InTuition issue 15 Winter 2013/14

For teachers and trainers committed to excellence Issue 15 Winter 2013/14

InTuition

The journal for professional teachers and trainers in the further education and skills sector

Changing lives Alison Boulton fights to keep qualified teachers at the heart of specialist education Interview p10 Please give us your feedback in our annual reader survey – see page 3

Labour backs FE teaching qualifications News p4

Time for universities to professionalise their teaching

What one former Ofsted inspector discovered about outstanding practice

Eight steps to independent learning

Opinion p8

CPD Matters p16

Geoff Petty p30 www.ifl.ac.uk

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Season’s greetings from IfL IfL’s Advisory Council, Non-Executive Board and staff would like to wish all our members season’s greetings and a happy and fulfilling New Year.

Thank you for your commitment during 2013 and we look forward to supporting you in the year ahead.

www.ifl.ac.uk

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Welcome

A chance to recharge our batteries after a hectic year

Contents “Is it that time of year again already?” is widely heard as we approach

Letters Your views and input

December. As John Lewis’ ‘bear and hare’ Christmas advertising

appeared, I couldn’t help but wonder, where 2013 had gone and was sorely tempted to follow the bear’s lead and take a nap.

For many, this is the end of the busiest time of year. 2013 also seems to have brought its share of changes to the sector including: the closure of the Learning and Skills Service (LSIS) and the establishment an FE guild, now called the Education and Training Foundation.

It also saw the revocation of teaching regulations in September, despite protests from IfL and others across the sector over the implications for FE teaching and learning.

However, there was an early Christmas present from shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt MP who said at November’s

Give us your feedback on our latest issue

Association of Colleges conference that a future Labour government would insist on college teachers being qualified.

Your continued support and voice is vital in allowing IfL to

For more information visit www.ifl.ac.uk Or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

continue to make the case for our profession, especially as ahead of the 2015 general election.

2014 will see the launch of a new IfL website. We have accessible CPD tips that you can access online at any time at www.ifl.ac.uk/intuitionlive.

We are eager to hear your views as part of our annual InTuition reader survey. Please complete and return the enclosed survey or complete the survey online at www.ifl.ac.uk/intuitionsurvey.

Each response received by Monday 13 January 2014, will be entered into a prize draw, the five winners of which will receive a copy of a publication recently reviewed in InTuition.

On behalf of all of us at IfL, I hope you have a very happy and healthy festive season and wish you all the best for the New Year. Try to get that nap in as well if you can.

Marie Ashton Managing Editor

InTuition EDITORIAL

editor@ifl .ac.uk InTuition , Institute for Learning, 49 – 51 East Road, London N1 6AH

Opinion 8 Teaching qualifications for HE Lessons from abroad Cover interview Natspec’s Alison Boulton

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Feature 12 The return of the lay teacher CPD Matters Defining professionalism Outstanding teaching Dual professionalism

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Research 23 Graded lesson observations InPractice Peer review

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InSight 26 The privatisation of education

Managing Editor: Marie Ashton Editor CPD Matters: Jean Kelly Editorial support: Michelle Charles Publishing and Editorial Adviser: Alan Thomson www.ifl .ac.uk/intuition

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Institute for Learning (IfL) and is available on subscription to non-members.

For non-member subscription enquiries, or to purchase single copies, telephone IfL on 0844 815 3202 or email editor@ifl.ac.uk

Geoff Petty Independent learning

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Books

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InFocus Pedagogue column

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Noticeboard

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Editorial board John Gannon, independent teacher/ trainer; Dr Maggie Gregson, University of Sunderland; Professor Yvonne Hillier, University of Brighton; Jacquie Higgs-Howson, Barnet College; Professor Ann Hodgson, Institute of Education; Ian Nash, Nash & Jones Partnership; Gemma Painter, National Union of Students; Marion Plant OBE, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and South Leicestershire College; James Noble Rogers, Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers; Geoffrey Stanton, Educational Consultant; Sheila Thorpe, Chichester College; Bobby Singh Upple, director of EMFEC; John Webber, Sussex Downs College; Tom Wilson, Unionlearn

Annual subscription rate for four issues: £50 (UK); £60 (rest of the world).

IfL is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No. 4346361.

The views expressed

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parties turn their attentions to election manifestos in 2014,

also recently launched IfL ‘InTuition Live’ webinars with

Contacts

News 4 Labour support for IfL stance

in this publication are not necessarily those of IfL or members of the editorial board.

Registered office: First Floor, 49 – 51 East Road, London N1 6AH Published: Dec 2013 ISSN: 2050-8950

Issue 14 | Winter 2013/14

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News

Labour would insist on qualified FE educators By staff reporters Members of the Institute for Learning (IfL) are celebrating a success in the campaign to protect the professional status of further education teaching after the Labour Party promised to reinstate the statutory right to training and qualifications for FE educators.

Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, told delegates at the Association of Colleges conference on 21 November that a Labour government would insist that FE teachers hold a teaching qualification in addition to qualifications in their subject or vocation.

Duly elected Congratulations and a warm welcome to the 13 newly elected members of IfL’s governing Advisory Council (AC). Seven members were elected to reserved seats: Mark Fardon, Member of IfL, (disability); Adam Curtis, MIfL, (FE colleges); Lois Acaster,

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Dr Hunt said that his party’s commitment contrasted with the Coalition Government’s “downgrading of the status of teaching” – a reference to the Coalition’s revocation, in September, of the FE Teachers’ Qualifications (England) Regulations 2007 which had guaranteed the statutory right to teacher training and qualifications across FE. “Under Labour, college lecturers will have to obtain a teaching qualification to ensure standards are high,” he said.

Toni Fazaeli, IfL’s chief executive, who met Tristram Hunt in Stoke along with other FE sector leaders earlier this year, hailed his announcement as a victory for IfL members whose collective voice is heard loud and clear by politicians.

Toni said: “I fully welcome that the Labour Party has dedicated itself to a gold standard in FE, including the vital reintroduction of a training and qualifications requirement for our teachers and trainers.

“IfL has campaigned persistently to make members’ voices heard on the issue of initial teacher training and qualifications (see panel). Some of IfL’s work is highly visible like our recent newspaper articles.

Some of it is behind the scenes,

Fellow of IfL (East Midlands region); David Midgley, FIfL, (East of England region); Stacey Bullock, MIfL, (North East England region); Mark Clarke, MIfL, (Workbased learning); and Gail Lydon, MIfL, (Yorkshire and Humber region).

A further six were elected to unreserved seats: Paul Gawdan, MIfL; Andrew Armitage, FIfL; Jonathan Backhouse, FIfL; Dionne

DAVE WESTON/POST PHOTOGRAPHIC

IfL pressure starts to take hold in corridors of power

Tristram Hunt at AoC conference

Highlights of IfL’s campaign for professionally qualified teachers Oct 2011 – Survey of members’ views on initial teacher training bit.ly/19cTnMV April 2012 – IfL response to education select committee inquiry on attracting and retaining the best teachers bit.ly/18gR2Ao June 2012 – IfL response to the BIS consultation on the deregulation of the FE workforce regulations bit.ly/N4t1Ba December 2012 – Publication of IfL response to LSIS consultation: New Qualifications for Teachers and Trainers bit.ly/19cTvMd February 2013 – IfL response to the consultation on establishing a guild, since renamed the Education and Training Foundation, for FE bit.ly/18UfdZb April 2013 – IfL response

as we work continuously to both create and seize opportunities to put the case to leading politicians and stakeholders.”

An IfL survey of more than 5,000 members carried out in June 2012, in response to the Government’s consultation on plans to revoke the 2007 regulations, found that 87 per cent backed mandatory national teaching qualifications.

Writing in The Guardian on 19 November, Toni said: “It is tragic that the future of FE is being blighted by a foolhardy few who use weak logic and shallow arguments to undermine the safe and successful educational base that has been built by the dedication of well over 100,000 qualified teachers.”

Dr Hunt’s announcement followed the publication, also in November, of Transforming

further education: A new mission to deliver excellence in technical education by the Skills Taskforce.

IfL submitted evidence to the Taskforce, followed by meetings with its leaders.

The Taskforce paper recommends that colleges become licensed Institutes of Technical Education delivering gold-standard vocational education, delivered by highquality, qualified teachers.

Labour’s decision to back FE

Ross, FIfL; Cathryn Clegg, MIfL; and Ros Foggin, FIfL. Congratulations too go to a further six AC members who were re-elected: Stella Austin, MIfL; Lisette D’Cruz, MIfL; Bea Groves, MIfL; Jan Hanson, MIfL; Sue Rhodes, MIfL and Ed Sallis, FIfL. The AC meets three times a year and its role is to distil the voices of members in order that they can influence and shape IfL policy and strategy.

Sue Crowley, AC chair, said: “I am pleased to welcome the new and re-elected members. I’d also like to thank all those who took part in the election process and thank those leaving AC for their contributions.”

IfL’s president Penny Petch said that AC’s role was crucial in ensuring that IfL members, across a very diverse further education and training sector, have strong representation in their professional body.

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www.ifl.ac.uk

to the Skills Taskforce consultation on vocational education, apprenticeships and youth unemployment bit.ly/1eOwUug July 2013 – IfL response to consultation on creating a new professional body – the College of Teaching - for school teachers bit.ly/1baf2IP July 2013 – Toni Fazaeli meets with Tristram Hunt and Gordon Marsden (then the shadow minister for further education and skills) September 2013 – IfL issues its landmark publication on professionalism in FE teaching, Should teaching be left to chance? bit.ly/19kmvUj September 2013 – IfL submits written evidence submitted to Parliamentary committee investigating the Government’s draft deregulation bill that included the deregulation of FE teaching bit.ly/18aeFOa October 2013 – Feature

and letter published in The Daily Telegraph, created by IfL and involving key partners bit.ly/1bDbPE9 November 2013 – IfL features in FE Week making the moral case for qualified FE teachers bit. ly/1acGViV November 2013 – IfL’s comment article in The Guardian bit.ly/1jiGtSb November 2013 – Toni Fazaeli meets with Liam Byrne, shadow minister for skills, to share evidence on the importance of teacher qualifications November 2013 – Toni Fazaeli, as one of the commissioners of the all-Parliamentary Skills Commission, makes the case for teachers being qualified for teaching young people aged 14-19 – one of the key recommendations in the Skills Commission report One System, Many Pathways bit.ly/IzTH1A Ear to the ground, page 6 Feature, page 12

teaching qualifications follows public support from Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader, for qualified school teachers as central to his national parental guarantee. This put him and his party at odds with coalition policy which allows unqualified teachers to practise in academies and free schools.

While the Lib Dems have yet to clarify their position regarding FE teachers, Mr Clegg’s

commitment to qualified school teachers, combined with the Labour Party’s pledge to both school and FE teachers, indicate a turning of the tide against deprofessionalisation .

IfL has also worked with the National Union of Students which has started a campaign to keep qualified teachers and trainers at the heart of FE. NUS campaign: bit.ly/nusFE Skills Taskforce report: bit.ly/YourBritain

IfL at a glance

88% 1% 7% 4%

● Principal teaching qualification Qualified ● Higher degree in education or training Qualified ● Principal teaching qualification Other ● Higher degree in education or training Other Principal teaching qualifications include: BA in education and training, BSc in education, a range of City & Guilds 730 certificates, PGCE and QTS. Higher degrees in education and training include: doctorate in education, honorary degree, MA in education and MSc in education.

‘Qualified’ indicates the qualification is complete. ‘Other’ denotes incomplete.

IfL course inspires Fellows onto PhDs Two IfL Fellows are realising their lifelong learning ambitions by starting PhD research, inspired by their successful completion of IfL’s Fellowship Research Programme (FRP).

Jesvir Mahil and Sophie Nikeas were among the first to complete the FRP which is run jointly by IfL and the Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance at the University of Oxford.

Jesvir, a teacher for 30 years and now an education consultant and Ofsted additional inspector for business, administration, finance and law, praised the high-calibre supervision provided by Oxford tutors and IfL. She said: “Meeting very high-calibre and enthusiastic educators, as part of the IfL FRP programme, inspired me to fulfil my long neglected professional aim to make a significant, original contribution to education.”

Jesvir’s FRP paper examined the problem of teaching teenage learners on vocational BTEC courses how to develop creative thinking skills.

Her paper has informed her doctoral research, at the University of Birmingham, on popular teaching approaches to creative thinking skills.

“My intention is to improve the quality of teaching and learning of creative thinking skills on vocational business studies courses in FE colleges in order to generate a greater capacity for innovation in the modern business environment,” she explained.

Sophie is a senior tutor at HMP & YOI Bronzefield, a private women’s prison in Middlesex, where she manages the prison’s provision of creative arts, business enterprise and vocational training. Sophie said that she had sent off a number of PhD

proposals over the past two years with no success. As she approached the end of the FRP, Sophie wrote another.

“I wrote a new proposal adapted from what I used for the programme and sent it off.

I was offered the opportunity to do a PhD by three universities,” she said.

“I truly feel that I wouldn’t have been successful in my application this time around had I not have completed the FRP.” Sophie is doing her research at the University of West London into ways in which engagement in the arts within prison can foster and promote confidence and life skills that can support rehabilitation.

For details of the Fellowship Research Programme and to register your interest please visit www.ifl.ac.uk/frp

Member poll How likely would you be to recommend working in the FE and skills sector?

82% 9%

● Very likely ● Likely, depending on the individual ● Not likely

Next issue Teachers and trainers need support to become effective managers The role of educators in offender rehabilitation Any views on these?

Contact editor@ifl.ac.uk

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News & Views

• Ear to the ground : Toni Fazaeli, IfL chief executive

THE TIMES

Could teachers and trainers grow to like Ofsted?

Inspection is important. But inspection is not the big story compared with the profound accounts I hear from members of imaginative and expert teaching and training of young and adult learners which transforms the experience of learning, means they gain qualifications and have far better lives and careers as a result.

This is the inspiring and epic story.

I wonder, in maverick mode, like the old song Love and Marriage, might teachers and Ofsted go together ‘like a horse and carriage’?

There is no doubt that the voice of thousands of teachers and trainers generously shared with IfL as your professional body has connected with – and influenced – Ofsted.

First, teachers and trainers told us you wanted short or no-notice inspections as this is fitting for your professionalism, so inspectors see the real-life experience, and so stress is minimised. You were aligned with Sir Michael Wilshaw on this, even though leaders and managers in FE preferred a longer lead in time.

Your experience had been that, however well-intentioned, managers intensified pressure for weeks leading up to inspection which was negative, very stressful and counterproductive.

Second, you said it was patchy whether you got feedback on observations of your teaching and learning sessions from inspectors.

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That is why IfL made the case strongly to the senior Ofsted team that clear feedback for every observation is essential.

Professional teachers need to be able to explain context and clarify so judgements are sensible, as well as to learn from what inspectors saw in order to enhance the quality of our practice. Ofsted committed to doing this.

Third, you wanted myths about inspection busted and so IfL has worked with members involved in inspection and Ofsted to publish a unique IfL Practitioners’ Guide to Ofsted Inspections: A guide for teachers and trainers on managing stress-free inspections (see news, next page, for more details) and we hope you find this helpful.

As our lead story on page four of this issue makes clear, your voice and evidence also has had a marked impact on challenging this coalition government’s ‘pot luck’ approach to whether new teachers and trainers are supported to be trained and become qualified or not.

You also created a strong impetus for the clear policy announced by the Labour party on 21 November that teachers in FE should have a national entitlement to initial teacher education. This is your victory. We continue to make the case to the current government.

• IfL’s Ofsted guide costs £9.95, plus postage and packing. To order, please go to www.ifl.ac.uk/ofstedguide

• Your views

FE pay levels are an insult I read Toni Fazaeli’s comments on further education teaching qualifications (FE Learners ‘want and expect’ qualified teachers, InTuition, issue 14), and what really worries me about FE is that when I was a programme leader in 2004, our part-time staff, many of whom were well qualified in their industry subjects would be reluctant to sign up for the inhouse teaching qualification, or the higher level CertEd/PGCE. Colleges (certainly in my own subject area) may need a dance, drama, music or technical specialist with real industry experience. They may well start the teacher training, but many drop out.

But, worse still is the pay.

Colleges have always been behind schools in this regard, but back in 2004, a sessional lecturer teaching Level 2 would be paid £19 per hour, with a Level 3 lecturer receiving £25. My old college has just advertised a post in my old department requiring teaching at Level 3, paying £15 per hour.

So in 10 years, pay has dropped a long way.

I support Toni’s quest to ensure that teachers should be qualified, but they must also be competent in their chosen subject and sometimes these two aims may be mutually exclusive. What is clear, however, is that colleges are paying insulting levels of pay – which could be part of the problem.

Paul Johnson

Send us your views Email us at editor@ifl.ac.uk or tweet us at twitter.com/ IfL_Members #IfL_InTuition.

Please note that letters may be edited for publication.

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www.ifl.ac.uk

IQTLS Call for a badge of honour I have just read the article in the most recent InTuition regarding learners wanting and expecting qualified teachers (FE Learners ‘want and expect’ qualified teachers, InTuition, issue 14).

I gained QTLS in August and I was very proud of this, shouting it from the rooftops to all who would listen.

While I have added this to my signature at the end of emails for example, I would love to wear a QTLS badge with pride.

However I do not have one.

Please help!

Helen Spiteri

Profession eternally ‘under fire’ The feature article “Our profession under fire” (InTuition, issue 14) is very important, because deprofessionalisation has taken place over a number of years and under various governments.

My experience as a lecturer in FE led me to experience the negative effects of marketisation and the deprofessionalisation of teachers. After incorporation, I witnessed the bullying of lecturers by management, reduction in wages and huge increases in working hours.

My experiences led to me to write a book Marketisation, Inequality & the Slow Death of FE, which IfL members may be interested in.

Frank Wright

News in brief Committed employer Chelmsford College is paying for all of its newly qualified teachers to gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status. The college agreed in October that achievement of QTLS was the natural progression to completion of initial teacher training and an essential further stage of qualification as a teacher.

The college already offers support for NQTs undertaking professional formation. David Law, the principal, said: “The college has always been committed to pedagogy and the professional development of all its staff at the college.

“Acquiring QTLS supports practitioners in their pedagogical development and recognises their professional skills and abilities.”

Penny Petch, head of teaching and learning development at the college and president of IfL, said: “Despite the revocation of the 2007 regulations, FE teachers are still coming forward to achieve QTLS via IfL. This speaks volumes in terms of how they value their profession and their status.”

So far, around a quarter of Chelmsford College’s teaching staff hold QTLS. Qualifications matter Hertford Regional College is seeking to recruit qualified teachers to fill full- and parttime maths lecturing vacancies at its Ware and Broxbourne campuses.

Applicants must have a degree and a teaching qualification such as DTLLS, PGCE or CertEd and demonstrate a passion for teaching, says the college in the job spec.

The closing date for applications is 31 December. www.hrc.ac.uk Book launch Hailed as a book with the

potential to transform continuing professional development in the further education sector, a new title, Challenging Professional Learning, contains chapters by some of the leading thinkers on professionalism and professional development in FE. Edited by IfL’s elected chair, Sue Crowley, the book argues that quality teaching and learning in FE is dependent upon the commitment of teachers and trainers to their own professional development.

The book is introduced by Professor Frank Coffield and includes chapters by Andy Boon, Professor Denis Gleeson, Vivienne Porritt, Fiona Mackay and Paul Wakeling as well as by Toni Fazaeli, Jean Kelly and Sue Colquhoun from IfL. Challenging Professional Learning is published by Routledge. IfL members can claim a 20 per cent discount on all Routledge titles ordered directly from www.routledge. com until December 31, 2014 – just use code INT14 when prompted. This discount cannot be combined with any other offer or discount.

inspection as an opportunity, emphasising that inspectors are not looking for particular lesson formats or methods.

In her introduction Toni Fazaeli, IfL’s chief executive, calls for trust in professional teachers’ judgement and says inspection should allow the teaching profession to develop and celebrate its practice. To order your copy of A Practitioner’s Guide to Ofsted Inspections, please visit www.ifl.ac.uk/ ofstedguide

IfL guide to inspections IfL has published the first practitioners’ guide to Ofsted inspections packed full of useful tips and insights to help teachers and trainers make the most of the inspection process.

The 36-page booklet, A Practitioner’s Guide to Ofsted Inspections: A guide for teachers and trainers on managing a stress-free inspection, covers the entire inspection process with tips, dos and don’ts and advice and insights from IfL members throughout.

In his foreword, Matthew Coffey, Ofsted’s director of further education and skills, urges readers to embrace

Agency initiative Recruitment agency Morgan Hunt has backed up its public support for qualified teachers and trainers in FE by making its staff take a PTLLS course.

The firm sent its recruitment consultants on the 12-week course, which is the first step towards qualified status (QTLS), and overhauled its vetting process for candidates applying for teaching jobs in FE. Morgan Hunt has questioned the Government’s decision to revoke the 2007 FE teaching regulations which ensured teachers were qualified or were working towards a teaching qualification in FE.

Master’s cash The Scottish government is to make £1.7 million available to help more teachers undertake masters-level learning. Last year, £1.3 million went to support teachers already embarked on master’s programmes.

Speaking at an Edinburgh seminar, education secretary Michael Russell said: “Evidence suggests that education systems with teachers educated to masters level produce better results for the young people they teach.”

IfL offers master’s degree credits to QTLS holders.

Email pf@ifl.ac.uk for details.

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ALAMY

News & Views

Opinion Celebrate and support professional teachers

By Professor Tim Thornton HE students are demanding qualified teachers and the FE sector should seize the opportunity it presents Anyone observing recent developments in further education might find the initiative of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) to begin collecting data on professional recognition and teaching qualification in higher education (HE) rather paradoxical.

Just as the move to deprofessionalise further education has come to a head, it appears that momentum in the opposite direction is growing in HE. This is at least in part because of what we have seen happen in FE. Colleagues who care about the quality of teaching and learning in HE should be arguing that we go further and make professional recognition a requirement for teachers in the sector.

This is a debate with a long history.

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Proposals to professionalise teaching and learning featured in Lord Dearing’s 1997 report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. In his report of 2010, Lord Browne recommended that ‘institutions require all new academics with teaching responsibilities to undertake a teaching training qualification accredited by the HE Academy’. And, in 2011, the Higher Education Academy (HEA) launched the revised UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), a foundation for institutions’ own qualifications appropriate for their students’ and colleagues’ needs.

The prime driver for this is student expectations in a sector where student choice is becoming more informed and powerful. These expectations include a

demand that those teaching in HE should have formal qualifications in teaching.

Such a development also offers advantages for staff themselves. At the University of Huddersfield, vice-chancellor Professor Bob Cryan has led a highly effective initiative to bring all colleagues with substantive teaching roles to achieve recognition against the UKPFS through the HEA. A key benefit has been increased staff self-confidence. In an internal survey, academics reported feeling more positive about themselves as reflective practitioners. They also found the status an aid in communicating their professionalism to their students.

There are some who might argue that the precise impacts of HE teaching qualifications are yet to be gauged. Those of us who make our careers in the delivery of professional qualifications in other spheres – in law, accountancy, engineering and nursing for example – might possibly debate the same point, without going to the extent of suggesting qualifications in those spheres should become voluntary. Most have confidence that just as we can design programmes that can help develop good lawyers, accountants, engineers and nurses, so we can for HE teachers.

Others may claim that any move towards professionalisation of HE teaching is a threat to the liberty of expression of the individual, to fundamental academic freedoms and institutional autonomy. Such a possibility

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www.ifl.ac.uk

Opinion Lessons for adult educators in the UK

By Alan Tuckett OBE, Member of IfL What constitutes professionalism in German adult education centres and Norwegian study circles?

exists, of course, but it is not an inevitable consequence. Other professions maintain a healthy autonomy and vigorous diversity, and there is no reason why academia should not do the same.

It may be that the underlying direction of policy in both FE and HE is intended to be the same: diversified sectors, parts of each of which have significant proportions of their staff with recognised teaching qualifications.

An optimist might hope that emulation between institutions, inspection regimes and demand from students might encourage wider engagement with professional teaching qualifications.

A more realistic view, however, might take lessons from other professions where it has long been recognised that these forces are not enough to prevent the drive to misrepresent and undercut to the client’s disadvantage – such that professional role titles are legally protected and professional and statutory bodies guard their standards.

This is a critical period for the professional status of those working in education, as those working in FE can testify. It is a period of threats, but also of one of opportunity, offered by the growing demand for professional recognition – the sector should take the initiative in seizing it.

Tim Thornton is pro vice-chancellor (teaching and learning) and professor of history at the University of Huddersfield

This autumn, I spent a month in Germany, as a visiting professor on an MA programme in the department of adult education at the University of Wurzburg where, unlike the UK, a large number of such departments thrive.

My students had confident expectations of securing jobs in the HR departments of major companies where, I was told, employers look for staff with a thorough grounding in the pedagogy of adult learning.

Few expected careers in the thriving adult education sector since full-time vacancies are rare. The department had a major focus on professionalism in adult education, with substantial comparative work, funded by the EU, looking at the issue across Europe.

This led me to wonder what constitutes professionalism for local part-time staff working in volkshochschulen (VHS, adult education centres) in Germany?

There you need to complete formal training to teach foreign languages, German as a second language, or literacy – at least in most places. But, for the wider adult education curriculum, initial training is a matter for local discretion.

More effort is put into the sharing of good practice – what we might see as the community of practice dimensions of IfL’s work. It is also true that German VHS attract middle class well-educated participants.

In Norway, the situation is similar, though more of the population takes part in study circles, the dominant mode of provision for adult learning. Sturla Bjerkaker of the Norwegian Folk High School Association, explains: “It doesn’t require any compulsory training to be a study circle leader. It is up to each provider to require or offer training spaces for study circle leaders. In some cases, it is just up to the circle itself to ‘elect’ a suitable study circle leader.

“This means that in most cases the responsibility for the quality is up to the provider or the group. Some offer training seminars of three to six hours on one day.”

This may sound laissez-faire from the perspective of recently regulated and (over)

inspected adult education in the UK, but Sturla explains that in Norway: “The classical definition for ‘study circle’ is a small group of equals, learning in a self-directed way, gaining knowledge by using the experience in the group; by collecting knowledge from ‘outside’ (from the web for example) and by inviting a lecturer or expert to talk to the group.”

This is significantly different from publicly funded adult education in the UK, although arguably similar to the University of the Third Age. There is, too, much in common with the Workers’ Educational Association prior to the incorporation of FE from 1992.

What lessons then for adult educators in the UK? There are several: • Little initial training is required in many countries for what academic Graham Mee once described as ‘spare-time teachers’ – teaching two or four hours a week • There is widespread confidence that the culture of the class, institution and adult education constitute a vibrant community of practice in which peer group learning flourishes and tutors are acculturated • This is predicated on participating learners having confidence and skill in learning • The sharp division we observe here between community organised learning and state supported FE for adults is more blurred elsewhere • That where under-represented groups are targeted, there is an expectation of more rigorous prior training For me, any strategy to widen participation beyond those confident in their learning needs rigorous training on teaching and learning for dealing with difference, combined with a rich community of practice where teaching and learning experience is shared, explored and lessons learned.

Alan Tuckett is president of the International Council for Adult Education and the former chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (Niace)

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Interview

The fight for independence

Alison Boulton (right) is used to arguing for the rights of individuals to a good solid education. As chief executive of Natspec, the Association of National Specialist Colleges, she has had to fight harder than most in the education service – often for the most severely disabled and disadvantaged students.

Her latest campaign is to convince the House of Lords’ Grand Committee that 18-year-olds with severe learning difficulties should have continuing access to learning until they are ready to make the transition to adulthood, which for some students might be at age 25.

The current wording of the Children and Families Bill – to replace special needs statementing with Education Health and Care (EHC) plans – could create a loophole for cash-strapped local authorities to end access at 18.

Special needs education demands the most exacting teaching skills and yet even here Boulton has had to press repeatedly for improvements because, too often, local authorities see the service as one of containment and care before education for employment and independent living.

Boulton makes it clear that wellresourced provision of initial teacher training and CPD for specialist colleges in Natspec membership is a priority.

“It is one of the most challenging areas of teaching a person can enter,” she says. “It is detailed tuition and support for learning and self-discovery towards greater independence.”

A significant issue facing specialist colleges is that politicians have never decided quite where they fit in. For example, they were never subject to the Further Education Teachers’ Qualifications (England) Regulations

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2007, revoked by government in September, which required those teaching in mainstream FE to hold or be working towards a teaching qualification.

“We have never been subject to the same regulations as other providers.

And with all the reforms and changes in regulations it has never been quite clear which policies apply and which don’t,” says Boulton.

For all that, specialist colleges have been at the forefront of reforms, providing expertise and CPD support to other sectors. Ironically, as specialist colleges help staff working in general FE settings to gain the skills needed to widen their student intakes, the challenges get tougher for specialists themselves.

“Over the past few years, Natspec providers have seen a change in their student group towards those with increasingly complex needs as general FE colleges take a wider group of learners,” she says.

If this provision and the attendant teacher training and development are expensive, Natspec is amassing evidence that shows the alternatives to be even more costly. A National Audit Office report, Oversight of special education for young people aged 16-25, in 2011 gave strong support when it concluded: “Giving the correct support to young people with special needs could help them lead more independent lives in the future and reduce longer-term costs to the public purse.”

In 2012, a study by accountancy firm Baker Tilly, commissioned by the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS), said special school provision was cheaper than equivalent local authority provision for students with complex special

TAMSIN MAE REED

Specialist colleges rely on highly trained, professional teachers delivering education that helps learners to lead independent lives. But Natspec’s Alison Boulton fears short-sighted ‘care and contain’ approaches may undermine education for independence. Interview by Ian Nash

educational needs. They suggested UKwide annual savings of over £600 million by this route.

Baker Tilley, working with two specialist colleges, Coventry’s Hereward and Lincolnshire’s Linkage, further suggested colleges nationally could be saving the taxpayer up to £120 million over the lifetime of each annual intake of learners.

However, Boulton is not complacent and says it’s important to look at the relative costs of social care and education for independence. “You can never be absolutely sure what level of independence someone might achieve given different settings, and it is morally impossible to have a control group.”

So, she commissioned qualitative value-for-money work from independent

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Info and resources www.natspec.org.uk Learning support staff resources www.excellencegateway.org.uk/ node/17215 Final Rarpa report, phase 1 www.excellencegateway.org.uk/ node/25745 Rarpa guidance: www.excellencegateway.org.uk/ node/27595 Rarpa case studies: www.excellencegateway.org.uk/ node/27598

consultant Sally Faraday, which backs the NAO conclusions. Moreover, case study evidence to the Lords’ Grand Committee demonstrates the importance of continuing access to learning (as opposed to just care) beyond 18.

Boulton highlights a typical case study – that of Ben who has cerebral palsy.

After gaining six GCSEs and an A/S level at school, he became a resident at National Star College at 19 where a team provided him with aids including wheelchair modifications, laptop with foot-controlled switch and head-switch to open doors or switch on the TV to help him to take control of his environment. After gaining a BTEC level 2 in sport, he discovered boccia (a precision ball sport, similar to bowls), joined Great Britain’s Paralympic team and

now runs a club in Gloucestershire, living relatively independently.

Specialist colleges are at the leading edge of developments in assistive technologies and in helping learners access and adopt these technologies, says Boulton.

But the Children and Families bill raises serious questions over the future funding of the work of specialist colleges. In October, Natspec and more than 100 other national organisations signed an open letter to David Cameron and Nick Clegg seeking substantial improvements to the bill.

“A number of things muddy the water,” says Boulton. “Some 150 local authorities and 65 specialist colleges (and all the general FE colleges) are trying to make sense of a new funding system with

inadequate guidance so far. We are still waiting for news about SEN grants for CPD and funding for the specialist SEN qualifications.”

The challenge, says Boulton, is for good colleges to maintain their core levels of expertise. “In tough financial times, colleges may feel they have to focus on their required areas of training – safeguarding, health and safety, first aid – so other areas may suffer,” she says.

“But good and outstanding colleges will be doing all they can to ensure they keep a fully trained workforce – we know that colleges that fail to keep staff up to date with new demands, mostly due to more complex student needs, often struggle during inspections.”

This cannot be gained by osmosis, but requires qualified teachers with CPD, she says: “It helps if you have a framework to understand what it is you are doing to promote learning and how you can continue to improve your practice.”

Evidence for this is emerging from the latest work from Sally Faraday, which shows convincingly the differences between a teaching context where the primary purpose is learning and a focus on care alone.

“In care, your job is to make sure the individual is well cared for rather than about promoting learning and independence. Therefore the question is what skills teachers need in order to do their job,” Boulton says. “You need to be clear about the objectives and appropriate approach; some learners need hundreds of tiny steps and experiential processes.

You need to be able to respond to what learners are doing. Have they got it or not?

You need the ability to push them on.”

Ian Nash is an education journalist and author who co-owns Nash & Jones Partnership Media Consultancy

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Can FE afford the return of the ‘lay teacher’?

Government may see teaching as a non-profession, reports Alan Thomson, but evidence says educational success is built on initial qualifications and professional development

“Further education is in flux.” Five words that introduced a paper written by a senior teacher trainer in 1949 and which could have been applied to FE in every one of the following 64 years.

JA Lawton’s paper, The Need for a New Approach in Technical Education, went on to talk about the typical FE teacher of the time, describing him [in the language of the time] as a ‘lay teacher’ drawn from industry whose practical knowledge and skills make technical education possible.

Mr Lawton, a senior lecturer at the then Huddersfield Technical Training College (a college for training FE teachers eventually subsumed by Huddersfield Polytechnic, now the University of Huddersfield), continued: “It has at last been recognised that his potentialities will be increased by giving him training as a teacher but the task will be a long one and, while the bulk of lay teachers remain untrained, an untouched teaching problem will continue to exist.”

What would Mr Lawton make of recent events in further education? Certainly, he would recognise that FE is in almost continual flux.

And would he also be baffled and dismayed that FE teachers, having gained the statutory right to be trained and recognised as professional teachers – leading to long-sought parity with qualified school teachers – suddenly, earlier this year, had that right taken from them?

The language is different but Mr Lawton was talking about the need for a dual professionalism in FE, educators qualified in their subjects or vocations and also as teachers. His paper has been followed by a considerable amount of research which helped build a consensus across FE and

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among policymakers about the need for dual professionalism underpinned by teacher training and qualifications for teachers, lecturers, tutors and trainers.

A mere 58 years after Mr Lawton warned of the length of the task ahead, the FE Teachers’ Qualifications (England) Regulations 2007 realised the sector’s ambition for improved professional recognition, reward and status and enshrined initial teacher education and qualification followed by Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills as a requirement for teaching in FE. Just six years later, in September this year, the 2007 regulations were revoked in what, for many educationists, was a poorly evidenced attack on the professional recognition to which FE teachers and trainers continue to aspire.

As the debates continue to rage around the deregulation of FE teaching, it is clear that many of the same issues, uncertainties and misconceptions addressed in earlier policy and research, are resurfacing.

For instance, a core claim of deregulators is that teacher training (either pre- or in-service) leading to a qualification does not guarantee improved teaching practice or better outcomes for learners.

Some, like education secretary Michael Gove, certainly challenge what they see as assumptions about the benefits of teaching qualifications.

Responding to shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt in a recent Opposition Day debate in the House of Commons on the need for training and qualifications for school teachers, Mr Gove said: “As far as he and those on his front bench are concerned, the only way in which someone can be a good teacher

is if a single piece of paper is conferred on them.”

“He got to Cambridge with the help of men and women who did not have QTS, but who had a great degree and a passion for learning, and now he wants to deny that same opportunity to poor children.”

Certainly, FE principals have long been able to recruit promising people into teaching who lack teaching qualifications on the proviso that they will work towards a qualification while in post.

It appears that the government’s

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position – following the revocation of the 2007 FE regulations and the announcement that Qualified Teacher Status is no longer required for teachers in academies and free schools – is that because some exceptional individuals without teaching qualifications can be good and even brilliant teachers; no-one requires a teaching qualification.

As Beatrix Groves, IfL’s immediate past president, said recently in InTuition (issue 14): “Rules should be able to accommodate the exceptional, but

exceptions should not determine the rules.”

In fact, there is evidence that a teaching qualification does make a difference to professional practice and learners’ attitudes towards their teachers and their education. A 2003 paper for the Learning and Skills Development Agency, Recollected in tranquillity? FE Teachers’ perceptions of their Initial Teacher Training, found that a majority of teachers surveyed rated their ITT highly.

They gave a range of positive reasons including: helping them develop and

practise different learning strategies and techniques; helping in lesson planning and time management; the benefits of observation and receiving feedback; the value of observing others teach.

Teachers reported that teacher trainers were powerful role models of good practice.

They also valued greatly being taught the importance of reflection upon their practice.

In fact, for some teachers, reflection was the most important aspect of ITT. A 2002 paper examined the relationship between professional training and how

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students in northern European countries evaluated their teachers.

The paper, by Tor Aase Johannessen, Joe Harkin and Oyvind Mikalsen, reported that students felt that the most important factor in enhancing the learning process was professional teaching. Researchers explained that the term ‘professional teaching’ included teachers’ preparation to teach, clarity of explanations and variation of teaching method.

In 1999, the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) published a report, Professional Development in Further Education, based on 108 English colleges achieving the highest grades for quality assurance. The FEFC identified a number of factors common to effective professional development in colleges including “the high proportion of staff with teaching qualifications, in a sector where they are not a requirement”.

Much has been made by the government and others arguing for the deregulation of teaching in FE, about the need to give providers the autonomy to employ the best people, qualified or not, as teachers. Universities, which have traditionally employed lecturers without teaching qualifications, are held up as exemplars for FE. Apart from the fact that the 2007 teaching regulations did not prevent FE employers hiring lecturers and trainers without a teaching qualification, such arguments ignore a changing culture towards teaching qualifications in higher education (HE).

A 2010 paper, Dimensions of Quality, written by Professor Graham Gibbs for the Higher Education Academy (HEA), drew on a number of international studies which showed that HE teachers with teaching qualifications were more highly rated by their students than teachers without qualifications.

The changed relationship between UKbased HE students, who now pay fees of up to £9,000 a year, and HE providers has focused attention on the quality of tuition offered and the teaching credentials of the lecturers delivering that tuition.

In response to this, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) is gathering information on the teaching qualifications held by all HE lecturers and the intention is that it will be published in due course.

Institutions such as the University of Huddersfield, whose pro vice-chancellor Tim Thornton writes on page eight of this issue, already boast full recognition of lecturing staff, through the HEA, against the revised UK professional standards framework for HE.

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REFERENCES JA Lawton (1949) The need for a new approach in technical education. Published in The Vocational Aspect of Education (now The Journal of Vocational Education and Training), 1:3, 244-252. bit.ly/tech_ed Toraase Johannessen, Joe Harkin, Oyvind Mikalsen (2002) Constructs used by 17-19 year old students in northern Europe when informally evaluating their teachers. Published in the European Educational Research Journal, 1(3), 538-548. bit.ly/Constructs Harkin, Joe and Clow, Ros and Hillier, Yvonne, Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), London and South East Learning and Skills Research Network, (2003) Recollected in tranquility: FE teachers’ perceptions of their initial teacher training. bit.ly/FEperceptions Further Education Funding Council, corp creator. (1999) Professional development in further education : national report from the Inspectorate 1998-99. bit.ly/profdev98 Gibbs, Graham (2010) Dimensions of quality, higher education academy. bit.ly/HEdimensions

‘Teachers responsible for designing the curriculum and delivering qualifications will be qualified’ The Association of Colleges, representing FE employers, confirms that course fees have remained relatively stable in the sector over the past 20 years. However, HE’s experience shows that if market forces cause FE fees to rise significantly, learners may begin to demand greater transparency from providers regarding the qualifications held by their teaching staff.

The Institute for Learning and the National Union of Students, with which it is working to establish a pledge celebrating FE employers who are dedicated to professional excellence in teaching, believe all who teach in FE should be qualified to do so.

While continuing to lobby for the right to professional training and qualifications for all FE teachers, IfL hopes that providers will use their greater autonomy to continue to support progress toward a fully qualified teaching workforce.

Structural changes across schools and FE for young people and linked to vocational learning include the development of university technical colleges (UTCs), studio schools and the new “career colleges”. The idea is that these will enjoy a great connectivity with local FE providers, where there is vast expertise in vocational teaching and training.

As in FE generally, as well as academies and free schools, teaching qualifications are not required by UTCs or career

colleges and, on the face of it, their growth could further undermine the professional recognition of teaching.

However, Peter Mitchell, director of education for the Baker Dearing Trust, which initiates and promotes UTCs, said that talks were ongoing regarding the development of a possible teachertraining programme for some or all of the 42 UTCs currently in development.

Mr Mitchell, a qualified teacher and a head teacher for many years, said: “The majority of teachers being appointed are qualified school teachers. But it is also important that UTCs recruit people from industry and they are unlikely to be qualified teachers.

“So, we are looking at how training can be tailored to individual UTCs. This is about getting industry to talk to teaching.”

Anne Constantine, principal of Cambridge Regional College which is part of a consortium developing the Cambridge UTC scheduled to open in 2014, offers further hope for continued support for teaching qualifications.

“My position, as part of the UTC’s governing body, is that all teachers that are responsible for designing the curriculum and delivering qualifications will be qualified. In Cambridge, learners and parents expect to see qualified staff leading teaching,” Ms Constantine said.

“I would be worried if FE became a superficially unqualified profession.”

FE remains in flux and, while it is used to and can even thrive on continual change, it must decide whether it accepts - as the evidence suggests - that trained and qualified teachers are of fundamental importance to the quality of further education and its reputation going forwards.

As Mr Lawton might have put it, can FE afford the return of the “lay teacher”?

Alan Thomson is publishing and editorial advisor to IfL

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CPDMatters Promoting ideas to teachers and trainers in the further education and skills sector

What does being a ‘professional’ really mean?

Dr Jean Kelly Director of professional development At a recent symposium on vocational education and training, the old discussion about the divide between the vocational and the professional raised another, unfortunately more pressing, question about what being professional really means. As a sector and even as a country, we seem to constantly skirt around the articulation of this contested concept.

The three articles in this edition of CPD Matters have their own take on professionalism and I hope reading them will fire up your own enthusiasm for defining what we mean.

The CPD Matters section offers IfL members a selection of scholarly and accessible articles, aimed at supporting and enhancing professional knowledge and practice.

Articles are not refereed.

Andrew Wilson has been trying to get professionals themselves to define what professionalism or what the possession of ‘an extended professionality’ means to them.

His work seems to be showing that the idea of being a professional educator and providing learners with the widest and the most developed educational experience possible is more important than a narrow, instrumental focus on CPD or performance – an expansive view that is clearly music to the Institute for Learning’s ears.

Harriet Harper, in a refreshing critique of what constitutes outstanding teaching, demolishes the idea of a technical/rational formula to demonstrate a concept of professional excellence through displaying a broad repertoire of skills. She illustrates how she has seen the way in which professionalism comes into play to determine the kind of teaching that is appropriate in every context and that this is based on a ‘genuine development of students’ knowledge and skills’. For her, seeing teachers teach, is a way to encourage real thinking and the discovery of what professionalism is in action.

This is also echoed in the piece by Andrea Gewessler and Matt O’Leary: systems aiming for world-class dual professionalism do not construct some kind of 19th century panopticon to oversee professionals in practice, they encourage critical reflection through dialogue and development about what has been observed.

I hope you find all three articles interesting and informative and may I wish all members the very best for 2014.

CPD Exchange Don’t forget, if you want help with your own academic or action research, or to share information and data with fellow IfL members, you can visit www.ifl.ac.uk/ cpdexchange

If you would like to contribute to or ask a question for a future edition of CPD Matters, please email us at editor@ifl.ac.uk for further details InTuition

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Outstanding teaching – the reality

By Harriet Harper What would an analysis of 20 outstanding – in all senses of the word – sessions reveal? You may find some of the observations surprising...

My research focused on an analysis of 20 sessions observed by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). These were sessions that experienced HMI, who specialised in the lifelong learning sector, remembered as being outstanding, not just in terms of the grade but also in the literal sense – they ‘stood out’ from others because they were so good.

The purpose of the research was not to provide a definitive definition of outstanding (which is probably impossible as it depends on who is trying to define it and why and as such it is usually highly contentious and political). Rather, it was to look at these real sessions in detail and to pin down what, if anything, they had in common and the extent to which the practice observed aligns to any particular pedagogical approach.

Interestingly, reflecting the diversity of the lifelong learning sector itself, the sessions had little in common in terms of setting, subject and level, type of student or resource, or even gender or experience of the teacher. The sample included 20 different subjects, four of which were A or AS-levels, 12 were vocational, one was teacher education and the other three were adult and community learning courses.

Thirteen of the sessions took place in general further education colleges, two in sixthform colleges, three in community centres, one in a work-based learning provider and another in a young offenders’ institution.

There was no magic formula or onesize-fits-all template. Every lesson was different and contingent on the professional judgement of the teacher in that particular setting, at that time and

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with that particular group of students.

As experienced practitioners know, what works well in one context may not in another and so the transfer of ‘good practice’, assuming one can agree on the identification of it, is much more difficult than it initially appears to be.

For that reason, it’s not helpful to use the term ‘best practice’ as this implies there is one single transferable teaching method that can be applied to all sessions.

The research provided evidence to debunk many of the myths about observation, excellence and inspection that abound within the sector. For example, it really is not necessary – or indeed educationally desirable – to start every lesson by mechanistically reading out learning outcomes. Neither is it essential to use technology, present the perfect lesson plan, put on a performance or routinely change activities to be judged outstanding.

What the 20 sessions did have in common was the fact that the teachers were all very highly skilled practitioners.

The common features in the sessions were the factors that teachers had responsibility for and could control.

While they could not choose the setting or the students, they did what teachers always do – regardless of the latest fad, government initiative, inspection framework or technological advance – plan, teach and assess. So, what did these 20 teachers do to make their sessions so good?

They had clearly put considerable thought into the planning stage, although this did not necessarily present itself in the form of meticulous or lengthy lesson plans. Learning outcomes appeared to be authentic

and were written in plain English, not arbitrarily plucked out of a syllabus or text book, and they were closely aligned to the context and chosen teaching and assessment methods.

You may be surprised to learn that several of the sessions were what some observers might consider to be oldfashioned in terms of their format and structure. For example, one A-level lesson was very much ‘chalk and talk’.

An access to social work lesson revolved solely around discussion and in another lesson, media studies students did not move away from their computers for 90 minutes. In each case, though, as in the other 17 sessions, the teachers’ approaches worked extremely well.

In terms of common pedagogical characteristics, the teaching methods used in the 20 sessions were mostly based on problem-solving and/or authentic tasks, discovery rather than telling, structured discussions and independent learning. Across the 20 sessions, teachers spent much more time listening and observing, than they did talking. Not one of the 330 or so students escaped involvement in meaningful activity.

Of course, this emphasis on active or experiential learning is not at all uncommon in the lifelong learning sector and does not in itself constitute an outstanding or even satisfactory lesson. It is certainly not the case that any activity is better than a didactic approach to teaching. Those of you who routinely observe sessions will be all too familiar with ‘busy’ sessions and students who appear to be ‘engaged’ when in fact they are learning very little and also – at the other extreme – with didactic lectures which, if done

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Students’ high level of motivation was, to a large extent, a product of the way in which they were taught and the skillfully subtle manner in which these teachers managed their sessions

extremely well, can be highly stimulating and successful.

Throughout the sessions teachers gave plenty of feedback to help students to make sense of what they were learning and what they needed to do to make further progress. These teachers planned carefully the use of contextspecifi c assessment methods, including problem-solving tasks relating to everyday life, written exercises, observation, role play, discussion, presentations and peer marking.

Unsurprisingly, question and answer featured in all the sessions. Too often, this most popular assessment tool is used poorly but in these sessions, the teachers demonstrated considerable expertise in the way in which they asked questions. They did so not just to check levels of understanding, but also to elicit information and views and – as importantly – to encourage thinking and discovery.

The very well designed assessment tasks provided students with opportunities to demonstrate the impact of their understanding. For example, learners were able to explain in their own words how the human eye works, discuss with confi dence local housing policies, lay bricks competently, use mathematical equations to solve real problems, explain to their peers how to look after a gerbil and successfully change a carburettor.

In terms of personality and style, the teachers were not particularly flamboyant, emotional or extrovert but they were passionate and enthusiastic about both their subject and their teaching. They appeared to want genuinely to be in the lesson in order to share that passion and to help their students to learn, enjoy learning and achieve well.

It was evident to the learners, as well as to the observers, that these dual

professionals – including a chef, classicist, social worker, hairdresser and physicist – were experts in their subjects as well as in the associated pedagogy.

Because of this, they were able to structure the unfolding of various concepts and/or practical skills in ways that students found meaningful, challenging and achievable.

So far, a picture has been presented of 20 well-planned sessions, based mostly on active learning, taught by enthusiastic teachers. Most likely, that would not have been enough to make them stand out.

Another factor contributing to the success of these sessions was that the teachers demanded high standards and learners adapted to the requirements made of them. The sessions were clearly not just about getting through the syllabus, passing an assignment, preparing for an examination or even impressing the observer. The sessions were designed and managed to focus unashamedly on the genuine development of students’ knowledge and skills.

It was certainly not the case that these teachers had students who were ‘easy’ to teach. In fact, some groups were what many would consider to be particularly difficult. Students’ high level of motivation was, to a large extent, a product of the way in which they were taught and the skillfully subtle manner in which these teachers managed their sessions.

Classroom (or in other cases, laboratory, workshop or workplace) management was superb and included all the classic techniques used by really good teachers, many of which might go unnoticed to an inexperienced eye.

Teachers proactively and unobtrusively prevented any kind of disruptive behaviour or lulls in momentum. They got sessions off to a very brisk start and kept the activities sufficiently challenging, interesting and purposeful.

These sessions are a reminder that there need not be a clash between a focus on high standards and the lifelong learning sector’s well-deserved reputation for being inclusive.

The fact that the students worked to a high standard and remained motivated was no accident. Inclusive practice is much more than simply being nice to learners and creating a pleasant environment, important though that is.

These teachers had created a highly supportive and inclusive atmosphere combined with a serious approach to learning. They made their sessions both enjoyable and rewarding for all students, regardless of their background, circumstances or prior attainment.

The teachers of these outstanding sessions demonstrated not just their excellent ‘observable’ teaching skills but also the knowledge, values and beliefs that had shaped their practice.

Harriet Harper Harriet is a former HMI who works for the Higher Education Academy and as a freelance consultant. She has extensive experience of working in FE and of teacher education for the post-compulsory sector. Harriet is an affiliate member of IfL.

Member book offer This article is based on Harriet’s recently published book Outstanding Teaching in Lifelong Learning (2013), Open University Press (McGraw-Hill Education).

Paperback: 978-0-3352-6262-5 IfL members are eligible for a 20 per cent discount on this book.

To order go to www.openup.co.uk and enter code EDUCATION13 when prompted. The offer is valid until 31 December 2013.

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Cross-cultural learning for teachers: the use of lesson observation in adult education in Austria

By Andrea Gewessler and Matt O’Leary What lessons can English further education learn from the Austrian experience of lesson observation? Initial perceptions viewed it as a form of panoptic surveillance, but those fears have been allayed and tutors now regard it as a positive process Over the past two decades, lesson observation has become a hostage victim of the ‘quality police’ in schools and colleges in England, who have duly stripped it of its value as a catalyst for professional development, with teachers invariably experiencing increased levels of disempowerment, anxiety and general discontent in relation to its use.

something that would specifi cally target teaching and learning.

Although there are some exceptions to this, they are unfortunately few and far between, with little signifi cant variation on the normalised ‘Ofsted model’ that dominates the way in which observation is used in so many institutions across the country. Stepping outside of this institutionalised and hegemonic psyche requires a cultural shift and what better way to do that than to compare the way in which observation is viewed and used in another country.

The project had originally intended to concentrate on the introduction of lesson observation as a form of evaluative practice but, as it gathered momentum, there was a signifi cant shift among participants to view observation more as a lens for stimulating critical refl ection. Thus, the underpinning aim of the project was to improve the quality of learning and teaching in the long-term by creating an organisational culture of self-refl ection and commitment to the importance of continuing professional development (CPD) among a largely part-time workforce.

Over the past four years, Andrea Gewessler has been working with the adult education service in Vienna, the Wiener Volkshochschulen GmbH, while supporting adult educators to develop a quality improvement system for teaching and learning. In collaboration with the municipality’s head of the pedagogical department, Dr Elisabeth Brugger, the impetus for the project emerged from a desire to supplement the organisational quality improvement system with

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Learning from the successes and failures of those that have implemented similar systems elsewhere was equally important, specifi cally English further education’s experience of having lived with an inspection and accountability regime for two decades.

After being presented with a detailed insight into the ‘English system’, a group of full-time and part-time staff was selected to develop the ‘Austrian framework’. Instead of producing a checklist of hundreds of performance criteria, these adult educators created a concise set of what they collectively viewed as essential components of a

‘good learning experience’.

This set of indicators was built on the premise that there is no objective and generically applicable defi nition of what a good lesson is, but that the success factors are very much dependent on current social and educational concepts and aspirations. This realisation is quite important as in England, the Ofsted framework is frequently treated as if it refl ected some kind of universal truth about the state of students’ learning experiences, when, in fact, it represents only one lens which focuses on certain elements at the expense of others.

A narrative was developed for each of these main criteria that provided illustrative examples. The narrative was conceived as a reference tool for observers, but not to be used prescriptively. The list below provides an example of some of the descriptors listed for the criteria associated with ‘an atmosphere conducive to learning’.

• Communication between tutors and learners is characterised by appreciation, openness and a democratic teaching style • Tutors create an atmosphere that is free of fear, which offers the possibility to look at oneself, learning content and society

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The post-observation dialogue was followed by a conversation with the local curriculum leads to reflect more on what the observee had learned, along with a discussion of their CPD needs

• Men and women are treated with equal appreciation. Possible role stereotypes are used as topics in sessions and gender appropriate language is used • Tutors treat learners respectfully, regardless of their background and ethnicity. It is important that any discriminatory behaviour within the group is talked about and if necessary worked on to be resolved • Tutors are familiar with basic concepts of diversity and are competent to integrate it into their sessions • Solidarity and collaboration, as well as mutual support of learners, are promoted and their needs and learning goals are integrated into the course aims • Diffi culties, criticism and questions of learners are dealt with • The autonomy of learners is ensured and self-guided learning is strengthened • Tutors are familiar with the guidelines for successful teaching and learning and with the values of the Wiener Volkshochschulen • Tutors regularly undertake CPD in their subject matter and in methodology and pedagogy The observers all participated in a three-day observation and selfrefl ection workshop and received periodic updates and refresher sessions. Among some of the core skills that the workshops aimed to develop was the importance of selfawareness and lessening observer subjectivity in the written and oral feedback for observees.

Through a process of discussion and debate, observers reached a collective agreement that an important part of their role was to encourage tutors to self-refl ect and to ask questions

Overview of professional development in Austria The Wiener Volkshochschulen offers a comprehensive programme of CPD. Some of this is non-accredited, while other courses lead to credits towards a certificate or diploma in adult education.

This is accredited through the WBA, a central organisation, which is the ‘Weiterbildungsakademie’ in full. It’s broadly translated as the ‘academy for continuing professional development’.

The content of the certificate and diploma are determined by the WBA along with different organisations, including the Wiener Volkshochschulen, that run accredited programmes as part of their CPD offer, which are recognised to contribute a certain number of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) points to the certificate or diploma. What is significantly different to the system in England, however, is that: • Accreditation happens in one central point • The offer is highly modularised and tutors seek accreditation when they have collected a sufficient number of ECTS points and feel ready for the accreditation process • The Wiener Volkshochschulen, spanning 23 districts in Vienna, has one shared CPD offer • The professional status and respect afforded to tutors is greater than that of their English counterparts

about their practice rather than simply produce a set of evaluative judgements for them about what they had observed.

With this in mind, observers decided to base their written feedback on factual descriptions of what they had observed rather than impose their own subjective interpretation on the events of the lesson.

Thus the written feedback of the session was to serve as a mirror for tutors to selfreflect upon and a stimulus for discussion between observer and observee.

The post-observation dialogue was then followed up a few weeks later by a conversation with the local curriculum leads to refl ect more on what the observee had learned, along with a discussion of their CPD needs.

The whole process was therefore driven by a desire to promote professional dialogue and wider professional learning.

Self-refl ection does not come easily to everyone and a two-day workshop was

also arranged for tutors to help them to develop and hone their self-refl ection skills. This emphasis on self-refl ection has been supported by the head of the pedagogical department. For the past two years, the head of the pedagogical department, observers and tutors have participated in an afternoon of collective refl ection, organised in a world café style. Short workshops have also been held for curriculum leads responsible for overseeing curriculum planning.

With more than 1,000 observations having been carried out in the past three years, the original fears and suspicions of the Austrian tutors towards the introduction of lesson observation appears to have dissipated.

This is borne out by the fact that only three tutors have left the service since its introduction. Gone are those initial perceptions of observation as a form of panoptic surveillance, as tutors now regard it as a positive process.

This is in no way a coincidence but

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can largely be attributed to the way in which these Austrian educators have been afforded the autonomy to engage with observation as a mechanism for reciprocal professional growth, itself a refl ection of differences in educational cultures between the two countries.

What the Austrian experience in the Wiener Volkshochschulen teaches us is that the formative and transformative potential of lesson observation is very real and has an important part to play in furthering teacher development and, in turn, our understanding of teaching and learning as a whole. This naturally begs the question as to what sessions can the English system learn from this?

Conceptions of professionality and professional identity within the learning and skills sector

By Andrew Wilson FE teachers see themselves on a par with university lecturers, but their greatest desire is to provide students with an educational experience of the highest quality

Andrea Gewessler Andrea is director and founder of Change that Matters Ltd, an independent company working with organisations and communities to bring about transformational change through dialogue, collaboration and innovation.

Andrea previously held a number of senior management positions in the FE sector and is a language teacher and teacher educator. www.changethatmatters.co.uk On Twitter @andreagewessler

Matt O’Leary Dr O’Leary is principal lecturer and research fellow in postcompulsory education in the Centre for Research and Development in Lifelong Education (Cradle) a joint initiative by the University of Wolverhampton and IfL. He is a renowned expert on classroom observation and has recently completed a book for Routledge: Classroom observation: a guide to the effective observation of teaching and learning.

On Twitter @drmattoleary

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In recent years it has been reported that further education teachers and trainers have become increasingly more positive about their roles and identities as professional educators (Gleeson et al, 2005; Spenceley, 2006; RCU, 2007; Wilson & Wilson, 2011). These observations have prompted my current research into the impact of professionalism within the sector.

A survey design has been applied using a mixed method approach with data being collected by questionnaire, semistructured interview and focus group methods. The focus of the research is on the description of professionalism within contemporary FE via Hoyle’s (1975) related conceptions of professionalism and professionality.

Hoyle defines professionalism as the sum of the strategies and claims used by the members of an occupation to improve their status leading to an increase in pay and better conditions. In short, it is the occupational group’s preferred perceptions of itself and as such is a largely cognitive and fluid entity. In contrast Hoyle suggested that an educator’s professionality consisted of

their skills, knowledge and pedagogical approaches. This then has a behavioural element that can be easily observed, reported and measured. Hoyle further proposed that professionality could be described on a continuum of what he termed as extension and restriction.

The restricted professional exhibits a commitment to technical rational concerns that place their focus of interest within day to day classroom teaching. In contrast, tutors who commit to practices that go beyond the provision of classroom teaching and embrace a wider range of activities, knowledge and skills are viewed as having an extended professionality. The labels are used purely descriptively to illuminate two different approaches to teaching learners, there are no implied value judgements on Hoyle’s part. I want to measure the attitudes, perceptions and opinions of staff within the sector, in relation to the extension or restriction of their professional roles.

The results collected so far have indicated that staff within FE place a high value on extended professional activities such as professional development and

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scholarly activities. The analysis of the qualitative data indicates that staff are presently seeking professional development opportunities to extend existing skills and attain new ones that will help them progress within their careers. As one sociology lecturer explained: “Professional development is the lifeblood of my practice, if I want to engage in the areas of opportunity that are opening up to me at present I need to develop and adapt my skills continually.”

This and similar responses indicate a willingness to acquire new skills on the basis of a lifelong learning approach that responds to the demands of a sometimes volatile sector. This engagement with professional development and the recognition of its worth provides support for work within the existing literature.

For example, Spenceley (2006) describes the development of a new multi-skilled professional typified by a commitment to a continuous updating of skills suited to the varied environments found within the sector.

Scholarly activities are undertaken to facilitate the acquisition of an extended skill set and are reflected in the academic profile of the respondents, all of whom held a teaching qualification or were engaged in the acquisition of one. A surprisingly (for me) large proportion (67 per cent) have attained a first degree (47 per cent) or are studying for one (20 per cent), while 8 per cent claimed to hold master’s degrees.

One teacher of business management typified the approach to scholarly activity: “It’s not enough to enter the profession with a skill set based on one set of qualifications. If we are to stay current as our subject changes we need to change with it. The best way to do this is to study.

I left industry 15 years ago and since then have gained a teaching certificate and an MBA. I’m considering a Ph.D. soon.”

This level of scholarly activity is helping to challenge and reverse the stereotype of FE being staffed by vocational

specialists lacking academic qualifications (Ollin, 2002).

Many respondents also indicated that the reading of professional literature (57 per cent) and professional collaboration (52 per cent) were viewed as key developmental activities. Gleeson et al (2005) claimed that FE was undergoing a paradigm shift; my research supports this claim with the majority of respondents indicating that they possessed an extended professionality.

Evidence for this comes from their engaging in the broader social contexts of education rather than focusing only on classroom activities and restricted, or narrowly defined, ideas of what it means to be a professional educator.

The Yorkshire & Humber East Lifelong Learning Network (YHELLN), commissioned me to undertake research into the professional identity of traditional FE teachers and those delivering higher education within the sector. The data were gathered by questionnaire that collected both quantitative and qualitative responses from Likert-type scales and open questions.

The results showed that the differences between the two groups were small and at times purely superficial. Both of the groups perceived themselves as professional educators rather than subject specialists. The role of the educator appears to be a central part of the tutors’ perceptions of their professional identity with 90 per cent of the respondents claiming that this role took precedence over their affiliation to the subject matter of their major qualification.

Both groups perceived themselves as professional, with 95 per cent of the sample strongly agreeing or agreeing with the statement: “I see myself as a true professional.”

Fifty per cent of the sample described themselves as the equal of lecturers in HE compared with 25 per cent who saw themselves as inferior.

The qualitative data provided some illumination of this situation with many FE staff seeing their vocational background and academic qualifications as providing parity with HE: “I was a highly skilled tradesman for nearly two decades, I held all of the required vocational awards. My qualifications are what got me the job here, since getting the job I have attained my 730, Certificate in Education and BA (hons) if these and my work experience don’t put me on a par with university staff then nothing will.”

However, some accepted that there were important differences between lecturers in FE and university lecturers.

Research skills were most often cited here, a typical view came from an English teacher: “I recognise that [HE lecturers’] research culture and production of publications puts me at a disadvantage in some respects.”

The major differences in professional identity between the HE in FE and FE groups involved research and writing.

The FE group felt that research activity to create new knowledge or writing for publication was not part of their role.

This group tended to conceptualise their research activity as a part of the preparation of resources cycle, a representative view came from a history tutor who claimed: “I am constantly looking into materials in order to develop, deliver and evaluate new programmes.”

In contrast, the HE in FE group were much more sympathetic to the concept with a small number (20 per cent) being involved in research projects as part of their job role.

The HE in FE group’s distinctive identity traits were typified by a preference for teaching HE students and topics. The major reason for this was a perception that teaching HE was more rewarding due to the greater academic freedom to interpret the syllabus and higher levels of autonomy among students.

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“My preparation is as detailed as when I worked in just FE. My syllabus however is much more open to my own interpretation than before so I often have to develop my knowledge of a subject to a greater depth than I would need for the prescribed content of the courses I taught in FE,” said one.

However, the most central construct of both group’s professional identity was a strong desire to ensure that the educational experience of their students was of the highest quality.

A representative view was articulated by a construction tutor: “The term professional is much abused but if by it you mean do I ensure that my students get the most from me regarding their educational experience then I would say ‘yes’.”

In conclusion, the professional identity of FE lecturers is characterised by their perception of themselves as professional educators rather than subject specialists. In addition, they see their role as being the equal of university lecturers in general.

However, their major defining trait was the desire to provide students with an educational experience of the highest possible quality.

The ongoing research into professionalism has been of great benefit to my role within teacher education in providing both myself and my students with cutting-edge information. If you would be willing to take part in this research please contact me at awilson@hull-college.ac.uk for a copy of the questionnaire.

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References

Andrew Wilson

• Gleeson, D., Davies, J. & Wheeler, E. (2005) On the making and taking of professionalism in the further education workplace. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 26(4), pp 445 – 460.

Andrew is the higher education research officer at Hull College. He is involved with teacher education and the teaching of research methods in criminology and business. The article is based on a survey report for the Yorkshire and Humber East Lifelong Learning Network and Andrew’s ongoing survey of professionality within the sector, some of the findings of which were presented at the University of Huddersfield PCET conference. consortium.hud.ac.uk/news/events/ annualconference2013

• Hoyle, E. (1975) Professionality, professionalism and control in teaching.

IN Houghton, V. (ed) Management in education: The management of organisations and individuals, Ward Lock Educational & The Open University Press: London.

• Ollin, R. (2002) Professionals or prisoners?

The competency-based approach to professional development in Trorey, G. & Cullingford, C. (eds) Professional development and institutional needs.

Ashgate: Aldershot.

• Research & Consultancy Services (RCU) (2007) National staff survey benchmarking service: Summary of findings form FE staff surveys, [online] www.rcu.co.uk/home.jsp (last accessed 12/12/2007).

Further reading IfL’s Strategy 2013-16 bit.ly/IfLstrategy IfL Review of CPD 2011-12 bit.ly/IfLreview11-12

• Spenceley, L. (2006) ‘Smoke and mirrors’: an examination of the concept of professionalism within the FE sector.

Research in Post-Compulsory Education.

11(3), pp 289 – 302.

• Wilson, A. & Wilson, B.D. 2011 Pedagogy of the repressed: Research and professionality within HE in FE. Research in PostCompulsory education. 16 (4), pp 465 – 478.

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ResearchDigest Observations: must the show go on?

Graded lesson observation is failing to improve teaching and learning in the post-compulsory sector due, in part, to something approaching collusion between teachers and observers to produce the results the sector wants to hear.

As part of our research we interviewed teachers, teacher trainers and quality managers throughout the east of England to gain an insight into the effectiveness of lesson observation in relation to improving teaching standards.

Many of the teachers we interviewed talked of the need to ‘put on a show’ during observations, a practice which was also acknowledged by

ISTOCK

By Carol Thompson and Peter Wolstencroft

the quality managers who recognised the element of ‘smoke and mirrors’ present in observed lessons.

Our results seemed to show that there was something akin to collusion between observer and observee in order to produce the quantitative data which appears to be prized within the sector.

Lesson observation schemes were typically presented to Ofsted as a form of quality improvement, yet were often described by teachers in terms of measurement and control with their aim being a ‘conform and perform’ environment.

This disconnect often led to a culture of cynicism and hostility where it becomes increasingly

difficult to assess whether these schemes have had any real impact on standard practice.

An unexpected finding was the degree to which teachers sought a ‘good’ grade in order to maintain a ‘safe’ position within the organisation.

In contrast, the number of teachers aspiring to achieve an ‘outstanding’ grade was minimal, as a result of the perceived additional responsibilities associated with this achievement.

Carol Thompson and Peter Wolstencroft are senior lecturers in education at the University of Bedfordshire.

For more information on their research contact: carol. thompson@beds.ac.uk and/or peter.wolstencroft@beds.ac.uk

Raising emotional intelligence levels in teaching

By Gary Belcher Emotional intelligence (EI) may be a contested concept, particularly when applied to education, but my research suggests that there are strong grounds for building an EI module into initial teacher training programmes.

The pressure on practitioners at all levels in the education sector to deliver success is intense – operating in times of budgetary restraint, Ofsted inspections, plus an ever-expanding diversity of learners seeking attainment and outcomes.

Understanding emotions is paramount when striving for success in any field, be it educational, financial, political or sporting. Controlling these emotions is a further challenge as many of our classroom learners regularly

demonstrate in behaviour, engagement and progress.

Identifying these emotions in oneself is the trigger for future teachers to begin a journey of enlightenment.

Working with the University of Wolverhampton, 17 trainees (nine men and eight women) from the Physical Education Initial Teacher Training (PGCE) course were identified and selected as subjects for a study seeking to identify traits associated with emotional intelligence.

Eight questionnaires were distributed between December 2012 and March 2013, with titles that included: Are you emotionally literate?

Is your self-image positive or negative? and Are you making the most of yourself at work?

The main outcomes demonstrated an overall improvement in subjects’

identification of EI during the research period: 14 of the 17 participants involved showed an increase in their ability to identify EI from start to conclusion.

The outcomes from this study show that trainees are capable of identifying and increasing their awareness of EI, suggesting that inclusion of formalised EI elements during ITT would build usefully on their existing knowledge and abilities.

I am collaborating with the University of Wolverhampton

regarding a further study during academic year 2013-14.

The findings are intended to be available by summer 2014.

Gary Belcher is head of sport for a group of pupil referral units in Wolverhampton.

He has taught in primary, secondary, FE and HE organisations as well as adult and non-mainstream settings.

He is currently researching for an MA in leadership and management on which this article is based. Gary is a Member of IfL.

CPD Exchange Don’t forget if you want help with your own academic or action research, or to share information and data with your fellow IfL members, you can vist www.ifl.ac.uk/cpdexchange

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InPractice

It’s a privilege to review you Peer review is a powerful tool for maintaining and enhancing professional practice and status. IfL asked its reviewers for their views on this most important of professional processes

To mark the fifth anniversary of the professional formation process for further education teachers and trainers, IfL surveyed its team of professional reviewers.

The results bear witness to the expertise, insight and energy of IfL members whose work since 2008 has helped more than 15,000 teachers and trainers gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills Status (QTLS) and Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS). QTLS is recognised for teaching in schools too.* Peer review is common among the professions as it provides an efficient and powerful mechanism by which professionals can, collectively, control their professional training, development and practice, relatively free from outside interference.

Designed explicitly as a review and not an assessment, IfL’s professional formation process allows reviewers to make judgements based upon applicants’ professional and personal circumstances rather than forcing them to assess against one-size-fits-all criteria.

As such, IfL’s professional formation process is a two-way street in which the application and review components are, in themselves, excellent professional development for applicants and reviewers alike.

But don’t take it from us. Instead, read for yourself the insights, observations and comments of some of our peer reviewers. *For details see bit.ly/HstWaU

IFL

Sue Colquhoun, head of professional status, IfL Jan Leatherland, CPD manager, IfL

Insights of IfL’s peer reviewers Many of our reviewers reflected upon the sheer buzz of excitement they get when reviewing excellent work.

Gail Lydon, a teacher at Selby College, captured the feelings of many when she said: “The process has been dominated by high points and these are the moments when reading an application that the hairs stand up on your arms; when you wish you had had a teacher like this; and when you are tired but you know you are going to read every word.”

Rebecca Woolley, an associate tutor at Edge Hill University, said: “With each review, I gained a window into the breadth and depth of our fantastic, vibrant sector and invariably came away inspired by some of the portfolios and the stories they told.”

Nigel Cannar, teacher at Richard Rose Central Academy, said: “For me, it is one of the best continuing professional

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development (CPD) activities I undertake.

It has invigorated and informed my own practice.” The importance of gaining qualifications leading to QTLS and ATLS is not lost on reviewers, all of whom are qualified FE teachers having undertaken professional formation themselves.

Engin Mustafa, head of learning and development at APCOA Parking, said: “I feel more confident in my skills and abilities now that they have been reviewed and recognised formally.

It has undoubtedly helped me in my career progression.”

Elaine Szpytma said: “I undertook professional formation to demonstrate my professional status. As a teacher educator I see this as important.”

Steve Ingle, a lecturer in education at the University of Cumbria, said that he was proud to have trained as a teacher ‘on the job’ but that family and friends thought he ‘wasn’t a real teacher’. QTLS,

he said, allowed him to prove that he was a ‘real’ teacher. Steve added: “Peer review supports the key principles of self-regulation, reflection and democracy – fundamental to any professional body – a standard set and maintained by members for its members.”

Many reviewers shared Steve’s view that there is a clear link between peer review and the independence, status and voice of the FE teaching profession.

Paul Matthews, initial teacher training coordinator at City College Plymouth, said: “Although governments change and so do regulations, this essential truth remains: we are professional teachers trying to help our learners learn and find work in a staggering variety of challenging contexts.”

Geoff Rebbeck, a specialist in the delivery of effective teaching and learning through technology, said: “Peer Review remains the best part of QTLS

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HOW PEER REVIEW WORKS IfL members undertaking professional formation leading to QTLS or ATLS must demonstrate their ability to use effectively the skills and knowledge gained in teacher training and to illustrate how they apply the professional standards required of a teacher.

This is done using Reflect+, the personal online learning space for IfL members, to upload, store and share their evidence, which includes statements from supporters that corroborate or authenticate that evidence.

Members are able to tell their story of their personal journey into teaching and their development as a teacher. There are no prescribed word limits.

Each member’s application is unique and demands a personalised response from peer reviewers.

Peer review is designed to better capture, recognise and value the great diversity in further education teaching and learning.

Peer reviewers are looking for three things: • Is there sufficient evidence?

• Is the evidence properly supported and authenticated?

• Is the evidence relevant to the to the member’s current job role?

All applicants receive feedback allowing them to re-apply in areas that require additional support.

The achievement rate for QTLS and ATLS is always greater than 80 per cent and sometimes has reached more than 90 per cent. www.ifl.ac.uk/pf

“I undertook professional formation to demonstrate my professional status” because it seeks to establish a body of opinion among teachers about what it means to be competent.”

Gillian Forrester, head of teaching and learning at Gateshead College, said: “A real, positive value of peer review is that it is removed from the enormous amount of performance management practices we have in the FE sector today and therefore gives practitioners breathing space to be honest and feel safe and secure in a supportive environment to experiment and to move forward.”

Debra Findler, an advanced skills teacher at Stoke-on-Trent College, agreed: “It is also invaluable in generating

new ideas relating to teaching and learning strategies and gives one the confidence to experiment more in the classroom.”

Other reviewers also remarked on the benefits to their own teaching practice.

Anne Samson, operations director for the Westminster Partnership Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training, said: “The review process has assisted in opening up the complexity of the FE sector. This in turn has provided challenges and opportunities for CPD in a way I wouldn’t otherwise have had.”

Debra Johnson, lecturer at Petroc college, said: “On an individual level, peer review makes significant contribution to

individuals’ career development through nationally respected recognition of good practice and the expectation that regular reflective CPD is undertaken.”

Beverley Johnson, a lecturer at Kingston Maurward College, said: “Peer review is one of the best CPD methods.

We all learn from each other - different techniques, styles and delivery.”

Karl Durrant, professional development lead at CITB-Construction Skills, said: “I felt honoured to review as it offered a terrific insight in to the lives of real people pursuing real goals to better their own lives and others around them.”

Finally, Delwen Eirlys Wilkinson, a tutor and teacher trainer with Rutland County Council, said simply: “I have always thought it a privilege to act as a reviewer.”

• To find out more about QTLS and ATLS see www.ifl.ac.uk/pf1

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InSight Hong Kong provides the backdrop for charter schools in the US, academies in the UK and education secretary Michael Gove.

Why freedom comes at a price IfL has consistently expressed its concern about the coalition government’s abandonment of the 2007 regulations that required further education teachers to hold recognised teaching qualifications or be working towards them. What is happening in FE and skills is part of a bigger picture in which academies and free schools – more than half of all secondary schools, as well as a growing number of primary schools – are no longer required to recruit teachers with qualified teacher status (QTS).

IfL chief executive Toni Fazaeli has therefore joined with others, including my successor as director of the Institute of Education, Chris Husbands, to point out that there is a common threat to standards of education in schools and colleges if there is no longer to be any guarantee that children and young people will be taught by properly qualified teachers.

Another development in the training of school teachers has been a liberalisation of routes to QTS for those who still want to obtain a pre-service teaching qualification. An increasing number of courses are now led by schools, or groups of schools, rather than universities and some academy chains are seeking to become accredited training providers in their own right. At the moment, most of these ‘school-led’ courses will offer university certificates alongside QTS but that may not necessarily remain the case in the future.

The anticipated further shift away from

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PGCE courses provided by higher education institution-led partnerships as a result of the government’s preference for its School Direct programme has led some universities to consider abandoning their commitment to initial teacher education altogether rather than working with the new models. Sadly – and against my own advice – my current university, the University of Bath, has become the first research-led university to make a decision to close its PGCE course from 2014.

So, in England, we now have the prospect of more teachers entering the profession without necessarily being qualified, while others will hold qualifications whose nature is likely to be rather less standardised than it has been in the recent past.

Until recently, I had thought that deregulation of entry to the teaching profession, the attack on conventional modes of teacher education and the constant denigration by politicians of the role of universities in the training of teachers was a peculiarly English disease. Indeed, John Furlong, former head of Education at Oxford University, has characterised it as an example of ‘English exceptionalism’.

However, I am now beginning to see it as a wider – if not yet a global – phenomenon. I read recently that Hong Kong has retreated from the ‘all trained, all graduate’ policy that it introduced in 1997. I spent September at Teachers College Columbia in New York and began to see some parallels in the USA too.

SHUTTERSTOCK

A creeping privatising of education is feeding the demand for unqualified teachers, writes Professor Geoff Whitty

After 1999, the number of US teachers licensed through so-called ‘alternate routes’ climbed steadily, so that by 2005 about one third of all new teachers entered through such routes. Teach for America (the inspiration, if not the model, for our own Teach First) is now the major provider of new teachers in some states.

Like academy chains here, charter management organisations (CMOs) in the USA are seeking to become major alternative providers of teacher education. In New York, the Relay Graduate School of Education (GSE) has brought together three CMOs to overcome what they describe as ‘a nationwide failure by most universitybased teacher-education programs to prepare teachers for the realities of 21st century classrooms’. The New York State Board of Regents recently upset

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university schools of education by agreeing to grant masters degrees to Relay GSE students who may not have taken even one university-based course.

Some, although not all, charter schools in the US are freed from the requirement to employ certificated teachers. However, charters are only a tiny minority of schools and are not intended to become the majority like the coalition government’s ‘converter’ academies here.

Mainstream public schools in most states are still subject to rigorous regulation of entry standards for teachers. New standards and performance criteria have recently been agreed by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) after an exercise described by its chair as ‘a rare moment of the profession policing itself’. Rather

different from the approach here.

Even so, there are increasing opportunities for schools and districts in the US to vary or opt out of federal and state mandates. Diane Ravitch’s chilling new book on the privatisation of American education, Reign of Error, suggests that full deregulation of teaching is the model favoured by online charter providers – and that this will not only be the thin end of the wedge but an opportunity for cost-cutting, for-profit providers to enter the fray.

Whatever happens, it seems likely that there will be greater variety in approaches to teacher preparation on both sides of the Atlantic in the coming years. So perhaps we should try to take advantage of that situation.

For years, teacher educators have complained about increasing

standardisation constraining innovation and creativity with unintelligent accountability system replacing trust in professional judgement. The government says the intention of its reforms is to enhance professionalism, so why not put that to the test?

Might it not be time for schools, colleges, universities and professional bodies like IfL to see whether the new found freedoms can be used to further a progressive educational project?

• Further reading from IfL (download): bit.ly/lefttochance Geoff Whitty is professor of public sector policy and management in the School of Management, University of Bath. He is director emeritus of the Institute of Education, University of London.

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Training

Highbury CETL’s new teaching framework Five simple ways to support staff in Further and Higher Education: 1. find out what we do 2. put our number in your phone - 0808 802 03 04

Teachers and trainers must be supported by employers to experiment in their teaching and learning approaches and strategies, rather than simply comply with fixed pedagogical theories and methodologies. By staff reporters

3. use it if you need support 4. give our details to a colleague if they need support 5. find out more at www.recourse.org.uk Get Support: 0808 802 03 04 Get Involved: www.recourse.org.uk

8 0 08 2 80 03 04

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A prevailing culture of compliance across much of further education stifles the sector’s creativity and effectiveness, leading to a degree of ‘immaturity’ in taking ownership of teaching practice, argues Nadim Bakhshov, head of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) at Highbury College.

Mr Bakhshov and his team have developed a simple and flexible pedagogical framework that sets out the parameters within which Highbury’s teaching staff are encouraged to experiment with their teaching methods and share the results with colleagues.

He said: “The issue for me has been this idea of a single right method of teaching: ‘Learn this one prescribed method and you will become an outstanding teacher.’ That is deeply flawed.

“The reality of teaching is such that you can teach the same subject matter to two very similar groups and in one case it works brilliantly while in the other it just doesn’t do the trick.

“What this tells us is that we need a mature culture of experimentation driven by teachers. The pedagogical framework not only guides this but, critically, because it was built out of research into working life, it never loses sight of the vocational ends – the employability of students.”

The Highbury CETL devised a framework with four dimensions, acting as broad channels through which all teaching and learning at the college is expected to flow. Briefly, the social dimension covers processes such as communication and exchange of ideas, being able to work in teams. The affective dimension relates to, for example, individual attitude and initiative. The practical dimension relates to, for example, mastery of practical procedures skills and knowhow, and the cognitive dimension starts with the application of theory and goes all the way across to creative problem-solving.

“The framework encourages staff to take ownership and explore, challenge and experiment their own practice. It is a game-changer. It becomes a framework that teachers and trainers adapt to their own ends,” Mr Bakhshov said.

“Institutions that do not develop pedagogical frameworks will tumble back into a handful of prescribed methods which teachers must use and their growth and capacity to generate new forms of knowledge from within their practice will simply not happen.”

Highbury College has applied the four dimensions to its work in e-learning and reports surprisingly rich results. It has applied them to curriculum development and Mr Bakhshov said that it had developed valuable employment-focused content and structures.

Mr Bakhshov and his team are currently developing a new professional development model to support the growing innovation within the institution.

For articles published by innovators see the first edition of Investigation sponsored by LSIS RDF: http://research. highbury.ac.uk/?page_id=225 For more information contact: nadim.bakhshov@highbury.ac.uk

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Training

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A helping hand for employment Norton Radstock College has played a lead role in the Life 2 resources, which help learners prepare for the workplace New resources have been made available through the Institute for Learning to help teachers and trainers prepare learners for work.

The Life 2 activities (see box, above right) have been developed by trainers from across Europe and can be included in sessions to develop the skills that employers are asking for – such as problem-solving, creativity, teamwork and presentation, as well as job-seeking skills. They will also help teachers and trainers learn how to take a more ‘entrepreneurial’ approach.

The activities were developed as part of the Train the Trainer pack developed by the Life 2 project team and supported by the European Commission. It includes innovative ideas from colleges in Denmark, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the UK, with Norton Radstock College the lead partner.

Quick links to Life 2 activities are available on IfL’s website (see box, right), which can be adapted to suit learner groups, including disadvantaged learners.

The activities are practical, clear and easy to follow and include tips and hints.

Feedback from lecturers at Norton

Radstock has been positive. Project manager and IfL member Rosaleen Courtney explained that Life 2 training was first introduced at the college at staff training sessions last year.

She said: “The pilot showed that teachers recognised the need to help learners to become more employable, that they were already helping learners to develop these skills – sometimes without realising it – and that there needed to be more emphasis on involving employers, although this does take time.”

IfL is expanding its library of online resources to support your continuing professional development (CPD).

As dual professionals, IfL members keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their subject or vocational specialisms as well as their teaching practice.

A range of free resources is available help you find links to CPD opportunities through IfL and across the further education and skills sector.

• For details, please see bit.ly/1aY83Tc For more resources, please see www.ifl.ac.uk/cpd

LIFE2 ACTIVITIES • Cultural awareness • Employer links • Creating a company • Ethics in business • The banana split game (practising negotiation skills and social responsibility) • Customer care role play • Group dynamics • Embedding English • Interview practice • Self-image

IfL member Marvin Grubb has just finished his PGCE qualification and is applying for QTLS. He was involved in the Norton Radstock Life 2 pilot which, helped with his teacher training.

Marvin said: “I’m a great Life 2 fan. Ideas from Life 2 inspired me to develop an interpersonal skills curriculum proposal as part of my PGCE qualification.”

Rosemarie D’Ambrosio-Winter, who is currently studying for a masters in education, included Life 2 activities in sessions with PTTLS learners to help them consider how they can improve the employability of their students.

She said: “The activities can help keep sessions real and relevant and give learners that extra bit of confidence when applying for jobs.”

Animal care lecturer Michelle Robinson used a Life 2 task and activity as part of a Work Skills qualification and said it helped learners to define what characteristics were valued by employers.

IfL director of professional development Jean Kelly attended a focus group discussion with teachers from Norton Radstock College recently to discuss how Life 2 training had helped learners.

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Geoff Petty

Teaching students independent learning

Independent learning is something that will make your life easier, says Geoff Petty. And your students will come to love it – eventually.

Geoff is the author of Teaching Today and Evidenced Based Teaching, and has trained staff in more than 300 colleges and schools.

Geoff is a patron of IfL.

Do you have too much to teach in too little time? Are your students weak at learning alone? Do you work harder than your students? If so, then it’s time to try independent learning; students love it – eventually.

The idea is that you identify a short simple topic, with no difficult concepts, that you do not teach at all. Instead, you set an independent learning (IL) assignment that gets students to teach it to themselves outside of class time.

Initially, they use resources specified by you, but in later IL assignments they find resources for themselves.

Students work alone at the start of each assignment, but later tasks require them to work in pairs or groups to answer questions and check

understanding and recall. They still work outside of class time in doing this. Then, each student takes a very short and simple test on the topic, usually in class.

Some teachers ask students who fail this test to do retakes until they pass (see step eight in the box on the right).

I know what you’re thinking: “My students are lousy at learning independently so I can’t use the method.”

But if students can’t do something they need more practice, not less. With weaker students the trick is to set assignments on short simple topics to begin with.

Include a test preparation activity in the IL assignment, for example: Task four: Now check and correct your recall before the test.

Study: Read over your material and

Learning to learn indendently Independent learning assignment

How do I do better next time?

Assessment

What happened?

Do

action plan feed forward task on next assignment target setting

Apply

Review

questionnaire stengths and weaknesses competences

Learn Why did this happen? one-to-one negotiation with the lecturer or tutor “what did you find most difficult?” “what could you do about that?” learning teams can be used to provide support

The aim is to make the learning independent

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Eight steps to independent learning (effect size 0.75*) 1 Any easy section of the syllabus is identified and this is not taught.

2 Instead, students are given an assignment that describes in detail what they must learn. More experienced independent learners may need less direction.

check you understand it by trying to explain it to yourself, or to others.

Cover: Close your books and shut any websites down.

Recall: Recall what you have learned, writing it down as a short note. There should be an hour or so between study and recall to ensure the material is in your long-term and not just your shortterm memory.

Check and correct: Open your books and websites again. Check what you have recalled for accuracy and completeness. Make corrections and additions to your recall notes.

Repeat: It’s rare to get recall right first time, so go through this process again until your recall is really good. Ideally, the last recall should be done in pairs, small groups, or ‘learning teams’.

It’s important to improve weaknesses in independent learning skills and this is the aim of the competence questionnaire.

Each student has their own copy and self-assesses by placing a tick under the appropriate column for each competence. The student can then set themselves a target to improve a weakness uncovered by the questionnaire. The next independent learning assignment can include a personalised target to address this weakness. A few assignments later students can retake the questionnaire with a different coloured tick, so progress can be seen.

If you think your students will struggle with this, they can start the independent learning process by completing the questionnaire. Then you can address common weaknesses with the whole class.

Why bother?

Remember that the topic is not taught by you at all. This leaves you more class time to tackle more conceptually difficult topics. You are most unlikely to save time

3 Students work on this assignment outside of class time. Work is alone at first, but later tasks require the student to work in pairs or small groups. The assignment activities are thought provoking, and are not entirely ‘book and biro’.

Visual representations and other methods above make good tasks. At least one task requires students to go beyond the simple reproduction of the ideas in the materials and to apply their learning. This is to encourage deep learning, otherwise students may simply collect information and write it down without really thinking about it, or understanding it.

4 Students’ work is monitored by a designated ‘leader’ in their group or by the teacher if the assignment is a long one. Short assignments are best at first.

5 The students’ notes are not marked, (except perhaps in the first use of this method in order to check their ability to make effective notes). Instead, their learning is assessed by a short test. One assignment task is to prepare for this.

Optionally students can be required to retake tests, or do other remedial work if their test result is unsatisfactory.

6 After completing this independent learning assignment, or indeed before, students use an independent learning competences questionnaire to identify their weaknesses as an independent learner, and to set themselves targets for their next independent learning assignment.

7 If learning teams are used, activities can be set to discuss questions you set and to prepare for the test.

8 Students take a test, which they knew was coming from the start, which tests basic understanding of the key concepts. Some teachers use a ‘mastery learning approach with this test, that is, if a student does not get a good mark on this test, they are required to do remedial work with peers, and then to take it again until they pass.

This is not an easy teaching method to use but it is greatly enjoyed by students if it is managed well. See also ‘cooperative learning’ in Evidence Based Teaching for similar methods. *Based on Professor John Hattie’s calculation of the effect size or impact of teaching on learner achievement.

with the first independent learning assignment, but as students get used to independent learning you will save more and more time.

Another advantage is that students will pick up independent learning skills.

These are vital for progression, exam revision, good grades and the ability to make best use of computer-based resources. This method teaches students that learning is something they must do to themselves, that learning depends on effort, time, corrected practice, and asking for help – among other things – not on innate ability.

If your students are reluctant to take responsibility for their own learning, it’s a brilliant method to use.

Students are often troubled by the method at first, but eventually love it.

The mark students obtain on topics they taught themselves are usually at least as good and often better, than their marks for topics taught conventionally.

I used independent learning for many years when I taught physics. My students were scared of the method at first, but soon got used to it. It ended up being their favourite, they regarded it as ‘grown-up learning’, preparing them for work, for progression and especially higher education. And it saves you time.

See chapter 31 of Teaching Today for a fuller description of IL and chapter 17 of Evidence Based Teaching for more ‘teaching without talking’ methods.

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Books

• Editor’s pick

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? It’s all part of learning Excerpt: Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn (p.278, abridged) Developing your social skills in teaching Whenever people are important to you, you mimic them and are highly sensitive to their movements. Matching another person’s gestures may seem strangely facile, yet it is highly effective. To enhance your overall impact as a classroom teacher, you must take such body language ideas seriously.

Strive to use your arms, hands, face, and

Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn

By John Hattie and Gregory Yates Routledge: paperback 978-0-4157-0499-1 This thought-provoking and important book is about learning, rather than ‘how to teach’ and is based on the latest research into social and cognitive psychology.

A range of themes and principles are developed from different perspectives that challenge us, as teachers, to review our own thinking, learning and life experiences, in order to better understand our students and their potential difficulties with learning.

From a learning point of view,

• Other new

publications Learning a Living: Radical Innovation in Education for Work Valerie Hannon, Sarah Gillinson and Leonie Shanks, Bloomsbury Academic: paperback 978-9-9921-9555-0 “The curious apartheid of separate ‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ tracks, has been deeply detrimental and has contributed to the ills that afflict education systems worldwide,” say the 32

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body as fundamental components of your essential communication repertoire. Make sure your body language is open and expansive as you teach. And remember to smile. It is these gestures that will define the personality by which your students will evaluate you. In turn, the feedback they give you will make your smile even more genuine.

these themes advocate the investment of time, energy, effort and organisation in order to learn, the inherent limitations of our concentration and memory, and the benefits of social examples, directed instruction and corrective feedback.

From a learner point of view, the authors consider the complexities of selfconfidence, self-esteem and self-enhancement and how development of self-control helps people to persevere and ultimately succeed. It also questions some learning ideas that continue to be promoted despite evidence to the contrary, including learning styles, multi-tasking, and the impact of the internet and music on learning.

Throughout, there is an

emphasis on the importance of teacher-student relationships to nurture learning. As teachers, we need to be aware that students are sensitive to emotional climate and that our own ‘emotional leakage’ might convey messages through our body language that are different from the words coming from our mouths (see above).

The book is full of useful insights and ideas and is both readable and accessible.

I recommend it to teacher trainees as well as trained teachers for continuing professional development and reflective practice.

I would also, humbly, recommend that education secretary Michael Gove reads Chapters 10 to 12 about

teacher training and expertise.

Hattie and Yates say that expertise in a subject or skill develops through deliberative practice over a long period of time and that there is a danger in ‘automaticity’, when the skill becomes so automatic that you can’t deconstruct the skill in order to teach it.

Thus the importance of the dual professional in teaching: one who knows her subject or skills and is properly trained and qualified to teach it.

authors – who work for the Innovation Unit – in the preface to this book investigating 15 innovative education programmes around the world.

This handsomely illustrated book’s starting point is that too often education systems are failing to prepare young people properly for work in a technology-driven, globalised economy and to ensure that education and professional updating is a process that continues throughout life.

In examining the 15 projects in 15 countries – as disparate as the USA, Burkina Faso,

Finland and China – the authors aim to show how educators are rising to the, often very different, challenges they face and, by doing so, offer ideas and approaches that may be adopted and adapted by teachers and trainers.

Expansive Education: Teaching learners for the real world

Member offer IfL members can claim a 25 per cent discount on the above title. Simply enter the discount code LEARNING25 at the checkout on www.bloomsbury.com Valid until 31 December 2014.

Helen Williams is teacher training co-ordinator and practitioner at West Herts College, and part of the quality monitoring observation team for the college. Helen is an IfL Fellow.

Bill Lucas, Guy Claxton and Ellen Spencer Open University Press (McGraw Hill Education): paperback 978-1-7428-6110-4 Building on the work of those who pioneered thinking about expansive systems, including Professors Lorna Unwin and Alison Fuller, the authors – all based at the University of Winchester – argue for a new model of expansive pedagogy.

Paraphrasing Professor John Hattie, the book says that an

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Change that takes time, courage and a different way of thinking Excerpt: Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School The professional capital view of teaching assumes that good teaching: • is technically sophisticated and difficult • requires high levels of education and long periods of training • is perfected through continuous improvement • involves wise judgement informed by evidence an judgement • is a collective accomplishment and responsibility • maximises, mediates and moderates online instruction

Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan Routledge: paperback 978-0-4156-2457-2 This book could be called ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Education’ and it’s little wonder the epigraph is by Benjamin Franklin who provided so much to Max Weber’s text on the Protestant ethic and capitalism.

Unlike Weber, the authors want to not just diagnose but promote an ‘ideal type’ of teacher and teaching that they say is found in what they term ‘professional capital’.

Education, from the authors’ perspective, is being divided

expansive teacher’s main task is to notice the impact of their teaching on students’ learning and achievement. The corollary is that expansive learners do more in class and expansive teachers do less.

Teachers and trainers can use this book to explore and improve their practice.

Member offer To claim a 20 per cent discount on this book, go to www.openup.co.uk and enter promotional code EDUCATION14 when prompted.

Valid until 31 December 2014.

between business capital approaches (in the UK and US) and professional capital approaches (in Singapore, Finland, Alberta, for example).

The former are failing and the latter are successful.

Professional capital comprises human capital (investment in continuing professional development and training), social capital (the added expertise and information you get when you encourage people to work together, discuss and share ideas) and decisional capital (the idea that experienced teachers gain, over time, insight and autonomy).

Crucially, the central mechanism for making professional capital happen is a professional learning community. These are developed and supported by

senior management – and, of course, can be hindered by them. Not because leaders don’t want the same thing, just that they attempt to force the change by ‘contrived collegiality’ that can be spotted a mile off: “You have two hours on Wednesday afternoon to develop your autonomy.”

It takes time, courage and a different way of thinking to overcome divisions between vested interests, in order to ‘reculture.’ This acknowledgement of the difficulties is the salutary and genuine lesson of the book, based as it is on numerous studies and evidence.

There are, however, serious omissions around the place of teacher expertise and pedagogy. There is a very limited understanding of practice that is, actually, meant

to shape the transformation and no reference to tacit knowledge for example.

However well-intentioned and honest the intent, it is fuzzy just when we need clarity. But that’s always been a problem of ideal types.

Dyslexia and Transition: Making the Move

will empower dyslexic learners. http://shop.niace.org.uk/ dyslexia-and-transition.html

preparing for Ofsted inspection; tutors looking to embed e-safety into learning sessions; college marketing staff interested in dangers relating to social media marketing; and general education staff interested in how they present themselves online. http://shop.niace.org.uk/esafety.html

Rachel Davies Niace: paperback 978-1-86201712-2. Also available in pdf, ePub, Kindle and online.

Dyslexia and Transition is a resource for dyslexic adults making the transition from and to school/college/university/ work-based learning, their teachers, learning support staff, careers advisors, and families.

Drawing on case studies and interviews with learners from different education sectors, it provides clear, unbiased guidance and practical tools that

e-Safety Digital Learning Guides Kevin Campbell-Wright Niace: paperback 978-1-86201707-8. Also available pdf, ePub, Kindle and online.

The book is described as essential reading for safeguarding or e-safety staff in post-16 education; managers involved in developing e-safety strategies, administering resource centres, libraries or open access ICT centres, or

Norman Crowther is national official for post-16 education at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

Norman is writing in a personal capacity.

Member offer IfL members can claim a 20 per cent discount on all Routledge titles ordered directly from www.routledge.com When ordering, use the code INT14. Valid until 31 December 2014.

Member offer To claim a 15 per cent discount on all NIACE books, please use the code NEIFL13 before 31 December 2013 and NEIFL14 if ordering from 1 January 2014.

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Forum

A space for members to air their opinions.

They do not necessarily reflect the views of IfL

Pedagogue Powerless politicians?

The first of November has a bit of previous for comedic events that cook up a storm.

After all it was on this day in 1611 that Shakespeare’s comedy The Tempest had its first outing. I was enthralled to see that Ofqual is determined to continue this fine tradition when it announced ‘the biggest shake-up of exams in England for a generation’ on 1 November.

I first delivered my subject in 1998 and this year I have introduced the fifth version of the qualification, each change requiring

major adjustments to schemes of work and lesson plans and completely different methods of assessment. By my reckoning, Ofqual believes that a generation is about three years, although apart from the odd tweak for innovation I’m not actually teaching anything different.

Our political masters have to realise that using power in this way only serves to demonstrate how powerless they really are. It must be an endless frustration that however hard they try they cannot alter the rules of basic arithmetic, change the way a sentence is constructed, re-write

the fundamental laws of physics or adjust the recipe for a perfect soufflé.

It is the teachers in our sector who hold real power. Many have spent years honing their professional craft prior to making the decision to pass on those skills to a new generation and know exactly what an individual needs to succeed. If politicians want to exert real power they should enact things that will make a real difference. How about starting with a statutory requirement for initial teacher education and subject specialism CPD? Pedagogue is an IfL member

So here it is…

Strictly online

A seasonal ditty dedicated to hard-working members everywhere

Colleges’ independence will be damaged if teachers have to be qualified, argued Ian Pryce, principal of Bedford College in The Guardian (bit.ly/18noll9). IfL members continued the debate on IfL’s LinkedIn page (linkd.in/11BKTd6)

I’m dreaming of a lighter workload Just like the ones I used to know Where the desktop glistens And learners listen To hear you when you’re in full flow.

I’m dreaming of my learning outcomes With every assessment that I make May your boss keep smiling And then start filing The best appraisal seen to date.

I’m dreaming of a chilled out Christmas With every cake or festive drink To recharge your battery And prepare for January Relax, your Ofsted’s better than you think.

I’m dreaming of a good New Year Just need to have a bit of fun May you book a flight And pay outright To spend a fortnight in the sun.

I’m dreaming of a… [That’s enough. Ed.] Contributed by Isaac Rooner (with apologies to the estate of Irving Berlin and a respectful nod to Private Eye for the inspiration) A happy festive season and a good New Year to all readers from the InTuition team.

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Lee Davies So, Ian Pryce believes that “mandatory teaching qualifications would damage the independence we’ve achieved in the past two decades” (colleges have no independence); “regulations limit or prevent the use of skilled people” (they didn’t and never would) and means “spending a lot of time and money getting a certificate for teachers” (excuse me Mr Pryce, colleges and your job wouldn’t exist if other sectors didn’t value their employees being qualified).

Dan Wilson My PGCE failed to prepare me for much of the nitty gritty of teaching (such as differentiation strategies). Instead, we spent much of the time pondering highly abstract theories. If that is what we mean by mandatory qualification I would not agree with it.

Rob Bowles There is so much to consider as I have just found out by doing the PTLLS training and that’s just the first step. No way should someone teaching in any way shape or form not have proven themselves first if any quality is desired for the future.

Chris Beesley-Reynolds Nothing prepares you for teaching, just as you think you’re prepared and go into the class room with your SOW and Lesson Plan plus every other bit of paper, the students arrive and whatever you were going to teach goes out of the window. Without teacher training there is no way you would have coped but as a professional you handle whatever comes through the door.

Georgina Holt I completed my PGCE last year and started full-time employment this August. Yes there was plenty of theory and at the time I did wonder why so much was needed, but now I’m working I can see why.

Paul Brinklow If others value qualified people why do some question whether teachers should be qualified or not, it just does not make sense.

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NoticeBoard IfL Calendar 1

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15-17

Opening date for applications for QTLS and ATLS (summer cycle)*

Launch of the Smart Rehabilitation report by the Prisoner Learning Alliance (IfL is an alliance partner) www.prisoners education.org.uk

Dissemination of Ofsted Chief Inspector’s annual report

IfL conferral of QTLS and ATLS status*

North of England Education conference, Nottingham. Toni Fazaeli, IfL chief executive, speaking.

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IfL and University of Wolverhampton master’s level programme: sustaining criticality beyond ITE begins (cohort 2)

InTuition Live webinar for members: A practitioner’s guide to Ofsted inspections (4-5pm)

Closing date for applications for QTLS and ATLS (summer cycle)*

FEBRUARY

3-7

6

8

15

21

1

National Apprenticeships Week

World Book Day

International Women’s Day

IfL and University of Wolverhampton degree level programme: Active criticality beyond ITE commences (cohort 3)

National Conference Leading Further Education, Guildford, Surrey. IfL’s chief executive Toni Fazaeli speaking.

Opening date for applications for QTLS and ATLS (winter cycle)*

DECEMBER

JANUARY

27-28 Education Innovation Conference, Manchester (see LGBT history month story below)

28 Professional formation webfolio deadline for QTLS and ATLS (spring cycle)*

APRIL

MARCH

* IfL runs regular cycles for QTLS and ATLS, from expressions of interest, to application and conferral

A practitioner’s guide to Ofsted inspections IfL’s series of practitioner guides provide practical tips, tools and ideas to support you in your professional practice. The first in the series, A practitioner’s guide to Ofsted inspections: a guide for teachers and trainers on managing a stress-free inspection is now available to purchase for £9.95 plus p+p.

In addition to a foreword from Ofsted’s head of FE Matthew Coffey, it provides a helpful overview of the inspection framework itself, practitioners’ tips on what to expect before, during and after an inspection and includes some crucial frequently asked questions.

Purchase your copy online at www.ifl.ac.uk/ofstedguide

InTuition Live webinar: A practitioner’s guide…

In conjunction with the release of IfL’s practitioner’s guide to Ofsted (see above), the next InTuition Live webinar will give

IfL holiday opening hours Tuesday 24 December – 8am to 4pm Wednesday 25 December – Closed Thursday 26 December – 8am to 6pm Friday 27 December – normal hours Saturday 28 December – normal hours Monday 30 December – normal hours Tuesday 31 December – 8am to 6pm Wednesday 1 January – 11am to 4pm Normal hours resume from Thursday 2 January. participating members an overview of the guide and an opportunity to hear from IfL experts on how to manage a stress-free inspection.

Find out more and register for the webinar, which takes place on 20 January 2014 from 4-5pm at www.ifl.ac.uk/events.

You can also register to receive a recording of the event afterwards. The webinar is free to IfL members and you can send your questions in advance to communications@ifl.ac.uk.

Listening to these webinars can count towards your continuing professional development (CPD) for the year.

Education Innovation Conference 2014 IfL is pleased to support next year’s conference, which takes place 27-28 February 2014.

The conference will include inspirational keynote speakers, CPD training, workshops and an exhibition. It has been designed to help education professionals raise achievement and performance levels. Find out more at www.ifl.ac.uk/events

Get the maximum benefit from InTuition IfL wants members to extract the maximum benefit from InTuition. At our fringe meeting

at the Association of Colleges conference in November we gathered the thoughts of members on this issue.

Ideas included: • bring the team together when a new issue is published to talk through what is in InTuition and how you might use for professional development or put into practice • put InTuition on the agenda for team meetings and discuss learning points, ways of using ideas and resources • make links with your organisation’s priorities for teaching, learning and assessment and ways in which IfL can help you achieve goals • think about who else may find InTuition articles interesting and show them • pass on information about IfL’s courses and CPD opportunities for others you think would be interested Let us know other ways you use InTuition and IfL’s twice monthly enewsletter, Update, in your organisation.

Email editor@ifl.ac.uk

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Supporting excellent teachers and trainers Continuing professional development (CPD) improves and enhances your skills and knowledge for the benefit of your learners.

As an IfL member, you can access a range of benefits and services to support you in your professional practice.

Don’t miss out: visit IfL’s CPD centre Exciting professional development programmes New dates have been announced for this popular master’s level programme which is open to members who hold a degree and QTLS or ATLS status.

Saturday, 18 January 2014 Saturday, 17 May 2014 A new module, ‘Active criticality beyond initial teacher education’ is being introduced from Saturday, 15 March 2014 for those who have achieved QTLS or ATLS status and do not have a degree. On successful completion, participants will gain 20 credits towards a bachelor’s degree.

All programmes run for 12 weeks, part time and online, with one full day (10.00 to 16.00) face-to-face event with tutors at the University of Wolverhampton.

Find out more www.ifl.ac.uk/masters

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IfL’s online CPD resources can support you in your commitment to CPD wherever you practise and at every stage of your career.

Listen to IfL’s growing series of “InTuition Live” webinars Help in organising and managing your CPD via , IfL’s online personal learning space and portfolio Geoff Petty, IfL patron, answers your questions on teaching and training in his regular ‘Ask Geoff’ column A growing online library of resources including IfL reviews of CPD and research on effective teaching and training Career information and resources including IfL’s jobs board

Find out more at www.ifl.ac.uk/cpd 03/12/2013 11:22