Intuition- Autumn 2021 by Redactive Media Group

Issue 45 Autumn 2021

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

set.et-foundation.co.uk 19

How FE is promoting equality and diversity

The vital community role of general FE colleges

Student digital champions for ESOL learners

TAKE YOUR PICK

The myriad mix of qualifications in the further education sector 01 Cover_Intuition September 2021_Intuition.indd 1

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ARE YOU READY TO UNDERTAKE QTLS? $GYDQFH \RXU FDUHHU ZLWK 4XDOLͤ HG 7HDFKHU /HDUQLQJ DQG 6NLOOV 47/6 VWDWXV WKH SURIHVVLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW SURJUDPPH IRU WHDFKHUV DQG WUDLQHUV SURYHQ WR LQFUHDVH FRQͤ GHQFH LQ WHDFKLQJ LPSURYH RXWFRPHV IRU OHDUQHUV DQG RSHQ GRRUV LQ FDUHHU GHYHORSPHQW 1RW VXUH ZKHWKHU LW̵V ULJKW IRU \RX" 7DNH D ORRN DW RXU KDQG\ JXLGH EHORZ

Do you hold QTLS status?

YES

Find out more about Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), the badge of advanced professionalism and mastery in FE and training at: bit.ly/3AfLWrT

Have you considered a role in FE?

Do you work in Further Education (FE)?

Check out this free online course, ‘Preparing for a career in FE teaching and training’, for some inspiration on getting into the sector: bit.ly/3CcEGP8

YES

Do you want to take the next step in your career?

NOT SURE

Speak to our FE Advice Line on 0300 303 1877 for career advice and support

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Did you know you can join the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) mentoring programme as a mentee? Find out more: bit.ly/3A9quV9

NOT SURE

The FE Advice Line can recommend the next steps on achieving this qualiﬁcation. Contact them on 0300 303 1877

YES

Do you want to develop professionally? YES Do you hold a minimum Level 5 teaching qualiﬁcation? YES

Take our helpful QTLS Eligibility Checker to help you identify if you are eligible: bit.ly/3jjRU48

Register for QTLS by 30 September for an October start: set.etfoundation.co.uk/qtls QTLS status is developed by the Education and Training Foundation and conferred through SET

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CONTENTS

AUTUMN 2021

UPFRONT

THE KNOWLEDGE

05 NEWS

26 HELPING HANDS

The ETF has launched a range of new and revised online safeguarding support

How student champions have helped ESOL learners engage with online technologies

08 OPINION

30 MAKE IT REAL

Views from David Russell, Lynette Leith, Jo FletcherSaxon and Kerry Scattergood

How problem-based learning can allow FE learners to tackle real-world issues

12 INTERVIEW

33 PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Paul Nowak, deputy secretary general of the TUC, on how different FE stakeholders need to come together

A ‘thinking environment’ can help practitioners create a setting conducive to learning for learners of all types

14 ADVICE

19 FEATURES 16 QUALIFICATIONS

How to make online learning an inclusive experience

MEMBERS’ CORNER

The introduction of T Levels in 2020 added to an already wide range of options for learners in the FE sector – but how might this evolve in the future?

36 THE FORUM

Virtual events and webinars to support members and learners online

19 DIVERSITY IN FE Black History Month provides a good opportunity for the FE sector to examine how it is creating and fostering racial equality. We explore the progress being made

38 MY LIFE IN TEACHING

InTuition is published on behalf of the Society for Education and Training Redactive Publishing Ltd +44 (0)20 7880 6200 redactive.co.uk

Kiechelle Degale’s background in training was ideal for moving into adult education

22 SECTOR FOCUS – FE COLLEGES

39 BOOK REVIEWS

24 QTLS/ATS AWARDS

The latest educational titles reviewed

Our roll of honour for those who have successfully completed their QTLS/ATS programmes so far this year

EDITOR: Nick Martindale

DIRECTOR: Martin Reid

LEAD DESIGNER: David Twardawa

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Ed Smith

SUBEDITORS: James Hundleby, Rob Loveday

General FE colleges help to shape skills and are a pillar of local civic leadership. We outline their vital role

COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR: Julia Faulks

PICTURE RESEARCHER: Claire Echavarry

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Sundip Gill

PRODUCTION: Jane Easterman jane.easterman@redactive.co.uk +44 (0)20 7880 6248

HEAD OF CURRICULUM DESIGN PROJECTS: Paul Kessell-Holland PRINTED BY Precision Colour Printing, Telford

157-197 Buckingham Palace Road London, SW1W 9SP membership.enquiries@ etfoundation.co.uk set.et-foundation.co.uk

While every care has been taken in the compilation of this magazine, errors or omissions are not the responsibility of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or editorial staff. All rights reserved. Unless specifically stated, goods or services mentioned are not formally endorsed by the Society for Education and Training, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication. ISSN: 2050-8980

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WELCOME

FIRST WORDS

MARTIN REID

Back to business A new academic year means the introduction of new qualifications, but the FE sector must also confront the bigger issues in society ith the new academic term now underway, many further education (FE) professionals will be getting to grips with new qualifications, including the introduction of more T Levels. Against a backdrop of a government which has pledged to strip down the “confusing landscape” of qualifications, it’s likely there could be further changes in the pipeline. After the enforced changes to GCSE, BTEC and A Level qualifications for the past two years, it all makes for a complicated picture for teachers, which is something we explore in our cover feature. As well as the day-to-day teaching, all practitioners are having to face the big issues in society, and with Black History Month on the horizon we take a look at how the sector is coping with the need to help create a more diverse and inclusive culture. There are a range of steps institutions can take, from providing inclusivity training to decolonising the curriculum, and you can read about some of these on page 19. Unfortunately, the spectre of Covid-19 is never far away, and it looks likely that online learning will form part of the mix for some time to come. One issue here relates to ensuring learners are not left behind, and our advice piece on page 14 has a number of suggestions to how to make sure online sessions work for everyone. On the subject of Covid-19, general FE colleges have been at the forefront of the battle to ensure learners are not disadvantaged, and will play an essential role in helping to deliver the government’s

ambitions outlined in the Skills for Jobs White Paper. You can read more about this in our sector focus feature, and don’t miss our exclusive interview with Paul Nowak, deputy general secretary of the Trades Union Congress. He talks about the need to upskill people for the jobs of the future, and what needs to happen in FE to ensure the country has the skills it needs to compete. Make sure you take a look, too, at our Knowledge section. Featuring in-depth research pieces from practitioners and other experts, this issue sees articles from Kayte Haselgrove on ‘thinking environments’, Laurence Elliott and Pascale Samy on creating student digital champions to encourage greater levels of online participation, and Sophie Harris and Melanie Lanser, who explore the concept of problembased learning. Finally, tickets are selling well for our second online annual SET Conference, with keynote speakers including research manager Yasmine El Masri, former international rugby union referee Nigel Owens MBE, and the ever-popular Geoff Petty. The conference will be held on Tuesday 2 November, and you can book your ticket on our website. I look forward to seeing you virtually.

‘UNFORTUNATELY, THE SPECTRE OF COVID-19 IS NEVER FAR AWAY’

MARTIN REID, director, SET

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LATEST UPDATES FROM SET AND THE ETF

NEWS

WEBSITE

set.et-foundation.co.uk

T WIT TER

@SocietyET

FACEBOOK

SocEducationTraining

#SETinTuition

FREE COURSE FOR NEW FE TEACHERS

The new resource outlines how to create safe spaces online

LEARNING RESOURCES

NEW SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT FROM THE ETF he Education and Traning Foundation (ETF) has launched new and revised support for safeguarding, focusing on helping practitioners to create safe spaces for online teaching and learning, digital safeguarding, and safely recruiting staff and volunteers. Creating a Safe Space Online for Teaching and Learning is a new resource that aims to equip practitioners with the knowledge, skills and conﬁdence to safely facilitate sessions online with learners in a variety of different contexts and settings. It deals with topics including recognising the importance of

looking after yourself, how to be more in control of delivery and what might be driving behaviour. Designed to be practical and full of easy-to-implement activities, it will help users engage with the theory behind safe spaces and reﬂect on what they have learnt to apply it. The resource complements our guide Understanding and Promoting Positive Behaviour in the FE Sector, which considers how FE professionals can cultivate a positive environment for staff and learners. Read and download the ‘Safe Spaces’ resource at etfoundation.co.uk/safespaces

The ETF has launched a new resource to support those beginning careers in FE teaching and training. The ‘Preparing for a career in FE teaching and training’ course is free to access on the FutureLearn platform. It was developed by the ETF, with contributions from the University of Portsmouth and the ETF and Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Technical Teaching Fellows. It is intended for new and prospective graduates, and those currently in industry or the armed forces looking to transition into FE teaching or combine careers. It explores the sector and the roles and opportunities available, introduces key teaching and learning theories, and looks at why FE is considered central to the vision set out by the government in its Skills for Jobs White Paper. The course can be studied fl exibly in a way that best suits an individual’s personal and professional development needs, although it is suggested that it will require approximately two hours of study per week for six weeks. Find out more and how to register on the ETF Booking site at booking. etfoundation.co.uk

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NEWS

SECTOR UPDATE TO ETSUBSCRIB F NEW E SLETT ERS

FIGHTING PREJUDICE

SYMPOSIUM CONSIDERS ANTI-RACISM IN FE ogether with the Black FE Leadership Group (BFELG), in May the ETF hosted a symposium on ‘Leading anti-racism in Further Education: For movement not a moment’. Inspired by the global Black Lives Matter protests, in August 2020 the BFELG wrote an open letter to the government demanding urgent action to address racism in FE, particularly the worrying decline in black leadership in recent years. In response, the ETF pledged to help create a genuinely diverse, equal and inclusive workforce and wider culture in FE, working with the BFELG and partners. A year on, the virtual symposium brought together a diverse group of inﬂuential ﬁgures and experts from the FE system. The event focused on three questions: How can we ensure the events of summer 2020 are more than a moment and deliver movement on the anti-racism agenda? What are the levers to unleash the talent and creativity of everyone in the FE system? What do we need to do to unlock sustainable systemic change in FE?

Rece iv the E e regula r CPD TF on ne updates co w fr well urses an and upd om a as s elec d resour ted ted t c opic es as S area et-fo ign up s. a unda t t new ion.co.u slett ers k/

NEW CORPORATE PARTNERS COME ONBOARD SET has welcomed three new Corporate Partners: Walsall College, Capital City College Group and SecuriGroup – its first

Lord Simon Woolley CBE introduced the symposium, with former Crown chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal OBE chairing talks – including one from David Russell, chief executive of the ETF. The discussions will support the ETF in further building the evidence base for continuing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action and FE workforce development. The ETF and the BFELG are committed to working together in the coming months to follow up the themes explored in the symposium. Follow the Black FE Leadership Group on Twitter @FELeadership for further updates

Corporate Partner from the private security industry. Staff from all three organisations will benefit from a valuable range of professional development opportunities, including access to exclusive content, research, webinars, events and discounts. SET members can

work towards Professional Status, Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), and Corporate Partners can access discounts for participants in these programmes. Up to 18 members of staff at Walsall College will

NEW MATHS AND ENGLISH CPD OFFER

The ETF has released a free maths course available on the FutureLearn platform and a new maths guide, designed to help those delivering maths and English in the FE sector. The ETF has created ‘Teaching Functional Skills Maths’ in conjunction with experts across the sector. Its aim is to support teachers to develop their understanding of what makes effective teaching and assessment, and to provide ideas to use with learners. The course features opportunities to trial resources and ideas, share ideas with peers, and to refl ect on practice using a diary. The new guide – ‘Functional Skills Mathematics Level 1: Guidance to support teachers and providers with the delivery of Functional Skills Maths at Level 1’ – has been created by specialist maths practitioners from the FE sector. It uses Department for Education guidelines as a framework to assist teachers or assessors to deliver the new Functional Skills exam, regardless of the exam board they are using. The maths course can be accessed free of charge on the FutureLearn platform. You can enrol via the ETF’s Course Booking System at booking.etfoundation.co.uk The guide can be accessed free of charge on the ETF’s Excellence Gateway site at bit.ly/Teaching-FS-Maths

embark on their ATS journey in October – the largest cohort a provider has enrolled on the programme at one time. For more information on SET corporate partnerships, email Stephanie.Wallis@etfoundation. co.uk or visit set.et-foundation. co.uk/membership/setcorporate-partnerships

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SECTOR UPDATE

NEWS

NEWSINNUMBERS

A N A LY S I S

THE ETF RELEASES 2019–20 IMPACT REPORT he ETF has released its first annual Impact Report for the 2019–20 financial year. The report draws together evidence of the impact of the ETF’s workforce development programmes, focusing on changes to professional practice, organisational performance and learner outcomes. This report enhances the ETF’s evidence base to inform CPD programme development. Based on independent analysis by economic and social development consultancy SQW, the Impact Report builds on the 2019-20 Public Benefit Report, published in December 2020. Using statistics and case studies, the report showcases the impact our CPD programmes and

membership body, SET, have made across the FE and training sector. David Russell, chief executive of the ETF, said: “We believe that the key to improving education and training is to support teachers and their leaders to excel. This principle drives all our activity and sits at the heart of the strategic objectives that structure this report. “Independent analysis of evaluation reports, management reports and performance data for two dozen workforce development programmes shows very positive progress towards these objectives. These ﬁndings will help the ETF evolve to further support the FE sector’s workforce.” To download the 2019-20 Impact Report and Public Benefi t Report, visit the ETF website’s governance section at et-foundation.co.uk/governance/documents

NEW PODCAST EPISODE FOCUSES ON INCLUSIVITY In a recent episode of the ETF podcast, David Russell, chief executive of the ETF, and Jeff Greenidge, director for diversity at the ETF and Association of Colleges, talk about what equality, diversity and inclusion in the FE sector looks like for learners, staff and stakeholders, and how they are contributing towards making that happen. To listen to the podcast, visit set.et-foundation.co.uk/EDI-podcast

The amount of 17- to 19-yearolds who would take an apprenticeship as their first choice after school or college, a UCAS study suggests

67%

The proportion of learners aged 16 to 22 who want to grow their skills and abilities throughout their lives, FutureLearn research finds

230,000 The number of learners receiving BTEC qualifications this year

£9,000 The pay gap between college staff and their school counterparts, the University and College Union says

90,000 The additional number of college learners that will be in classrooms by 2024-25, according to the Association of Colleges

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OPINION

DAVID RUSSELL

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Do it yourself The further education (FE) system is constantly promised improvement. But the solution should come from within the system itself, says David Russell overnment policy focuses a lot on making the FE system better. Recently, that message has been coupled to positive noises about the system’s importance and of investment in it. This dual message – improvement and investment – tends to be welcomed by the sector, even with a sigh, as it’s recognised government will not readily commit to one without the other. But is ‘improving FE’ really a good policy? That might seem a strange question from the chief executive of the sector’s improvement body! But I believe improvement is not quite the right lens. It starts from the assumption that improvement is something that is done to the system, rather than something the system does itself. I believe a much more powerful, sustainable model is to work towards a self-improving FE system. What are the features of a selfimproving system? Basically, it’s a system where feedback loops keep it in a state of ‘high functioning equilibrium’. When things are bad it has processes for correction, and when things are good it has different processes for maintaining this. Self-sustaining, high-functioning systems exist in nature, engineering and human systems. What would it mean for FE? I believe there are ﬁve key areas that need to be got right:

Mindset In a human or social system – such as education – the beliefs and behaviours of the people in it are fundamental. Selfimproving systems feature a conﬁdent leadership culture that is curious, empowering and based on service, not

self-aggrandisement. There is a quest to always be better, but better than oneself, not the competition. And, more broadly, everyone in the system has a developmental mindset. In other words, the work is always approached with one eye on how things can be done better, and how we can all grow.

Identifying what is ‘the work’ For a system to improve itself, there must be general agreement on what matters within it, and what is true. Too often in teaching there is a surrender to the rhetoric of ‘no one best way’. This is true, but some ways of teaching are more effective more of the time than others. We need to use evidence to close in on the more effective teaching practices, or else we cannot improve as a system. We also need a clear focus on where our attention should most be directed; a focus on where the magic happens. Teaching and training are about longterm changes in the minds and behaviours

A SELF-IMPROVING SYSTEM IS ONE WHERE FEEDBACK LOOPS KEEP IT IN A STATE OF ‘HIGH FUNCTIONING EQUILIBRIUM’

of learners. We should spend maximum time attending to what brings about long-term changes in minds and brains; and less attending to other issues such as buildings, qualiﬁcations, funding routes and governance structures. We also need to be rigorous about identifying root causes of issues, and not focus on symptoms. Learning is complex, and we often need a lot of digging before we know what’s really going on with learners. Finally, we need everyone in the system to have ‘eyes on the horizon’. This means we all need to keep asking not only ‘How do I work better?’ but also ‘What is the right work to be doing?’ Climate change, social equity and the effect of automation on work and life are all relevant for us in FE.

How ‘the work’ gets done Having identiﬁed what we should be working on, there is an equally important set of factors in a selfimproving system regarding how we all do that work. One is that we need co-creation of solutions and practices. Teaching and training are highly contextualised, and involvement of those at the front line is vital for the success of design of learning activities. Second, the system must be able to respond to relevant difference and not be distracted by irrelevant difference. A learner’s prior subject knowledge is relevant; their star sign isn’t. These are easy examples; but are we clear on where to stand on factors such as neurodiversity, preferred learning style or level of English competence – relevant, irrelevant, or somewhere in the middle? A third vital characteristic is that self-improving systems are high in collaboration, especially ‘multiplicative collaboration’. This doesn’t mean a situation where people bring together complementary skills to strengthen each other – although this is good – but rather where people with the same strengths work together to create a new ‘best in class’, which can then lift the ceiling for the whole system. Lastly, we need innovation. That should not mean trial and error or the latest whizzy kit, but rather trying a

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LYNETTE LEITH

proven method in a new context, or well-theorised innovations with a good chance of success.

Maps and paths A self-improving system has pathways to higher ground. It’s vital that people do not have to endlessly re-tread the same territory for the ﬁrst time, but that there are clear pathways of career progression. It also needs a function that takes a ‘helicopter view’ and makes maps of big issues that are sometimes not visible from the ground.

Design features Any self-improving system has some abstract design features in common. One is strong, transparent feedback mechanisms to identify and analyse whatever is going well or badly, for the benefit of the whole system. Second, it has spare capacity to give flexibility and resilience in times of crisis or stress, and is not cut to the bone in the name of efficiency. Third, it has the ability to self-renew, which in our context means having great pipelines of recruitment into the sector. Finally, there is a central function that oversees the whole system – not to control it, but to help with the functioning of all the interactions, and build any necessary features that are missing. FE has been dogged for decades by external forces trying to ‘improve’ it. As a result, we have a hideously complicated system. Complication is usually the result of muddle, interference, and unfinished or disconnected tinkering. The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) aims to work with the FE system to help it gain the capacity and capability to be a truly selfimproving system. The answers lie with the sector itself, of which we are proud to be a part.

DAVID RUSSELL is chief executive of the Education and Training Foundation

OPINION

INCLUSION IN FE

Rethinking E&D Equality and diversity are well established in education, but the emphasis needs to move towards inclusivity, says Lynette Leith he terms equality and diversity (E&D) are used regularly in education for good reason. Teachers embed these concepts to educate young minds. They adjust and develop their teaching style to include different cultures, people and places. They do this to broaden learners’ understanding of the outside world, represent the diverse communities they serve and provide relatable content to motivate learners. Leaders need to pay close attention to E&D. Across the sector, we all pledge to ‘improve’ E&D; we embed this in our core values and strategic commitments, and our teachers strive to do their absolute best for all learners (and they do so). However, national achievement gaps remain. Black and mixed ethnicity learners continue to achieve less well than others. Underperformance starts at school, where the brightest children in disadvantaged communities perform below the least able in affluent areas, not forgetting other challenges such as gender. E&D has interested me from my earliest days as a young lecturer. I wanted to ensure I represented and motivated all learners, understanding and considering their world in everything I did. It is here where my philosophy of ‘10 per cent course content and 90 per cent everything else’ began. Here, social inclusion, the wider curriculum and skill development are recognised as having a signiﬁcant impact: this is the 90 per cent. That is not to say that knowledge is not important; learners spend

most of their college time in lessons developing a rich skill and knowledge base. However, there is some way to go in re-addressing the knowledge base. For example, the Black Further Education Leadership group asks for “a radical revision of FE curricula and qualiﬁcations [...] incorporating the importance of colonial history and its inﬂuence on society, historically and now”. This will enable us to deliver a truly representative curriculum. I believe representation and inclusion should extend into all aspects of college life. How is college life truly inclusive for all? To what extent do we genuinely consider the social challenges faced by young people? For a young white male who comes from a disadvantaged background trying to keep his head above water, no amount of embedding will help. He must be accepted and included fairly. The shift from E&D is about moving away from discussing differences to being inclusive in everything we do. We must move from ‘doing’ equality and diversity into a culture of ‘being’ inclusive in all that we do and teach. A colleague once said: “Diversity is not a duty or tick list, it’s the joy and richness of life itself.” I look forward to the day this is incorporated within the fabric of our entire sector. LYNETTE LEITH is vice principal at Hull College, with expertise in technical and vocational curriculum. She is an ETF board trustee and was also recently appointed to the SET management board

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OPINION

JO FLETCHER-SAXON & KERRY SCATTERGOOD

FE RESEARCH

Thirst for knowledge Despite a healthy appetite in the FE sector for research, up to now there has been no defined space for it, say Jo Fletcher-Saxon and Kerry Scattergood. That’s now about to change ver the past few years, there has been growing grassroots interest in research in FE and more visible paths to engagement. The ETF invests in some really empowering and effective projects, such as Outstanding Teaching Learning and Assessment (OTLA), AP Connect, and the Practitioner Research Programme, which is run in partnership with the University of Sunderland’s Centre of Excellence in Teacher Training, and in which we are both participants. The interest in the #FEResearchMeet movement – a model sharing researchers in FE, co-founded by Sam Jones and Norman Crowther – is high. Events often sell out within hours of being advertised. The Learning and Skills Research Network has existed for more than 20 years and is led by regional convenors, where FE and higher education (HE) work collaboratively to share and promote educational research. As a consequence of the pandemic, many of these opportunities have become accessible online. When #FEResearchMeet ﬁrst went virtual in summer 2020, it was one of the ﬁrst events of its kind for FE staff in the UK. Now there are several opportunities to engage online, such as the recent successful #FEThinks event. Another example is podcasts such as the #FEResearchPodcast, which have proved invaluable during lockdown. Research groups in colleges have also grown over the past year. These are not new in colleges, although they have often had an HE scholarship focus. Groups at colleges such as Solihull

OUR AIM IS TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF PRACTITIONER RESEARCH IN POST-16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING College & University Centre, Ashton Sixth Form College and Bedford College Group have been FE-focused since the rise of #FEResearchMeet, but the pandemic has created an explosion of opportunities, and spaces such as #CuriousFE have emerged to support others in creating their own. This pattern of increasing visibility indicates the thirst for FE research, which suggested to us there was a need for something else. Schools have the Research Schools Network and universities have their research agendas. Until this year, there was no deﬁned space for FE – but there is now! The Research College Group (RCG) launched in March and has been quietly building its presence. The RCG has 10 founding organisations, comprising general FE colleges and sixth-form colleges that lead in practitioner research. A raft of others are waiting to become members, and individuals have been ﬂocking to the new website to ask how they can get involved.

The RCG’s aim is to promote the development and use of practitioner research in post-16 education and training, and to develop the expertise, capacity, quality and publication of research to allow the sector to speak for itself. A huge amount of work has gone into developing ethical processes, as this area is often criticised. Most research in FE, which is often practitioner research, has been rendered invisible until recently. Practitioner research is often accused of a lack of robustness, so there is also a need to build research skill capacity within FE. The RCG aims to do just that. In FE, there can be a disconnect from our own sense of agency, due to silos and struggling to own our expertise and identity. The recent publication of Working and living in FE during the Covid-19 pandemic: 27 FE practitioners’ voices shows supportive and creative communities exist. Yet we felt there is still no permanent home for research in FE. Sam Jones believes research should help develop and nurture the sector. This inspired us to create a structure to answer these problems, give space and support, empower people and make research more visible, accessible and potentially usable. We are deﬁning for ourselves what practitioner research is and what it can be. For example, we are developing an approach to include practice reviews and, in doing so, deﬁne what practice is. Our most recent development is to create a publication to give voice to FE research. We hope to give opportunities to let the sector speak for itself.

JO FLETCHER-SAXON is assistant principal, higher and adult education & practitioner research lead at Ashton Sixth Form College

KERRY SCATTERGOOD is a lecturer in adult English and family learning, and FE research lead at Solihull College & University Centre

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Unlocking human potential For over 170 years, NCFE has been at the forefront of technical education. As a registered charity, our mission is to promote and advance learning - empowering individuals to fulﬁl their potential and helping to create a fairer, more inclusive society. We’ve positively impacted on millions of UK learners who have developed skills for life through our vocational qualiﬁcations, apprenticeships and learning programmes. Wherever our learners come from, we support them to progress into employment and take the next steps on their journey.

Visit www.ncfe.org.uk for more information.

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INTERVIEW

PAUL NOWAK

oday, Paul Nowak is deputy general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), but admits he never planned a career in the union sector. Having grown up on the Wirral, he initially worked in various roles, including in a supermarket, hotel and estate agency, before switching focus. “Nobody leaves school and wants to be a trade union official,” he says. “But wherever I worked I was a union activist. I actually joined the TUC through an initiative called the TUC Organising Academy, which was almost an apprenticeship for trade union officials. It was a new initiative to try and bring in people whose focus wasn’t about negotiating with employers but more about building workplace organisation and recruiting more people into unions.” The TUC represents over 5.5 million working people across its 48 member unions, and there are multiple touchpoints with further education (FE), says Nowak. “There are three key links,” he says. “One is that we represent tens of thousands of people working in this sector, and we want a sector that is properly resourced, sustainable and provides rewarding careers, whether for teachers or in support roles.” But FE also has an important part to play in upskilling people from other sectors, particularly those whose jobs may be displaced by wider shifts in society. “If we’re serious about getting to grips with the big challenges that face us, such as the drive towards net zero, digitalisation, automation and changing demographics, then we’ve got to be serious about providing real opportunities for people to retrain and upskill all the way through their working lives,” he says. “FE is the central component of that.” FE is also the basis for the TUC’s own trade union education programmes with its activists and representatives,

INTERVIEW

Working together Further education has an important part to play in helping prepare the UK for the challenges of tomorrow. But reskilling workers means different groups coming together to help create an effective system, says the TUC’s Paul Nowak BY NICK MARTINDALE

he adds. “A lot of that has moved online but a lot is still delivered in classrooms, through the FE system,” he says. “We have a network of trade union education centres up and down the country and train around 38,000 reps a year.” The TUC is also a member of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), one of a number of bodies which provide insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and help shape its workforce strategy.

I’D LOVE TO SEE FE TAKE ON THAT ROLE OF SUPPORTING CONTINUAL ADULT EDUCATION

Union solution

Given the importance of reskilling employees in the wake of the pandemic, Nowak was disappointed by the recent FE White Paper. “It was just lacking in ambition,” he says. “It’s a sector that has seen around 20 per cent

cuts in real terms over the last 10 years, and it’s hard to square that with the government’s stated ambition to give people a lifetime skills guarantee. “Lots of people are already excluded from retraining, because they’ve already got Level 3 qualiﬁcations. There would be value in governments opening up the conversation, not just with employers but with unions as well, about what a genuine lifelong learning guarantee would look like, and how we could incentivise people to take on those learning opportunities.” The decision to withdraw government funding for the Union Learning Fund from March this year is also a source of frustration. “That had been in existence for 20 years, was valued by employers and unions, and helped over 200,000 people a year access new skills and qualiﬁcations,” he says. “We were frustrated too that there was no union representation on the Institute for Apprenticeships, and that the White Paper didn’t mention unions at all. If the

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not faced with that difficult choice between earning a living and preparing themselves for what might be coming down the line in ﬁve to 10 years’ time.”

P H O T O G R A P H Y: JE S S H UR D

Future gazing

government is serious about engaging the workforce, then they have to see unions as part of the solution.” One area in which Nowak is involved is the Green Jobs Taskforce, a government initiative to identify and develop the skills that will help the UK deliver on its target of becoming three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050. “It means that people will have to develop new skills and roles, and companies will have to think through how they undertake that process,” he says. “A properly funded, coherent FE system is an essential part of supporting that, and we’ve been pushing very hard for FE to be given a central role. I’d love to see FE take on that role of supporting continual adult education and for local colleges to be real hubs for communities, and places where people feel they can go to get support.” There will also be a need in future to ensure people are able to take time out from their careers to retrain. “All too often it’s presented to people as a binary choice between being in employment

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and having the opportunity to retrain,” says Nowak. “We need to think about how colleges, but also the third sector and private sector organisations, can provide people with opportunities to retrain while they stay in work, so they’re

Nowak also contributed to the College of the Future report, which looked at how colleges themselves could prepare themselves for the challenges of tomorrow. “There was a big piece in there about how we can make sure that we’re rewarding the FE workforce properly and giving them proper access to opportunities to develop their skills,” he says. He would like to see employers, unions and professional bodies such as the Society for Education and Training (SET) come together to create a strategy that encompasses elements such as workforce planning, issues around workload, professional development and the thorny issue of pay. “Partnership is often underrated as an approach to working,” he says. “That’s why the work we’re doing with the ETF is so important too. “There is still a sense that FE is seen as the Cinderella of the education system, but with all the different pressures that government will undoubtedly place on FE over the coming decade it’s vital that FE is invested in, and key among that is investing in the workforce.” He believes government should take more responsibility when it comes to funding professional development programmes like Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS), and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), rather than leaving it to individuals or teaching organisations. As well as helping to prepare the UK for entirely new industries, Nowak also believes the FE sector will need to pick up the pieces in the wake of the pandemic. “Areas like retail and hospitality are not as headline-grabbing as some of the big investments in electric battery plants or offshore wind projects,” he says. “But FE will have a really important role in rescaling and refocusing that workforce, helping with the move towards flexible and hybrid working and shaping what our towns and cities look like over the next five or 10 years.” NICK MARTINDALE is editor of inTuition

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ADVICE

ONLINE LEARNING

Open to all

The rise of virtual learning in recent months has made some learners thrive. But the environment can also be challenging for some. Kellie McCord explores how to make it a truly inclusive experience

oving from face-to-face classes to online learning has been a challenge for many teachers; from deciphering their organisation’s chosen platforms to adapting in-class lesson plans to the online session.

However, for many the biggest obstacle has been how to connect with learners in a virtual classroom. With technological advancements, we know the myriad beneﬁts of gadgets and apps to aid learning. Learners no longer need to go to a library to pick up a new

book; they can simply download it onto their Kindle or phones. They no longer have to spend hours reading textbooks to learn information; they can watch YouTube videos. These changes have been highly beneﬁcial, with some people learning better from alternative means than the traditional classroom setting allows. Yet what has the potential to be an educational revolution can easily slip into another way to alienate, ostracise and leave learners behind. How can teachers avoid this? The great news is that extra time or resources aren’t required. Teachers can start maximising what’s at their ﬁngertips to create an inclusive online learning experience.

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ONLINE LEARNING

FIND OUT IF ANYONE HAS CONCERNS Before lessons commence, avoid making anyone feel uncomfortable by sending learners, or parents, a questionnaire, asking them if they require any provisions. You can also ask about their thoughts and feelings surrounding online learning, so that you can give extra support where needed. This shows your learners that you care, as you’re taking an interest in them as individuals. It also allows you to adapt your plans to meet everyone’s learning needs.

HELP THOSE WITH A STAMMER

KELLIE McCORD is founder of Uplevel Academy, and a member of Toastmasters International

THINK ABOUT THOSE WITH DYSLEXIA

IL L U S T R AT ION: IK ON IM A GE S

ADVICE

Can you read this text? No? That’s how someone with dyslexia sees the written word on a page or on a presentation slide. What can you do to make it clearer for them? The answer is simple: alter the background. Learners will have their own preferences – pink, blue, green – so the best rule of thumb is to avoid a bright white. Also, make the background a strong contrast to the font colour. Fonts should be simple. Sans Serif fonts tend to be easier to read. Also, make the writing slightly bigger – around 14 plus. With font colour, again keep it simple. You may wish to avoid, reds, blues and greens, as people with colourblindness might find it challenging to read. Layouts should be simple and not squashed. Have line spaces about 1.5. Make sure ideas are clearly separated and differentiated by avoiding starting a sentence at the end of a line.

Some learners may have a stammer. You might not have noticed if they’ve done work to manage it. Yet, it can be triggered. Stammering can take three forms: Repeating sounds or syllables of a word Making sounds longer Words getting stuck and not coming out. How can you avoid triggering someone? Rather than picking a learner randomly to answer a question, give learners time to think by asking the question and then saying that you will give them a moment to think before asking (give the speciﬁc name of the individual). This gives learners time to organise their thoughts and plan their answers if needed. Additionally, if you have an interactive lesson, which requires learners to participate, ask them to either raise their hand or write a comment in the chat box. Why? If you allow people to just call out, someone with a stammer may feel that because they are unable to get their words out quickly, they might be overlooked, and so remain silent. If someone in the lesson starts stammering, the key is to be patient. Listen to them, and do not interrupt and ﬁll in what they are saying. Instead, give them the space and time to say what they want. Doing this helps them to realise that you feel there is value in what they are saying. Equally, a learner might be shy. Calling them out might cause them to shut down. To avoid this, encourage them to share their answers with you privately, so that they don’t have to be scared of others seeing their work. You could also create break-out rooms, allowing learners to be grouped into smaller ‘classes’. You can then visit each room and monitor their discussions. This gives learners the opportunity to work with someone else on a smaller scale. You can then bring them back into the main classroom. So don’t allow the fear of the virtual world to hold you hostage. Rather, be a host for possibilities by making use of online tools. That way you have a greater connection with your learners by creating a truly inclusive learning experience that is tailored to the needs of each individual.

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FEATURE

QUALIFICATIONS

P H O T O G R A P H Y: I S T O C K

PICK ‘N’ MIX

The introduction of T Levels in 2020 added to an already wide range of options for learners in the further education sector. Jo Faragher outlines how the sector is coping, and asks whether further changes could be just around the corner

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QUALIFICATIONS

he landscape for further education (FE) qualifications has become increasingly crowded over the past few years. In a relatively short time, colleges and training providers have had to contend with the introduction of T Levels as well as around 600 apprenticeship standards to replace the old frameworks. And reform is ongoing: the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill and Skills for Jobs White Paper both set out ambitious reforms for the sector aimed at arming learners with the skills employers need in a fast-changing labour market. For providers trying to plan curricula and assess future funding, recruitment and training requirements, it is a constantly moving feast. As we emerge from the pandemic, skills are high on the agenda. The Queen’s Speech in May promised a “skills revolution” for adults, with flexible loans available for FE and higher education, and closer partnerships between employers and education providers on the delivery of qualifications. At the same time, the Skills Bill includes ambitious reforms for FE, including a requirement to have regard for local skills needs, greater powers to intervene if training providers are underperforming, more centralised approval of qualifications and improvements to FE teacher training. At the centre of this is a desire to improve how ‘employer-ready’ people are on leaving school or college. The Open University’s annual business barometer for 2020 found that employers spent £6.6 billion to plug short-term skills gaps in the previous 12 months, up from £4.4 billion the year before. Nearly half (48 per cent) of employers acknowledged that apprenticeships and work-based learning initiatives will be vital to their recovery over the next year. With this in mind, T Levels have been developed in collaboration with employers as an alternative to

apprenticeships and A Levels, and were introduced in 2020. A core element of each T Level is a 45-day, industry-approved placement, and each qualification consists of 1,800 hours of learning over two years. With a further seven starting this academic year, the plan is to expand to more than 20 by 2023.

Shaking it up But for FE providers already delivering apprenticeships, BTEC and industryspecific certificates, maintaining industry relationships, keeping up with qualification standards and recruiting skilled staff will only become more challenging. “It will be a game-changer in terms of how we plan and recruit,” says Kit Davies, principal of North Hertfordshire College

THERE ARE SKILLS SHORTAGES AT LEVEL 4 AND 5 AND ABOVE BUT OVER 50 PER CENT OF LEARNERS ARE NOT AT THAT LEVEL and chief executive of the Hart Learning Group. “It’s great that we have a focus on technical education, and the government wants colleges and employers to be working more closely together. But T Levels are big qualifications and we’ll need to reskill our existing teachers as well as get people back in from industry.” North Hertfordshire College has been part of the industrial placements pilot for T Levels and hopes to gain approval to deliver the qualifications as more come onstream. One strategy that has worked in its apprenticeship delivery is nurturing four or five areas where it has strong relationships with employers. “We’re in a curriculum-mapping exercise at the moment that looks at the intersection between different qualifications,” says

FEATURE

Davies. “So whatever the ‘product’, parents and learners can see a route through it, whether that’s going into a job, moving on to higher education or side-stepping into an apprenticeship.” Davies believes that choice is important. “You also need ﬂexibility to add things, whether that’s modules on electric and hybrid vehicles in mechanic courses or health science on sports courses – the emphasis must be on giving learners a head start.” Many FE providers and organisations, such as the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), are working on how they communicate to potential learners that their chosen course can take them in a number of directions. “We’re showing people there are a number of progression pathways, and that there’s interchangeability,” says Cerian Ayres, head of technical education at the ETF. “You could do an A Level and an Advanced Apprenticeship, or a T Level and then progress to study a higher technical qualiﬁcation, an academic degree, or a degree apprenticeship, or progress straight into employment.” FE provides those escalators to higher technical study and employment – which is important for economic recovery, as there are recognised skills shortages at Level 4 and 5 and above, adds Ayres. “The job of work is supporting the transition of learners to Level 3 and above,” she says. “For example, the average general FE college trains 1,100 apprentices annually and, in terms of 16- to 18-year-old learners, there are 32,000 completing intermediate Level 2 apprenticeships as opposed to 22,500 completing Advanced Level apprenticeships. Over 50 per cent of young apprenticeship learners are not yet at Level 3.”

Local focus One of the key recommendations of the FE White Paper is that colleges and providers are mindful of local skills needs when building course programmes. But Susan Smith, an independent careers advisor,

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FEATURE

QUALIFICATIONS

worries that some colleges will struggle to ﬁnd enough placements and employers to get involved. “We need more input from industry and local employers,” she says. “The government, employers, learners and parents also need educating about the options available to them.” Recent research from Ofqual found that just 12 per cent of employers were aware of T Levels, and 60 per cent either had “no understanding” or a “not very good understanding” of it. The 45-day placement sits at the centre of the T Level qualiﬁcation, but this could create difficulties in local areas where there are multiple FE providers competing to work with the same employers for popular courses – North Hertfordshire College competes with four other settings to get placements at popular employers, for example. Paul Kessell-Holland, national head of curriculum design projects at the ETF, argues that there could equally be challenges in areas without prominent local employers. “If you live in a rural area where there isn’t any industry, if you only offer courses related to the local economy, you’re doing a massive disservice to customers,” he points out. Lorraine Heath, deputy principal for curriculum at Basingstoke College of Technology, plans to offer T Levels in engineering, construction, healthcare and early years education from 2022, with T Level transition programmes in these areas that will prepare learners who are not yet ready. “Our aim is for all our learners to progress with the skills employers need,” she says. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. “Staff recruitment in priority sectors such as construction and engineering is our biggest challenge,” she adds. “It’s the biggest hurdle we need to overcome.” If the current landscape wasn’t challenging enough, further changes could lie

£6.6bn 12% The amount spent by employers to plug short-term skills gaps in 2020, according to the Open University

The proportion of employers that are aware of T Levels, according to Ofqual

ahead. The Department for Education has pledged to strip down what it calls a “confusing landscape” of more than 12,000 courses, and the government recently published a consultation on post-16 technical and academic Level 3 qualiﬁcations. The new system will be phased in for those learners completing GCSEs between 2023 and 2025, with education secretary Gavin Williamson warning there is “no room in our education system for secondrate qualiﬁcations”.

Adding to the mix But some in the sector are concerned that this could effectively remove a pathway to higher education for some learners. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has suggested these reforms could “hit disadvantaged youngsters the hardest”. Meanwhile, a group of 11 organisations representing learners and staff in schools, colleges and universities has set up a “protect student choice” campaign, urging the government to rethink

any plans to remove funding for applied general qualifications. Davies echoes this sentiment. “If certain qualifications such as BTECs don’t exist in a few years, I worry about those who might have done them; a T Level might not be right for them and they opt out, which becomes a social inclusion issue,” he says. In its response to the consultation, the government has said BTECs will continue if they can demonstrate there is a “real need” for them – something welcomed by BTEC awarding body Pearson. “While we welcome the government’s aim to raise standards in FE, we have always warned that policymakers should not lose sight of what is working well already – namely existing high-quality qualifications that are respected by employers, universities and students alike, be they BTECs or other vocational qualifications,” says Cindy Rampersaud, senior vice-president for BTEC and apprenticeships at Pearson. For its part, Ofqual has said it will take a “flexible approach” to awarding and assessment as settings adapt to postpandemic arrangements and begin to offer an evolving mix of qualifications and placements. A spokesperson told inTuition: “For example, this year students who receive a teacher-assessed grade for the core component can retake it in full, or retake either sub-component, in the autumn. This adapted approach aims to avoid overloading students in the second year.” Whatever happens to the funding landscape for FE qualifications, flexibility will be crucial in terms of course delivery, assessment, and how settings adapt to employers’ needs. But it was always thus, concludes Kessell-Holland. “Our understanding of teaching has changed and the way we assess has changed,” he says. “If you sat an exam in the 1930s and then sat one now, you’d recognise the subject but also acknowledge that they were very different pieces of education.” JO FARAGHER is a freelance journalist and former editor of TES Magazine etfoundation.co.uk/tlevels

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DIVERSITY IN FE

quality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) lie at the heart of the work of successful further education (FE) organisations. The actions taken to ensure that learners are welcomed, included and enabled to thrive are key to helping them to achieve their potential. Black History Month, taking place in October, is a positive time to focus on efforts to support EDI and explore the effective practices already happening throughout the sector.

Jeff Greenidge is the director for diversity at the Education and Training Foundation and Association of Colleges. He feels that “the challenge is how we make the most of diversity, and what actions we are taking to increase the diversity of thought around the table”. Acknowledging and celebrating the diversity that already exists in your setting can lead to some pertinent questions. Greenidge suggests that these might include: What actions are we taking to include everyone? How do we help everyone to achieve their

Black History Month provides a good opportunity for the further education sector to examine how it is creating and fostering racial equality. Elizabeth Holmes explores the progress made

FEATURE

full potential? How can we create an environment in which our communities, learners and staff all ﬂourish? How do we do what we have not done before? “We have to start with the end in mind,” Greenidge explains. “There needs to be a mindset shift across organisations, with people taking the opportunity to have difficult conversations, and in some cases being comfortable with learnerled approaches. We can achieve this in several different ways. We are seeing changes taking place through coaching and bottom-up approaches from practitioners.” The starting point of such a change must be an understanding of the story the data is telling us. While we might start this process by exploring data, we need to maintain that and interrogate it to ensure that we are progressing. “How do we know if we are making progress if we don’t set baseline data?” Greenidge asks. Greenidge believes progress is being made. “Awarding organisations are raising their heads above the parapet, and running sessions on inclusion,” he points out. “The City and Guilds and NCFE have run a series of podcasts, highlighting issues and sharing examples of practice. At a sector level, principals

P H O T O G R A P H Y: I S T O C K

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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FEATURE

DIVERSITY IN FE

and CEOs are exploring how individually and collectively they can take a lead on inclusion and diversity. That mindset shift can be slow, but it is then based on depth of knowledge, understanding intellectual and emotional commitment.” The ETF has updated its Advanced EDI course too, featuring updated material around race and other protected characteristics. Sara Khan is vice president for liberation and equality at the National Union of Students, and urges organisations to look beyond EDI. “We need to recognise that the purpose of decolonisation is to do what the sector’s framing around equality, diversity and inclusion cannot do, and to understand why ‘EDI’ continues to fail us,” she says. “Decolonisation is to grasp at the root of a racist system – a system that is built into the very design of our institutions, our society and our culture. Only structural change will address structural problems.

ARV KAUSHAL

“The whole education sector must work collectively towards a vision of a truly liberated education system; one where decolonisation is embedded in the framework of further education, creating a space in which all students, regardless of their background, can access and thrive,” she adds. “This approach can take many forms, starting with contributing funds, allocating resources and support for organisations and creating spaces built for and by black students.” There’s no doubt that this is a topic that is generating more attention in the FE sector. The following case studies, as varied in approach as the settings themselves, offer insights and expertise on how equality, diversity and inclusion can sit front and centre of all we do in FE.

Equality, diversity and inclusion manager for the Milton Keynes College Group My work feeds into executive and non-executive aspects of the group. I develop both strategy and people. Another aspect of this work is curriculum and learner-focused. Part of my role is to ensure that people are upskilled and trained where needed. We need people who are literate in this field. Our English department were already doing a lot of work on decolonising the curriculum

ELIZABETH HOLMES is a freelance journalist specialising in the education sector

F #INCLOLLOW TO F I U S I V E ABOUND OUT MOFE TE RE FE SECDI IN THE TO R

PARMINDER SINGH GARCHA Governor at Fircroft Adult Education College and Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College. He also oversees the devolved adult education budget for Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority At Fircroft, we have made race equity one of our strategic objectives, and as governors we acknowledge some of the systemic issues across the sector. We are focusing on CPD, leadership pathways, recruitment practices and making college an inclusive place for learners and colleagues. We must create the right culture and ethos and we must model the values as leaders. We are a diverse governing body and we like to be proactive and forward-thinking; for example, social justice and environmental sustainability are also

key objectives. We ensure that we are inclusive in a wider sense. Recently we became a ‘college of sanctuary’, which is one that has been recognised for its work to welcome and integrate refugees and asylum seekers. Fircroft is a residential college, so we can provide an immersive experience. We offer second-chance learning opportunities to adults. We also do outreach work in the community around exoffenders, refugees, women returners, and homeless people in partnership with the HE (higher education) institutions that accept our learners onto access courses.

‘WE HAVE TO CREATE THE RIGHT CULTURE AND ETHOS AND WE HAVE TO MODEL THE VALUES AS LEADERS’

Our ethos is very much on learning for personal enrichment and improving our learners’ life chances. But we also focus on employability and pathways to higher education. As governors, we monitor key performance indicators, and hold the leadership accountable for strategic intent. We look at participations, attainment, progression and destinations. We are aligned to the West Midlands strategy of achieving inclusive growth, which ensures access to the labour market for all. The best way to lift people out of poverty is through good work. Our dynamic principal, Mel Lenehan, is invited to speak at national conferences, and race equity is embedded across the curriculum. This means we are leading the way in our social justice and sustainability work.

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DIVERSITY IN FE

when I arrived here. This work needs to be a golden thread running through everything – an embedded approach. To tell people they must do something extra will never happen, but to do it differently will happen. Inspiring a culture shift and a radically different approach means the message must be non-diluted at the top, because it will become diluted as it filters through an organisation. Everybody is at a different point on this journey and they need support. Some are more literate in this than others. I have a variety of approaches to achieve the same aim.

Our approach here is to work with the workforce to better equip them to work with our diverse learners. We want to have an evidential, data-driven approach to improve fairness. We want to know who comes through our doors, and what they achieve with us. How do we treat them? How long do they stay, and do we develop their potential while they are with us? We believe in being accountable. We publish data and have recently signed up to the Race at Work Charter. We will act on our data so that we are always moving in the right direction.

‘EVERYBODY IS AT A DIFFERENT POINT ON THIS JOURNEY AND THEY NEED SUPPORT’

LILY LIN Vice chair of Harlow College and CEO of the Excellence First Enterprise Consultancy I have worked in the Chinese system of education and in the UK. I was a secondary teacher in Shanghai in charge of foreign exchanges in our school. We worked well with partner schools in the UK. After I spent a year teaching in Essex, I was employed by the local authority as an advisor/ manager to promote links with China and facilitate school development. We linked 300 schools between the two countries and helped them to build mutually beneficial relationships. We built these links to create CPD opportunities for teachers, and joint curriculum projects for learners. These exchanges encouraged teachers to learn and take that back into the classroom to support their teaching.

For us leaders in colleges and around the world, it is important to think about your vision. Can you see, hear and feel that excitement and joy when a group of diverse people work together? You must tell good stories – talk about the positive things people have done about equality, diversity and inclusion. This is what helps to create positive experiences. Excellence First helps to challenge and change mindsets. We foster a passion for learning from each other. We help UK teachers to see the system and structure in Chinese schools so that they get a complete picture of what happens. We explore the strengths and areas for improvement in both systems. Teachers gain confidence and pride. This is what can be done when learning with others.

‘TALK ABOUT THE POSITIVE THINGS PEOPLE HAVE DONE ABOUT EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION’

FEATURE

ELLISHA SOANES Equality and diversity digital inclusion coordinator and lecturer in health and social care at West Suffolk College I work with a spectrum of amazing people from different backgrounds. The most powerful EDI strategy I have adopted in my work is to take a learnerled approach. I ask my learners what it is that they want to learn. They then become the centre of what I do. It is so important for young people to work with diverse communities, and we do that at a global and local level at West Suffolk College. Thanks to the support of the college’s PLACE21 scheme, my students and I have been able to add black history to the curriculum all year round. The funding has enabled me to appoint EDI digital inclusion ambassadors at the college. Additionally, we recently celebrated the Windrush veterans, and hosted a series of talks from community individuals who had amazing stories to share. We invited learners and members of the public from other settings to the college to listen to them. Through these events, many people were given an understanding of a history they had never heard before. If you do not see EDI from other people’s perceptions, you will not understand what other people are experiencing. My advice is to work with community groups and bring the valuable lessons they have to offer into your setting. They can then help shape EDI activities all year round.

‘WORK WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS AND BRING THEIR LESSONS INTO YOUR SETTING ’

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SECTOR FOCUS

FE COLLEGES

HEART OF THE C MMUNITY General further education colleges not only help to shape the skills of the next generation, they also act as a pillar of local areas and provide civic leadership. David Adams outlines the vital role they play, and the challenges they face in a post-pandemic world ow can you sum up the experience of general further education (FE) colleges in the UK? There are so many, all of which offer a wide range of programmes focusing on delivering workplace skills. There are 163 in England, about 20 institutions that could be classed as general FE colleges in Scotland, 12 in Wales, and six in Northern Ireland. There are more than a million learners at these colleges, studying for qualiﬁcations ranging from Level 1 to 5 and beyond. The colleges have some things in common: all have been impacted by the pandemic; all face near constant ﬁnancial challenges; and all will be affected, directly and indirectly, by proposed changes to

UK government policies outlined in the Department for Education’s January 2021 FE White Paper, Skills for Jobs. The title of the White Paper reveals the UK government’s view of these colleges’ collective purpose, but they perform other functions too. “Colleges transform communities,” says Joy Kettyle, chief operating officer at Barking & Dagenham College.

Amanda Melton, principal of Nelson & Colne College in Lancashire and a member of the Independent Commission of the 2020 College of the Future report, deﬁnes FE colleges as “centres of lifelong learning” and “key anchor institutions in the local community, supporting wider community action and services”. The general FE college is an irreplaceable “place of transformation that builds bridges for people to get qualiﬁcations they wouldn’t otherwise get”, says Paul Kessell-Holland, national head of curriculum design projects at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). “You can’t replace places that have at their heart an intention of changing life chances.” This applies to adults as much as younger learners, something that will become even more important with the need to upskill in the wake of the pandemic. The FE colleges did an extraordinary job in the pandemic. But college leaders are concerned about the longterm effects of the crisis. “Young people have missed out on such a lot, despite our best efforts,” says Melton. “Opportunities for the

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FE COLLEGES

rate should be the same [as for schools and universities],” he says. But he thinks it might be possible to make progress by pointing out to policymakers the fact that FE learners in the UK are underfunded in relation to their peers in other wealthy countries.

most disadvantaged people have been reduced, so the social improvement gap has widened.”

P H O T O G R A P H Y: C I T Y L I T, S U T T O N C OL L E G E

Future vision Helping learners transform their lives is clearly a key aim of the government’s White Paper. But, above all, the document emphasises the need for FE to help employers and the economy. It proposes the creation of Local Skills Improvement Plans, by employers, chambers of commerce, colleges and other training providers – with a number of organisations appointed Local Skills Improvement Plan trailblazers in July – and the establishment of College Business Centres within FE colleges. It suggests that by 2030 employers should have a “central role” in designing most technical courses, with most Level 4 and 5 qualifications aligned to national employer-led standards. The White Paper also proposed a pledge for £1.5 billion to be spent on improving colleges’ physical infrastructure, a nationwide recruitment campaign for FE teachers, and improvements to funding and governance regimes. The proposals received cautious, positive reactions in the sector. The Association of Colleges (AoC) welcomed “an ambitious package of measures”, but only, it added, if there is “funding over the coming years to match the welcome policy shifts”. Ian Pryce, chief executive of the Bedford College Group, wonders whether the focus on skills for employment and on higherlevel qualifications will be compatible with what learners actually want to study. “The notion that if you put the courses there, they will come, isn’t the solution,” he says. “A college exists first and foremost for learners – and the White Paper focuses too much on the employer. The employer should get some of the benefit, but learners and the community should get some too. The White Paper seems to be a bit dismissive of individual ambitions.” The next test of an ‘if you put the courses there, they will come’ approach will come with the further roll-out of T Levels from September 2021, with seven more courses joining the three launched in September 2020. Melton is an

SECTOR FOCUS

Enticing staff

enthusiastic advocate of T Levels: she says Nelson & Colne’s experience of offering a digital T Level during the 2020/21 academic year has already stimulated more interaction with employers. Kettyle says T Levels will also become a more important part of provision offered at Barking & Dagenham College from this year: 72 students will start T Levels in September, with that number set to increase to 235 in 2024. But she has concerns about how easy it will be to meet work placement requirements, which will depend on strong relationships with multiple employers who will also need to accommodate placements for other college, school and university learners.

Funding concerns Within individual colleges themselves, ambitions to extend and improve provision will be restricted by ﬁnancial resources. The White Paper pledges to simplify funding streams and give colleges more ﬂexibility by relaxing some ringfencing and reporting requirements. It also considers the possibility of more multi-year funding arrangements. But for the time being this means more uncertainty, in an environment where the long-term trend has seen overall funding levels fall for 20 years. Kettyle says that short-term, stop-gap funding mechanisms inevitably force colleges to work towards short-term goals. “We live in this reactive mode, rather than being able to plan ahead,” she says. Pryce has been in post since 1998, so has been involved in similar arguments for a long time. “I don’t know how to get the argument across that the funding

More money will also be needed to recruit and retain skilled teaching staff, including those who enter the sector from industry and may need extra support. “An FE college is a very intense environment – a lot of people who come in from industry don’t survive that well,” says Kettyle. “It’s about providing support, including mentoring and helping them see progression routes. Also, our teachers are paid a lot less than school teachers. Sometimes we lose people to schools. Others go back into industry.” The ETF’s Taking Teaching Further programme can help professionals coming from industry into FE teaching, offering colleges and other providers support with the funding towards new recruits undertaking a Level 5 Certificate in Education or Level 7 PGCE. “If we want to be able to recruit and retain really good staff and provide the best opportunities for students, you’ve got to be able to pay for that,” says Catherine Sezen, senior policy manager at the AoC. “But if we’re trying to build back better after the pandemic, education seems to be a really good place to invest.” Melton is disappointed that the White Paper did not follow up the College of the Future recommendations about building more collaborative networks between colleges across the UK. “I thought that was one of the most important proposals in our report,” she says. But she does see reasons to be cheerful. “I’m optimistic we will benefit from the promises of government to fund FE for people throughout their lives, so they can find higher-value work and be part of our economic recovery,” she says. “Having FE colleges in every town is an essential public asset.” DAVID ADAMS is a freelance journalist For more information on the ETF’s Taking Teaching Further programme, visit etfoundation.co.uk/takingteachingfurther

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QTLS ATS

AWARDS

ROLL OF HONOUR So far in 2021, the following people have completed either Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status or Advanced Teacher Status (ATS). Congratulations࣢to all! QT L S O C TO B E R 2020 Abbas Sadiq Abdolreza Shadparvar Adele Smith Adie Merrikin Afia Khanam Ahmed Mukadam Aimee Gourlay Alan Mumford Alexander James Friedmann Alexander Salter Alison Davies Amaka Akabueze Amanda Coulton Amber Richardson Amel Bowman Amy Clare Amy Darbyshire Amy Loines

Amy Mcneil Amy Sams Andrea Clayton Andrea Power Andrea Tilouche Andrew Fisher Andrew Foster Andrew Moffat Andrew Townsend Anna Hardman Anna Spencer Ann-Marie Hervey Anthony Jack Anthony Wilson Antonia Musgrave-Porter Arianne French Asha Subramaniam Ashleigh Willer Avrohom Broder

Barry Cook Barry Robinson Belinda Bell Ben Seymour-Shove Ben Shiells Ben Wagstaffe Bernadette Harker Bethany Ackers Bethany Leyland Bracha Lieberman Brian Jones Bruce Mathews Cadwell Dube Caitlin Butler Carol Carrier Carolyn Foy Catherine Baker Catrina Jones Celeste Jones Chaim Pinter Chanale Jacobson Chantelle Wetherall Charles Chikanya Charlotte Dallaway Charlotte Whitewood Charmaine Mccart Chloe Smith Chris Chilcott Christian Thersby Christiane Wagner-Tree Christopher Barnes Christopher Whitehead Claire Attrill Claire Bartlett Claire Bevington Claire Mutandwa

Claire Rackstraw Clare Hillman Connor Colvin Courtney Norman Craig Carney Craig Turton Daniel Austin Daniel Bedeau Daniel Greenwood Daniel Shields Danielle Banks David Anderson David Willmore Dean Nicholls Debra Naylor Debra Shohet Derrian Hawkes Dipa Chandegra Dominic Small Donna Goatham Drew Russell Ed Christie Eileen Connor Elena Sokolova Elisa Moores Elise Malina Eliska Attewell Elizabeth McGarry Elizabeth Reynolds Ella Povey Ellie Wake Elliot Scannell Elliott Todd Emily Cruttenden Emily Davies Emma Raper

Emma Campbell Emma Chatelier Emma Hanlon Emma Hewitt Emma Lerigo Emma Marsden Emma Osborne Emma Potter Emma Record Emma Roach Erica De Sousa Eron Tusiime Esther Duguid Esther Naomi Wilk Esther Parker Farzana Choudhury Farzana Khan Fatima Abdul Hussein Felicia Mahowo Fran Evans Francesca Flint Francesca Regan Gail Downie Gareth Yeomans Gareth Sanders Gemma Cooper Gemma Sutton Gemma Wyatt George Parkinson George Soszynski George Speight-Hulme Georgia McGonnell Georgia Moss Georgios Evangelou Gideon Scholz Grace Samson

Gregory Adam Michael Pratley Gregory Stevens Hannah Mason Hannah Tagg Harkirat Kaur Hazel O’Connor Heather Casey Heather Pehrson Heather Slater Heather Townsend Helen Jervis Helen Reeve Helen Rolfe Helen Williams Hilary Taylor Hinda Rosenthal Hur Chloe Ibi Blackburn Ihsan Khan Iman Ahmed Isabel Murray Jack Butterley Jack Furse Jade Wheeler Jake Gittens James Lewthwaite James Oliver Crook James Suffling Jamie Gillooly Jamie Pemberton Jane Hedley Janine Henry Jayne Kirkham Jennifer Fishlock Jessica Ellwood

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AWARDS

Jessica Smart Jo Crowley Jo Williams Joanna Whittaker Joanne Bresser Joanne Lecocq Jodie Walsh John Bergin John Blades Jordan Cottnam Josh Green Julia Hunton Julia Stevens Julie Crickmore Julie Walker Kara Norman Karen Cross Karla Koskuba Katie Blythe Katie Cook Katie Parker Katy Millage Kayte Haselgrove Keisha Smith Keith Shepherd Kelly Bowes Kelly Hindmarch Kelly Kensett Kelly Stewart Kerrie Shooman-Taylor Kerry Kirby Keshia Scere-Jacobs Kevin Baker Kevin Hall Kevin Scrimshaw Kim Rootes Kiran Batool Kuljit Kaur Kulthum Jawad Kyle Anderson Laetitia Gibbins Lana Tremain Laura Dowker Laura Hooper Laura Marron Laura Villani Lauren Humbles Lauren Wesemann Laurie Slesser Leah Darvell Leah Kennerley Leanne Archbold Leanne Timpson Lee Arrowsmith Lee Dickson Lee Ellis Leigh Blakeman Leighanne Omisore Lesley Hand

Lesley Laws Liam Kelly Linda Beatty Lisa Creighton Liz Johns Lorraine Griffin Louise Bugler Louise Dubb Louise Grace Louise Maloney Louise Matthews Louise Power Louise Scoon Louiza Boateng Lucas Rambourg Lucky Tumukunde Lucy Hudson Luke Baker Lydia Shaw Lynette Pearce Mahfuzur Chowdhury Mahmoona Mahroof Malka Schweitzer Manuela Federica Zucchi Marcella Goodge Maria Dantili Maria Fakih Maria Worship Marijke Van Graan Mark Harris Mark O’Hare Martin Welsh Martina Barnett Maryam Gharangian Matthew Osborne Mericia Hedman Mia Coyne Michelle Bruce Michelle Dionne Fante Michelle Swallow Miles Mantle Miranda Dixon Mohammad Rahman Mollie James Muhammad Ziyad Batha Murray King Nadine Baggett Nadine Hirst Nadine Johnson Nana Aboagye Natasha Kotiw Naureen Rana Nechama Ruth Ritvo Neisha Campbell Niamh Robertson Nichola Anderson Nicholas Davids Nicola Mcgowan Nicola Sage

AT S A U G U S T 2 0 21 Adam Ryding Aidan Sammons Bettina Forsyth Christine Knibbs Dawn Hiscox Doug Specht Eddie Smith Edward Chambers Graham Mills

Nicola Wilson Nicole Doyle Nikhita Mashru Nikki Dennington Nurhayat Sezen Ola Ojerinola Oliver Clark Oliver Kirschner Olivia Choudhury Olujumoke Owoyomi Parvinder Kaur Paul Spencer Paula Kennett Paulette Williams Pawel Kulon Penelope Da Vila Gorrita Penny Wall Peter Dent Peter Quirke Petra Tyler-Maass Phatsimo Portia Patsy Khubamang-Bower Qurat ul ain Chaudhry Rabia Khanom Rachael Illsley Rachael Osborne Rahim Rashid Rajveer Maan Rebecca Bourne Rebecca Davis Rebecca Duckworth Rebecca Hall Rebecca Millsip Rebecca Willers Richard Sands Rim Nasser Rivka Stroli Riyaz Chandia Robert Preston-Broom Robin Whurr Rose Renton Rosie Merlin Ross Tweed

Heather Sherman Jan Hanson Jeanette Hodgson Kristie Lourie Louise Weldon Nicole Malloy Suzanne Fessey Xavier Azzopardi

Rowena Mudge Ruchi Khaitan Ruhina Akther Russell Kellaway Ryan Browne Ryan Goodwin Sabahat Khan Saeedeh Simriz Sally Khawaja Sally Slidel Salma Begum Sam Crossman Sam Rea-Knowles Samantha Bundock Samantha Edmond Samantha Linaker Samantha Peek Samantha Saunders Samina Bi Sanpreet Basra Sara Amawi Sara Woodman Worrell Sara Brooks Sarah Atkin Sarah Baum Sarah Calvert Sarah Craker Sarah Fakoya Sarah Freeman Sarah Lester Sarah Lyons Sarah MacDuff Sarah McCarron Sarah Ormond Sarah Shaw Saul Sommer Scott Barnes Sean Woods Seema Seema Shalom Shimon Mimran Shana Jacobs Shannon Riley Shannon Young

Sharon Murphy Shaun Eagles Shayesteh Khorrami Shelley Mitchinson Shivani Mehta - Dixit Siavash Monavari Simon Gilder Simone Thompson Sinead Sale-Harding Siobhan Kerr Sophie Ainsworth Sophie Breakell Stacey Halford Stef Testa Stefan Esposito Stephanie Canfield Stephanie Harper Stephanie White Stephen Saunders Steve Hanlon Stuart Taylor Suba Mahiudin Subika Mehdi Sunil Kumar Suzanna Ward Syed Ali Tara Hobson Tasina Lewis Terence Doyle Teresa Dabbar Terese Gehler Terry Uttley Thea Sanders Thomas Armstrong Thomas Golds Thomas Pilkington Thomas Sargeant Thomas Smith Thomas Woerndl Tiffany Rubie

QTLS ATS

Tina Oakley-Agar Todd Lewis Tommi Charlish Tony De Lacey Tracey Budd Tracie Hansford Tracy Pattison Tracy Turberfield Trang Do Uzma Riyaaz Valentine Gale-Sides Ventriest Ebohon Victor Rodrigues Victor Agha-Ah Mah Victoria Akiode Victoria Cook Victoria Peters Victoria Sage Victoria Stuart-Lee Victoria Yates Vronwyn Hutch Wayne Hall Wendy White William Lumber Yael Dadash-Alloun Yael Van Praagh Yaeli Simon Yaqoob Alkaabi Yaw Sarpong Yechiel Elzas Yvonne Milne-Redhead Yvonne Wyatt Zaakir Akhtar Zain Ulhaq Zara Ali Zaynab Issa Zoe Eldridge Zoe Hennchen Zoe Pardoe Zubeyde Payne

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RESEARCH AND INSIGHT FROM THE FURTHER EDUCATION SECTOR

Helping hands Creating student digital champions has proved invaluable in enabling English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners across three college centres to engage with online technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic, write Laurence Elliott and Pascale Samy 26 INTUITION AUTUMN 2021

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DIGITAL PARTICIPATION

ne of the frequent challenges of externally funded projects is short timescales. We’re often left feeling that with a bit more time we could have dug deeper and taken on board suggestions from project funders. In early 2019 we made the decision to continue building on a recently completed Education and Training Foundation (ETF) ‘OTLA [Outstanding Teaching Learning and Assessment] Student-Staff Partnerships’ project, which involved Morley College and other London institutes of adult education. We linked an expanded second stage to submitting a research poster to the European Conference on e-Learning, something that was time-consuming but forced us to develop a more rigorous methodology. In the third and current stage, we’re working to scale up the model to Essential Skills programme areas in all three college centres. We discovered early in the original ETF project that even one student digital champion (SDC) in a class could be hugely helpful. SDCs supported their peers in a range of ways, including explaining college logins, showing them how to connect to the college Wi-Fi, where to go to reset college passwords, and how to download apps such as Kahoot or Google Classroom. Previously it could take so much time to get everyone logged in that teachers would give up and start an activity without all the learners, who would then have to share devices with their classmates. Having an SDC meant that all the learners could login to Wi-Fi and any online resources they were using. The whole class could participate and nobody was left out, which created a better classroom atmosphere and led to greater group cohesion. That also led to an improved

THE WHOLE CLASS COULD PARTICIPATE AND NOBODY WAS LEFT OUT, WHICH CREATED A BETTER CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE individual or group learning experience, with learners being able work more efficiently and independently. For our in-house pilot we recruited 55 SDCs in total, although a few of these dropped out for different reasons. The champions were based across 33 courses, representing 80 per cent of the ESOL programme. Attendance at training sessions was quite challenging for some because of work or childcare commitments, so we ran morning and afternoon sessions, which 34 SDCs were able to attend. The SDC role has now been tested across the programme (Entry Level 1 to 3 to Level 1 and 2) and our experience is that it can work well at all levels.

Barriers to technology use Pre-Covid-19, there were always a small number of teachers who were reluctant to engage with digital training, saying they didn’t need technology in the classroom. Many teachers only used the college learning platforms to a limited extent, and a few didn’t use online resources at all. Teachers may avoid using technology because of the pressure of supporting large groups of learners with a wide range of LAURENCE ELLIOTT devices. ESOL class sizes can range is digital inclusion up to 21 learners, so a large group development with very low digital skills can leave co-ordinator teachers feeling overwhelmed. at Morley College࣢London ESOL learners obviously all have a different ﬁrst language to English (there were 120 languages spoken at Morley College London, according to our 2019-20 selfassessment report). It can be very difficult to explain something technological to someone who is at beginner or elementary ESOL PASCALE SAMY level. Sometimes, even at higher is a senior ESOL language levels, a learner may have tutor at Morley poor digital vocabulary. College London

THE KNOWLEDGE

It’s common for learners to have display and device settings in their own language, which makes it much harder for teachers to give support. SDCs often speak more than one language and so are able to help their peers more easily. ESOL classes at Morley have a majority of Spanish and Portuguese speakers, so having an SDC who speaks one of those languages in particular is a real asset to teachers. Depending on the situation, SDCs can help a group of learners or work one-to-one. They encourage their peers to do activities online, showing them how to download apps or use tools, such as voice-activated Google Translate. A lot of digital champions are quite keen and will sometimes even take part in planning activities with teachers or peers outside of class time. Since March 2020, everything has obviously changed around delivery modes. With classes that are online or hybrid, having SDCs is just as important because, while teachers usually have access to laptops, learners very often only have smartphones. Usually SDCs know how to resolve issues because they are themselves using mobile devices and have better understanding of the problems faced by their peers, as reported by a teacher on the pilot: “My digital champions are invaluable, especially since online teaching began. They have been able to help students who have difficulty accessing Zoom, Moodle, Liveworksheets and other technology as they see it from the student’s point of view.” The sudden transition to remote learning in March 2020 required SDCs to support an extended range of online resources and activities, as can be seen on the following page.

Finding digital champions Potential digital champions may be people who are already giving informal support in a class.

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THE KNOWLEDGE

DIGITAL PARTICIPATION

As part of the ETF project we recorded regular video blogs, and it was touching to hear the two digital champions talking about their motivation for taking on the role. They were just people who said they liked to help others. SDCs don’t need to be IT experts, they just need to know the basics: how to login, where to get passwords reset, and downloading apps. They do need to be able to communicate clearly and be patient, and that’s something their teacher will need to make a judgement about. As with any voluntary role, SDCs should be reliable and committed. It can be quite difficult if someone doesn’t turn up to classes or often arrives late, especially when it’s at the beginning of the class when teachers may need technical support. For the ETF project we were able to incentivise participation and opted to give our first two champions Amazon vouchers. For our unfunded in-house pilot we have focused on supporting employability skills for learners, including providing guides to writing CVs. Survey feedback from SDCs indicates that 55 per cent felt participation helped them with their work skills. Another benefit of being a digital champion is that it develops learners’ digital vocabulary. That may not be immediately relevant to the work learners are doing but it enhances their general employability. Other incentives suggested by colleagues included badges, lanyards and certificates to give learners a sense of identity and achievement. An area which wasn’t in-scope for the original project but will be explored in future is providing qualifications for participation. Finally, we tried to make the support session activities we organised fun. Using Kahoot quizzes worked well, and we were able to give some small prizes which made the sessions more of an event.

Figure 1: Classroom-based peer support

71%

57%

43%

71%

48%

52%

Connect to Wi-Fi

Download apps

Reset their password

Access college email

Figure 2: Online-based peer support

50%

63%

44%

63%

56%

44%

Activate audio

Download apps

College email retrieval

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DIGITAL PARTICIPATION

Encouraging participation Teachers are obviously the most important colleagues to have on board. If they don’t advertise the role and talk about it with learners, then SDCs won’t be recruited. It’s particularly important to sell the benefits to teachers if participation in a programme is voluntary, and to have teachers’ line managers behind the initiative. Professional services departments may have some involvement. IT services will on occasion provide support in-class, for example where an SDC gets to the limit of their knowledge and can’t resolve an issue. Digital champions may potentially be an interface here as well. Our quality and standards team provided overall co-ordination for the pilot and a budget for some of the sessions we ran. When you’re getting started there are some basic things we think it’s useful to have in place: Information should be included in the induction process and student handbook. Help SDCs see the ways in which they can benefit and provide a simple role description. A perennial problem, particularly with ESOL learners, is providing information in language simple enough for them to understand. We produced a role description specifically for ESOL learners in simple English and therefore accessible to learners at all levels. Have clear guidelines about what is expected, and also what is not. When you’re supporting people with their own devices, there are some things that you may not want SDCs to do. Ensure champions are in place as soon as possible. That’s a lesson of introducing anything technologyrelated – if it’s introduced early it’s more likely to be accepted. The model used for coordinating an SDC pilot is going to depend on available staff

IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO HAVE TEACHERS’ LINE MANAGERS BEHIND THE INITIATIVE AND SUPPORTING IT and resources. A designated co-ordinator is ideal but may be difficult to resource. Co-ordination can be time-consuming and include responsibility for organising training and forum sessions. If computer rooms are in short supply, it can be challenging working around room availability. To administer the pilot, we initially created and maintained a database using a shared Google Doc. Although simple, this was still challenging to keep up to date. Communication with SDCs has been mainly via email and to a lesser extent Google Classroom. Teacher feedback is generally via email, in departmental meetings and informally in the ESOL team office.

Scaling up

THE KNOWLEDGE

tell us about issues that they are coming up against and things that they might need. We still need to identify a sustainable mechanism for that as organising these sessions may be difficult to scale up.

A flexible model We have found SDCs can make a signiﬁcant contribution to supporting their peers’ engagement with technology. In-class SDCs contribute to a reduction in digital exclusion, empowering learners to take ownership of their learning and improve study skills. Participation in an SDC programme positively impacts learners’ overall learning experience, encompassing personal, interpersonal, professional and linguistic development. SDCs can also encourage teachers to try new digital technologies. Working on the ETF project quickly made participating teachers aware of the potential of learner-staff partnerships. The SDC model developed to-date has proved ﬂexible and resilient and has also given us a framework for sustaining and developing externally-funded projects.

We’re now reviewing the way we do things with a view to scaling up the pilot across three college sites. Our management information systems (MIS) team is looking into moving SDC admin onto the college enrolments system. One advantage of this move is that reporting will be easier at teacher, programme area or crosscollege level. In future, it may be useful to compare learners’ results Further to see if the presence of an in-class reading SDC has had an impact. Another Campbell-Wright K and Easton S. (2013) possibility would be drawing data Digital Learning for Niche Groups. Learning from course evaluations. and Work Institute. We originally provided resources Duckworth V. (2017) Sharing transformational via two of the college’s learning approaches to teaching and learning. UCU. platforms, but the college is now rolling out a student portal. There Licorish SA, George JL, Owen HE and Daniel B. (2017) “Go Kahoot!” Enriching is also a link in with the student classroom engagement, motivation and rep programme, which provides a learning experience with games. Research framework the SDC programme can and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning 13(8). piggyback on. Reps are recruited at the beginning of the year whereas Savill-Smith C, Haure O and Chopra R. (2012) The our intention is to recruit SDCs at use of mobile technologies as a bridge to enhance learning for ESOL students. In: Mallows D (ed) the beginning of every term. Innovations in English language teaching for Migrants Face-to-face forums have been and Refugees pp. 130-139. British Council: London. a successful method of gathering Useful links: etfoundation.co.uk/otla feedback, giving SDCs a chance to

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THE KNOWLEDGE

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

Make it real Problem-based learning allows learners to tackle real-world issues co-constructed with employers. Sophie Harris and Melanie Lanser set out to explore how this concept could work in a technical FE setting ever before has the need to engage our learners with employers been so vital. The recent Skills and Post-16 Education Bill emphasises a clear drive to place employers at the heart of technical education. Preparing our learners to be ready for employment opportunities will help plug local skills-gaps and support the economy’s growth post-pandemic.

Developing technical knowledge and skills is important. The development of skills for life, in a landscape that is complex and very uncertain, rather than teaching learners subjects in isolation, is even more important (Schleicher, 2019). Prior to the pandemic, Bakhshi et al (2018) concluded that the workforce will need to continually develop and reskill throughout their working life, and attributes and

attitudes to learning will become crucial. Critical skills and attributes required in the future include social intelligence, analytical, novel and adaptive thinking, experimentation, problem-solving, teamwork, debate and investigation. Our young people will need to take more responsibility for their own learning and development in life, and this is even more vital as we emerge from the pandemic.

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PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

In 1980 Barrows and Tamblyn trialled problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach to the study of medicine. Learners, working collaboratively, were required to immerse themselves in the learning process using problem scenarios created by employers, instead of having content ‘delivered’ to them. This approach has been adopted in some UK degrees, such as architecture and law. Key components of a PBL approach include: The need for learners to tackle complex, real-world situations, co-constructed and supported by an employer Learners work in teams to analyse problems, identify knowledge gaps and develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours, facilitated by teachers and the employer, to propose viable solutions Teachers become facilitators as learning is led by the learners. Our hypothesis was that, by taking this pedagogy and incorporating it into technical curricula, we could enable realistic and organic collaboration with employers in co-design and co-delivery, and develop work-ready skills in technical study programmes.

Collectively, we explored curriculum design, planning and facilitating outstanding PBL learning, and teased out the role of employers. Following this, learners tackled a variety of coconstructed problems. Some of these were year-long, with the employer introducing engineering problems for learners to tackle, while animal care opted for short, sharp insights into various pathways within the industries. For example, learners considered new pet store regulations to redesigning a store layout, and others used their understanding of animal habitats to develop new enclosures. Learner, teacher and leader voices were collected through questionnaires and focus groups at varying stages. Observations of PBL in practice and meetings enabled regular supportive interaction between the providers.

What we did Derby College partnered with Leeds City College and Loughborough College to explore the efficacy of a PBL pedagogy to bridge classroom learning with authentic real-world learning co-constructed with employers. Funded by the Edge Foundation, we tested the approach in two distinct technical disciplines – engineering and animal care – with around 300 learners studying at different levels. An initial two-day CPD event launched the project and introduced the pedagogy of PBL to the consortium of practitioners and leaders.

THE KNOWLEDGE

What we found

1 SOPHIE HARRIS, project lead and fashion business and art teacher, Derby College

PBL needs an employer involved Remove the employer from designing problems and the learning and experiences lose authenticity for learners. No matter how hard teachers try, no matter how recently out of industry they are, without the employer it lacks credibility for learners. It is essential that teachers understand and respect the value learners place on engagement with employers.

2 MELANIE LANSER, director of teaching, learning and academic research, Derby College

PBL brings real-world learning to study programmes We found that PBL connected the curriculum to employers continuously. Learners collaborated with employers and experienced the industry informally through these encounters. Career education was implicit and rich. The complexity of the problems and the levels of support and guidance were natural differentiation tools,

WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS THOUGHT “We work with each other’s strengths because the teacher doesn’t help us straight away.” (Level 1 learner)

each other’s special skills, knowledge and experience to reach small goals and targets.” (Engineering practitioner)

“These skills, to me, were more important for these students than developing their academic ability. They prepare them for employment and for working more independently on their future Level 2 programmes.” (Level 1 practitioner)

“Additional skills that are job-specific are being incorporated which are not part of the programme: programming, for example, is on all current job specs but without PBL there is no time to include this as it’s not on the spec.” (Engineering learner)

“As a local small business owner, I am looking forward to giving back to the area through a community project in which we will be working alongside students to improve the quality of our product through their own creative thinking.” (Employer)

“This work experience allows us to have prior knowledge on day one of a job.” (Level 3 learner)

“Students are more focused and realising the importance of working together, using

“We see the most real-world application through PBL. We are able to prove what we have theoretically learnt and have the opportunity to tailor personal interests and explore real-life CV skills.” (Level 3 learner)

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THE KNOWLEDGE

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

and learners learned beyond the conﬁnes of their qualiﬁcation.

PBL works best with a three-way agreement We learned that PBL is more likely to succeed where expectations have been clariﬁed in writing in a ‘common’ language. Employers could misunderstand and think their role was huge, instead of ﬂexible collaboration ranging from guest lectures, learner visits, continued facilitation, and/or feedback at learner presentations of proposed solutions. We found it worked smoothly with employers with which the curriculum area had established relationships.

PBL doesn’t translate very well as a qualiﬁcation assessment method It was challenging to align the outcomes of PBL with assessment outcomes. Problems lost authenticity when teachers tried to shoehorn in assessment criteria. We recommend that PBL is divorced from the qualiﬁcation if it is to remain authentic.

Practitioners and learners need dedicated CPD to implement PBL effectively PBL can challenge professional identity. Handing control to

IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF TEACHERS HAVE THE COURAGE TO USE THIS AUTHENTIC TECHNICAL PEDAGOGY learners and allowing them to make mistakes required professional development, self-control and reﬂective practice. Teachers have a natural inclination to ‘ﬁx’ a problem if a learner is struggling. Classroom support assistants found it even more difficult not to intervene. However, PBL values the ‘struggle’ learners experience, and teaching professionals must ‘unlearn’ their tendency to ‘help’. It became clear that learners needed to develop an understanding of ‘why’ they are learning this way and that their teachers have not abandoned them. Skills and behaviours needed to be effectively developed and sequenced with increasingly complex problems used, interspersed with ‘content knowledge delivery’. Whitby (2017) uses the ‘IKEA effect’ to explain how the involvement learners have in their own learning expresses a sense of empowerment and ownership.

Reflections PBL will only work with strong pedagogical leadership. Curriculum managers and observers need to understand the pedagogy, to trust their teachers and bravely enable pedagogical experimentation.

Learning is not always ‘visible’ and progress is spiky. There is learning value in the struggle. PBL aligns well with the value of education articulated in the Education Inspection Framework, focusing on process-learning and development. This pedagogy credibly connects employers with education, develops independent and collaborative learning skills, curiosity and passion, and its authenticity enables learners to exceed qualiﬁcation expectations. New technical education programmes, such as T Levels, place curriculum sequencing in the hands of dual professionals, contextualised to industry. This provides opportunities for developing PBL as a teaching and learning strategy. However, with high-stakes exams measuring the ‘success’ of our technical learners, it remains to be seen if teachers have the courage to use this authentic technical pedagogy.

References and further reading

Bakhshi H, Downing JM, Osbourne, MA and Schneider P. (2018) The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030. Available at https://futureskills.pearson.com/ research/assets/pdfs/technical-report.pdf Barrows HS and Tamblyn RM. (1980) Problem-Based Learning (PBL): An Approach to Medical Education. New York: Springer Publishing CDI. (2014) Why Does Employer Engagement Matter? A tool kit for managing employer activities in schools and colleges. Available at: https://www.thecdi.net/ write/Why_Does_Employer_Engagement_Matter_A_ Toolkit_for_Managing_Employer_Activities_in_ Schools_and_Colleges.pdf Schleicher A. (2019) OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/about/ E2030%20Introduction_FINAL_post%20IWG9.pdf Whitby T. (2017) The IKEA effect in education. Available at: https://tomwhitby.com/2017/02/10/theikea-effect-in-education Read further about this collaborative Edge Foundation-funded project at: edge.co.uk/grant-projects/current-projects/DerbyCollege-Embedding-Problem-Based-Learning

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THINKING ENVIRONMENT

Pause for thought A ‘thinking environment’ can help practitioners create a setting that is conducive to learning for learners of all types. Kayte Haselgrove outlines the concept and how it can be used in FE and ITE settings

he ‘thinking environment’ (TE) is a set of processes that enable independent thinking. Facilitators employ a disciplined set of rules to hold in place the 10 components (or values) of TE, which are: appreciation, attention, diversity, ease, encouragement, equality, feelings, incisive questions, information and place. All 10 components need to be in place for a true TE to be established. The TE concept was ﬁrst developed by communications expert Nancy Kline, but I was introduced to it in 2016 through the ‘Leading teaching and learning for maths and English managers’ training course – delivered by Touch Consulting on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) – via a ‘thinking council’. The concept of a thinking council is that a person presents an issue to a group and each group member takes it in turns (uninterrupted and in a TE) to share insight into a problem. I shared that I was ﬁnding it almost impossible to engage with a new team because it contained a few difficult characters, in addition to some historical challenges.

THE KNOWLEDGE

The thoughts the group shared were appreciative, encouraging, developmental and empathic. The experience was enlightening, and meant that I stayed in the role. The second time I came across a TE was in 2018. We invited educationalist Lou Mycroft to share a TE with our advanced practitioner (AP) team after a recommendation from a team member who had attended the #APConnect training programme. We had half a day of learning, where we were introduced to the premise on which the concept was built: “The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do ﬁrst” (Kline, 2018). Lou also introduced us to the promise not to interrupt, the 10 TE components, and ran an equality and diversity activity, where we explored assumptions we make about ourselves that limit us and that are often incorrect – and which are linked to our individual characteristics. After this second encounter, I knew the TE concept could make a real difference. I started to dabble in its application in team meetings and in training with the AP team, but it wasn’t until January 2021 when I started to engage in it in any real depth.

Get thinking In December 2020, I successfully applied to the position of FE and skills lecturer at the University of Derby (UoD), to start in April 2021. I was on maternity leave when I got the post, so I was lucky enough to have the ﬂexibility from January to April 2021 to start really engaging in some of the collaborative online groups that interested me. One of these was Twitter group #JoyFE, which comprises FE practitioners who apply an ethics of joy in relation to their practice. This is when I reconnected with the TE concept. I joined in with ‘ideas rooms’ – a concept

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THE KNOWLEDGE

THINKING ENVIRONMENT

created by #JoyFE at the start of the ﬁrst lockdown – where people came together and shared or listened to ideas in ‘thinking rounds’. A thinking round is where you take it in turns to speak, you are never interrupted and you are given as much time as you need (or is allocated) to engage in independent thinking, before passing on to the next person in the list of participants. I then joined the #FEReadingCircle, hosted by Chloe Hynes, where we meet every two weeks to discuss one-third of a book at a time – perfect for super-busy professionals and working parents! All of these were also explored through thinking rounds. I have never explored texts in such depth; hearing other people’s thoughts and questions regarding the book and listening intently to their realisations and experiences brought so much more to my understanding of the content of the text.

Trainee teachers When I started my role at UoD and became lead for the classroom management and behaviour modules, I saw my opportunity to trial using the TE, albeit only for three weeks, with a group of people who I would meet with regularly. Its application enabled me to develop relationships with the learners almost instantly, as my ﬁrst question to them was ‘How are you?’, which was answered in a thinking round in the style of the #JoyFE Ideas Rooms. This question is always asked ﬁrst to demonstrate an ethics of care to our friends and colleagues in the group. Following this, they were asked to share their values as a teacher. This approach worked beautifully. Even though the session was online and I couldn’t see the group members’ faces, I learnt about the kind of environments they wanted to build in the classroom,

A THINKING ROUND IS WHERE YOU TAKE IT IN TURNS TO SPEAK AND ARE GIVEN AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED TO ENGAGE IN INDEPENDENT THINKING the sorts of relationships they hoped for with learners and their beliefs around their fears, barriers and strengths. Their values as a teacher reﬂected so much of who they were. This encounter was just incredible. As the sessions went on, we experimented with the TE regularly, and the links between the content of the module and the principles of the TE began to emerge. The clearest parallels were with preventative methods

put in place prior to challenging behaviours arising – namely, sets of rules negotiated at the start of the academic year which commonly reﬂect many of the 10 components. The learners soon started to make these associations too; as we created action plans for a range of challenging behaviours, they were adding thinking rounds to their toolkits to encourage respect and listening, and giving all their learners a chance to speak and share their thoughts.

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THINKING ENVIRONMENT

As a novice in the ﬁeld of the TE, I took this notion to some of my fellow thinkers at #JoyFE, Isla Flood and Kathryn Pogson, who had both been practising TE for at least the past year. One of the most powerful elements of the TE is that there is no judgement, so I knew that if I shared this idea in a thinking round, I would experience a genuine response and some deep thinking around the topic. Isla had been using TE as a training tool with teachers and Kathryn as a teacher trainer. Isla had reservations about considering the TE as a tool for behaviour for learning. For her, it was not about control but about opening people up, connecting them and enabling them to feel empowered, heard and to think freely. Her thoughts ignited a doubt I had regarding this very observation. Listening to her helped me to see that the TE was more about creating a space to learn with the learners, rather than a list of rules regarding how to behave. Kathryn had used TE regularly with her learners, who at the end of the year had said they had felt incredibly safe in the learning environment. She saw it as ‘deﬁning a way of being with each other’ and ‘of being in that space’ more than a tool for supporting behaviour for learning. She spoke about how its use had developed the class as a group . She was delighted when she asked the learners what they attributed their deep connection with one another

LEARNERS ADDED THINKING ROUNDS TO THEIR TOOLKITS TO ENCOURAGE RESPECT, LISTENING AND GIVING ALL THEIR LEARNERS A CHANCE TO SPEAK to and they all responded with reference to the TE and thinking councils they had regularly engaged with together.

Conducive learning environment As we thought about the topic together, links emerged with the ETF’s Professional Standards: valuing and promoting social and cultural diversity, equality of opportunity and inclusion, building positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and learners and managing and promoting positive learner behaviour. So, perhaps the links were deeper than just behaviour for learning; perhaps TEs shape an environment conducive to learning as a whole. It felt necessary to explore this in further detail, so I took the topic to an ideas room during a training session on ‘Deepening your thinking environment practice’ with the #APConnect programme. This time I asked to explore TEs as a way to create environments conducive to learning, as opposed to a strategy for behaviour for learning. On this occasion, there was no contemplation as to whether the concept was right or not. The experiences my fellow thinkers shared included not only times they had used TEs in the

KAYTE HASELGROVE is a post-14 FE and skills lecturer at University of Derby and freelance trainer, mentor and writer at EduKayte

THE KNOWLEDGE

classroom, but also times when they hadn’t – and, if they had, how this could have improved the learning environment dramatically. A few detailed how they use it to get to know their learners and create an environment of ease, comfort and good communication. Others talked about it as a tool to help ease learners into the learning space, as the 10 components create respect among peers and develop abilities in listening, and also help learners to speak and to be heard. Others described occasions where incorporating the TE hadn’t initially worked for some individuals and how they had persisted, amended their approach and supported learners in different ways to give them access to the TE. Having engaged in TEs through the ideas rooms, in online teaching, in the #FEReadingCircle and now through training, I feel as if I have been invited into a way to create an empowering and ground-breaking environment for development and exploration of independent thoughts – not just in education and in work, but in my home life too. It is a way of being, and I can’t wait to share it with our new cohort face-to-face this term.

References and further information For further information on the individual components of thinking environments, see either: Nancy Kline (2018) The Promise That Changes Everything, Penguin Life; or Lou Mycroft and Kay Sidebottom (2017) Creating Spaces to Think in Further Education and Training, available at bit.ly/ETFCreatingSpaces The ETF’s Professional Standards are available at etfoundation.co.uk/professionalstandards Thanks to Pam Dale, Chloe Hynes, Heather MartinBooth, Tracy Lee, Lucy Harding and Sadie Oliver for their thoughts and experience

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Virtual events hile many of our SET members have been forced to catch up with the acceleration of educational technology (EdTech) during the pandemic, it looks likely that a blended teaching and learning approach is not going away any time soon. At the same time, while you can’t necessarily replace the intimate nature of in-person teaching and learning, we have seen the benefits of bringing our SET community together in a virtual environment. With the importance of feeling part of a community highlighted in our Membership Matters research, we recently announced the launch of our brand-new member benefit: Special Interest Groups. Exclusive to SET members, these one-hour virtual community events centre around our special interest digest themes, giving you the opportunity to connect and interact with peers and practitioners from across the sector on topics relevant to your work. Our first event focused on the area of mental health and wellbeing, with Georgie Ford, Weston College’s advanced practitioner in mental health and wellbeing, speaking about the college’s Emotional Recovery

Framework. Attendees participated in an interactive roundtable discussion to explore elements of the framework and post-Covid recovery language. If you head to the SET website, you can read the full article relating to the event: ‘Emotional recovery language in FE – what’s yours?’ EdTech and digital skills were the focus of our second Special Interest Group event, where we heard from information and learning technology manager Aftab Hussain about Bolton College’s FirstPass service, an online platform that supports teachers and learners with the formative assessment of open-ended questions. To access future events, log in to your SET dashboard and select your areas of interest in the ‘special interest’ section. If you would like to share any work that is happening within your organisation within any of the SET special interest areas (the full list is available on your member dashboard) and have the opportunity to present at a future event, please get in touch with SET’s membership engagement officer, Amanda Parkes, at amanda.parkes@ etfoundation.co.uk JULIA FAULKS is communications editor at SET

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How do you check learning is or has taken place in your online class? This webinar, hosted by teacher and educator Danielle Lloyd (pictured), offers key takeaways about linking assessment to learning outcomes, along with teaching tools which can support you in the classroom. HIGHLIGHTS: Assessment can often be an afterthought, but what’s the point of teaching a person something if you are not going to check their learning? The worst possible scenario is somebody who has become confused by what you’ve said, or somebody has not learned anything at all When you are assessing a piece of work or somebody’s skill level, you should be looking for strengths and areas of development. What can that person do well, and what do they need support with? From that, you can

measure their progress: how far they have come, compared with where they started Assessment should always link in with feedback, as well as explaining how learners can move forward so that they can progress Learning outcomes are the backbone of any course or any lesson. Make your learning outcomes as SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) as possible. There are hundreds of online tools, so check the ones you are using are right for what you are trying to achieve. Consider what you are trying to get your learners to do and how the tools fit with what they are doing, their learning styles, and their preferences and needs. To read the full-length article, please visit the SET website at set.et-foundation.co.uk

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MY LIFE IN TEACHING

How did you first get into teaching? I had been working in training for over two decades and fell into teaching almost accidently, then saw how easy the transition was so it just became a good ﬁt. There are many similarities, especially with a focus of moving learners or delegates forward in their learning and development journey. Why did you feel this was the career for you? I love learning; for me it’s a continuous and never-ending process. And when you seek out knowledge, it’s for sharing and positively impacting the lives of others. One cannot exist without the other. Where has your career taken you so far? From teaching a few accredited short courses, I progressed to teaching on major projects, for instance with Barts NHS Trust, the Civil Service, Job Centre Plus and a few others. I was also able to develop my own training company and have delivered bespoke packages within education. All my courses and training are now done online or face-to-face, or a combination of both.

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What is your current position? I’m a lecturer and trainer with the Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service. I teach a range of accredited courses focused around business development and employability and also work on a range of projects. Can you run me through a typical day? As I am a morning person, I can start my day at 5am! The ﬁrst couple of hours can be working on my training business. My schedule can change every month depending on the projects I’m working on. I may do a few hours teaching online or face-to-face, or a few one-to-one support or marking portfolios. I may attend meetings or get involved in a course information session. Teaching can generate a lot of admin work so I get caught up on that most weeks. If it’s a

handle of it by now. When I teach on projects it’s not uncommon to have a wide range of learners in terms of abilities. For instance, I may have a range from E3 to master’s degrees in the same class. These are normally back-to-work projects but I do my best to differentiate and work with learners according to their needs and abilities.

LEARNING CURVE A background in training proved ideal ide preparation for Kiechelle Degale Kie to move into adult m education non-tea non-teaching day I can be running a training event for another company. What’s the strangest request st you’ve h had d from a learner? There are actually many of these. For instance, a few last-minute requests for interview preparation when someone starts to feel anxious about their interview the next morning. But the most recent was when someone from a short course I taught many years ago (who embarrassingly I couldn’t remember too much about) emailed to say hello and after a brief update on themselves said they had taken the liberty to use me for a reference and hoped I didn’t mind. What are the biggest challenges you face? The one that comes to mind is one I have had many times so hopefully I’ve got a

How would you like your career to develop? I would like to continue to focus on teaching and training but with a wider reach through a range of publications and products. I’d also like to develop my own social media channels and speaking business. Watch this space! What three characteristics do you feel makes a good teacher? The magic ingredient for me is love. The love of learning, the love of teaching/training and most deﬁnitely the love for my learners to thrive. Everything else falls under that. What one piece of advice would you have for your former self? As you learn, develop and grow, the destination can change so focus on the journey. Who you become is crafted from the journey. What do you most love about teaching? Creating light bulb moments, building self-esteem, creating self-conﬁdence and witnessing when that beautiful process of growth and development happens. What do you get up to outside work? I am a great cook, or so I’ve been told, so I am always experimenting with new dishes from around the world. I can cook Caribbean, Indian, Chinese, Italian and African dishes to name a few. If you would like to be featured in My Life in Teaching, email intuition@redactive.co.uk

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MY LIFEBOOK IN TEACHING REVIEWS

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All books have been reviewed by DR ANNE DAVIS , who has worked as a sixth-form maths teacher and head of maths in south-east England. She is also a private tutor, teaching maths, chemistry and physics, specialising in the 16+ age group. She is a cycling and kayaking coach, with experience of coaching disabled athletes

WELLBEING AND RESILIENCE EDUCATION: COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON EDUCATION

EQUITABLE EDUCATION

Edited by Matthew A. White and Faye McCallum Routledge, 2021 Personally, I love it when I ﬁnd an up-to-date research book on a subject I am really interested in. Cost aside, I feel that sometimes I get so much more from one of these collections than I ever do from a dedicated book by a single author. Containing 13 separate chapters by eminent experts across a range of relevant ﬁelds, this book initially appears to be aimed at the Australian education system because that’s where the editors are based. However, its data and information is universal and aimed at the international reader and educational systems, with research quoted from Europe and the UK in some of the chapters. This collection of articles covers secondary through to further education. There are also chapters aimed at the wellbeing and development of educators as well as that of the learners. Is it worth the £120 price tag (or £33.29 as an eBook)? Possibly not if you want something for the staff room coffee table, but it does contain a valuable trove of information and ideas backed up by data and references.

The aim of this book is to ensure leaders and staff in schools are better informed about issues impacting on the achievement and attainment of different groups of learners. Although this is initially aimed at the school sector, educators in the further education sector would also benefit from its guidance. The author is an educator who has worked as an examiner and Ofsted inspector and has consulted in the field of equality, diversity and social justice. Consisting of in-depth examinations of the issues surrounding social class, gender, language needs, ethnicity and disability, this book looks at data identifying these issues and provides strategies and information about resources available. Each section closes with thought-provoking case studies and further reflection. Readers are also encouraged to seek out other strategies and resources. Definitions of terms such as exclusion, segregation, integration and bias along with useful examples and explanations given are also very helpful. The Equality Act 2010 is also explained along with safeguarding, Ofsted and Teachers’ Standards. The impact of Covid-19 is also discussed, but the data provided is generally up to and includes 2019 as the impact of the pandemic is still uncertain.

InTuition readers receive a 20% discount on this book with the code APR20 at routledge.com (valid until 31 December)

InTuition readers receive a 20% discount on this book with the code IT2021 at criticalpublishing.com (valid until 31 December)

By Sameena Choudry Critical Publishing, 2021

STICKY TEACHING AND LEARNING By Caroline Bentley-Davies Crown House Publishing, 2021 Sticky teaching is the way to make learning memorable. As educators, we are all too aware of the need to embed our teaching into the minds of our learners for the long term. This book aims to provide a range of techniques that not only assist with this need but also encourage the engagement of our learners in the process. Caroline Bentley-Davies argues that passive learning is counter-productive and far from ideal, causing learners to become reliant on their teachers and leading to poor results. This book offers ideas to promote autonomy in learning and development of independent learning skills that learners can carry beyond their current courses education. The author offers the background research behind these concepts and covers the whole education journey, from how the learning process works and planning lessons through to exam revision. I was very eager to review this book and it hasn’t disappointed. It contains ideas we are all familiar with as educators alongside concepts and challenges that will be new to some of us. Overall, I would recommend this book to established educators as well as those starting out in their careers. InTuition readers receive a 20% discount on this book with the code InTuition20 at crownhouse.co.uk

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