Benefits and outcomes from Supported Experiments projects

in England

Joanne Miles(J Miles Consulting)

CPD Network North West18th 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

Joanne Miles(J Miles Consulting)

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 allProposals 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:

• 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)

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Explore the pedagogy

Explore the context

Explore present practice

Plan experimentation and implementation

Share and celebrate success

Embed practice

Start here

Improve and ‘coach-in’ strategies

& monitoring

The Supported Experiments Cycle by Geoff Petty

What are the stages in Supported Experiments?

Training on evidence based teaching methodsDiscussions about where to target experimentsSelection of a method/approach to try outPlanning the experimentMonitoring progress and impactReflecting with peers throughout the processSharing 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 ORPilot groups of volunteersIndividuals choose their experiment OR teams select a common themeCoaches facilitate reflective dialogueProject management creates momentumReflections and resources are capturedDissemination 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 learningEncourage teacher ownership of developmentFoster the learner voiceEncourage team cohesion and boost moraleHelp you identify methods that produce improved outcomes and share themMove to a culture of innovation and sharingAppeal to professional values

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)

Feedback on experiments

Outcomes

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, 2008-9• 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 Diploma100% of learners agreed that they understood the concepts100% of learners were able to recall information all unitsMock exam pass rate now 88%; Jan exam pass rate was 76%Attendance remains in the high 90% rangeStudent work sheets and folders can be compared on a date basis showing improvement in the students who use the methodStudents 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?

• 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?

‘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

What is 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!

Key features of Solution Focused coaching

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: jmilesconsulting@gmail.comPhone: 07811 378 398Blog: http://joannemilesconsulting.wordpress.com/

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