leads the ISL Research Institute for MYP students. She has worked as a librarian in UK schools within the National Curriculum, IPC and IB Diploma Programme for over 20 years. She has been an ECIS Library and Information Services committee member since 2022 and is active in a range of UK-based and international school library forums. She has co-written a series of articles for Headteacher Update and SecEd, is a mentor for new librarians at the School Library Association and a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Clare holds a master’s degree in information and library management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership and Management.