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InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015
The journal for professional teachers and trainers in the further education and skills sector
Full steam ahead
Marine engineer Tamsin Smith charts a new course People p11 Welcoming your feedback on this edition – see page 3
Apprenticeship reform and what it means for further education Feature p12
Adopting a problembased approach to maths teaching
Practitioner research p19
Applied research conference – special report Research digest p20
Good riddance to graded lesson observations Geoff Petty p30
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Contents
Welcome to your second edition of InTuition from the Society for Education and Training (SET). More than ever, the magazine is packed with articles that we hope you will find useful, informative and interesting. The past few months have been both hectic and exciting for the Society as we have worked with our members to introduce new professional services and benefits. We are committed to encouraging our members to engage in research activity and are pleased to announce the availability of 10 bursaries of £500 for members successful in joining the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) practitioner research programme (see details opposite). At the ETF research conference in London this summer practitioners from across the sector shared the results of more than 80 applied research projects that have been carried out as part of the Foundation’s practitioner research programme. There is a special report on the projects and the conference on page 20 of this issue. The deadline for bursary applications is 5 October and, in the meantime, don’t miss the research Q&A with Sheila Kearney, ETF’s head of research, which will be taking place at the end of September on our SET forum. We have also been developing a series of exclusive professional development events for members which will run across the country this autumn (page 5). And not forgetting trainee teachers, we are extending our reduced membership rate of £18.50 to those studying initial teacher education courses part-time. Trainees and qualified teachers may also be interested in reading about the landmark ITE report on page 4, where you can also find details of the discounted part-time offer. Our SET online content will be further enhanced with an English skills webinar on 28 September (page 7) and further development of our online practitioner forums (page 15), which is just the first part of our autumn schedule of new online content. You can find out more about new benefits and features in our new monthly InTuition Extra e-newsletter (page 5) or, of course, by checking the SET website. I hope you’re able to find a few minutes to yourself and enjoy your new edition of InTuition. We’d love to hear your feedback on this edition and any of the issues covered at communications@ etfoundation.co.uk
Opinion 8 Sue Pember Rod Clark People 10 Jon Bergmann Tamsin Smith Feature 12 Apprenticeship growth Practitioners 15 Junior Glave Research 16 Rachel Twort John Webber Marie Gould Nadim Bakhshov Research digest 20 Research conference InPractice 22 WorldSkills trainers Me and my tutor InSight 24 Teach Too Unemployed FA Leading learning 26 Self-assessment Managing behaviour Resources 29 Geoff Petty 30 Books 32 Noticeboard 35
InTuition contacts
PUBLISHING InTuition is produced and published on behalf of The Society for Education and Training by Create Publishing Ltd, Anerley Business Centre, Anerley Road, London SE20 8BD Printed by: PCP Ltd, Telford Advertising: Alan Thomson 020 8676 5608
News 6 Ear to the Ground Policy watch
Forum 34
Tim Weiss Director of strategy, quality and research
EDITORIAL communications@etfoundation.co.uk The Society for Education and Training, 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9SP. Editor: Alan Thomson alan@createpublishing.uk.com
News 4 Initial teacher education study results
Editorial board SUBSCRPTIONS InTuition is sent to all members of The Society for Education and Training and is available on subscription to non-members. For non-member subscriptions enquiries, or to purchase single copies telephone 0844 815 3202 or email communications@etfoundation.co.uk. Annual subscription rate for four issues: £50 (UK); £60 (rest of the world). CORPORATE The Society for Education and Training is the membership service of The Education and Training Foundation. The Foundation is a registered charity (charity number 1153859) and a company limited by guarantee (company number 08540597). www.et-foundation.co.uk The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Education and Training Foundation, the Society for Education and Training or members of the editorial board.
John Gannon, independent teacher/ trainer; Dr Maggie Gregson, University of Sunderland; Rajinder Mann OBE, chief executive Network for Black Professionals; Professor Ann Hodgson, Institute of Education; Ian Nash, Nash & Jones Partnership; Gemma Painter, City & Guilds; 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
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 3
News
News Part-time ITE study boosts pay A new study, published by the Education and Training Foundation, offers an unparalleled insight into initial teacher education in further education By Staff Reporters
Newly qualified further education teachers who gained their teaching qualifications through in-service, part-time study are more likely to start on higher salaries than those who studied full-time on preservice courses, according to a report on initial teacher education (ITE). Two-thirds (67 per cent) of new teachers who took a part-time ITE course had a starting salary of over £20,000, compared to 51 per cent of new teachers who studied full-time, according to the Initial Teacher Education (ITE): Provision in FE and Skills baseline report from the Education and Training Foundation. Women were more likely to study their ITE course full-time and 75 per cent of women earned more than £20,000 compared to 89 per cent of men, according to the report which is the first to bring together all the available data on ITE in FE. Salaries were higher in colleges, where approximately two-thirds of new teachers earned over £20,000. Only 40 per cent of new teaching staff earned more than £20,000 in adult community learning. The report’s findings paint a
detailed picture of FE teacher education including information on the people who train to become FE teachers, what they study, who trains them, their employment destinations and contracts. There are an estimated 829 providers delivering ITE provision in England, which includes a mix of higher education institutions, FE colleges, adult community learning (ACL) providers and private providers. Some eight out of ten learners on ITE courses in 2012/13 held a prior qualification at level 4 or higher. The most common subjects previously studied by ITE learners were art and design
(22 per cent), social sciences (10 per cent) and business studies (10 per cent). Less than one per cent of ITE learners had a higher level maths qualification. Women comprise two thirds of ITE entrants. And FE continues to be a popular second career choice with ITE learners averaging 38 years old compared to 24 years for those undertaking schools ITE. The cohort of ITE trainees is ethnically diverse. Around 16 per cent of learners on ITE programmes in FE are from ethnic minority communities, compared to 12 per cent in school-based ITE. Around 11 per cent of all ITE learners had a disability compared with an average of 14 per cent across all FE and HE courses. Some two thirds of all entrants completing a diploma or PGCE/Cert Ed are estimated to have progressed to teach in FE. Around 80 per cent of these learners began teaching in an FE college while approximately 13 per cent went on to teach in a private provider and some five per cent started teaching in the ACL sector. Of those who do not start teaching in FE, some six per cent are estimated to teach
Average starting salary, 2012/13 11%
10%
28% 51%
Less than 10,000 10,000 to 20,000 20,000 to 30,000 Above 30,000 Source: HESA and ILR data
in either secondary or higher education. The remainder found work in non-teaching jobs or were unemployed. Approximately 70 per cent of new teachers worked fulltime. Around two-thirds of new teaching staff were on openended or permanent contracts, 12 per cent had fixed-term contracts lasting 12 months or longer. The remainder were on fixed-term contracts, temporary contracts or worked freelance. The report was produced by ICF Consulting Services Ltd for the Foundation. The full report is available at www.et-foundation.co.uk
Concession extended to part-time student teachers The Society for Education and Training (SET) is extending its concessionary membership scheme to all trainee teachers studying part-time. People undertaking further education teacher training with
recognised teacher education providers pay just £18.50 a year to join SET and access its range of professional resources and benefits, regardless of whether they study full-time or part-time. SET extended the concession
4 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
following member feedback, which indicated that limiting eligibility for concessionary membership to full-time learners excluded a significant part of the student population. Students joining SET will
have access to a full range of member benefits including complimentary copies of InTuition and InTuition Extra. For details on membership of SET visit https://set.etfoundation.co.uk/membership
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CPD Events – save the date!
Rianne Chester gained gold in beauty therapy and also won the Albert Vidal Award
On top of the world Congratulations to members of Team UK who performed brilliantly at the WorldSkills finals in Sao Paulo this summer and to the volunteer trainers and tutors who helped coach them to success. Team UK won three gold medals, three silver, two bronze medals and 21 Medallions of Excellence during the four day competition in Brazil in August. Gold medal winner Rianne Chester gained gold in beauty therapy and also won the Albert Vidal Award for the highest points accumulated by any competitor in the competition. Francisco Albert-Vidal was the founder of WorldSkills International. Rianne, who did her initial training at Warrington Collegiate and now runs her own business Beauty by Rianne, was mentored by Sue Simpson, chief expert in beauty therapy for WorldSkills
internationally. “I’m thrilled to bits for Rianne. She is dedicated and she put the hours into training. This is the first time that Team UK has won the Albert Vidal Award and it’s a remarkable achievement,” Sue said. Other gold medallists were Gary Doyle, who won gold in plumbing and heating and attended Southern Regional College and Edward Harrington, who won gold in cabinet making and who attended Chichester College. Silver medallists were Matthew Beasley (a former student at Reaseheath College) and Jonathan Gill (formerly the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise), landscape gardening; Shayne Hadland (formerly Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford), aircraft maintenance;
and Christopher Bailie (formerly South Eastern Regional College), refrigeration and air conditioning. Bronze medallists were Rebecca Wilson (formerly Riverpark Training), car painting, and Sam Turner (formerly York College), architectural stonemasonry. All competitors are tutored and mentored by teachers and trainers who act as training managers, experts and mentors and who give their time and expertise voluntarily. WorldSkills UK is run by Find a Future which also runs the Skills Show which showcases the best in vocational education and training. This year’s show runs from 19 to 21 November at the Birmingham NEC. To read about some of the trainers and mentors who helped Team UK to glory turn to InPractice, on page 22 of this issue.
The Society for Education and Training (SET) has announced its first autumn series of continuing professional development (CPD) events. Offered free of charge as an exclusive benefit for members of SET, the topics selected for the CPD sessions were identified as priorities by members during the Society’s recent membership consultation. The events will focus on two topics: implementing the Professional Standards 2014 and using information technology as a tool to improve curriculum delivery. The CPD sessions comprise of a half day with two workshop sessions. The events will be held at a range of locations to allow the maximum number of members to attend. They are: 4 November - New College Swindon, 12noon-4pm 5 November - Rewards Training, Crawley 9am-1pm 10 November - Birmingham Metropolitan College, 9am-1pm 11 November - Kirklees College, Huddersfield 12noon-4pm 24 November - Harlow College, Essex 12noon-4pm Resources and information will be available after the events on the member section of the website. Bookings will open on the SET website in late September 2015 set.et-foundation.co.uk
Extra, extra – read all about it Your favourite teaching magazine InTuition is delighted to introduce you to its baby sister publication in the shape of InTuition Extra. InTuition Extra is published digitally every month and sent exclusively to all members of the Society for Education and Training (SET). It will be packed with latest news from the sector, information about events, professional development opportunities, member services and all things SET. It will supplement your InTuition, including follow-ups on magazine items, reminders about important events and will ensure members don’t miss out on book offers and other benefits. Extra will be sent automatically to members’ inboxes, so you don’t have to do a thing. To submit information for possible inclusion in InTuition Extra please contact communications@etfoundation.co.uk
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 5
Views & News
Views Ear to the ground Jenny Williams Confidence is key on apprenticeships News about the government’s pledge to create three million apprenticeships dominated the further education headlines this summer. But in conversation with colleagues across the FE and training sector, the questions mostly focused on the practicalities of the initiative. Which of the new trailblazer standards are ready for delivery? How do they differ from the apprenticeship frameworks? What changes will be needed to off-the-job training programmes and assessment arrangements? How will English and maths be incorporated in the new apprenticeships? What do staff and employers need to know about the changes? What do learners and their parents need to know? Is there scope to increase apprenticeship numbers while maintaining quality? In which occupations and sectors, and at what levels? Is there any support available? There may be few answers yet to many of these questions but the answer to the last question is a resounding ‘yes’. The Foundation’s Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme (ASSP) has been supporting staff in the sector to prepare for the apprenticeship reforms
for the past 18 months. Since March, the programme has focused on helping colleges, training providers and community learning providers to get to grips with the apprenticeship reforms. The feedback we’ve had is that through workshops and provider visits, staff have grown in confidence about working with the new standards, talking to employers about the changes and planning for the delivery of programmes that will benefit the learners and employers. Confidence is key. The best advice we’ve heard this summer is to keep focused on what you do well. Build on good existing employer links, work with sectors and occupations that you have staff expertise in, be confident in the quality you offer and use this as a platform for making the shift from frameworks to standards. We are also about to launch an apprenticeship e-guide, accompanied by four podcasts, spotlighting the apprenticeship reforms, the new standards, advice from providers and insights from employers working with the trailblazers. The e-guide will be launched at the ASSP conference on 30 September and will be available through the ASSP website
www.apprenticeship-staff-support.co.uk. Workshops in October will provide further support about how to respond to the apprenticeship reforms. Based on research with staff in the sector, the ASSP has also supported the development of more than 170 professional development resources – by apprenticeship staff, for apprenticeship staff – on approaches to engaging employers effectively in apprenticeships, and effective curriculum development, teaching, learning and assessment for apprenticeships. All these resources are freely available from the ASSP website www.apprenticeship-staff-support.co.uk. Later this year, we will launch a new Future Apprenticeships Support Programme which will provide further support for leaders, managers, teachers and trainers. Please help us keep our ear to the ground by letting us know if there is specific support you would like this programme to provide. You can contact us at vocational@etfoundation.co.uk Jenny Williams is director of vocational education and training at the Education and Training Foundation
Policy watch Shane Chowen Post-16 area reviews – larger and more specialist colleges Areas across England will soon be engaging in ‘post-16 reviews of education and training institutions’. By March 2017, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) expects that every area, defined quite broadly as ‘functional economic areas’, will have conducted and published the findings of their reviews, detailing how post-16 education can be delivered more efficiently while maintaining high quality. We know that post-16 education and training is a particularly vulnerable area for further cuts and we expect to get a sense of the extent to which the government will cut in the Spending Review on 25 November. The government believes structural reforms are needed to accommodate future demands from employers and learners with much less public funding. Published policy documents describe how they want to ensure the sector is resilient, efficient and financially sustainable, capable of meeting the needs of learners and employers in the 6 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
local area, and meeting the government’s national objectives of achieving three million apprenticeship starts and increasing higher level technical and professional training. In practical terms, there is a strong message that the status quo is not an option. The government expects reviews to rationalise curriculum and encourage specialism, leading to fewer but more
financially sustainable colleges. Other types of providers, including training providers, higher education institutions and local authorities are in scope for analysis, but can choose whether or not to be involved in the process. Area reviews also present an opportunity for new types of specialist institutions. Existing colleges with specialist provision at levels 3-5 could become an Institute of Technology or reviews could recommend a new National College for the area. Other types of recommendations at the disposal of local review teams could range from local outcome agreements, to closer collaboration and to further college mergers. Each review is estimated to take three to four months and the government intends to publish details of each review at: www.gov.uk Shane Chowen is head of policy and public affairs at Niace
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News in brief English skills webinar Support for teachers and trainers delivering English skills to their learners will be the subject of a webinar held on 28 September. The webinar, run exclusively for members of the Society for Education and Training, will focus on: findings from recent research; dual professionalism; what embedding English might mean for you; strategic approaches and practical support and resources. The presenters are Sue Southwood, programme manager, professional standards and workforce development at the Education and Training Foundation, and Gail Lydon, English pipeline programme manager, an Education and Training Foundation associate. The webinar will be broadcast at 1pm. For more details on how to register, please see set.et-foundation. co.uk/professionalism/ resources/webinars. If you are unable to join the session on the day, you can still listen to the webinar on demand via the SET website. Silver winners Further education teachers from across England have been recognised in the 2015 Pearson Silver Teaching Awards. The silver award winners are: Scott Austin and Jerry Nightingale of Weston College, Somerset; William Bateman of Pembrokeshire College; Chris Brown and Rebecca Clarke of City College Plymouth; Robert Hoyle of Walsall College; Andy Marshall of Sir John Deane’s College, Northwich; Darren Storrer of Hull College; the early years and health and care team, Bradford College; and the healthcare team at City College, Plymouth. Well done to all silver winners who are now in the running for gold awards to be announced at the Pearson Teaching Awards
Gala UK Ceremony, in London on 18 October. The ceremony is due to be broadcast on BBC2. www.pearsonteachingawards. com Chat about FE UKFEChat, the online community for FE practitioners, is due to hold its first annual conference on 24 October. Speakers include InTuition columnist Geoff Petty (see page 30); Tom Starkey, who writes a regular blog on the Society for Education and Training website; Niace’s Shane Chowen, who writes InTuition’s policy watch column (see page 6), Tim Weiss, the Education and Training Foundation’s director of strategy, quality and research, and a number of other InTuition contributors. Tickets for the event at the Hallam Conference Centre, London, are £20. Contact organiser Sarah Simons for more detail sarah@ukfechat. com or via direct message on Twitter @MrsSarahSimons To book visit www.eventbrite. co.uk/e/the-ukfechatnational-conferencetickets-17582843759 A cut above Congratulations to tutors at Bolton College’s hairdressing and barbering department for securing Approved Training Centre status from the British
Barbers’ Association (BBA). The BBA praised the department for consistently reaching the highest professional standards in its delivery and for its investment in the ongoing development of staff and students alike. The college has delivered barbering courses for over 10 years and it introduced barbering courses for 16 to 18-year-olds four years ago. Academies boosted results The first wave of school academies helped boost test scores for their pupils, according to research from the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. Researchers Andrew Eyles and Stephen Machin, who studied academies established in England between 2002 and 2008, found pupils attending community schools that converted to academies achieved, on average, test scores 0.4 standard deviations higher than pupils attending community schools. Of the schools that converted to academies, 41 per cent improved their Ofsted grade. And converter schools were around 60 per cent more likely to change head teacher than other schools. The paper is available at www.cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/ download/dp1368.pdf
New principal Di Bachelor has been appointed the new principal of Abingdon and Witney College, replacing Teresa Kelly, who retires in December. Di, who was deputy principal, joined the Oxfordshire college in 1992 as head of adult learning. Previously she had worked at Oxfordshire County Council as part of the adult education team. Teresa Kelly said: “I have worked closely with Di for the past 12 years and I have every confidence that I will be leaving the college in safe and inspirational hands.”
Wolf keynote at AoC Baroness Wolf (pictured) has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at the Association of Colleges conference in November. Cross-bench peer Baroness Wolf, the Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management at King’s College London, is the author of the recent paper Heading for the precipice: can higher and further education funding policies be maintained? Nick Boles, minister of state for skills and equalities, will also address the conference, which runs from 17 to 19 November at the ICC in Birmingham. www.aocannualconference. co.uk #AoCConf
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 7
Views
Opinion
Adult education at the precipice
Niace
Funding cuts threaten adult education services this autumn, warns Sue Pember. But the new head of Holex is determined to influence government policy for the better Holex represents a network of more than 130 community learning providers. Its members have the largest geographical reach of all providers and are truly local. Between them they educate, train and retrain more than 700,000 adult learners each year. As the recently appointed head of Holex, I am really looking forward to taking up my new role. Adult education is an area to which I am personally committed and believe that for many participants it is their lifeline to society and a better life. Without an adult education service our country’s productivity and prosperity would be severely diminished. All Holex members share a joint mission to provide skills and learning that gives adults a second chance and supports their 8 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
employment prospects and wellbeing. Members are innovative and adaptive and have responded well to successive governments’ directions and policy nudges. That is why I am excited and energised by the thought of working with them. Perhaps my greatest concern is that during the frenzy of November’s spending review, decisions will be made without understanding the consequences. We have seen it happen in recent months. The government’s desire to increase funding in certain policy areas has led to several decisions being made which, taken separately, seemed fine but together the impact on many providers was to cut 24 per cent from the adult budget on top of the more visible 2010 spending review cuts. The next set of decisions must be
transparent, fully debated and must not be the unintended consequences of other policy decisions. For our country to meet its full potential, it is now recognised that productivity needs to improve. There is a clear argument for increased investment in adult skills. Second-chance education is about acquiring new skills, confidence and personal wellbeing, which in turn leads to more fulfilled employees and citizens who are less reliant on state help. This leads to improved productivity and a more competitive and successful economy. Adult education services, whether delivered through local authorities or colleges, are at a cliff edge and there is a risk that the unintended consequences of other policy decisions could decimate the service, leaving a large hole in the fabric of our society with no means of filling it. The effects of this could include: people feeling isolated because their English language class has been cut; a lack of support to help get people back into work quickly after large-scale redundancies; and limited solutions following civil unrest and breakdowns in society. My role on behalf of Holex members will be to influence future policy, generate summaries and analysis of current government initiatives, and share this information with the network. This will include responses to formal consultations,
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Learning difficulties restrict prison CPD Continuing professional development is challenging for education professionals who work in prisons, says Rod Clark. It means further hardship for hard-to-reach groups
regular updates and alerting members to changes in funding and data. The Holex network already has excellent and effective communication forums on news and views through a set of ‘e-groups’. The present group themes are: funding, management information systems, employability, quality, staff development and learner support. In the coming weeks and months we will also set up development groups to cover English and maths, apprenticeships, localism, and the area review agenda. Several services are at the vanguard when it comes to delivering local services, for example through working in partnership or reforming as new corporate structures such as mutuals or trusts. Sharing good practice and looking how best we can contribute to the localism and devolution agenda will be a key workstream. This fast changing policy and funding landscape will be the background for my work with Holex members. It’s a big challenge but I cannot think of a better group of people to work with. Sue Pember was appointed head of Holex in August. Holex is the sector membership body for community learning and skills providers, the independent third sector, former external institutions and specialist designated institutions www.holex.org.uk
Continuing professional development (CPD) is a fundamental part of the job for all teachers. In custody it should be no different, but for many education professionals working in prisons, it proves very difficult. It is challenging enough teaching engaging and interesting lessons without internet access, but on top of this prison educators are not able to make the most of their best resource – themselves. While there are many useful resources available from the Education and Training Foundation and the online Excellence Gateway, a lack of formal CPD opportunities isolates prison educators. Earlier this year, HM Inspectorate of Prisons annual report revealed the overall standard of teaching and learning was ‘requiring improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ in almost two-thirds of prisons inspected and it reported: “Prisoners were insufficiently challenged to progress; often becoming bored and disengaged.” The report said standards were at their worst for 10 years and offered a strong case for raising those standards. In the Prisoner Learning Alliance’s briefing on the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) contracts, 23 organisations offered eight recommendations to improve outcomes for learners. In The Future of Prison Education Contracts, The Prisoners’ Education Trust calls on government to support hard-pressed teachers and managers to improve standards and quality. To avoid disruption for teachers and learners, we recommended current contracts be extended for a further year but with some key changes, including better CPD provision. We know the current system restricts teaching staff from accessing CPD and attending networking events. As Angela Nartey, from the University and College Union which has approximately 1,300 members working in prison education, says: “Our members report being very isolated, both professionally
and geographically. They lack a community of colleagues.” The initial OLASS staff competency frameworks were supposed to include plans for CPD, but this can be limited in practice. As Nartey says: “Teachers are often unable to attend training, because they cannot get time off or they won’t get paid, a particular problem for sessional workers.” In our report we also recommend all teachers and advisors receive specialist training in specific learning difficulties. Statistics from August 2014 to January 2015 found 30 per cent of prisoners (11,250 people) were assessed as having a learning difficulty or a disability. Yet there is no requirement for prison education staff to have specific training. With incentives, providers could ensure regular that CPD, Inset training days and networking opportunities are available to all staff, including sessional teachers. If we want to support teachers to successfully engage some of the most hard-to-reach groups, then provision for quality training and development of staff is essential. Rod Clark is chief executive of the Prisoners’ Education Trust
Prisoners’ Education Trust The Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) has supported prisoners to engage in rehabilitation through learning since 1989. www.prisonerseducation.org.uk The Foundation is listening to the workforce and working with them to identify and bring together resources. There is a dedicated area on the Excellence Gateway for offender learning. We have also sent a DVD of effective practice resources to every prison in England. There are examples of good practice in our offender learning quarterly newsletter – printed by HMP Holme House. Sign up to the newsletter at leadership@etfoundation.co.uk
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 9
People
Eyes on the prize Jon Bergmann spent 20 years as a ‘stand and deliver’ lecturer before embarking on an experiment that would change his teaching style forever. He tells Alan Thomson about the decision to pioneer ‘flipped’ learning
jonbergmann.com
“Look, flipped learning is not radical,” insists Jon Bergmann with a seriousness that suggests I’d better get this straight in my head from the outset. “What’s radical is what teachers do in the classroom with the time they have created.” Yet, in 2007 when Bergmann – then a chemistry teacher at Woodland Park High School in Chicago – and his colleague Aaron Sams decided to record their science lectures on video so their students could watch them in their own time, outside class, it could be described as a bold move at the very least. The fact that Bergmann and Sams didn’t tell anyone, including their managers, what they were up to definitely earns them radical kudos. “We just jumped in. Eventually, they learned what we were doing,” Bergmann says wryly. The central argument of flipped learning champions like Bergmann is that a teacher who spends most of their face-to-face teaching time delivering information that is readily available elsewhere – from books, worksheets, the internet or, in Bergmann’s case, from pre-recorded lecture videos – is not making best use of their time and is, potentially, wasting their students’ time. “If most of what you’re doing as a teacher is information dissemination, is that the best use of your time?” asks Bergmann. Bergmann says flipped learning essentially turns Bloom’s taxonomy on its head, so the bulk of face-to-face teaching time is focused on developing higher-level cognitive
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skills – evaluation, synthesis and analysis of knowledge – while very little class or workshop time is spent accessing and memorising that knowledge. Critics say flipped learning can cause teachers more work, in that they must put in extra hours to create learning materials, like video lessons, and to manage the selfdirected learning process. Perhaps more fundamentally, critics also argue that, by flipping learning, teachers are diminished as experts and that, in turn, this devalues the professional status of teachers. Bergmann quickly challenges this last view: “In a flipped classroom the focus is on the higher-order learning and that makes the teacher far more valuable.” But he is honest about the demands that flipped learning places on teachers, at least initially. “It is true, I am asking teachers to commit to extra hours and change takes time. Teachers need proper training and may need to overcome any technological barriers. Protocols also need to be developed, for instance around how students should watch videos,” he says. “Ideally, the principal needs to create more time. Perhaps they need to bring in substitute or supply teachers to allow staff the time to engage properly with flipped learning and to create videos.” Although time, including the time that teachers ought to spend reading the literature around flipped learning (“We made mistakes, but you don’t have to,” says Bergmann), is a major challenge, it isn’t necessarily the biggest obstacle.
TOP TIPS Jon Bergmann’s top tips for flipping your teaching and learning 1. Keep your videos short no more than 15 minutes and perhaps half of that. 2. Teach students how to watch videos – what are you expecting them to do as a result? 3. Don’t rescue the students who don’t watch the videos. Let’s say half the class don’t watch the videos, don’t then re-lecture the material in class. Have a plan for that. 4. Read, research and prepare before you attempt flipped learning. www.jonbergmann.com “The toughest hurdle you have to overcome as a teacher is how to flip your thinking. The rest is just technical,” Bergmann says. “Think of the person who has been lecturing for 20 years – and that was me by the way – if you tell that teacher all they have to do is make a recording of their lectures they’ll probably say: ‘It’ll take time, but I can do that’. “If you then ask that teacher: ‘What are you then going to do with all that time you’ve freed up in the classroom?’, that’s the really challenging bit.” Bergmann stresses there is no single correct answer to the mix of learning technologies one should use in flipped learning or on how to integrate them in the learning process. Reading the literature, researching approaches and, importantly, gathering the evidence of impact will help teachers to figure out what works best. The good news, says Bergmann, is that learning technologies and software are far more widely available and simpler to use than ever and can only become more powerful, interactive and userfriendly in future. And what is the prize for teachers and their learners? “People have been talking and writing about new and exciting approaches to pedagogy and learning for years,” says Bergmann. “By flipping our classrooms we can create the time and space to actually try out some of these wonderful things.”
Stephen Redfern
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Steering students in the right direction Marine engineering lecturer Tamsin Smith has ventured ashore after years at sea to pass on her knowledge to students at Blackpool and The Fylde College Hot-bunking after an 18-hour shift in the bowels of a ship sailing stormy seas may not be everyone’s idea of fun but it is just the kind of real-life experience that marine engineering lecturer Tamsin Smith’s students lap up. Tamsin, a lecturer at Blackpool and The Fylde’s state-of-the-art Fleetwood Nautical College, says she has never had a ‘this is it, I’ve had it’ moment at sea but cheerfully admits to a few terrifying ones. And well she might, having worked in various engineering, research and technical roles in ships, including tall ships, from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic and the fearsome Southern Ocean. Added to this, Tamsin spent
more than five years as a volunteer lifeboat crew member in Aberdeen. “Learners always like me bringing my own experiences into sessions,” says Tamsin. “We can be covering seemingly small things and you can sense the students don’t quite see the importance of it. So I try to use examples from my own career to show just how vital these little things can be. “Thankfully, I’ve got a good range of stories from my time at sea.” Barely into her 30s, Tamsin has more than shown women can cut it in the sometimes macho world of marine engineering. “I’m not going to lie; it was always going to be difficult as a female in a
male-dominated role,” Tamsin says. “I’ve encountered a range of attitudes to my presence on board. People either got over it or I’d have to take them to task and tell them I’m doing my job just as well if not better than others.” Tamsin, who holds a BEng and MSc in marine technology among other qualifications, is looking forward to her teacher training – Blackpool and The Fylde insists on staff gaining a teaching qualification – to enhance her pedagogic knowledge and skills. “I tend to be very interactive with students and like to discuss things. I think it is important every teacher is true to their own personality,” she says. “But I certainly don’t want my colleagues to think I think I always know best. So I am really looking forward to starting my training as a teacher.” Now expecting her first child, Tamsin is keen to give back to education through her teaching at Blackpool and The Fylde. But the pull of the sea is ever present. “I will certainly teach for a few years, but it’s important to keep your technical knowledge up to speed, so I think there is a pretty good chance I’ll go back to sea at some point,” she says. InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 11
Daniel Jones for the National Grid
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Will apprentice changes work well for FE? Major reforms to apprenticeship funding, development and delivery are just around the corner, but what are the changes likely to mean for further education providers and their staff? Alan Thomson reports 12 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
Belief in a golden age of apprenticeships – many imagine this to have been sometime before flower-power and flares - runs deep in Britain. Highly skilled master craftsmen in brown coats helping young, working class men – and women occasionally – to move seamlessly from school to the workplace, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they needed to become good employees and respectable members of the community. Just like the apprentices pictured above at National Grid. But, in truth, prior to the Industrial Training Act 1964, which set up industrial training boards and employer training levies, apprenticeships could be of variable quality, relying on time-honoured approaches to teaching, learning and assessment in a largely unregulated system with no minimum industry standards. The 2012 Richard Review of Apprenticeships reflected this when it said that the warmth universally felt toward
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One of the tests we have applied to the whole apprenticeship reform programme is that it must not interfere with existing good practice. There are lots of great employer-provider relationships out there and they must be allowed to continue and flourish
apprenticeships was both a good and bad thing. Good because people in Britain are hugely supportive of a strong apprenticeship system and bad because no-one can agree what such a system should look like. Emboldened by the report’s recommendations around the need for reinvigorated, employer-led apprenticeship training, the current Conservative government appears to be picking up where the party left off half a century ago, albeit with a distinctly modern, free market feel to its approach. The government wants to see three million more people start apprenticeships over the lifetime of this parliament. Reforms include compulsory employer training levies, which promise to give employers the purchasing power over training recommended in the Richard report. Employers are also being given control over apprenticeship frameworks and standards to ensure they relate accurately to
job requirements. The aim is that, from 2017, all new apprenticeship starts will be based on the new employer-led standards. Trailblazer groups, set up by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and involving hundreds of employers, are already developing standards for apprenticeships in different industries with dozens of standards already approved and scores more in the pipeline. While education and training providers continue to work closely with their employer partners in preparation for the reforms, they are not formally part of the trailblazer groups. According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), feedback from the trailblazers is generally positive with employer groups producing standards documents setting out exactly the sorts of skills and behaviours they want apprentices to demonstrate and what, for fear those standards become overly prescriptive, can be left out. There are also concerns. Rob Wall, head
of employment and education policy at the CBI, says: “While the feedback is really positive, there are ongoing frustrations with the amount of red tape to navigate. “A lot of the narrative is around business being in the driving seat, but it is not the experience of employers who feel BIS is still in control. “It cannot be right for government to tell businesses how to spend their apprenticeship training money. There are also questions about the size of the levy.” BIS is consulting on the levy (closing date 2 October) and, while it has said the levy will be paid only by larger businesses, it has yet to say what size of company will be liable or how much they will have to pay. Details are expected to be announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his autumn statement due on 25 November. “The levy will have a significant impact on how large firms commission and contract training,” says Wall. “We want an apprenticeship system that is much more responsive to the needs of employers. There needs to be a clear line of sight between an apprenticeship and employment. “I suspect we will see more specialisation in providers. We are seeing more of that already and I think it is a welcome evolution. These providers are delivering what is needed at the local and regional level. “That said, one of the tests we have applied to the whole apprenticeship reform programme is that it must not interfere with existing good practice. There are lots of great employer-provider relationships out there and they must be allowed to continue and flourish.” Stewart Segal, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, agrees that education and training providers will become more responsive to employer demand and will develop new methods of delivery. But, like the CBI, Segal also has misgivings about the employer levy and its potential effect on the relationship between InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 13
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training providers and employers. “I don’t believe mandating payment and contribution is the way to address training and development need,” he says. “The current system has employers very much in control: they decide what apprenticeships they want and then they select a training provider. The levy changes what is effectively a series of voluntary business arrangements into a forced programme. “There is talk of employers seeking to make their levy money back from the system. The risk is that, under the new system, apprenticeships become a financial issue for businesses and their finance directors rather than a question of training and development. “The levy is also based around a public sector model which might involve large government departments managing large amounts of money. If so that’s a backward step, not least because currently most apprenticeship arrangements are with smaller employers.” Teresa Frith, senior skills policy manager at the Association of Colleges, envisages a fundamental shift in the relationships between the state, employers and training providers. “It is really the first time a government is seriously looking at its role in supplying
investment so that providers and their staff learn to speak and understand the language of business. Currently there are too few people in FE to translate employer needs into education speak and vice versa.” Fundamental change in FE is certainly on the mind of government which, through its area reviews programme, is seeking rationalisation in the range and number of providers and the curriculum delivered. Frith, Segal and Wall also agree that, while the reforms are designed to encourage improved delivery of apprenticeships at level 3, 4 and 5, the state will have to continue to fund provision
It would be almost criminal to lose the differentiation between vocational training and vocational education. The latter must continue to provide opportunities for people to get on that first rung funding for education and training and that could mean fundamental change for FE,” she says. “Colleges and their staff have been used to catering for the needs of individuals. It has all been about the learner. In the new world this is going to be flipped and it will be about the needs of employers. “But what does a provider say to young people who, for example, really want to do hairdressing but the local need and employer demand is for wind turbine technicians? It is a fine line to walk. “Then there is the conundrum of staffing and their expertise. A college may have excellent teachers in certain specialist areas but if those areas are not the areas in which its apprenticeship contracts are you can’t have those teachers sitting on their hands. “It is going to be a much harsher trading environment. One response might be to create larger provider federations and staff might be moved to the place that has the contract and where their expertise is required. “There will also need to be significant 14 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
below this to ensure opportunity for all. “It would be almost criminal to lose the differentiation between vocational training and vocational education,” says Frith. “The latter must continue to provide opportunities for people to get on to that first rung.” Baroness Wolf was less than optimistic in her recent report Heading for the Precipice. She said while the expansion of higher level apprenticeships was a step in the right direction, it was difficult to see how three million more apprentices could be afforded under current funding constraints. She speculated that the unprotected adult education budget – money that could be used to fund entry-level qualifications – was a ready source of funding that might be diverted into apprenticeships. Gila Tabrizi, policy officer at the University and College Union, believes that the expansion of apprenticeships could threaten the rest of the FE budget. “When budget cuts have fallen on FE it is usually apprenticeships which come out fine and other parts that suffer,” she says. “The announcement on training levies
was a welcome surprise as the union had supported statutory training levies on business. But we have no detail on the size of this levy. “Providers will have to concentrate on provision that makes them financially sustainable but the argument we are making is that FE provision other than apprenticeships is equally valuable such as ESOL, adult education and communitybased learning. “We are also concerned about the implications for staff in those areas where there is little or no employer demand for apprenticeships.” It is unclear which industries will drive the demand for additional apprenticeships in future. Traditionally, apprenticeships are concentrated in technical and engineering areas. But Pauline Tambling, chief executive of Creative and Cultural Skills – the former sector skills council for the creative industries – believes a new approach is needed for apprenticeships. “The paradigm that is traditionally presented is that Nissan opens a factory next door and suddenly there is demand for 100 apprenticeships,” she says. “But by 2020 freelance employment in the UK will outstrip public sector employment. In the creative and cultural sector we have thousands of small and micro-businesses. How do you create an apprenticeship model for those employers? “Large providers, like FE colleges, can’t easily engage with very small organisations currently. We have got to come up with some new models. Perhaps training industry professionals up as trainers and assessors. “But this sort of change needs preparation and we need practical plans. It will need a lot of people to act as intermediaries and scouts to help training providers engage with new and emerging industries if this expansion is to happen.” Alan Thomson is editor of InTuition
References
The Richard Review of Apprenticeships (2012) https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/the-richard-review-ofapprenticeships Alison Wolf (2015), Heading for the Precipice: Can further and higher education funding policies be sustained? www.kcl. ac.uk/sspp/policy-institute/publications/ Issuesandideas-alison-wolf-digital.pdf Government consultation, Apprenticeships levy: employer owned apprenticeships training https://www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/apprenticeships-levy-employerowned-apprenticeships-training
Practitioners
Vision West Nottinghamshire College
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Mock assessments stretch sports and exercise students Scoring aspect of feedback is found to motivate sports and exercise massage BTEC students, as Junior Glave reports Changes to the BTEC assessment guidelines from September 2014 provided the opportunity to revisit teaching, learning and assessment practice to ensure students are fully-prepared for their final summative end-of-unit evaluation. One of the units I teach is level 3 Sports and Exercise Massage, which is a practical course delivered over 17 weeks. Part of the final assessment requires learners to perform and review sports and exercise massage techniques by demonstrating a safe and effective treatment on two athletes under strict observation conditions. To prepare learners to achieve beyond minimum expectations in their end-of-unit practical assessment – and having regard to health and safety and professional standards – I introduced a mockassessment continuum. This provided at least three opportunities during the delivery and formative stages for learners to undertake mock evaluations in preparation for the final assessment.
The first mock assessment was carried out at week three to determine their starting points. The students were all aged 16 to 18, with no – or limited – prior knowledge of sports and exercise massage. This early appraisal provided
the opportunity for students to see for themselves the gaps between where they were starting from and where they needed to be by the end of the unit. The second mock assessment was conducted at week five or six, with the third and final one delivered at week nine or 10. To ensure students were clear about what a high-quality, safe and effective massage treatment looked like, I devised success criteria based on three assessment areas and awarded each one 10 points, making a possible score of 30 overall. At the end of each mock assessment, learners were provided with quantitative and qualitative feedback linked directly to the success criteria I devised. High expectations were set from week one when learners were told they should aim to achieve the following scores: 19-22 points at the first mock assessment; 23 or above at the second and 25 or above at the third to have the competence to pass the final assessment. The scoring aspect of the feedback proved to be highly motivational, with students determined to consistently achieve high scores. This resulted in them engaging more effectively with the success criteria and ensured they took responsibility for their own learning. The mock assessment continuum provided a clear road map for success in the final assessment and overtly developed confidence and self-esteem, as learning in each session and over time was transparent to all. In conclusion, the key to success was using a numerical motivator to encourage learners to read and engage with their formative feedback to increase their scores in their next mock assessment, which ensured all learners made good progress. Junior Glave is programme area leader for sport at Vision West Nottinghamshire College
Community of Practice forums Join hundreds of Society for Education and Training (SET) members who have already registered on our forums to participate in discussions about SET, further education and QTLS. The SET Community of Practice forum has featured regular posts from the World Skills International Competition from Sao Paulo, Brazil, highlighting how these competitions are a great way to help practitioners in their own continuing professional development. If you are interested in QTLS and want to find out more, you can chat to our QTLS team and other members in the QTLS forum to find out if it is right for you. Members already undertaking QTLS can share their thoughts and ask the team questions about the process. Recent posts have discussed the forthcoming changes to the workbooks and questions around how to get started with QTLS. To engage with our national community of FE and training professionals, log in at setforum.et-foundation.co.uk To register, visit set.et-foundation.co.uk/professionalism/communities/ communities-of-practice-online
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Flexible delivery model boosts family learning By Rachel Twort Family trips, science experiments and cookery have all proved successful in terms of greater flexibility in delivery models for the Family Learning Service in Bradford My colleague Vicky Clifton and I work for the Family Learning Service in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Family Learning is an example of joined-up policy-making that offers the opportunity to increase parents’ skills while also improving their children’s attainment in school. It is intergenerational learning.
get involved. I assumed Zaira herself was posing a barrier to the joint session. As the tutor, I also became an additional barrier as I worried about how to run joint sessions and started to doubt their usefulness.
In Bradford, the majority of Family Learning provision is delivered in schools and children’s centres. Classes usually start with some adult-only time before the children join their parents for an activity that links the parents’ learning with the children’s.
The parental involvement worker at Zaira’s school comforted me that, while her older children were unruly, the younger ones had improved their behaviour and attainment massively since Zaira had been coming into school to attend class. So, despite her demeanour in class, the joint element of the classes had, in fact, had a life-altering effect on Zaira and her family.
We aim for a happy, purposeful buzz of parents and children learning together in a cosy, well-resourced environment. However, there are many occasions when the joint session does not reach this standard. Ensuring that intergenerational learning remains at the core of our provision requires attention and effort.
Another barrier to joint sessions emerged in schools where management had taken the decision not to release key stage one and key stage two children to join their parents in Family Learning classes, fearing they would miss out on classwork. Responses from national Family Learning providers to our survey indicate this is a common barrier.
Vicky and I wanted to know how we could highlight and embed the ‘family’ element of our provision, so we examined the barriers that prevent children joining their parents in the classroom. We considered a range of delivery models to enable the participation of target groups of parents.
Aware that joint sessions were only one of many possible delivery models, we explored the advantages of alternative models. Tutors and parental involvement workers we interviewed spoke of the benefit taking into account the parents’ confidence levels and skills as well as the constraints of working in a busy school when choosing a delivery model.
We spoke to parental involvement workers in schools, as well as our tutors, and we emailed questions to providers of Family Learning nationally. We asked specifically about joint sessions. Responses to our investigation indicate barriers to the involvement of the children arise from all angles: from the senior management in the particular setting or the parental involvement worker; from the course aims if the course is accredited; and also from the learners. One of my teaching experiences exemplifies many of the issues. I had a learner called Zaira*. When her son joined us in class, she appeared to be disengaged and reluctant to 16 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
Trips were spoken of as offering a chance for learners to expand their experiences in a supportive environment and are frequently cited as being a ‘light-bulb’ moment when parents put their learning into practice and see its value. This summer we ran three camps for families on a local farm. Where once we had required each parent to be accompanied by only one child, now we welcomed whole families. We attracted families from seven different local schools and introduced them to the farm as a local community resource. This allowed for the mixing of different communities who may not otherwise have
much contact. Language, literacy or numeracy classes tend to focus on adult skills. On these courses tutors have given effective wholefamily homework that encourages intergenerational collaboration. In families where the parent’s language level is below that of the child, tasks that promote the parent’s experience and skills help to balance things out. Comparisons of childhoods, discussion of family memories, making maps, science experiments and cooking have all proved successful. Since completing the research we have altered our offer to local settings. Greater flexibility in our delivery models has enabled lively projects to flourish. A flexible approach to the joint element frees Family Learning to undertake partnership work with community groups, housing associations, and support organisations. This partnership allows Family Learning to reach target groups, while playing a role in supporting local community organisations in a time of funding cuts. Rachel and Vicky’s project was supported by the ETF Research Development Fellowship (RDF) programme delivered in partnership with the University of Sunderland Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) You can watch Rachel talking about her and Vicky’s project at the ETF 2015 annual research conference here: www.practitionerledactionresearch.com/ multimodal-research/etf-practitionerresearch-conference-2015/workshop-24-esol-and-family-learning/ * The parent’s name has been changed.
Rachel Twort and her colleague Vicky Clifton are family learning tutor officers with Bradford Council Family Learning Service
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Is it time to get your hands dirty as a teacher? By John Webber A combination of flipped learning and directed improvement and reflection time (Dirt) leaves a longer-lasting impression on students than simple marks or grades Have you ever wished that the long hours you spend marking and writing feedback on students’ work had a greater impact on their learning? If so, you are not alone. Research tells us that, when used skilfully, feedback is one of the most powerful tools that a teacher can use to foster student learning and yet, when you receive the next piece of work from a student that replicates the weaknesses you highlighted last time, it can make you doubt this. Clearly feedback is only effective if students can and do use it to ‘feed forward’ to future work. How can a teacher ensure this? I have interviewed many students in my role supporting innovation in practice through action research. The interviews confirmed what many of us have long suspected, that only a minority of students consider feedback from a previous piece of work when starting a new piece. Even those who do try to, often say they have difficulty interpreting and acting on the feedback they receive. My colleague Steve Bassett, who teaches A level sociology, has tackled this challenge with an approach specifically designed to develop both students’ behaviours and skills around responding to feedback. He had already successfully established the ‘flipped-classroom’ approach, enabling students to develop basic knowledge and understanding before they came to class and hence freeing class time for other activities that stimulate deeper learning. Could this include students interpreting and acting on feedback? Enter ‘Dirt’, an acronym for directed (or dedicated) improvement and reflection time. Steve introduced this as part of exam preparation. Students completed exam questions under timed conditions in class. Steve then marked the work. He recorded
a mark or grade but didn’t share this initially with the students. Instead they were given their work back annotated with the marking codes and numbered targets. Marking codes link to a table, given to the students, of frequently used comments and suggestions for improvement. They save teachers having to repeatedly write these out in full. Time is then given for students to read and reflect on their feedback before rewriting part, or all, of the piece. Steve then gives them feedback on this second draft, awarding a mark or grade and highlighting progress they have made. Through this process it became clear whether students understood and were able to act on the original feedback. Focusing on the progress students make between drafts was often very motivating and reinforced the messages about growth mindset.
• With longer pieces of work consider getting the students to redraft a part rather than the whole piece. • Compare work at different levels to help develop their ‘nose for quality’. Success criteria on their own (even when translated into student friendly language) are not enough.
References • Dweck, C. (1999). Caution – praise can be dangerous. American Educator, Spring. www.aft.org/sites/default/files/ periodicals/PraiseSpring99.pdf • A useful summary of Dweck’s ideas is available here http://teacherstoolbox. co.uk/T_Dweck.html • “Austin’s Butterfly: building excellence in student work - models, critique, and descriptive feedback” https://vimeo. com/38247060
Steve advises the following when introducing Dirt: • Be explicit with students about the rationale behind this process. Encourage a class culture that values mistakes as opportunities for learning and development. Steve linked this to Dweck’s mindset research and the idea of ‘deliberate practice’. He also showed them the ‘Story of Austin’s Butterfly’. • When marking, watch for common misconceptions that need to be addressed before students can meaningfully redraft their work. Targets should be clear but also stimulate students to think and reflect on their work themselves; consider framing targets as questions. • Note, but withhold, the initial mark or grade because students often perceive the grade as the purpose of assessment and hence fixate on this rather than the detail in the feedback. Discuss this with them.
John Webber is project manager: innovation and learning technology and Steve Bassett is lecturer and coordinator for A level sociology, both at Sussex Downs College
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ASSP brings personal and professional rewards By Marie Gould Involvement in the Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme has brought many benefits, not least the opportunity to share effective practice and joining its Community in Practice Apprenticeships are currently going through one of their biggest reforms in decades. From 2017, employers will have greater control over apprenticeship funding, standard setting and assessment planning. A number of employer-led ‘trailblazer’ groups are currently developing the standards and frameworks. At Petroc, an FE college in Devon, I have been fortunate to be involved in both phases of the ETF’s Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme (ASSP) run by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers with support from a number of organisations, including the Association of Colleges, the 157 Group and Niace. Apprenticeships are sometimes not understood fully by management and, prior to my involvement in the programme’s projects, I had limited support and time to move apprenticeships forward. The research and subsequent implementation work carried out for both phases of the ASSP programme has really helped me personally and professionally. Three main things have come out of this project work and subsequent staff support programme at Petroc. We are: • Producing monthly newsletters for employers to reinforce our links ahead of the 2017 funding reforms; • Running employer events; and • Developing an electronic toolkit for staff delivering apprenticeships and responsible for employer engagement. The newsletters contain information about apprenticeships designed to help employers understand the teaching, learning and assessment processes as well as the funding opportunities. And, by undertaking the research for the contents, it means we, as practitioners, are updating ourselves constantly as practitioners. We are now looking to cascade that across the different sector areas. 18 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
Our employer events have helped us understand our target market better. The events were kept fairly informal with a brief presentation of current practices and future reforms. From them we ascertained most employers knew very little about the current apprenticeship system, let alone beyond 2017. These events demonstrated we are prepared to go the extra mile to provide a useful service for employers and to build and reinforce links with them. They also help us to offer the correct courses, in the most appropriate format. The electronic toolkit is a step-by-step checklist for our employer engagement staff to use in preparation for the apprenticeship reforms. We have engaged with staff in sectors where comparable standards have been developed as part of trailblazer reforms, to use their knowledge of setting up and delivering apprenticeships coupled with staff who have no experience of apprenticeship. Functional Skills delivery is central to our work in line with government thinking and the recent work conducted by Professor Ed Sallis for the Education and Training Foundation. To support this work we are producing resources to support teachers, trainers, assessors and employers. Functional Skills teachers were finding their work was not considered an essential element of the framework. The introduction of these resources has helped to embed maths and English into apprenticeship programmes and bring on board all relevant stakeholders. We are now adapting these resources to support ESOL learners moving from traineeships on to apprenticeships. All in all, the ASSP has given me the opportunity to research, develop, learn and move my practice forward. I have
Learning points • You are not alone – there is a wealth of experience and resources out there. Make sure you access the ASSP project website and apply to become part of its Community of Practice. • Engage with your target audience wherever possible – organise Employer engagement events and subsequent network. • Work with your colleagues across the different sectors, they are probably feeling just like you and have a wealth of experience and ideas. Sharing best practice is a great way to feel supported and move forward. • Being proactive is a great improvement on being reactive. www.apprenticeship-staff-support.co.uk
learned a great deal more from our employer engagement network. Also, I now have the advantage of belonging to the ASSP community and have a wealth of resources and knowledge I can tap into. Making Maths and English Work for All /www.et-foundation.co.uk/news/ new-major-report-finds-support-forfunctional-skills/
Marie Gould is a programme manager for a suite of business apprenticeships for Devon FE college, Petroc. The ASSP is funded by the Education and Training Foundation. www.apprenticeship-staff-support.co.uk
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Hierarchy of problems stretches students By Nadim Bakhshov A four-step problem-solving framework can stretch and challenge mathematics students and allow them to develop higher-level analytical skills This article argues against the narrowness of the traditional topicbased approach to the teaching of mathematics and suggests an alternative approach. This alternative approach takes the best of the traditional approaches and broadens the skillset for mathematics students by placing mathematics teaching in a problem-solving framework. But why change the way mathematics is taught? First, the use of mathematics has grown and extended into new areas. Core mathematical skills are employed in software development, computer engineering, the creative industries and finance. Second, problem-solving and higher order cognitive skills, which frame mathematics, become an invaluable skillset for businesses. Teaching within a problem-based framework First, what do we mean by a problembased framework. At the core of mathematical education lies the learning and mastery of techniques and methods and the acquisition of mathematical concepts. But the teaching and learning practices change within the framework. Simple rote-learning and the use of repetitive exercises becomes a small part of a broader teaching and learning strategy.
Basic problems correspond to the exercise-based approaches in traditional mathematics teaching. These problems are set up so a student is told what technique or method to use. Learning is linked simply to implementing or executing the technique and concentrating on doing this without error. Intermediate problems correspond to an enlargement of the basic problem in traditional mathematics teaching. A student is told about the nature of the problem and has to decide which of the learnt techniques or methods are the right ones to use. The actual selection and decision made can affect the quality of the solution and, in some cases, the result. Advanced problems correspond to the full use of the problem-solving approach and go beyond the traditional model. In this step a student analyses the given problem. They may be required to break up the problem into different parts to get a clearer hold on what they are dealing with. This initial analysis leads them to make a decision on the type of problem.
Students are given or are exposed to problems that require the selection and application of relevant mathematical techniques. It is the nature and use of problems rather than topics that organise how students move through the material. All students learn to problem-solve.
Using problems to organise teaching and learning Mathematics was not born in a vacuum. The advantage of moving to a problembased framework is simple: it provides the basic context for students to engage with the subject. They often find themselves encouraged to ask for reasons and justifications, to ask ‘why’. They begin to recognise that mastery of technique is not sufficient for success. Their focus begins to move to the ‘endgame’, the problems they need to solve.
Problems are organised on a simple hierarchy: basic, intermediate and advanced. The problem-solving framework has four steps and the careful use of different steps, to stretch and challenge students, allow the teacher to develop higher order analytical skills.
The learning of mathematics is made richer and more valuable. It simplifies the question of dealing with what to teach. If each outcome is measured through key problems, a teacher has a simpler framework to draw a path through the course or programme.
Teaching higher and lower order skills The problem-solving framework presented also links the mastery of lower order skills and the development of higher skills in a logical way. Lower order skills, the methods and techniques of mathematics and their application, are not replaced in a problem-solving framework but are integrated into the development of higher order skills. The framework we have been discussing provides plenty of opportunities for a teacher to stretch their students to think about what they are doing, why they have selected a particular method or technique, what methods and techniques work for particular problems and why. As students become familiar with particular techniques the hierarchy of problems allows complexity and thinking to be introduced in a seamless way. SET members can read a fuller version of Nadim’s article at http://set.etfoundation.co.uk/about-us/focus/ problem-based-teaching
Nadim Bakhshov is head of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Highbury College
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ResearchDigest Foundation champions practitioner research Conference reveals wealth of research successes through the Practitioner Research Programme. By Ian Nash and Sue Jones A comprehensive initiative of more than 80 applied research projects has been carried out by teachers, middle managers and curriculum teams under the Education and Training Foundation’s Practitioner Research Programme. The programme – targeted, small-scale research in colleges, community centres, prisons, independent and corporate training centres – illustrates the speed with which practical solutions to problems facing teachers and learners can be found. A one-day conference at Mary Ward House in London this summer found there are significant measurable improvements in learner achievement as a result in many project areas. From an exploration of the way advances in technology can enhance literacy skills, to the use of more learnerfocused approaches to English for speakers of other languages and the application of creativity in the rehabilitation of offenders, the projects attest to the urgency with which skills training and other priorities identified by the Foundation need to be addressed. They also point to a deeper need for such developmental
work to feed into regular professional development, the raising of professional standards, whole-organisation and multi-organisational support and development, and the need for practitioner research to become embedded in the different learning communities in the longer term. As many of the conference workshops revealed (see panel, right), this applies equally to traditional further education college and independent training provider settings and to adult community, family and offender learning provision. All the projects were small scale and managed by individuals or small groups of practitioners with clear goals to identify ways to improve participation, performance and achievement. They were supported by either Suncett or Emcett, the centres for excellence in teacher training chosen to help develop the work, and focused broadly on either lesson observation and/or action research. Partnership with higher education researchers was a key consideration. Most of the work built on earlier programmes commissioned in 2013 by the Learning and Skills
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Improvement Service, which allowed participants to take stock and address the bigger question of how to make practitioner research in FE sustainable. To this end, a consistent message came across from workshop leaders and convenors. Practitioners in FE need: permission to develop and test ideas; space in which to gather, discuss and share ideas; access to practitioner researchers beyond the four walls of their organisation; resources to support developments; and time for continuing professional development (CPD) to make the necessary changes identified by research. The participants argued lasting benefits to the learners in FE were unlikely without sustained development, since this was needed to maintain and refresh their understanding of research methodology and the collection and analysis of data. Too often, good ideas were lost to the ‘collective
memory’ of a college through a lack of collaboration, sharing of ideas and passing on expertise. The reflections of many practitioners at the conference workshops echoed the words of keynote speaker Norman Crowther. The national official for post-16 education at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers is the author of much work on the need for FE professionals to take ownership of CPD and underpinning research in college. He urged participants to develop their ideas and build them around the professional standards. “The standards are developmental and help you move on. They fit into a world view that makes you want to do things differently,” he said. Lorna Unwin, professor emerita of vocational education at UCL Institute of Education, said the way to advance effective research in FE was to form more robust partnerships across the sector and build on the research started through the ETF Practitioner Research Programme.
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Workshops explored: five examples of research evidence Philippa Firth and Richard Turner Kirklees College It’s the teaching and learning isn’t it? Persuading students of the value of higher education in a further education context Students who go into HE by a non-traditional route can find it difficult to cope when faced with lectures of up to 200 students, but they are able thrive on HE programmes delivered in FE. A survey of students on a foundation degree in FE showed that being close to home and having support from tutors was more important in their choice of course than cost. They considered they learned best and overcame difficulties when they were in small groups, had access to tutor time and could work in a team with an inclusive teaching style. A marketing campaign for HE in FE and better Level 3 exit interviews could open up opportunities. More information about Philippa and Richard’s project can be found here: www.practitionerledactionresearch.com/pilotprojects/woa-to-plar/kirklees-college/
“The way to take these projects to the next stage is to join up, collaborate and create a research community of practitioners; link up with others to get bigger samples and try out what you do together in different ways,” she said. David Russell, chief executive of the Foundation, told the conference: “Over the past year there has been a resurgence of interest in and understanding of the importance of research and the effect and influence of research. The aspiration is that evidence based findings will be recognised. We are assisting practitioners to do this in a professional way.” Ways to assist FE researchers included the creation of research interest groups (regionally and nationally) and the possible establishment of a ‘researcher pipeline’ through the Society for Education and Training. Ian Nash and Sue Jones are co-owners of Nash & Jones Partnership specialising in media services and editorial support
Sarah Richards Abingdon and Witney College Resitting GCSE maths: do growth mind set messages make a difference? A lack of self-belief in students’ capacity to do maths undermines achievement. This happens with girls more than boys and affects the poor more than the affluent. However, you can change this by applying meta-cognitive interventions to improve self-belief. Using the Stanford University MOOC, ‘How to learn maths’, learners who had previously failed were persuaded success came from hard work rather than innate talent. They learned the characteristics of people who ‘grew’ their intelligence were perseverance, a desire to seek challenges and a refusal to worry about mistakes. Over an academic term of intervention Sarah Richards advanced students’ learning by eight months. She said: “The way we teach maths is unwitting cognitive abuse because it makes a person feel anxious; it’s all about speed and doing things without understanding.” Sarah’s project video and poster can be found here: www.practitionerledactionresearch.com/mathsand-english/ Brian Todd Siemens Energy Assessment – trying to make some sense of it all: investigating learners’ experiences of assessment in engineering training Apprentices at Siemens Energy need high-level qualifications but the company also ran a programme for a group of ‘Neets’ to see if they could become engineers. Interviews with the students, observations and background research showed the school system is putting some young people on the scrapheap, leaving them feeling bullied, let down and that they
cannot learn. For these young people, Brian Todd advocated returning to the concept of a ‘journey into a craft’, or learning from practitioners by engaging on a personal level, sharing the traditions of the craft and helping them to see themselves as the skilled people of the future. This would necessitate moving beyond teaching to the test and would require a review of outcomes-driven funding and guided-learning hours. See Brian presenting his project at the research conference: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=owBFOEVx2AM&feature=youtu.be Marcin Lewandowski Action Acton Virtually written: exploring the efficacy of Google tools for promoting collaboration and language competency. Many Esol learners who have family commitments find it difficult to travel to attend regular lessons but a virtual classroom enables them to work together in real time while remaining at home. Background materials can be provided for self-study and a Google online circle allows them to discuss and produce collaborative work, which can be monitored by the tutor. Students were positive about the opportunity for online discussion but shy of editing each other’s work, for fear of offending fellow learners. Overall, they felt it helped them to build confidence and they appreciated the flexibility that enabled them to learn and carry out family duties. Marcin’s Prezi and research poster can be found here: www.practitionerledactionresearch.com/ technology/ Anna Kennedy WEA Does teaching literature to Esol and functional English learners promote deeper emotional participation of the students in the process of learning a new language? Very little is said about how reading literature can engage people emotionally in learning a new language but this research shows how it boosts motivation to learn considerably if introduced at the outset. A class of 29 learners with 15 different first languages read a book of choice from a shortlist prior to the lesson, where they were tested then asked to reflect on it at home. Engagement of learners was rapid and the weekly lesson became a ‘book club’. Impact research revealed gains beyond expectation as all said they were more engaged, 48 per cent said reading helped with English and 67 per cent said they were excited by the language. It also improved teacher motivation. Anna said: “This research has been a breath of fresh air. Sharing stories, sharing emotions, sharing ideas... It gets me closer to my students.” Anna’s research poster and project website can be found here: www.practitionerledactionresearch. com/achievement-and-progression
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 21
InPractice
Trainers with a view to a skill
WorldSkills UK
WorldSkills competitors are stars of vocational practice but behind every brilliant young team member is a tiger trainer dedicated to their success. Alan Thomson reports It is apparent to anyone who spends time talking with WorldSkills training managers that they are both ordinary and exceptional. Ordinary in the sense they are all teachers, trainers and tutors who tend to work in typical further education settings delivering training to people on a daily basis. But exceptional in the time and tremendous energy they commit to WorldSkills above and beyond the day job. Something they do voluntarily. Katie Kyrousis is food and beverage training manager at the Gleneagles Hotel and looks after the training needs of more than 200 front-of-house staff at the Perthshire spa and golf resort. Clearly, Katie has a lot on her plate at work but she was also this year’s WorldSkills training manager for restaurant service. Her Team UK protégé Lucy Jones won a Medal of Excellence at the finals in Sao Paulo in Brazil in August. “I was a WorldSkills competitor in Calgary in Canada in 2009 and I was keen to stay involved because I had such a positive experience,” says Katie. “I wanted to give something back and also to develop myself. WorldSkills has given me the tools to organise my training in a more efficient way. I have scaled up some of the approaches I took at WorldSkills to my job. It’s also given me access to many contacts in the industry, both here and abroad. “Finding time to do the competition can be a challenge but I am used to it. In hospitality you never work from nine to five anyway and my employer has been hugely supportive.” Rianne Chester, who trained at Warrington Collegiate and now runs her own business, 22 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
Top: Medal of Excellence winner Lucy Jones (centre). Above: David McCay. Right: Katie Kyrousis Beauty by Rianne, was the top competitor in terms of points amassed at this year’s finals in Sao Paulo, winning a gold medal in beauty therapy and the Albert Vidal Award in recognition of her outstanding performance. It is the first time the award has been won by a UK competitor. Rianne’s competition training manager was Sue Simpson who, in addition to running her own hair, beauty and nails training business, Style Training, Southport, is the chief expert in beauty therapy for WorldSkills internationally – a role that involves setting the standards competitors aspire to and by which they will be judged. “Rianne is absolutely amazing and I’m thrilled to bits for her. She is not only hugely talented but she is dedicated and she
put the hours into training,” says Sue. As part of her WorldSkills work Sue spent time in South Africa recently, helping the country build its teaching capacity in vocational skills training. Specifically, she spoke about the WorldSkills Master Class programme. She said: “The programme helps to build everyone’s skills. Providers can contact Find a Future and request a Master Class and WorldSkills trainers will come and talk to staff and learners.” Like many WorldSkills trainers and experts, Sue employs many of the training approaches used in her WorldSkills work in her day job, and vice versa. “This way everyone is taught at a world class standard,” she says.
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Me&my
tutor
Abingdon and Witney College’s 2015 student of the year Emily Bird and tutor Helen Brown, head of the Teaching Skills Academy and course leader and subject tutor for Level 3 Travel and Tourism, talk about the importance of a strong learning relationship. “Simple but powerful things such as giving WorldSkills competitors a skills audit to find gaps in their knowledge and practice are equally applicable to both learners and staff. “From there you can develop training plans for people. The aim in WorldSkills is that by the end of it the participants know more than I do. So it keeps me on my toes as a practitioner.” Like Sue, David McCay, a lecturer at North West Regional College in Northern Ireland, is a chief expert – in wall and floor tiling - and he explains the pride he feels in the role. “You’re voted in as a chief expert by your WorldSkills peers, so they must see something in you. As a professional trainer that’s a really nice thing to happen,” says David. “The other thing is that while I love my job as a lecturer, taking part in skills competitions gives me that extra buzz when my team members compete well. “There are also the things I learn from being part of WorldSkills. For example, after a training event in Switzerland, I shared what I learned with colleagues back here as part of staff development.” Find a Future, which runs the UK WorldSkills competitions and the annual Skills Show, held this year at the NEC Birmingham from 19 to 21 November, is always looking for new training managers and experts. If you are interested call 0800 612 0742 or email getintouch@ findafuture.org.uk. Members can read more about WorldSkills, including a full version of this article and an extra article by Christine Doubleday, the education and development director at Find a Future, at: bit.ly/WorldSkills_report
Emily: “I didn’t expect to win the award for travel and tourism, never mind the overall student of the year award. “Helen has been a huge part of my success at college. She has provided consistent encouragement, support and the opportunity to ask any questions. She also pushed me out of my comfort zone to achieve the best results. “Helen always made lessons enjoyable. She is constantly positive and enthusiastic about each lesson and would always try to make lessons fun, using games to expand our knowledge and improve our coursework. These methods really worked for me as it broke up lessons, helping me to maintain my focus. “Helen also created an assignment calendar which was very effective in helping me manage the workload, especially in the first year. “I think it’s so important to have a good relationship with your tutor as they are the person who can do the most for you and the person you are likely to be spending the most time with. Helen’s kind, caring and
approachable personality meant students had a brilliant relationship with her.” Helen: “Years ago I watched a short TED video by the late Rita Pierson called ‘Every kid needs a champion’*. The message has stayed with me: the relationships you build with students, the journey you take them on and the trust and mutual respect that is built up are the building blocks to successful learning. “Keeping up to date with teaching practices is vital to ensure I am being the best I can be and so demonstrate and promote that ethos to my students. “But keeping up to date is not a oneway street. I’m always learning from my students, especially their knowledge of technology. Allowing them to share their discoveries and knowledge is conducive to an excellent learning environment. It’s great for me too because it can help to save time! “It has been a privilege and honour to teach Emily and the other students within her year group.”
SIX OF THE BEST Helen’s top tips for getting the best out of learners 1. Build rapport and relationships with the group and each individual learner. 2. Have high expectations and stretch and challenge every learner in every lesson. 3. B uild resilience into your curriculum, set high standards and promote these. 4. L ink what the students are learning to industry to make it relevant. 5. A ccurate and timely assessment allowing for ‘study buddies’ and peer assessment. 6. Have fun! *www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 23
InSight
Apprentices show their bottle Teach Too has created a two-way street in which experts from industry work closely with education and training providers and vice versa. Training provider Midland Group Traning Services describes its positive experiences working with the UK dairy industry The UK dairy industry led an initiative to both centralise and standardise a national approach to developing advanced apprenticeship maintenance engineers. Working in partnership with Midland Group Training Services (MGTS), an educational charity specialising in engineer education, training and assessment provision, the industry established the Eden Engineering Project at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, in 2011. The dairy industry, initially comprising Arla Foods, Dairy Crest, Müller, Wiseman, First Milk and Milk Link, was realising its ambition to deliver a residential-based solution to introducing multi-skilled engineers to the UK dairy industry. MGTS, adopting the key principles associated with the Teach Too approach, ensured delivery would be structured from the employer out, not using current qualifications and apprenticeship frameworks as the reference. Employers were encouraged to map out the full range of required skills, knowledge and behaviour needs with particular emphasis on engaging with future competence needs and anticipating advanced technological and process developments. Placing the employer at the forefront of curriculum and content development required a high level of flexibility and credible engagement where MGTS was required to respond to a diverse range of industrial instruction varied by the productive content of those involved. The dairy employers, as topic specialists, led on governance, facilities development and curriculum review often taking the lead in presenting ambition and content to students. The stretch element of the experience placed MGTS at the specialist crossroads between specialist engineering training and delivery and engaging with original equipment manufacturers [OEMs] who supply a range of specialist equipment, process machinery, process control and instrumentation to the dairy industry. This enabled MGTS to establish OEM partnerships to develop, evolve and highlight the benefits and value that OEMs can add to the credibility of the programme. Oliver Kolontari, programme lead for MGTS, explains that within the programme there had been a push by MGTS, the 24 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
The white stuff: Midland Group Training Services’ (MGTS) Teach Too experience through the Eden engineering project…
• Developed capability of managing multi companies over multiple sites while standardising the MGTS Training Officer Service, to include on-site mentoring and support to the Eden engineering apprentices and on-site team; • Developed collaboration and partnerships with the dairy industry, Reaseheath College and the National Skills Academy; • Enabled original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partnerships to develop and evolve. It also highlighted the benefits and value the OEMs can add to the credibility of the programme, including the organisation of planned site visits to enable students’ first-hand experience of OEMs; • Stretched and challenged MGTS both practically and mentally by the exposure to processing technologies and where MGTS needs to be working towards; • Enabled MGTS to have credible conversations with other food and drink companies regarding processing, automation and instrumentation; • Empowered staff to research and develop themselves and products to meet the needs of the programme and the dairy industry; • Developed and enhanced staff flexibility by working at Reaseheath College; • Developed new concepts such as monitoring behaviours, skills and knowledge at site; • Introduced the ‘technical journal’ concept and developing the apprentice to own the knowledge of dairy equipment; • Reviewed our IT to enable students to access the BTEC support material on the cloud; • Exposed MGTS to new sector and new market opportunities; and • Helped MGTS to evolve as the ‘technical interpreter’ for companies and their technical training requirements. dairy industry and Reaseheath College to develop soft skills, attitude and behaviour and to develop links with their dairy technician counterparts. This helped build a peer support network in the dairy workplace and a pool of skill and knowledge for problem solving which linked across companies. Kolontari says: “Within a few months of the students returning to the workplace they were deemed as adding value to their organisation. The employers have focused on the results and listened to the students to develop and modify the programme to achieve what is needed. “On completion of the second year the students completed projects back at
site, which they presented to peers and companies; many showing significant savings and tangible benefits for their organisations often exceeding the cost of their training. “A project, such as this, is demanding on all concerned: the employer having to specify and monitor what is required and the effect it has; the training providers who have to deviate into industry specific areas and specialisms; and, particularly, the student with a fast and intense programme. That said, the results speak for themselves.” To sustain this programme going forward, the Eden programme has now engaged with other food and drink manufacturers/ process industries.
Teach Too explained The Teach Too initiative for the FE and training sector is delivered by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers and UCL Institute of Education on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation. Teach Too encourages people from industry to spend some time teaching their work. This includes: industry professionals teaching in provider or workplace environments, and/or contributing to curriculum development, while continuing to work; promoting the practice of teachers and trainers updating their industry experience; helping to build the ‘two-way street’ – genuinely collaborative arrangements between employers and providers. For information and resources visit www.teachtoo.org
Joana Freitas
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On the ball support for the homeless By Emily Whyte Most organisations would argue that their service users are at the centre of their work. This is particularly true of our work at the Homeless FA. The Homeless FA, part of Centrepoint, which is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, uses football to reach out to people experiencing homelessness in England and helps them develop their skills and abilities, gain self-respect and confidence, improve their health and, ultimately, positively transform their lives. We also select and manage Homeless Team England. Players attend Homeless FA Training Centres, run in partnership with professional football clubs, where they undergo coaching and mentoring and aim to achieve an accredited level one Sports Leaders UK qualification. Crucially, our Player Progression Programme means all of our coaches and mentors are former players. The majority of our players left secondary school with few or no qualifications and therefore lack confidence in the skills to engage in formal learning. This is where our
mentors help greatly by actively facilitating discussion, offering encouragement and 1-to-1 support, including assistance with speaking, reading or writing. The inspirational venues we train and play in no doubt have enabled us to demand more from our players. But it’s the substance of our work and its lasting impact which returns the players’ investment, not necessarily the experience of training on the same pitch as Andros Townsend and Wayne Rooney. Of last year’s Team England, nearly two-thirds of participants improved their housing situation and over two-thirds found employment. We enjoyed similar success reducing substance use in those
players who were using regularly before the programme. This summer we delivered our brand new Team England Development Programme. The programme consists of two hour workshops run throughout our training camps and during all international activity. We ensure that the workshops focus on non-traditional styles of learning. This involves cooperative learning in small groups. The workshop leader facilitates rather than lectures and players learn by taking part in interactive, self-directed activities. Questions and real life examples are continually proposed to encourage critical thinking, writing and speaking. We designed the development programme with former players who have gone on to become mentors and, because of this, perhaps overlooked the vital input they can have as fully trained facilitators. Coaches and mentors are already giving us feedback on what has worked or can be improved. It is clear that mentors want and need additional training if we are to fully realise their potential in the workshop setting. We started out thinking that our former players were the experts we needed to help us develop a new training programme and our success so far has proved this to be the case. But it is now clear we need to keep them in the classroom as fully trained facilitators, confident in their potential impact and able to provide a much higher level of support. Emily Whyte is Team England’s development programme manager. http://homelessfa.org
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 25
Leading Learning
The QA way to self-assessment By Paul Masterman QA Apprenticeships (QAA) was the first independent learning provider to be rated Ofsted ‘outstanding’ in all categories following the revision of the Common Inspection Framework (CIF) in 2012. An issue that faces a large and diverse provider like QAA is setting the standards in all areas of the learner journey through engagement, recruitment, teaching, learning, assessment, funding and finance, and then ensuring compliance to an outstanding level. Self-assessment is a vital tool to ensure compliance with the standards and that they are the right fit for the aims of the
business. We also use self-assessment to inform action plans to help us improve customer service across the business. In practical terms, self-assessment is conducted in each business area – relating to the main stages of the learner journey – on a cyclical basis in accordance with the quality calendar. A main self-assessment is conducted annually and extended selfaudits are carried out quarterly to ensure the outstanding standards expected are being met. The main self-assessment is conducted by business area leaders in the form of a peer review every April. The aim of the peer review is twofold:
• to enable managers to take a pragmatic view of their business areas, and to reflect on the quality of their practices in support of the vision of QA Apprenticeships; and • to enable leaders to take ownership for the improvement of their business areas by having a real input into the quality improvement plan (QIP) over the next 12 months. Business area leaders are asked to set up a study group across a wide demographic of their teams. The groups are given a template and asked to peer review and grade the CIF categories of Outcomes for learners, Quality of teaching, Learning
How managers can support teachers dealing with behaviour issues
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By Merv Lebor
Teachers and trainers in many classes face behaviour problems on a daily basis. I have been asked by managers at various colleges to speak to staff about strategies for helping counteract these problems. The main question that emerges is how might managers in lifelong learning, support tutors in dealing with these stressful situations? I carried out a survey, two focus groups and many interviews. The findings revealed challenging student behaviour across a wide range of ability and age groups. Managers offered several localised and wider strategies for supporting teachers in these challenging situations. Some managers tended to reiterate what they would do themselves if they were teaching these classes. Others took the view that if teachers prepared sessions, set ground rules, made sessions interesting, supported and stretched learners, the problem would not arise. However, quite often, none of these tactics worked. Among the more helpful recommendations made was that employers create the time and space, 26 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
such as staff meetings or training sessions, where managers and tutors can discuss strategies in an open and blame-free environment. Also, managers should consider offering ongoing training for staff involved in teaching disruptive classes, particularly focusing on appropriate interventions. A third recommendation involved a whole-organisation approach to managing behaviour. Added to these was the suggestion that significant incidents of disruption should be recorded and used as case studies for professional development. Setting up buddying/mentor relationships between experienced and inexperienced tutors was also put forward along with joint practitioner research, where managers, tutors and students can be involved in working out solutions. Putting ideas and strategies into practice can be challenging and much may depend on what the teacher is comfortable with or suits their own personality. If the problems do become severe or overwhelming, it might be helpful for teachers to have discussions with colleagues or
managers outside the classroom. However, this assumes that the teacher will be working in a supportive environment where managers operate in a non-judgemental way. Calling in a colleague or manager to team-teach part of a session can be useful. A major factor in managing behaviour seems to be the ability to communicate with groups of learners and individuals, no matter how problematic their behaviour. But teachers and tutors also need to be resilient. They need to be supported emotionally and psychologically in developing
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and assessment, and the Effectiveness of leadership and management. The groups are then asked to give qualitative feedback in various sub-categories including A learner-centred approach, Managing for quality improvement and Strategic management. The results of the peer reviews are collated and used along with the strategic business plan to inform the business QIP for the coming year. Actions added to the QIP become individual key performance indicators which are used to assess performance of staff during appraisal, compared against customer service levels in the specific areas. The results of the peer review also inform the main self-assessment report which is produced annually and uploaded to the funding body portal for public view by the sector and Ofsted.
The extended self-audits are used to track the progression of the main business improvement goals in the QIP. At QAA we have found our selfassessment process underpins improvements in learner achievement, raising levels of customer satisfaction higher still. Crucially, for a very large business like ours, it allows us to share excellent teaching, learning and assessment practice across the organisation, helping to ensure a standardised approach to apprenticeships. It works so well we have branded it ‘The QA way”.
ways to overcome stress and finding forums for discussing these issues away from the classroom. Blame-free dialogue is critical.
experienced teachers responded to disruptive students. DOI: 10.5920/till.2014.5212.
Merv Lebor is a teacher educator at Leeds City College. His research was supported by the Education and Training Foundation and the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training. mervyn.lebor@leedscitycollege.ac.uk
References
Lebor, M. (2014) War Stories; How
Paul Masterman is head of quality for QA Apprenticeships. QAA is a division of QA Ltd which is the UK’s leading learning company and has placed more than 6,500 young adults into full-time employment.
Lebor, M (2015) Fear of being assessed DOI: 10.5920/till.2015.625 Lebor, M. (2015) What did disruptive students say they wanted from their classes? DOI: 10.5920/till.2015.6216 Lebor, M. (2015) So what do managers say about class management? JFHE. DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2015.1014322
Excellence in leadership, management and government portal By Staff Reporters The Education and Training Foundation has launched the new Excellence in Leadership, Management and Governance (ELMAG) online portal. It has been designed to be the ‘one place’ where leaders, managers and those involved in governance can find a range of support for personal and organisational development. Support is available in four main areas: • Prospectus – search for learning and training opportunities from across the education and training sector. Find out about the exclusive courses and opportunities only available through ELMAG. • Resources – access articles and research to enhance your understanding of key leadership and management issues. Find out more about the current topics that matter in the Spotlight. • Reflection – use our leadership self-assessment tool to review your leadership skills and identify your development needs. • Networks – connect with other leaders, managers and governors in the sector, seek and offer mentoring and coaching and join in forum discussion. In the prospectus section themes include strategy and vision, curriculum design and management, people management and data and information. Clicking on themes reveals resources and information, some of it collated from sector partners. The prospectus allows users to filter by region, themes, management level (target groups), sector and E&D designation. In the resources section you will find topics such as leading in local areas; reports on governance; links and blogs to the ETF’s leadership summit in 2014; the 157 Group’s Leadership Conversation page and research on governance. There are also must read resources on leading GCSE maths and English for post-16 learners representing work by the East Midlands Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (emCETT), the West Midlands Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (WMCETT), Abingdon and Witney College and FE Sussex. Visit www.elmag.org.uk to find out more.
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 27
Only £19.99 excluding VAT
online training programmes for SET members SET has teamed up with award-winning learning provider EduCare, to offer an online training package of CPD and Duty of Care programmes at a special discounted price for SET members.
The package comprises a range of online learning programmes on essential duty of care topics including: • Safeguarding vulnerable young people and adults • the SEND code of practice • Equality and diversity • Health and safety and more…. Every programme has its own downloadable personalised certificate and they are all written or endorsed by subject experts including Family Lives, Bullying UK, UK Youth and YMCA training. This package is offered to members at a vastly reduced cost of only £19.99 excluding VAT. Whether as an introduction, or a refresher, these programmes are a useful and convenient way to contribute to your CPD. Visit the CPD Resources section of the SET website to find out more and take up this offer - https://set.et-foundation.co.uk
Resources
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Free Prevent duty awareness training The Education and Training Foundation has launched a suite of free online antiextremism Prevent awareness training modules to help providers train all of their practitioners, support staff, leaders, managers, governors and board members. The course takes around 50 minutes to complete. Each module includes relevant case studies in a range of provider settings that bring both the duty and its implications to life. For example, how would a librarian address the issue of a student telling them they have heard that a fellow student is posting anti-semitic statements online? Or what would an apprenticeship tutor do if
they were contacted by an apprentice to say that some of his fellow employees are viewing pictures of extremist violence and extremist literature online? The aim is to give those completing the modules an up to date understanding of how the Prevent duty applies in an FE and training context and their responsibilities relating to it. The new training modules are free to use and can be found on the Foundation’s online learning website www.foundationonline.org.uk You can access the full range of Prevent duty support from the Foundation at www.preventforfeandtraining.org.uk
Professional standards resources New resources are available to support teachers and trainers developing their professional practice. The resources build upon the Professional Standards for teachers, lecturers and trainers in the education and training sector that were launched by the Education and Training Foundation in 2014. To provide further support for practitioners the Foundation has now developed a Workbook for Teaching Staff and an online self-assessment tool for individuals, both of which are intended as supportive developmental tools. The workbook can be printed to form a continuing professional development (CPD) record for individuals or teams and the self-assessment tool allows individuals and teams to generate visualisations and print out their assessed scores to further support and inform their development. Everything in the workbook has been tested in workplaces and has been shown to have a positive impact on those involved. The resources have been designed to be simple to modify and to personalise. The workbook is split in to three main sections: tools to help with self-assessment against the 2014 Professional Standards; identifying your continuing personal and professional development needs; and planning your CPD. Both the workbook and online selfassessment tool can be accessed from the Foundation’s website www.et-foundation. co.uk/professionalstandards
More help with learning technology
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Free course opens window on technology A new, free course designed to help teachers and trainers use technology more effectively in blended learning approaches has been launched. For anyone working in further education, skills training, vocational education, workplace learning, lifelong learning or adult education, you will find out how more effective use of technology can help your learners achieve greater success. Developed by the Institute of Education and University of Leeds in association with the Association For Learning Technology and funded by the Ufi Charitable Trust, the course is available on the FutureLearn platform and will start on 2 November 2015. Sign up at www.futurelearn.com/courses/blended-learning-getting-started
A series of events and opportunities for engagement is available for practitioners through the Learning Technology Support Programme, called Learning Futures. The programme, funded by the Education and Training Foundation, will invest £1 million in provider-led action-research projects. For details and resources visit www.lfutures.co.uk A learning technology skills selfassessment tool, developed by Coralesce, is available at www.edtech-assess.com/ get-started InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 29
Geoff Petty
Graded lesson observations are dead in the water What should replace them? Ofsted has turned its back on graded lesson observations, but many colleges persist with them. Geoff Petty looks at the evidence and the alternatives. Geoff is author of Teaching Today and Evidence Based Teaching and has trained staff in more than 300 colleges and schools.
Ofsted has abandoned graded lesson observations as neither valid nor reliable, yet many colleges have not, despite research showing the grades are invalid and unreliable. Helpfully, Professor Robert Coe of Durham University has scrutinised the research on graded lesson observations. His critique probably influenced Ofsted’s decision, as his blog on this topic is startling. He concludes: “ Highly trained observers using the best methodologies can only tell an aboveaverage teacher from a below-average one, about 60 per cent of the time. If they tossed a coin it would be 50 per cent. When untrained observers identify something as best practice, it often isn’t.” Professor Coe imagines consecutive Ofsted observations of the same teacher and says the data shows: An ‘outstanding’ grade will be downgraded by the next observation 75 per cent of the time. An ‘inadequate’ lesson will be upgraded by the second observation 90 per cent of the time. This leaves one to wonder why Ofsted and colleges have imposed grading on largely
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reluctant teachers for so long. Did Ofsted consult any research before adopting graded observations? If there wasn’t research did they commission some? Ofsted inspections have a tremendous impact on the reputations of providers and teachers who go to extraordinary lengths before, during and after inspection visits to ensure that their teaching and learning is fairly represented and, when required, that they learn from Ofsted’s feedback. Ofsted’s decision to abandon graded lesson observation is very welcome. It will save a lot of jitters and nail-biting, but one wonders why, with so much at stake, it took the inspectorate so long to make this change, when there was plenty of more reliable data to inform their judgements The irony is that colleges are swamped with data that is much more reliable and valid: student achievement and retention rates, value-added data, grade profiles, student satisfaction surveys and, especially, reports that consider these together, for the same teacher or course and how it changes over time. Even this needs to be interpreted with caution, though. The other irony is that discovering weak teachers and courses, then improving them,
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The problem-based, cyclic approach START HERE: The advanced practitioner (AP) asks the teaching team for needs, issues, and difficulties of students and teachers in the realm of teaching and learning. College data is consulted.
The AP and the teaching team discuss these issues, consult best practice and problem solve. The focus is on strategies to overcome the difficulties, rather than griping about students.
Cycle repeats Discussion in team meetings considers whether the strategies are being used effectively and are fixing the problem. Use of the strategies is improved. The teachers work in ‘Communities of practice’.
If necessary, the AP holds a staff training session on useful strategies to overcome the identified difficulties.
The teaching team choose some strategies, and try them out.
is not as effective as expecting all teachers and courses to improve. Why embed complacency into your quality system? The damage caused by grading is more than that caused by dodgy data. When teachers know they are to be graded they inevitably try to guess what the observer will be looking for and often try to teach in this way. They stop asking themselves: ‘What is good teaching?’ and start to ask: ‘What are they looking for?’ In doing so, the search for excellence is replaced by a largely futile attempt to guess what is in observers’ heads and to remember checklists, which we now know to be highly variable and often wrong. Teachers become extrinsically motivated instead of intrinsically motivated. There
alighted on an approach advocated by the two major research reviews on effective continuing professional development – Timperley (2007) and Joyce and Showers (2002) – despite not knowing about these studies. The diagram (left) shows how it works. Other approaches advocated by APs included: ungraded lesson observations and ‘observing to learn’ where all teachers observe lessons, not to judge them, but to try to learn how their own teaching could be improved. However, observation didn’t come out trumps. Other approaches, such as videoing lessons and then discussing parts of the video with coaches came out well. The ‘supported experiments’ approach was highly prized too, after all this is what the research reviews advocate and that is our most reliable source of evidence for what works best in teacher improvement. Lesson observations – graded or otherwise – are not advocated by research reviews on how to improve teaching, indeed there are warnings against them. It’s great that Ofsted has moved away from graded observations and embraced the use of evidence. I hope many providers do the same.
is a century of research that shows that extrinsic motivation reduces creativity, and lowers standards in complex tasks, (Daniel Pink, 2011).
References
And instead of grading?
Helen Timperley et al (2007) “Teacher Professional Learning And Development” Best-evidence synthesis iteration
As I wrote in 2013: “If a teacher is underperforming, it is not because they have a battalion of outstanding teaching methods they are not prepared to use until they are sufficiently threatened. It’s because there is a knowledge and skill deficit. So the cure is learning, not grading.” For decades I asked advanced practitioners (APs) from hundreds of institutions what worked best in their institution to improve teaching and learning. To my delight many of them
Professor Robert Coe ‘Classroom Observation: It’s Harder Than You Think’ www.cem.org/blog/414
Joyce and Showers (2002) ‘Student Achievement Through Staff Development’ 3rd ed. Daniel H. Pink (2011) “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” ‘Supported experiments’ are explained here: www.geoffpetty.com/experiments.html InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 31
InPractice
Editor’s pick
Positive, uplifting and effective – it's a champion book on teaching Excerpt: Teach Like a Champion 2.0 Chapter 1, practical suggestions Targeted questioning Ask a quick series of carefully chosen, open-ended questions directed at a strategic sample of the class and execute in a short time period. Tracking, not watching Be intentional about how you scan the classroom. Decide specifically what you’re looking for and remain disciplined about it in the face of distractions. Show me Flip the classroom dynamic in which the teacher gleans data from a passive group of students. Have students actively show evidence of their understanding. Affirmative checking Insert specific points into your lesson when students must get confirmation that their work is correct, or sufficiently rigorous, before moving on to the next stage.
Teach Like a Champion 2.0
By Doug Lemov Jossey-Bass (part of Wiley group): paperback 978-1-1189-0185-4 This update, on Lemov’s best-selling Teach Like a Champion, goes into more depth, reinforcing key concepts around teaching, learning and assessment and forming a more comprehensive toolkit. Lemov works on the premise that the best professional development occurs when teachers learn from other
Other New Publications
teachers and so this book comes with a disk containing 75 clips of classroom practice. The book is in 12 chapters, featuring 62 ‘specific, concrete and actionable techniques’ based on what Lemov feels are the four key challenges of teaching: check for understanding, academic ethos, ratio and behaviour and culture. The first contains 10 techniques not present in the first edition. Key here are the tips that Lemov gives for formative assessment within the lesson and nipping any learner misconceptions in the bud. The four chapters on
By Shaun Allison and Andy Tharby Crown House Publishing: hardback 978-1-8459-0973-4
and necessity of practice”. Allison and Tharby say their book is based around six principles, which form the core of successful teaching: challenge, explanation, modelling, practice, feedback and questioning. Each principle is developed in its own chapter and includes practical ideas. Chapters end with reflective questions.
It’s fitting, if coincidental, that the foreword to this book is written by Doug Lemov whose own book is reviewed above. Lemov praises the authors of Making Every Lesson Count for a vision of teaching that focuses on “the centrality of challenge
Claim your 20 per cent discount on Making Every Lesson Count when ordering from www.crownhouse. co.uk by using discount code MELC20. The offer is valid until 30 November 2015.
Making Every Lesson Count
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32 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
academic ethos are invaluable, pushing the growth mindset to the fore, demonstrating the crucial role that rigorous lesson content plays in setting high expectations for the students. This ties in with the section on ratio. Here, Lemov talks about engagement and the rigour of the students’ thinking in terms of its quality and depth Lemov also includes sections on ‘emotional constancy’ for those teachers who have been emotionally hijacked in the classroom (who hasn’t?) and ‘joy factor’ recognising that a classroom where students are enjoying learning is also a high-
Flip the System : Changing Education from the Ground Up Edited by Jelmer Evers and Rene Kneyber Routledge: paperback 978-1-1389-2998-2 This book is a collection of powerful essays that examine, critique and even promise emancipation from what it describes as the deleterious, neoliberal reforms of education systems around the world over the past couple of decades. Articles from an international array of teachers, academics and writers – including Andy Hargreaves, Ann Lieberman,
achieving classroom. I defy you to not gain something positive, uplifting and effective from this book. www.teachlikeachampion.com Katrina Diamond is head of education and professional studies at Gloucestershire College
MEMBER OFFER SET members are entitled to a 20 per cent discount on this book when ordering from www.wiley.com. Please enter discount code SET15 when prompted. Offer valid until 31 December 2015.
Stephen Ball, Gert Biesta and Tom Bennett, are packed into this fascinating and fairly dense, academic read. There will be much in this book to inspire you and some that may leave you angry. Overall, however, the thrust of the book is positive and it leaves the reader with six guidelines for future action, namely: trust, honour, finding purpose, collaboration, support and time.
MEMBER OFFER There is a 20 per cent discount on this book when ordered from www.routledge.com using the code FTS15. Valid until 31 December 2015.
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Editor’s pick
A powerful tool that can really aid your teaching development Excerpt: Reflective Teaching and Learning in Further Education Critical thinking activity – communicating and managing behaviour (Page 61) Compare the nature of Aamir’s initial reflections (his coffee break chat with Lisa) with his subsequent written reflections. To what extent do they illustrate a process of effective reflective practice? Reflect on how you talk to your learners, to your colleagues and to others. What do your words and the way you use your voice tell them? What does your body language tell them? You might find it helpful to pair up with a colleague or friend you trust to give you some honest feedback.
Reflective Teaching and Learning in Further Education By Keith and Nancy Appleyard Critical Publishing: paperback 978-1-9096-8285-6
Reflection continues to be a key theme within staff development and Nancy and Keith Appleyard have approached this topic in an informative manner while
Think Before You Teach By Martin Illingworth Independent Thinking Press: paperback 978-1-7813-5228-1 This book may start with another swipe at neoliberal education policy but it develops into something far more practical. Illingworth is lead lecturer in English education at Sheffield Hallam University. He describes his book as being about ‘pre-teaching thinking’ that will challenge readers on why they want to teach and how they’re going to
their writing style ensures it is an easy read with chapters interspersed with relevant case studies and quotes. The book itself brings together a range of tried and tested academic theories making it useful to those new to teaching or practitioners who may be fairly new to the concept of reflective practice. The book is well-suited to the sector and should appeal to both vocational experts and those delivering classroombased subjects. It is one of the few that successfully bridges both of these areas making it extremely useful as a supplemental text for Diploma in Education and Training and PGCE (or equivalent) courses.
go about it. The author hopes to encourage his readers to give themselves time and space to think about the whys and hows of their teaching. Overall, this book is very accessible in both its structure – short chapters, sections and paragraphs – and Illingworth’s appealingly conversational, first-person style.
MEMBER OFFER To claim your 20 per cent discount on this title visit www.crownhouse.co.uk and use promotional code TBYT20 when prompted. Valid until 30 November 2015.
The chapters allow you to engage in a light touch way but also provide additional critical thinking activities and ‘taking it further’ reference sections. The chapters that stand out are on managing behaviour and benefits/limitations. The former links the importance of reflection as a key tool in behaviour management with communication skills being identified as central to defusing situations. The chapter on benefits/limitations makes the book relevant to all those seeking to reflect on and improve their practice. This chapter provides an honest insight into the positives and negatives of reflection along with the emotions and
The Award in Education and Training (Revised Edition) By Ann Gravells Learning Matters (an imprint of Sage Publications): paperback 978-1-4739-1221-2 Ann Gravells has a big job on her hands keeping her textbooks up to date. As she notes at the start of this book, teaching qualifications in post-compulsory education change regularly and this is the fifth revision of her book since it was first published in 2006. The new edition includes
weaknesses that true, honest reflection can reveal while maintaining it is a powerful tool that can really aid your teaching development. I thoroughly recommended this book and it is one in a series exploring key issues in the sector by Critical Publishing. Neil Barnes is head of teacher training and development at Colchester Institute
MEMBER OFFER To claim a 20 per cent discount on RRP please call 01752 202301 quoting code RTLFE01. Valid until 30 November 2015.
cross references to the new Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers. Gravells includes examples, activities and checklists to link theory to practice and the text is written for all learners and all awarding organisations. Happily, it retains the clear structure, language and practical nature of its predecessors making it an invaluable read.
MEMBER OFFER To claim your 20 per cent discount on this title , visit www.sagepub.com and use promotional code UK15RE14 when prompted. Valid until 30 November 2015.
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 33
Forum
A space for practitioners to air their views. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society for Education and Training
PEDAGOGUE Team UK has done us proud I was so proud to see the fabulous results for Team UK in the WorldSkills finals and it’s not just the medal and medallion winners that make my chest puff up like a heliumfilled balloon. Behind this prestigious event are hundreds, if not thousands, of teachers who give up months and, in very many cases, years, of their time to provide the vehicle that transported the few who had reached the pinnacle of excellence to Sao Paulo. Teachers who spend time integrating
competition activity into lesson plans; teachers whose skills spot that special ability; teachers who give up leisure hours to provide additional training; teachers who transport learners all over the country to participate in competitions; teachers who work as WorldSkills training managers and performances coaches very often in addition to a full time teaching role, to name but a few. Why do they do it for little or no financial reward? Quite simply pride. Pride in what vocational education
can do for young people; pride in seeing a young person exceed expectation in a competitive environment; pride in knowing that the additional mile has given a young person confidence in their own ability and pride in knowing that in our own small way each and every one of us contributes to secure the future of young people and our economy. Unfortunately for the chancellor of the exchequer we are a proud profession and we take great pride in what we do and he will never be able to cut that by 24 per cent.
My story
Strictly online
April Poblete’s journey from her childhood home in the Philippines, to catering student and now learning supervisor, impressed judges of a major national award in London. April, who was awarded the 2015 City and Guilds’ Future Leader Award, came to London via Spain – where she studied to become aircraft cabin crew – and was encouraged by a friend of her mother’s to take a catering course at Lakefield Hospitality College. Having completed an NVQ level 2 in hospitality services, April decided to stay on at the college and took a level 3 in leadership and supervision. April, who works at Lakefield as a learning supervisor, is now studying for an assessor qualification and is considering a teaching qualification. April says: “I stayed on because of the fantastic support and encouragement from my own tutors, supervisors and managers at Lakefield. I learned a lot about working in teams and saw how my tutors would build relationships with their students. “Positive feedback is very important. I want learners to learn from their mistakes. If a student is struggling I always want to talk face to face with them and try to understand what the problem is. “There is always something to learn from my students and from my managers. Most problems can be solved by communication. I would like to become a manager but first I want to get my assessor qualification. Then I think I would like to gain a level 4 qualification.” This year’s other City & Guilds Lion Award winners were: Amy Rush, automobile technology apprentice, National People’s Choice; Polaris Dyas, former business skills apprentice, Apprentice of the Year and Outstanding Achiever Award; Anthony Gregg, diploma in creative techniques in 2D and 3D, Learner of the Year; Scott Mitchell, civilian armed forces engineers’ instructor, Tutor of the Year; Royal School of Military Engineering Training, Centre of the Year; and Sisira Dharmathilaka, quantity surveying student, International Learner Award. Read more about April at: https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/ news/blogs-and-articles/my-story-april-poblete
Richly-deserved congratulations to Team UK for its stellar performance at WorldSkills 2015 and to its marvellous trainers and mentors. What follows is a selection of good wishes accompanying an FE Week article, published on 17 August.*
34 Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 InTuition
Julie Jones From seeing them leave London through to tonight I feel so proud of the achievements and skills Team UK has shown. Michael Gandy These young people have demonstrated a range of exceptional skills required in today’s work environment. Many congratulations to Team UK. You have inspired a nation. What a fantastic achievement. Kirstie Donnelly What a fantastic result – inspirational – you have done us proud! Great to also see cabinet making – an important heritage craft skill – again being valued and recognised. John Simpson GOLD!!! Superb result for Rianne and her training mentors. The world’s best beauty therapist. Jenna & Sue – it’s G&T time! David Harbourne Congratulations from everyone at the Edge Foundation! Nova Training You are all an absolute inspiration to young people and apprenticeships in the UK and across the world. Karen Redhead Well done to the whole team. We are particularly proud of our apprentice Reece Taylor, competing in the skill category of welding. Sue Wright Well done to all the participants. Also congratulations to the employers, teachers and assessors for helping these young people. Melanie Hunt Excellent news! Congratulations to all competitors, their teachers and employers and their colleges. A wonderful boost for FE UK. * Some comments have been abridged. Full story and comments at bit.ly/1WxEm3t
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NoticeBoard CALENDAR
SEPTEMBER
9 Association of Colleges, Area Reviews and College Structures Conference, Rugby
30
30
Apprenticeship and Traineeship Staff Support Programme conference (see details below)
Association of Colleges, Implementing Prevent Duty Conference. London.
20
21
Niace Embedding Equality Association of and Diversity into Colleges, Area the Curriculum event Reviews and College (details below).
1 OCTOBER
Future for Initial Teacher Training Annual Conference, Taunton www.learning-southwest. org.uk
22
23
Niace Skills For Life conference (details below)
Inaugural UKFEChat conference London (see p7 for details)
5
Deadline: submissions to ETF Practitioner Research Programmes www.et-foundation.co.uk/ supporting/research/ practitioner-researchsupport
NOVEMBER
Structures Conference, AELP Autumn Conference, Manchester. Coventry
12-14
17-19
University and College AoC annual Union Equality conference, Conference Birmingham
Apprenticeship resources
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) will host a conference in Birmingham on 30 September showcasing the support and resources that have been made available through the ground breaking Apprenticeship Staff Support Programme (ASSP) and the Traineeship Staff Support Programme (TSSP). In phase one provider-led projects developed resources. Phase two disseminated the resources and provided further support. Both the ASSP and the TSSP are funded by the Education and Training Foundation. The resources are now available on the two dedicated websites http:// www.traineeship-staffsupport.co.uk and http://www. apprenticeship-staff-support. co.uk. For further information on this event visit http://www. aelpevents.org.uk/ehome/ index.php?eventid=136976&
Curriculum review
Ongoing government reform of the further education and training curriculum including changes to apprenticeships, maths and English teaching
19-21
1
9
The Skills Show, NEC Birmingham
AoC Curriculum Review Conference (see details below)
AoC annual SEND Conference (details below)
DECEMBER
Literacy, numeracy and language
Online resources This month’s featured resources on the Excellence Gateway include leading curriculum design, influencing factors on good practice and how to manage personalised learning activity. They are a tiny fraction of the resources available through the gateway which allows you to browse by theme, subject area, audience, sector, resource type and subject level. The Excellence Gateway is free and open to all. Check it out at www.excellencegateway.org.uk form the basis for this year’s Association of Colleges’ Curriculum Review Conference. The AoC Curriculum Reform Conference is to be held on 1 December at Woburn House Conference Centre, London. For details and registration see http://www.aoccreate.co.uk/event/ curriculumreform15
UKFEChat guide
The latest UKFEchat guide, What I learned from my worst lesson, is a collection of often funny, sometimes shocking tales from FE professionals working at every level, all over the country, and is testament to the power of communal experience and learning. The guide is edited by Sarah Simon. UKFEchat guide books are free to download at www.ukfechat.com
E&D training
Developing practitioners’ understanding of equality and diversity issues and dispelling myths around E&D are two of the aims of a training event to be held by adult learning champions Niace. The programme, Embedding Equality and Diversity into the Curriculum, aims to explore and demonstrate how, by embedding E&D into the curriculum, it can support and improve delivery. The programme has been developed to cover the 2012 revised Common Inspection Framework (CIF). The event is held at The Tomlinson Centre, London, on 20 October. For details and booking visit https:// www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ embedding-equality-anddiversity-into-the-curriculumtickets-17209146019
The challenges of successfully embedding adult literacy, numeracy and language learning in subject and vocational specialisms will be explored in a major conference in October. The Skills for Life? conference is run by a range of organisations including Niace and is sponsored by the Education and Training Foundation. It will be held on 22 October at the UCL Institute of Education, London. For details visit www.bit. ly/1JvcDem.
AoC’s annual SEND conference
The Association of Colleges annual SEND conference is set against the backdrop of the changes and challenges imposed by the Children and Families Act and the new SEND code of practice. The conference is to be held at the Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury, London on 9 December. For details and registration visit www.aoc-create.co.uk/ event/aoc-annual-sendconference @AoC_Create #aocSEND
InTuition Issue 21 | Autumn 2015 35
Supporting you to deliver maths and English
Some of the support we have developed so far includes: • Exhibition sites for maths and English, which include a range of tools and resources, on our Excellence Gateway site – www.excellencegateway.org.uk • A free self-evaluation tool to identify current maths skills and teaching approaches, with a similar tool for English coming later this year. • Strategic approaches include training for governors and senior leaders; a ‘Health Check’ and Strategic Guides. • Maths and English Pipelines, to support teachers and trainers in a range of settings to help drive up the standards of teaching and learning in maths and English from entry levels to GCSE and beyond. • Online modules for improving personal maths and English skills and teaching approaches including Level 5 modules.
Find out more by looking for maths, and/or English, in the A-Z on our website www.etfoundation.co.uk