What is evidence? Learning from the experience of Project Oracle

‘What is evidence?’ Georgie Parry-Crooke asked at the start of a Food for Thought Lunchtime talk in May 2016.

Transcript

1. Claudio Cionini
   2010
   Per strada,
   verso sera
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2. What is evidence?
   Learning from the experience
   of Project Oracle
   Georgie Parry-Crooke
   May 2016
   

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3.  Why talk about evidence?
    Where has my interest it come from?
    Where is it going?
   Think and do
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4. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
   Project Oracle: Children & Youth Evidence Hub aims to 'understand
   and share what really works' in youth programmes in London. It is
   building an innovative space in which stakeholders interact and
   learn from each other, to improve youth outcomes.
   Project Oracle (funded by the GLA, MOPAC and ESRC from 2012)
   originated from the Greater London Authority to:
    generate and use better evidence
    grow evidence for children and youth projects that are can make
   a discernible impact in London
    build a repository of independently assessed and evaluated
   programmes and projects, in order to inform decision-making
   What is Project Oracle?
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5. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
   Why a children and youth evidence hub?
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6. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
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7. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
   The Project Oracle Standards of Evidence
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8. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
   The Project Oracle Ecosystem
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9. What is admissible?
    Multiple forms
    Judgement
    Intuition
    Responding to experience
   Can we separate these?
   Does the debate come to any provisional
   conclusions?
   The meaning (s) of evidence
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10.  Architects of evidence
     Purpose, audience
     Hierarchies and authority
     Contribution and use
    Evidence
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11.  No reason nor data
     Knowledge from within
     Common sense
     Empathy
    Intuition
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12.  Intuition is a decision-making method that is
    used unconsciously by experienced practitioners
     It is a highly creative process
     (we) should generate and follow (clinical)
    hunches
     We can improve our intuitive powers through
    systematic critical reflection about intuitive
    judgements.
    Greenhalgh,T. (2002) Intuition and evidence — uneasy bedfellows? British Journal of General Practice May
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    Trisha Greenhalgh
    

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13. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
    The Arts Cohort example: Impact Pioneers
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14. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
     The Arts Cohort: a small group of organisations working in and
    with the arts and young people take a journey to better
    evidence.
     Provider support: they received consistent and regular
    support through the Arts Cohort. For this reason, we needed
    to make sure that opportunities to engage funders and
    academics really count. The funder roundtables brought a
    range of funders into the fold.
     What makes it different: it offers those involved an
    accelerated journey through Standards 1 and 2, alongside the
    wider benefits to the sector outlined above.
    Does the ecosystem work?
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15. Text and content copyright © 2014 Project Oracle. All rights reserved.
     Funders use: evidence needs to be useful to both
    funders and providers – it should be a win-win.
     Collaborative learning: more space needs to be created
    for this. There is little or no infrastructure around the
    arts (like there is for education, for example).
     Speaking a common language and sharing a common
    vision: the arts sector is incredibly diverse.
     Strategy for engaging with partners: identifying key
    networks or bridge organisations.
    Does the ecosystem work? The Arts Cohort example
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16.  Disentangling
     (Re)integrating
     Developing an ‘Evidential Tapestry’
     Creating ‘Best Bets’
    So what?
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17. A kaleidoscope of meaning (s)
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