Transcript Slide 1

Benefits and outcomes from
Supported Experiments projects
in England
Joanne Miles
(J Miles Consulting)
CPD Network North West
18th May 2012
Who is Joanne Miles?
• FE teacher and teacher trainer for the last 23 years
• CPD Lead at Ealing Hammersmith and West London
College for 10 years – introduced coaching and
Supported Experiments over a 3-year period; tutor on
Observation for Managers programme
• Qualified project manager through PRINCE2 route
• Consultant, trainer and coach at Learning Skills
Network for 2 years – supporting 20 colleges with
project planning, coaching and Supported Exp work
• Freelance project manager, trainer and coach –
focusing on creating a collaborative culture for T&L via
embedding coaching, experiments and joined up CPD
Proposed changes to inspection
•Outstanding providers must have outstanding teaching, learning
and assessment
•A judgement of ‘requires improvement’ replaces the current
satisfactory judgement
•Providers judged as ‘requires improvement’ will be re-inspected
earlier than they currently are
•The number of times a provider can be judged as ‘requires
improvement’ will be limited to two consecutive inspections
before that provider is judged as inadequate
•We will give no notice to the provider of inspections
•We will request from the provider an anonymised summary of
the outcomes of their most recent performance management of
all teachers, trainers and assessors.
Responses to Ofsted’s consultation on further education and skills inspections from
September 2012, (March 2012)
Proposed changes to inspection
In September 2011 there were 180 independent
learning providers, 61 adult and community learning
providers and 114 colleges serving over 1.1 million
learners judged as ‘satisfactory’ in their most recent
inspection. Sixty-nine of these colleges have been
judged ‘satisfactory’ for two consecutive inspections,
including 29 that have been judged satisfactory for a
third time. This cycle of mediocrity needs to change.
Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI in A good education for all
Proposals for amended inspection arrangements for maintained schools
and academies, further education and skills and initial teacher education
from September 2012 – for consultation (Feb 2012)
The problem with QA
You can’t fatten the pig by weighing it
Geoff Petty, 2011
Discussion:
Why is it important to encourage
experimentation in teaching and learning?
Features of effective staff development
The two biggest research reviews agree that it
involves:
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Experimentation and peer coaching over time
Evidence-based input
Monitoring of effects on learners
Support for staff
Improvement and renewal management style
Joyce and Showers (2002) and Timperley (2007)
“Leading learning in further education,” the 157
Group and CfBT Education Trust (May 2011)
“The effective leadership of learning appears to involve
four areas of practice:
•Investing time and resources to promote the
professional development of staff
•Having a close involvement in the management of the
teaching programme
•Setting clear directions for the organisation, including
the centrality of teaching and learning
•Establishing a culture that respects the professionalism
of teachers and empowers them to innovate” (pg. 30)
“Leading learning in further education,” the 157
Group and CfBT Education Trust (May 2011)
Survey feedback from experienced practitioners:
……creating an environment where trust and collaboration can
flourish, an institutional culture where teachers can take part
in “supported experiments”, for example, is considered more
important than activities more obviously and directly
associated with teaching, such as engaging with teachers in
CPD. This is particularly true in respect of strategic leaders.
(Jan 2011, Survey of IfL Fellows)
“Leading learning in further education,” the 157
Group and CfBT Education Trust (May 2011)
“Everything militates against it; the need to maintain
financial viability, implement continual policy
changes….the challenge is making time and keeping
teaching and learning at the forefront”
(Quote from a College Principal, pg. 22)
The Supported Experiments Cycle by Geoff Petty
Share and
celebrate success
Embed
practice
Start here
Explore the context
Explore present practice
Improve and
‘coach-in’
strategies
& monitoring
Explore the pedagogy
Plan experimentation
and implementation
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What are the stages in Supported Experiments?
Training on evidence based teaching methods
Discussions about where to target experiments
Selection of a method/approach to try out
Planning the experiment
Monitoring progress and impact
Reflecting with peers throughout the process
Sharing good practice and embedding it
How could experiments benefit your college?
Discussion task:
Do you encourage experimentation and
innovation and if so, how?
How could an experiments cycle benefit
your college?
How are experiments structured in colleges?
Whole organisation approach OR
Pilot groups of volunteers
Individuals choose their experiment OR teams
select a common theme
Coaches facilitate reflective dialogue
Project management creates momentum
Reflections and resources are captured
Dissemination through events
What are teachers experimenting with?
• Peer and self assessment methods
• Group work activities that increase
engagement
• Starters and plenary slots that consolidate
learning
• Graphic organisers
• Giving feedback to students in different ways
• Getting feedback from students, e.g. one
minute paper
Benefits of Supported Experiments
Put the focus back on teaching and learning
Encourage teacher ownership of development
Foster the learner voice
Encourage team cohesion and boost morale
Help you identify methods that produce
improved outcomes and share them
Move to a culture of innovation and sharing
Appeal to professional values
Feedback on experiments
Personally, I think Supported Experiments is the best, most
productive and inspirational approach to CPD. Definitely
involves thinking outside the box and referring to the bigger
picture (teacher, EHWLC)
A breath of fresh air, being able to share best practice and
ideas with peers who work with your students, understand
them, and have empathy (teacher, New College Durham)
Team members are learning from each other, trying things out
which are working for others… many are using technology
in ways they may not have done so
(division manager, EHWLC)
Outcomes
Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, 2008-9
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9% improvement in grade 1 and 2 observations
Number of grade 4 observations halved
29% reported improvements in test/exam results
10% increase in staff satisfaction with development
John Ruskin College, Croydon, 2011
• Grade 1&2 observations improved – 64% before and 80% afterwards
• Before Supported Experiments:
The overall quality of lessons has improved, although a significant
minority of lessons do not meet the needs of all students. (Ofsted 2011)
• After Supported Experiments:
Teaching and learning are good and inspectors observed examples of
outstanding practice. (Ofsted 2011)
What happened in experiments at EHWLC?
I used the ping-pong feedback approach for writing. All
my Entry 2 students passed their Cambridge ESOL E2
Writing Exam and I could say that at least 75% were
Entry 3 ready
All the students entered for Key Skills numeracy level one
passed the test at the first attempt. I used recap tests in
each lesson and it worked
There was a 15% improvement in grades at Merit and
Distinction from two similar cohorts over two years. I
used self and peer assessment
What did the process give EHWLC?
I learned to broaden my teaching style and not be
afraid to try things out that I wouldn’t normally do
(teacher)
People were keen to try out new things. I could see
how people were willing to embrace the new
research findings and try them out. It was an
opportunity to work as a team on something that
was not dictated by Exam Board deadlines or fear of
Inspection (coach)
Feedback from New College Durham
100% achievement in L1 & L2 Diploma
100% of learners agreed that they understood the
concepts
100% of learners were able to recall information all units
Mock exam pass rate now 88%; Jan exam pass rate was
76%
Attendance remains in the high 90% range
Student work sheets and folders can be compared on a
date basis showing improvement in the students who use
the method
Students achieving target grades and above
The impact on teams across England
The team seem to have suddenly become engaged in supported
experiments and there is lots of sharing of ideas and discussion
going on in the staff room
(coach, Wakefield College)
It gets you as a team focusing on one thing, discussing
something new and looking back at the impact….it brings new
ideas, to do something in different ways
(coach, Bolton College)
The team has one aim together in the experiment and it gets
passed on to students. No matter which teachers the students
have, they get consistency, so they get more relevant
information to pass the course
(teacher, Bolton College)
The impact on individuals in colleges
What a time saver! Instead of throwing everything I have at a
problem, I can focus, select an appropriate strategy, get
support and decide if it works….how wonderful to finally focus
on teaching and learning!
(teacher, Barnet and Southgate College)
It’s about getting outside of the box…. Outside of the norm,
taking a chance…. A bit of liberation for us in doing something
completely different
(coach, Bolton College)
I've really enjoyed being a coach and helping staff overcome
barriers in their projects to help get the best experience for the
students at this college
(coaches, Portsmouth College)
The impact on the students
Learner feedback on jigsaw task:
I enjoyed the task, was learning at the same time as
having fun
(Wakefield College)
Learner feedback on plotting own achievement and
marking work:
Though I hate tests I think it's really improved my
confidence and my graph shows I've been getting better
grades this half term!
(Portsmouth College)
The impact on the college culture
My view is that it's a really powerful project that
has had a positive impact on the culture at the
college. Staff often chat with me informally about
how their project is going and are clearly really
proud of their innovative idea to ensure the
students have an excellent experience at college
(project leader, Portsmouth College)
The impact on the college culture
Whole organisational buy in…….. Underpinning
collaborative coaching practices in the
organisation….. Real steps towards developing a
sense of ourselves as a learning organisation…
Knowledge transfer at work….Moving away from
deficit models/blame culture to involve everyone
in improving practice for the benefits of students
(project leader, Barnet and Southgate College)
Back to our values
Relighting the fire of enjoying teaching, of why
we got into teaching in the first place
(teacher, Barnet and Southgate College)
Reminds you of why you do the job!
(teacher, Barnet and Southgate College)
Allows teachers to re-focus on what it is they do
best….. teach!
(teacher, New College Durham)
Some tips for making experiments work
• Create a robust project plan
• Each teacher defines their own experiment OR
co-tutors /course teams do the same
experiment
• The experiments last at least one academic year
• Coaches are used to support the reflective
process
• Centralised online system for recording
reflections and outcomes
• Plan at the outset how to share good practice
and capture resources
How does the coaching element work?
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One coach for up to 8 teachers
Skilled teachers who enjoy sharing good practice
Given training to build their coaching skills
Attend briefings with project manager each term
Facilitate 2 sessions + per term for their team/group
Help teachers to plan and review experiments
Encourage the sharing of good practice in sessions
Do not assess or grade the teachers’ work
What’s the value of this role in an experiments project?
What is Solution Focused Coaching?
‘Coaching is an interactive and developmental process
where the coach enables coachees to find their own
solutions, discover new opportunities, and implement
actions. Coaches act as facilitators. Coaches listen, ask
questions and enable coachees to discover for
themselves what is right for them’.
Rosinski, 2003
Key features of Solution Focused coaching
•Using questions to prompt reflection
•Holding back on advice and encouraging the other
person to take ownership
•Focused on finding next steps for action
•Can happen in a 5 minute corridor chat or a 60 minute
sit down session or anything in between!
Costs & return on investment: coaching
1. Solution Focused Coaching training
•2.5 day package= 3.5k for a group of up to 30 participants
•Skills can be used in supporting new staff, developing grade
3 and 4 lecturers, managing staff, doing appraisals and
observations
•Capacity building within the college – compare the impact
of coaching training with sending 10 people on a conference,
as the costs are similar!!
2. Overtime/incentive payment for coaches
•Fixed number of overtime hours v a lump sum reward v
drinks/vouchers
Costs & return on investment: project planning
Project planning sessions
• £1250 per day of planning – most colleges need
3 days over life of project to structure and
monitor a robust plan and avoid project pitfalls
• Skills can be used in planning any kind of
initiative in college in future
• Benefits are clarity in the stages and steps of the
project and the reassurance and support of a
more experienced project leader from outside
Additional Support/Information
Contact Joanne Miles:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07811 378 398
Blog:
http://joannemilesconsulting.wordpress.com/
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