Transcript Strategies to improve the quality of Initial Teacher

‘Unpacking’ the FELTAG report:
Research, Development & Practice
Lynne Taylerson
First, came the research…
Strategies to improve the quality of
Initial Teacher Education:
How can we equip practitioners to actively
embed technology in an evolving culture
of blended learning?
The research
Conducted from January to
July 2014 involving 575
practitioners and learning
technology managers in the
FE and Skills sector.
A collaboration with
partners at Kirklees College
and Worcestershire County
Council.
The sample and methodology
575 trainee and recently qualified practitioners from:
12 FE Colleges
3 Sixth Form colleges
3 County Councils
3 independent schools or colleges
As well as practitioners working in public and uniformed services, secure estates,
higher education and in Adult and Community Learning were invited to take part an
online survey and focus groups.
200 Learning Technology managers working in FE and Sixth Form colleges and
Adult and Community Learning were invited to take part in an online survey
and 1-1 interviews.
The prompting question
If the FELTAG recommendations of
50% online delivery for funded courses
by 2017-18 are to become a reality,
what does this mean for the sector in
terms of leadership and staff
development now?
The good news
• Practitioners told us – and managers concur – that they are
‘tech-curious’; only 25% did not see technological fluency as
being a vital part of their expertise as a practitioner
• Lecturers, trainers and tutors already use a wide range of
technologies away from work and are keen to extend this use
in learning delivery
• They see digital literacy and the ability to leverage
technology as vital skills in today’s workplace and are keen to
help their learners develop in these areas.
What stops practitioners from using
technology more widely?
• Concerns that some of their learners will be excluded by blended delivery
• Worries that they will not be able to motivate, challenge and support learners
• Insufficient access to experiment with technology in order to become fluent
• Lack of time to produce tailored online materials and resources
• Teacher education takes an unwelcome ‘tools-focussed’ approach;
trainees want input on developing and adapting their pedagogy –
what will their sessions ‘look’ like when translated to a blended model?
Conclusions and recommendations
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Initial Teacher Education faces significant technology skills development
challenges due to the diversity of digital literacy of its students on entry
There are widely diverse levels of risk aversion, self-confidence, subjectspecialist knowledge and conventional teaching experience within each group
Assumptions are made that new entrants to the sector from industry will have
higher levels of digital literacy than many of them actually possess.
A robust system to diagnose digital literacy and learning technology skills levels
on entry to ITE is urgently required to provide differentiated support and allow
skills development planning.
Conclusions and recommendations
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The current ITE curriculum is no longer fit for purpose with respect to learning
technology;
We must shift the focus from technology to learning to take a holistic approach
prizing pedagogical development with frequent examples of contextualised
implementation.
Students wish to experience embedded, blended learning from a learner’s
perspective before being asked to implement this in their own practice.
A learning technology module, delivered using a blended approach should be
introduced to ITE, allowing delivery teams to model tools and strategies while
delivering an underpinning knowledge of pedagogy. This should be backed by each
ITE student being allocated a ‘technology mentor’ for the duration of their course.
Conclusions and recommendations
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Practitioners need to have digitally literate role models and see technology use
as an embedded, everyday part of their practice
They need to be actively encouraged to experiment to develop their skills by
‘playing’ and taking risks, knowing they will be supported in doing so
Senior leaders are important role models and need to advocate and model
fluent technology use to their staff
At present, fluent learning technology use at governor, principal and senior
leadership level can be the exception rather than the rule in some organisations.
Senior managers and inspectors need to be informed users of learning
technology so they will be aware of the challenges facing practitioners and
learners in the sector. They should model and advocate technology use.
Conclusions and recommendations
•
Organisations need to encourage more planned and extensive
collaboration between learning technology support staff and senior
management, practitioners and teacher educators.
• The significant experience in ILT support teams is not always put to best
use. There should be more coherent collaboration between these teams,
senior managers and faculty in planned programmes to develop skills at
all levels of each organisation
• An ‘ILT governor’ presence in each organisation may facilitate this.
Read the research
etfresearch.pbworks.com
Does blended learning call
for a fundamental change
to the role and identity of
the practitioner?
Talking point:
What challenges will this pose for:
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Lecturers/tutors/student support staff
Mangers and leaders
Development: What does rising to the
FELTAG challenge look like in practice?
Implementing the Scheduled Online
Learning and Assessment programme
(SOLA) at Heart of Worcestershire College
Implementing SOLA
In September 2013, SOLA began:
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1 hour per week of all full-time FE courses and 2 hours per week for full-time
Level 3 courses went online across the whole curriculum offer
Sessions are scheduled ‘on timetable’ in learning centres
Practitioner ‘co-ordinators’ were appointed as online learning leads and given
abatement to implement SOLA
4 Blended Learning Advisors were appointed to advise, support and help plan
and create the Moodle courses that SOLA is delivered through
Each SSA has a dedicated liaison from the ILT team – I am one of them
Now in its second year SOLA may extend to 3 hours per week on some
courses in the future.
Supporting SOLA
SSA management teams and Blended Learning Advisors:
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Hold regular meetings with co-ordinators and then assist as required
– may be a ‘light touch’ or full Moodle design service
Observe learners in SOLA sessions and report back on them
Run participation reports to ensure students are attending, accessing
SOLA and completing work and liaise with personal tutors on results
Meet and get feedback from students at regular ‘learner voice’ events
Have strong presence during induction and early sessions to make
SOLA a routine part of learning
Conduct action research into effective blended learning and plan
regular CPD weeks for learning technology development.
Evaluating SOLA
We are just about to launch a SOLA Quality Framework
• Written in conjunction with the College’s Quality Standards Unit
• The framework uses a Bronze / Silver / Gold standards system
• Every course will be audited by the SOLA team next month
• A grade report highlighting best practice and recommending
further development will be given to the SOLA co-ordinator
• This will allow us to identify and disseminate excellent practice and
plan future CPD events.
Positive advocacy for blended learning
11% improvement in success rates last year
£250k savings in year 1 for HWC
Reflection and discussion
How does the SOLA programme compare
to the FELTAG response in your
organisation?
Finally, practice….
A look at some of the blended learning
curriculum designs developed and
implemented by the SOLA co-ordinators
and the Blended Learning Advisors
Examples of SOLA courses
The design of each course is entirely determined by the practitioner who is the co-ordinator.
This person will be a specialist in that subject area.
A range of delivery models have been developed for SOLA:
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Whole unit model: entirely delivering 1 course module
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Launching another activity: to set up a visit or externally assessed module e.g. LJ create.
Curriculum-aligned model: supporting delivery alongside a face-to-face component
Project-based model: end-of-year show in Art and Design
Revision model: towards an external exam e.g. Hair and Beauty
Delivering 1 aspect of a course: reflective portfolio or placement logging in Care/Early
Years
Whole unit model
Curriculum-aligned, using the flipped classroom model
Delivering and assessing one aspect of the curriculum – reflective journal
Closing questions / comments?
For further information on the SOLA
programme or blended learning
contact Peter Kilcoyne
[email protected]