Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Inside
Evidence
Putting research into practice
Welcome to the first Inside Evidence in its new format.
It brings you reports on subjects that matter most to
learning and skills practitioners. Articles are based
on evidence from academic research or examples of
individual practitioners’ research to help improve their 02
practice. The focus is on what works for learners – in
the classroom and the workplace. As the range of
03
content in this issue demonstrates, this can cover a
very wide spectrum – from progression for vulnerable
learners to excellence in ICT provision. LSIS is also an
05
active commissioner of topical research. Many readers
will be interested in the findings of our study on NEETs
(those not in education, employment or training) which
are reported in this issue.
We also support practitioners who want to carry
out their own research: often with demonstrable
benefits for their learners. As you’ll see from the
work we feature here, these small-scale practitioner
inquiries can yield some unexpected results – and
are an excellent form of professional development.
Practitioner research is also high on the agenda
of the LSIS Research Conference on Tuesday 1st
March 2011. You’ll find all the information about the
conference plus registration details on page 6.
This is the first edition of Inside Evidence to be
co-produced by leaders and practitioners in the
sector. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
colleagues at New College Nottingham, (who have
also generated the case study on page 9), and the
Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development. They
have helped us select the topics, draft the articles and
identify the implications flagged up in the ‘Take Action’
boxes. Others in the sector have commented through
reader panels and surveys.
We hope you find the mix of content interesting and
useful. Please let us know what you think.
Sheila Kearney
Head of Research, LSIS
In this issue
Improving skills for workplace practice: mentoring
student workers in care homes
For they are Jolly Good Fellows: The RSA and learning
and skills in the 21st century
News and Views:
New research resources
Research Conference
Funding Innovation
LSIS Research Fellowships
Citizen Engagement
08
Tutors find that peer marking can improve essay writing
skills
09
Learning across disciplines: CPD New College
Nottingham Style
11
How understanding NEETs helps us plan better to bring
them back into education
13
Facts and Figures: NEETs
14
HE in FE: how one college went all the way
16
What makes for good progress in ICT?
17
Supporting achievement and progression among
vulnerable learner groups
18
How do leaders manage, develop and maintain
outstanding provision in Skills for Life?
20
Letting learning happen: getting the best from
assignment workshops
22
How can FE colleges improve progression for younger
learners?
23
Tools
24
Acknowledgements and contacts
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Practitioner led research
Improving skills for workplace practice: mentoring student workers in care homes
Sarah Housden’s team at Norfolk Adult Education trains care workers to carry out reminiscence
activities with older people in order to improve their quality of life. With little opportunity to
address individual needs and contexts in current training, she decided to introduce mentoring
partnerships to help her learners put the theoretical ideas from the course into practice. The
work was undertaken as a Research Development Fellowship project supported by LSIS
(and managed by SUNCETT – the University of Sunderland Centre for Excellence in Teacher
Training).
How did she do it?
Sarah used research evidence on mentoring health
and social care workers to teach herself about
successful coaching techniques. She then trained six
experienced reminiscence tutors as mentors. Each
then worked alongside their assigned mentees for four
sessions of up to ninety minutes each. The emphasis
of this training was on the mentor’s role in establishing
rapport with the mentee, building on their existing
understandings, encouraging goal setting, facilitating
problem solving and building the mentee’s confidence.
What impact did the mentoring have?
Collecting data from interviews with the mentees and
from their own reflective journals allowed Sarah to see
the impact the project has had on her learners and
their practice. It included:
• increased confidence and self esteem;
• increased motivation to use the skills gained on the
course;
• improved relationships with the older people they
work with; and
• ability to turn theory into practice by organising
reminiscence activities which were enjoyed by the
older people in their care.
Sarah found that there was no one model of mentoring
for this situation, but that flexibility and responsiveness
to the needs of the individual student are key
characteristics of an effective mentor. Trust was also
essential to the mentor-mentee relationship. Sarah
reflects that in the future, matching people more by
personality may enhance the relationship even more.
Sustainability and scale
A reminiscence training package, which includes
the elements of effective mentoring, has been
developed as a direct result of Sarah’s research. The
Sarah working with a client
reminiscence mentoring scheme is set to continue,
supplemented by an online reminiscence resource
(Moodle VLE). This will enable students to continue
developing their skills by keeping in touch and
sharing ideas with other students and experienced
reminiscence tutors.
What did Sarah learn?
Sarah was able to reflect on her own learning with help
from her team leader, who became her own mentor
throughout the project. She explains that mentoring
from her own team leader was a big advantage, as
she knew the context of Sarah’s research so could
offer advice that was specific to Sarah’s needs and
practice. Another key learning point for Sarah was
making sure she maintained ethical integrity by
staying true to the results. She reflected that at first
it was difficult to make sure she didn’t influence the
findings as she was passionate about the course and
wanted it to be effective, but remaining objective was
essential. Sarah’s confidence in developing further
practice-based research had also been boosted, which
she hopes will help as she continues her Doctorate
in Education (EdD), which she started two years ago.
Inside Evidence
Find out more:
Sarah used a number of sources to inform her
mentoring course, but recommends the following for
anyone wanting to try out a similar scheme in their
workplace:
Zachary, L. (2000) The Mentor’s Guide. San Francisco:
John Wiley & Sons.
Shea, G. F. (2002) Mentoring: How to Develop
Successful Mentoring Behaviours. Menlo Park: Crisp
Learning.
Housden, S. (2007) Reminiscence and Lifelong
Learning. Leicester: NIACE.
The full research paper for this project is also available
online, and can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/
mentoring-reminiscence. If you would like to speak
to Sarah about her work and gain advice on offering
similar training to your learners, please contact:
sarah.housden@homecall.co.uk.
Sarah won the conference award for her groundbreaking work at the Learning and Skills Research
Network (LSRN) 2010 annual conference, Travelling
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
together: Evidence for practice in the Learning and
Skills Sector.
What is reminiscence?
Reminiscence is a social and creative activity often
used with older people of all abilities. It involves using
multi-sensory triggers (usually items of memorabilia
from the 1930s to 1950s) to facilitate discussion and
activities which relate to past events in the lives of
older people.
Take action
•
•
Sarah found that receiving support from a mentor
within her organisation was a big advantage as
he or she could relate to her practice. Is there
anyone in your own situation who could support
you in carrying out practice based research?
Sarah found that mentoring could be more
effective when the learners’ existing knowledge,
skills and abilities were acknowledged and built
upon. Could you develop a process for needs
analyses of your learners?
News and Views
Jolly Good Fellows: What is the RSA doing about learning and skills?
How does the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)
and its 27,500 Fellows connect with the work of learning and skills practitioners? The answer is
not immediately obvious, particularly as its examination functions were taken over by OCR over
ten years ago. Inside Evidence interviewed their outspoken Chief Executive, Matthew Taylor, to
find out more about the Society in the 21st century.
One connection between the sector and the RSA is
the Society’s interest in increasing the role of place in
education. Its Area Based Curriculum, first piloted in
Manchester, is now being developed in Peterborough
as the Citizen Power Peterborough project. Matthew
argues that places should take collective responsibility
for learning; and the whole local area should provide
the learning environment for children and young
people. Though the project was focused in schools,
Matthew sees it as equally relevant to the learning and
skills sector. This resonates strongly with the sector’s
own work on the Total Place initiative, described by
LSIS and the AOC in 2010 as “a new and unique
opportunity for colleges (with a “track record in
providing solutions to local problems”) ... to become
part of a coalition of effort around key priorities,
contributing strategically to the development and
shaping of their communities”. Matthew suggests that
colleges are often very embedded in their communities
and might offer some models to others of how to go
about this. “Without a strong sense of place colleges
just don’t survive”, he says.
Total Place is just one of the RSA’s creative
approaches to education. Most of its research and
development activities focus on invention rather than
Inside Evidence
policy recommendations (though they do some of that
too); on changing practice for student benefit on the
ground. Some “inventions” like the Opening Minds
project, have been running for around 10 years in
about 200 participating schools. Others are newer – for
example there is now an RSA Academy and there will
soon be at least one RSA teaching school.
RSA’s reach is extensive. Another project which
potentially overlaps with sector interests is the Society’s
work for recovering addicts (in a project called Whole
Person Recovery). This work is uncovering things
which could have a wider application to learners
with other kinds of disadvantage. The model, called
Recovery Capital, sets out the individual, social and
community ‘capital’ the individual needs to make the
journey out of addiction. They found that “engaging
...users in designing and managing the service was
important, not just because it gets good service but
also because it gave those people a sense of efficacy
and citizenship”. This was important in “counteracting
the sense of disengagement and uselessness that
comes with substance abuse” – and with other forms of
disadvantage too maybe?
RSA’s overall purpose is “to develop and promote
new ways of thinking about human fulfilment and
social progress”. This extends far beyond education
and includes, for instance, pensions’ policy, addiction
recovery and, of course, design. Matthew reminds us
of the close connection between RSA and the design
world. “We have ‘top-end’ design”, he says, “a series
of Royal designers, who have enthusiastically taken on
the social dimension to what they do. On design itself,
we’ve gone from prizes for hats and postage stamps to,
for instance, a project working with people with spinal
cord injuries teaching them design skills so that they
could re-design their own lives”.
Some of the Society’s more public outputs include
150 free public lectures a year. These are filmed and
made available as podcasts. Topics include educational
issues – John Hayes, minister for the sector, for
example, has delivered a lecture on skills. Interest
in these lectures really took off in 2010, when 14.5
million people viewed the novel animated version of
Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture on Challenging Education
Paradigms.
A key resource for RSA, and one which Matthew feels
has not been fully mobilised, are the RSA Fellows
themselves. There are 27,500 Fellows (of whom over
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
300 are in Further Education and a similar number in
other parts of the sector). RSA is working to engage
them with a concept of Fellowship which goes beyond
the social, educational and recreational and becomes
one of collaboration, innovation and social impact.
Fellows are now getting together locally around
projects. RSA offers a small amount of seed corn
money through its Catalyst fund and the Fellows lever
Challenging the sector
in additional resources. These are often quite small
projects and they come and go but “these activities are
about Fellows recognising that something needs to be
done and collaborating with others, often other Fellows,
to have a go”. “For example”, Matthew said, “I am very
worried about the withdrawal of education maintenance
allowances (EMA), and I tried to get something going
via my blog”. He had the idea of asking better off
pensioners to donate their winter fuel allowance to fund
EMA. “A lot of people liked the idea but I couldn’t get it
going to scale in the time”. However, this kind of thing,
he thinks, is more likely to get going at local level. Why,
asks Matthew, can’t principals and other sector staff be
part of that?
All RSA’s activities are driven by a concern about
human capability and how it is enhanced. Their new
strap line, 21st Century Enlightenment, reflects this at
the same time as hinting at the Society’s history. What
Matthew is trying to embody here is a model of human
nature; one where human beings are more instinctive,
social and moral than the conventional model of ‘homo
economicus’. In this area, RSA is, he says, acting
as a think tank. It draws on research, and in some
areas the Society has real experts, but being forward
looking and provoking profound thinking about the
future did not have them engaging deeply with previous
research. “The measure of success of an innovation”,
he suggests “is whether or not it grows”.
Inside Evidence
Applying his model of humanity to organisations
Matthew offered his last challenge to the sector. Are
learning and skills sector organisations fit for purpose
in the 21st Century or, like many organisations
“conspiracies to waste human capacity”? Division
of labour, efficiency and bureaucracy locate power
in a few hands and create pressures for domination
by procedural rationality. In voluntary organisations
there are special challenges because it’s so easy for
obsessive and negative people to drive out optimism
and determination. So his challenge to the learning
and skills sector is to suggest that one of the most
important things they could do is “become intelligent
organisations drawing out, not throwing away, the
potential of those who work and study there”.
Take action
•
•
•
Are you a Fellow of the RSA? Think about
becoming one and visit the Fellows section of
the RSA website for more information.
Could you participate in one or more of the
RSA’s Catalyst projects? You will find a list of
them, with contacts, at http://tinyurl.com/RSAfellowship
Is yours an ‘intelligent organisation’? Could you
start a discussion about how it could become
more so? Have a look at Matthew Taylors blog
for some ideas.
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Useful links:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture – http://comment.
rsablogs.org.uk/videos/
Opening Minds project – http://www.
rsaopeningminds.org.uk/
RSA Academy – http://www.rsaacademy.net/
Evaluation and case studies from the Manchester
Area Based Curriculum pilot – http://www.thersa.
org/projects/area-based-curriculum/manchestercurriculum
An example of a Catalyst fund project – http://www.
thersa.org/fellowship/catalyst-fund/catalyst-news/
major-breakthroughs-made-by-breakout-media
Matthew Taylor’s Blog on Intelligent Organisations
– http://tinyurl.com/matthew-taylors-blog
Matthew Taylor has been Chief Executive of RSA
since 2006. He was previously Chief Adviser on
Political Strategy to the Prime Minister, Assistant
General Secretary to the Labour Party and Director
of the Institute for Public Policy Research. He has
previously chaired LSIS policy seminars.
News and Views
New research resources for the sector on the Excellence Gateway:
New pages have now gone live on the expanded
LSIS research site within Excellence Gateway (http://
www.excellencegateway.org.uk/research). The new
developments will provide a better showcase of the
activity underway to help LSIS deliver its objectives for
research, i.e.
• showing leadership to the sector on the use of
research and other evidence;
• building capacity and appetite in the sector for
using and conducting research;
• building the evidence base, and facilitating the
transfer and scaling of knowledge and professional
practice; and
• developing evidence of the impact of research and
practitioner enquiry.
The new pages will be further populated over the next
couple of months. We would draw your attention in
particular to the following sections:
. “Practitioner research programmes” http://tinyurl.
com/practitioner-research which includes a
dedicated section for the RDFs, the NEETs project
and the lab sites supported by LSIS.
2. “Reviews of Evidence” http://tinyurl.com/reviews-ofevidence
. LSIS research conferences http://tinyurl.com/LSISconference
Your feedback on how the site can be further improved
is welcome. Please add your comments to the forum
at http://tinyurl.com/IE-discussion-forum or email us at
research@lsis.org.uk
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
News and Views
A date for your NEW diary – the third annual LSIS research conference
If you haven’t yet registered for the LSIS research
conference, The new world we’re in: what it means for
learning and skills sector research, now’s the time.
It’s on Tuesday 1 March, in central London.
For more details about the programme and workshops,
and to register go to: http://www.lsis.org.uk/events.
Here’s a comment from a delegate at last year’s
conference:
“The whole future of the learning and skills sector
depends on research and its capacity to make use of
what we know.”
Facing a future of reduced regulation and bureaucracy,
and moving from a culture of compliance, how can the
sector and the people who work within it take up the
opportunity to shape and take greater control over its
accountability, oversight and regulatory arrangements.
Professor Biesta, our keynote speaker, is Professor
of Education & Director of Research at University of
Stirling. He will explore this theme and the role and
contributions of research and of practitioner enquiry in
this context.
David Love – our other keynote speaker – is Principal,
Adult Education & Skills at OPM* and he will address
some of the issues now facing the public services as a
whole, and what they mean for the learning and skills
sector.
In addition to the keynote presentations, delegates will
be able to choose from a range of workshops themed
around practical issues around conducting and using
research, and strategic issues for learning providers
wishing to promote a culture of practitioner enquiry and
the use of research to support improvement.
Further details of Professor Biesta’s interests (which
include the methodology of educational research and
the role of research and its relationship to practice) and
his publications can be found at: http://www.gertbiesta.
com
*OPM – the Office for Public Management – is an independent
centre dedicated to the development of public services. It works with
its clients on managing change in their organisations, developing
leadership and management practice, responding to policy
directives, communicating and consulting with their communities or
researching and testing new ideas. http://www.opm.co.uk
LSIS Flexibility and Innovation Fund
The LSIS Flexibility and Innovation Fund promotes and
supports innovative projects that have the potential
to yield significant improvements in sector practice or
performance.
The fund is part of LSIS’ commitment to direct funding
into the learning and skills sector and to use provider
expertise to build capacity within the sector. It is open
to organisations in England whose primary function is
as a provider of further education and training.
Project review and evaluation will be carried out
through sampling visits, self reporting (interim and final
reports) and, as the programme develops, peer review.
LSIS will also share the learning and outcomes from
projects with the wider sector.
Applications from the October 2010 round of funding
are being assessed and details will be available on
the LSIS website and on Excellence Gateway. The
first three rounds attracted 690 applications, from
which 121 projects have been awarded funding; an
investment of over £8 million directly in the sector.
Successful projects from the first four bidding rounds
can be found on the Flexibility and Innovation
Fund page of the Excellence Gateway: http://www.
excellencegateway.org.uk/fif.
The fifth Flexibility and Innovation Funding round will
be advertised in April 2011.Case study reports on the
learning and outcomes from these projects will be
presented in future editions of this journal.
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
News and Views
FE Fellows strong to the Finnish
A group of college tutors who embraced the chance to
conduct their own research with help from the Learning
and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), were thrilled
to be invited to Finland to present their work alongside
HE professors. The 2009-10 Research Development
Fellowships (RDF) cohort proved that applied research
in Further Education can stand alongside the very best
in Higher Education.
Anne Taylor, a tutor at Colchester Institute, found
the chance to present alongside HE peers a real
achievement, having only entered the teaching
profession eight years ago. She commented: “I had
never done research apart from my BA. Now I am
presenting my paper at management events and
staff development sessions. Colleges didn’t see the
importance of RDFs at first, but they do now as they
search for more action-based training for staff”.
Andy Smith, a senior tutor from Blackpool and Fylde
College, who delivered his paper on vocational higher
education said: “Helsinki was incredible though a little
nerve-wracking. But barriers were broken and we were
conversing on an equal footing with HE. We crossed
the divide and, thanks to the RDF programme, can now
deliver to senior managers and principals and get them
interested”.
Since completing her research, which looked at support
services for disabled learners and those with mental
health issues, Julie Osborn, Disability Support Manager
from City of Bristol College, has visited a number of
universities. “Becoming an RDF gave me the chance
The Fellows in Finland
to discover I can really change things as universities
and colleges now want to adopt the model from my
research. It has given us all the passion back for the
job as well as greater credibility on our CVs”.
LSIS chief executive David Collins said the
practitioners awarded LSIS Research Development
Fellowships were “excellent examples of the talent in
the FE sector”.
RDFs undergo a rigorous interview process to get on
the scheme which is funded and managed by LSIS.
Successful projects are awarded grants to allow
the staff member time off to conduct the research
and attend three intensive residentials delivered by
the University of Sunderland Centre for Excellence
in Teacher Training (SUNCETT). These ensure
practitioners get the support they need to successfully
conduct and complete their research and then
implement change as a result.
Interested in Citizen Engagement?
If so, take a look at the recently published review
of activity related to citizen engagement across the
public services. Commissioned by LSIS, the review
takes in the latest developments under the coalition
government and makes recommendations relevant to
the learning and skills sector.
http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.
aspx?o=302301
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Practitioner led research
Tutors find that peer marking can improve essay writing skills
Karen Lancaster teaches A-level sociology at Loughborough College, and Torben Smith
teaches A-level chemistry at Bilborough College. Not much common ground there then?
Wrong. Both identified the problem of getting learners to write good essays and long answers
to questions. So Karen and Torben decided to investigate the impact of peer marking through
information learning technology (ILT).
How did Karen and Torben conduct their
inquiry?
Karen and Torben began their inquiry by designing a
questionnaire to find out how their learners currently
judged their own ability to write essays and long
answers. Responses suggested that although learners
felt that they were moderately able to identify a good
essay from a bad one, few felt able to produce good
essays/answers themselves.
With her sociology group, Karen decided to set her
experimental and control class (chosen on the basis
that they had similar exam results in January 2010)
the same homework task every two weeks: to write an
essay. Once the experimental group had completed
their essays they were scanned and uploaded onto a
purpose-designed online workspace that could be used
for free through http://pbworks.com/. Each essay was
marked by four learners in the experimental group. To
ensure a-level of standardisation, the teacher marked
three to four of the essays each week.
After five months, learners sat another exam and these
results were compared with those from their January
exam. Following this both classes were asked to
complete another anonymous questionnaire.
Torben took a similar approach with his chemistry
class although he did not use formal scoring. Instead
he asked his learners for their perceptions of the peer
marking approach before and after they had completed
the activities.
What impact did peer marking have on
learners’ writing?
The peer marking approach proved to have a positive
impact on the learners in the sociology experimental
group. Their ability to write high-quality essays showed
a clear and consistent improvement of ten marks (on
average). The approach was particularly effective for
those lower ability learners who engaged with the
Karen and Torben
intervention. Compared with the experimental group,
the control group showed little or no improvement in
their essay writing ability.
When asked how much they enjoyed the new learning
method and how useful they had found it, most
learners responded positively. One commented: “I liked
seeing what was needed on the mark scheme, so I
could apply these to my own essays”.
The responses collected from the chemistry
experimental group showed that many of the learners
who used the online peer marking site at least once
believed the experience had had a positive affect
on their ability to write longer answers. One learner
commented: “I think it helped me in realising how much
I needed to know when checking other answers”.
Although most learners were positive about the new
learning method, some were not impressed by it
because they viewed marking work to be a teacher’s
responsibility.
What were the obstacles?
When Karen and Torben distributed their questionnaire
at the beginning of their interventions they discovered
that many of their learners were worried about the
potential cyber bullying online peer marking might
cause. To prevent this from happening and to
encourage learner engagement, Karen and Torben
issued all learners from their experimental group a
pseudonym to protect their identity.
Inside Evidence
Karen and Torben found that the intervention had more
of a positive impact on the sociology learners than the
chemistry learners. They ascribed this to two main
reasons:
. The chemistry learners were given the choice to
engage with the online peer marking approach
whereas it was a compulsory part of the sociology
learners’ homework. This freedom to choose
whether to engage resulted in some of the chemistry
learners not taking part in the intervention.
2. Sociology is an essay based subject requiring
learners to develop good writing skills to achieve.
Chemistry on the other hand is a more non-essay
based subject where short answers can suffice.
Regardless of this, given the increasing emphasis
on longer response answers and more detailed
explanations in chemistry exams, learners need to
develop skills in this area.
Cost saving or growing learner independence?
Some students thought they were being asked to do
Karen and Torben’s job for them. Do you use peer
assessment? Do any students think they’ve been short
changed? Share your thoughts on how to respond to this
at http://tinyurl.com/insideevidenceforrum
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Take action
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•
Karen and Torben found that peer marking was
positive for their learners’ essay writing skills, plus
it reduced their workload. Are there ways you could
introduce peer marking or other forms of peer
assessment into your teaching? You could use
the ‘Peer assessment tool’ review included in this
edition to identify an online tool that could work for
you.
The two colleagues found that some of their
learners were not keen on the peer marking
approach. Are there ways you could engage your
learners more in sharing decisions on changes in
approach so they take some of the ownership of
the change? This obstacle is also discussed in the
‘Practitioner engagement in and/or with research’
tool in this edition.
Evidence source
The full research paper for this project is also available
online, and can be viewed at www.excellencegateway.
org.uk/310558
News and Views
Learning across disciplines: CPD New College Nottingham style
New College Nottingham is a large FE college with
seven campuses across the city and an annual intake of
approximately 4,000 full-time learners (most aged 1619). How is the college going about improving teaching
and learning? It’s quite simple – the college takes an
organisation-wide approach by creating opportunities for
staff from different disciplines to work together and share
good practice and knowledge.
In one professional development project staff
and learners benefited from opportunities to work
collaboratively on innovative projects within the School of
Art, Design, Fashion and Media. In another, Skills for Life
and Functional Skills practitioners used peer observation,
coaching and mentoring to develop knowledge and
expertise.
Collaboration and innovation in creative arts
teaching
Leaders in the School of Art, Design, Fashion and Media
were aware that there was good practice in the school,
but that there was little opportunity for staff in the various
disciplines to share their work. Consequently, they set
about enabling staff to share new ideas, new technology,
industry experiences and enthusiasm. They also
encouraged the more experienced members of the team
to share their knowledge and good practice.
Sharing all the professional development
activity
A full professional development day was used to share all
the work being undertaken. This involved core teaching
staff and course leaders (new and experienced) plus
four learners from across the School. The staff were
pre-arranged into groups to enable as much crossdissemination as possible. During the morning, the
participants took part in several activities designed to help
them to understand their colleagues’ skills – both as an
industry professional and a teaching professional – and
also the courses they taught and what they entailed.
For example, they discussed their top five industry and
teaching skills and their successful and unsuccessful
lessons.
Further development of practice
In the afternoon, the groups worked collaboratively to
plan projects that would improve teaching and learning.
Their ideas included:
• creating a shop for selling learners’ work run by
Inside Evidence
•
•
fashion retail learners and promoted through
advertising and workshops;
learners developing and delivering live workshops
to each other on skills and techniques they had
learned in their own discipline; and
collaboration between departments on the theme of
what being British meant to learners – this involved
working towards an exhibition of art work and a
fashion show.
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
New College Nottingham has a number of sites across the city
team who have very good pass rates.
Impact on staff and learners
Sharing resources
Staff worked together to progress their collaborative
projects and individual practice. By working together
they became more aware of where they could find
help and advice on techniques and ICT skills within
the college. For example, one staff member received
training for 3D studio max from a colleague in a different
department, while another asked his learners to produce
a website and marketing materials for a show that
learners in another department were putting on. The
learners gained experience of working to tight deadlines
and across disciplines in a real life situation. They also
came to see what other courses and learners do. In this
way they broadened their understanding of the creative
arts and became better informed about all the areas
available to them and where they might progress to
for their next level of study. Some of the collaborative
projects developed further than others. According to
Lisa Artliff (Head of School for Art and Design) “much
depended on having a key person in each group to keep
the momentum going and ensure that staff and learners
had time to meet”.
As well as the lesson observations, a number of subject
led staff development sessions took place where
colleagues shared resources they had found particularly
useful. This led to the development of a numeracy
web page on the staff Intranet. A series of bespoke
Functional Skills events were also run for vocational
staff teams, which included Functional Skill updates
and examples of exam questions students faced. The
sessions were fun and snappy. Staff used electronic
voting pads as well as table-work.
Peer observation, coaching and mentoring for
literacy, language and numeracy (LLN)
Rather than use a top down line management led
approach to developing LLN teaching and learning, the
School of Functional Skills tried a collaborative peer
approach, using evidence from mutual observations
that proved to be a very powerful form of professional
development.
Lesson observations
Following the college’s own formalised teaching and
learning observation process, each member of staff
received formal feedback about the teaching and
learning observed. They were then encouraged to
identify another practitioner they would like to observe in
order to pick up on good practice. Many staff used this
as an opportunity to visit staff in other curriculum areas,
for example some Functional Skills staff went to observe
English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes
and vice versa. As the Functional Skills team were
moving to an exam based system they found it useful to
see some of the exam strategies employed by the ESOL
10
Impact on teaching
Over 85 formal observations and 39 peer observations
have been undertaken in the school so far and these
have helped to increase the overall grade profile.
The peer observations proved to be a more powerful
approach for developing teaching and learning than
manager led formalised lesson observations. In the latter
many staff became preoccupied with the grade they
were awarded rather than reflect on the feedback they
were given. Staff welcomed the opportunity to observe
colleagues teaching and share good practice. This was
something that had rarely happened before – in the
past only managers had had the privilege of observing
lessons and learning from them. “Peer observation has
proved to be a great way of supporting staff to observe
other subjects they are interested in as a route into
teaching that subject” says Linda McDonald, Head of
School for Functional Skills. Several staff who were
literacy/English or ICT teachers have since gone on to
undertake their numeracy teaching qualification and
have subsequently taken up numeracy teaching. They
have kept their peer mentor as support for going forward
with their new teaching.
Find out more
Further details about both of these projects can be
viewed online:
• Coaching and mentoring for literacy, language and
numeracy - www.excellencegateway.org.uk/310552
• Collaboration and innovation in creative arts
teaching - www.excellencegateway.org.uk/310555
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Topical Issue
How understanding NEETs helps us plan better to bring them back into education
Many of us may think we know all there is to know about the problems faced by NEETS (not
in education, employment or training). But one recent study showed the value of providers
themselves engaging directly with those individuals that they would not normally encounter
within their organisations. LSIS recently commissioned research which funded providers
to take time to listen to young people and adults in the NEETs category. Direct engagement
enabled the providers to gain a better understanding of their circumstances: what their barriers
to learning may be and how they could be supported to overcome them.
Barriers experienced by NEETs
Lessons learned for improving provision
The providers found young people had a diverse range
of reasons for being NEET. Many cited problems such
as bullying, poor relationships with teachers, falling
in with the wrong crowd, suspension or expulsion as
having clouded their early education. Other barriers
included financial difficulties, issues relating to drug
taking, personal and family circumstances changing,
such as experiencing homelessness or unexpected
pregnancies, and mental health difficulties, including
personal difficulties after bereavement. Frequently,
they faced several difficulties at once. Comments made
included:
When asked about transferable lessons and critical
success factors from their work with NEETs, providers
noted the need for flexibility of learning opportunities.
Many providers reported that carrying out their
research project reminded them that ‘one size does
not fit all’. In order to meet the varied and sometimes
complex needs, providers came to the view that learner
support could work best through:
• smaller class sizes;
• one-to-one support;
• creative and practical learning; and
• mentoring schemes.
“I haven’t really got [any experience of school] because
I had to look after my brothers … I had to bring them
up since I was about ten and then when I did go to
school, I just got bullied so I didn’t bother with it, and
the teachers never helped.”
Most providers commented that many were not aware
of the options available to them:
“They [support service] don’t understand that I got kids
and if I wanted to go to college it would have to be
worked round my child and stuff and they didn’t seem
to understand that … they just tried to put me on a
childcare course that I couldn’t do because of childcare
problems.”
The experiences of older people were more diverse.
For example they may have recently been made
redundant, be out of work due to ill health, be carers
or have had caring responsibilities in the past, or be
volunteering and/or looking for work. A significant
proportion of adults had had negative experiences of
schooling, although many of them were now positive
about learning, often as a result of their experiences of
informal opportunities to learn in the workplace or the
voluntary sector.
“I am amazed how little they know about what is on
offer and where to go for information. As a provider
of adult education we advertise extensively, but most
interviewees had never heard of us. Therefore, we
need a more focused approach to promoting our
courses, perhaps in local papers and in Job Centres
etc – places where people go for advice.”
As many interviewees reported negative experiences
of schooling, providers felt that a different approach
should be taken to that used within initial education:
young people should be treated more like adults and
adults should be treated with respect, remembering
that many of them already have qualifications and
experience.
“It is essential that the structure of programmes do
not replicate the formal learning environment these
young people have already rejected. The college
therefore develops individual learning programmes
with confidence and motivation building as key to
progression.”
11
Inside Evidence
Providers also considered it important to offer excluded
individuals help in overcoming barriers. As one provider
explained:
“We offer interventions such as anger groups, anxiety
groups, counselling, needle exchange and a drop in
social area. It may be a client engages with one or more
of these interventions before they gain the confidence
to ask about educational opportunities.”
Many providers also considered it important to offer
short courses or taster sessions to encourage young
people and adults to give learning a try. As this
provider explained: “The College is now developing
a re-engagement project, ‘Outdoor Leadership’ – a
four week project targeted at NEET identified youth
and offering a range of outdoor pursuit activities and
leadership development with the aim of increasing selfesteem, personal awareness and achievement”.
Take action
Can you:
• use your connections with other organisations
(such as Jobcentre Plus, Connexions, Social
Services, homeless hostels) to identify NEETs?
• run community events, such as beauty days
or an activities bus to build relationships
with NEETS, tell them about courses that
are available, and show them that learning
can be different to what they have previously
experienced?
• take a look at the page dedicated to this project
on the LSIS research website and consider
whether you can use the research tools that
were developed for the providers involved in
the project to undertake your own research with
these target groups in your locality http://tinyurl.
com/neets-project
NEETs Quiz
For an interesting online quiz
on NEETs, and to see what
others thought, visit http://
tinyurl.com/neets-survey
12
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
No Vacancies?
Some providers who commented on this study said
that they were already at bursting point with no
capacity to enrol NEETs. What’s the position in your
organisation? Is there a role for collaboration with
partners in the third sector? Contribute to the debate
at http://tinyurl.com/insideevidenceforrum
Evidence source
Aldridge, F. Casey, L. Jones, E. & Law, C. (2010)
Understanding and supporting young people and adults
not in education, employment or training. Leicester:
NIACE. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/neets-project.
LSIS engaged NIACE to design the research materials
and support the providers undertaking the research.
Altogether, 124 learning providers were awarded
small grants to undertake interviews with NEET young
people and adults. As well as carrying out over 2,000
interviews between them, providers also encouraged
individual interviewees to submit testimonies that
focused on what inspired them and how learning linked
into or flowed out of this.
In July 2010, LSIS held a seminar attended by John
Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education,
Skills and Lifelong Learning to discuss the findings
and implications of this LSIS commissioned research
project. A report of the seminar is available here: http://
tinyurl.com/neets-project.
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Research round up
Facts and Figures: NEETs
Most young people are never NEET; most NEET
episodes last fewer than six months.
• 75% young people never experience being NEET
• 25% young people experience being NEET, of
which:
• 43% are NEET for six months or more
• 21% are NEET for three months to six months
• 25% are NEET for one month to three months
• 9% are NEET for one week to a month
• 2% are NEET for up to one week
Source: Audit Commission, analysis of Connexions
data from fieldwork areas (approximately 24,000 young
people), 2010
Nine indicators predict the NEET status of 91
per cent of young people
•
•
•
•
•
billion in public finance costs and £22 billion in
opportunity costs over their lifetimes.
Young men who were NEET are three times more
likely to suffer from depression, and five times more
likely to have a criminal record, than their peers.
A quarter of young people are NEET at some
point during a two-year period, but most get into
education, employment or training.
However, 10 per cent of young people remain
NEET for six months or more.
Evidence source
Audit Commission (2010) Against the odds: Reengaging young people in education, employment
or training. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/auditcommission
National figures for 2009 show 9.2 per cent
(183,200) of young people aged 16-18 were NEET.
The 2008 NEET cohort will cost an estimated £13
13
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Featured Research
HE in FE: how one college went all the way
Many colleges offer sub-degree qualifications (HNC/D and Foundation Degrees). But the
complete delivery of honours degrees in further education (FE) colleges is relatively new.
Learners who want to complete a full degree usually do so by ‘topping up’ at the partner higher
education institute (HEI). One college that has started making full degree courses available is
Neath Port Talbot College in Wales, which offers BSc and BSc (Honours) programmes in care
studies and childhood studies.
The college had a history of collaboration with local
universities, offering HND qualifications in care
studies for example. But students indicated that
instead of progressing to a full degree at the HEI
they would prefer to stay on at the college – and staff
teaching on these sub-degree programmes had also
expressed the wish to continue with the students and
‘see them through to the end’. So the college applied
to the partner HEI to offer BSc and BSc (Honours)
programmes in care studies and childhood studies.
Key issues the college needed to resolve were how
to sustain an HE culture in an FE environment and
whether their staff were experienced enough to support
students undertaking dissertations.
A review of previous research by two of the HE
lecturers at the college revealed three main dimensions
to establishing an HE culture in FE.
Teaching and learning – the research showed that
it is important that learners develop skills not only to
study at a higher level but also to work independently.
They must also actively and critically engage with
knowledge. Teaching staff needed both academic and
vocational expertise in their subject areas.
Physical dimension – the need for identified areas for
the provision of HE – either key areas within existing
facilities, or designated units or centres where HE
activity can flourish. Such an environment provides an
14
identifiable space where HE learning processes and
values can be modelled for the HE learners and is also
a place where staff have the opportunity to undertake
scholarly activity or research.
Symbolic dimension – the creation of a distinct identity
for the learners through the introduction of graduation
ceremonies, relevant signage and HE student common
rooms – all of which can enhance the HE status and
identify the learners within the FE environment.
The college’s approach
At Neath Port Talbot College, the core teaching team
of four lecturers involved in the BSc care studies and
childhood studies programmes teach only at HE. They
don’t have the disadvantage the HE staff at the college
found of moving between FE teaching at a variety of
levels and HE teaching. The four lecturers all have
higher level qualifications and two of the team are
experienced at supervising dissertation students. They
also work as dissertation supervisors at Masters level
for another local HEI and are engaged in collaborative
research with one of their partner HEIs.
All teaching takes place at the HE centre – a self
contained block that has been recently refurbished with
new equipment. The centre is used exclusively for the
delivery of HE courses, so as to create a university
identity and learning experience. The academic year
is divided into two semesters: two 20-credit modules
Inside Evidence
are taught in the first semester and one in the second
to allow time for the learners to concentrate on the
dissertation (if pursuing the honours programme) which
is a 60-credit year long module. The taught element
of the programme follows the format previously found
effective when supporting Foundation Degree learners:
the theory base is taught in the early part of the module
with reflective learning incorporated through tutorial
sessions.
The issue of how many hours should be allocated
to the task of supervising student dissertations was
debated at length. As the host HEI allocated 10 hours,
this was the agreed norm and was included in the
contractual teaching workload. The supervision is
restricted to the members of the HE teaching team
who already have postgraduate qualifications with
an established publication history. As well as being
provided with a dissertation handbook, the learners are
given guidance on topic choice to ensure that their area
of interest is researchable, and provided with guidance
on the selection and relevance of research material.
The college’s results
After the first two years of the BSc programmes, 18
learners had achieved a BSc (Hons) in care studies
and 18 learners had achieved a BSc (Hons) in
childhood studies. Of these, 11 got a first class degree,
12 a 2:1, 12 a 2:2 and one a third class degree. One of
the learners also gained the highest marks in the first
year in the School of Care Science at the partner HEI to
which the programmes belonged.
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Take action
You might be thinking that this is the right time to
consider expanding existing or starting some new
HE provision. If so, can you be confident that you
have:
• appropriate facilities to create the right
environment for your HE students?
• appropriately qualified staff and/or the resources
and/or the commitment to invest in your staff’s
CPD to up skill them to deliver at HE level?
• the potential demand for HE in your area and, if
so, that you understand the subject areas?
• the right relationship with the partner HEI that
balances delivery flexibility with rigour and
support?
A two-tier system?
Some colleagues who read about this research
thought it was discriminatory and unethical to offer
superior or ‘elite’ facilities to HE students in an FE
environment. What do you think? Contribute to the
debate at http://tinyurl.com/insideevidenceforrum
Evidence source
Griffiths, C. & Golding Lloyd, M. (2009) Degree of
success? A review of delivering BSc Honours degrees
in an FE college. Journal of Further and Higher
Education, 33(4), pp.483-492.
The researchers (two of the lecturers on the BSc
programmes) conducted a literature review and used
the findings from research to inform their practice.
15
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Research round up
What makes for good progress in ICT?
Teams of inspectors visited 25 colleges where Ofsted had identified good or outstanding
provision at their most recent inspection. They wanted to know more about the ways in which
these excellent providers approached ICT teaching and learning. Keeping technical skills up
to date through better employer links was just one of the key recommendations made by the
inspectors.
According to Ofsted, their inspectors found learners
achieved work of good quality and high success rates
where:
• there was as much emphasis on their analytical as
well as technical ICT skills;
• providers used a variety of activities, frequent
checks on learning and regular reference to current
commercial practice in ICT;
• courses were adapted to suit the diverse needs of
learners; and
• tutors monitored the progress of their learners
closely.
For example, in one lesson on software development,
learners developed small software programs in three
different computer languages, then compared and
contrasted them. Their discussions, in small and large
groups, gave them a good understanding of the merits
and limitations of each language. In another lesson,
learners looked at the possible uses of computerrelated devices for a gym club. They researched
products on the Internet and debated the advantages
and disadvantages in a virtual learning environment
(VLE) blog or discussion group.
Employer links could help
Although all of the colleges used ICT such as data
projectors and interactive whiteboards, the inspectors
found that use of virtual learning environments to
support the teaching of ICT courses was generally less
well developed. Many of the colleges they visited were
just using their VLE to store teaching notes or host
email for the learners.
Many colleges also hadn’t extended their industrial
links to develop bespoke provision. The proportion
16
Making the most of technology
of women recruited to computing courses was low
– female learners generally chose office related or
information technology user courses rather than more
technical computing courses.
The report concluded that colleges should make more
use of their links with employers to increase the take
up of ICT related work experience opportunities and
to help tutors maintain and update their technical skills
and knowledge. The report also suggested working
with employers, schools and local authorities to attract
women to ICT courses and developing the use they
made of their VLE.
Evidence source
Ofsted (2009) Identifying good practice: a survey of
college provision in information and communication
technology. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/ofsted-goodpractice
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Research round up
Supporting achievement and progression among vulnerable learner groups
We’ve reported in this issue on progression for 14-19 learners in general. Here we take a look
at a LSIS commissioned review of research about progression for specific groups of vulnerable
learners in the 14-19 category – those from ethnic minorities, with learning difficulties and with
Asperger’s Syndrome.
Minority ethnic learners
A number of studies show that ethnicity is a highly
significant factor in withdrawal rates, especially for
Asian learners. Written and spoken English skills can
be a barrier for some minority ethnic learners and this
has an impact on their achievement and progression.
This suggests the importance of
• language support;
• guidance about course choice; and
• the use of different teaching and assessment
strategies.
•
•
The studies also suggest that as family values have a
greater effect on young minority ethnic learners than
on white young learners, role models and mentors
can have a positive effect on their progression and
achievement.
Learners with learning difficulties and/or
disabilities
Learning difficulties can take a variety of forms and
cover a wide spectrum. But the LSIS NIS review found
that consistent critical success factors in supporting
progression for these learners include:
• taking the wishes and aspirations of individuals
as a starting point for planning and delivering
programmes for those individuals;
• working with partner organisations to develop local
progression routes to support transition between
providers; and
• providing information, advice and guidance in a
range of formats and media.
Learners with Asperger’s Syndrome
Learners with Aspergers are likely to experience
difficulties in relation to changes in routine, noisy
environments, relating to others and comprehension of
what is required of them. Awareness of the implications
of the syndrome can enable these learners to progress
into further education and beyond.
•
Managing
transition
– detailed
monitoring of the
learner’s early
reactions can
help to identify
and alleviate
potential
problems.
Managing
changes in
routine – even
small changes
can perpetuate
anxiety
responses,
Mentors can make a difference
particularly if they
are unexpected. A clear timetable, possibly using
symbols if the learner has literacy difficulties, can
make routines more obvious.
Managing relationships – Asperger learners can
find it difficult to stick to the point during discussion
sessions, for example, if they become fixated with
a minor detail. Providing a reminder of the topic,
asking the learner specific questions and giving
them a clear role in group activities can help keep
them on task.
Evidence source
Review of Evidence in Support of the National
Improvement Strategy Theme 8: Success rate
disparities for different learner groups. Available at:
http://tinyurl.com/review-of-evidence.
The researchers produced catalogues of themed
research evidence relevant to the learning and skills
sector in England. Materials from other sectors and
countries were not included. All the materials selected
were quality assured.
17
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Featured Research
Leadership in Skills for Life: How do leaders manage, develop and maintain
outstanding provision in Skills for Life?
Many teachers do not consider literacy, language and numeracy (LLN) to be part of their remit,
despite these skills being the foundation of all other learning. So how do leaders take teaching
staff with them in embedding LLN skills development across their organisations? This report is
based on the reflections of organisational leaders in the learning and skills sector about their
practice and values in implementing LLN. The resulting case studies illustrate the approaches
leaders at different levels have used in different provider contexts. Here we look at some of the
common approaches leaders have taken to embed LLN learning in the curriculum.
One size does not fit all
A number of case studies described how Skills for
Life leaders had embedded effective support for LLN
into students’ day-to-day curriculum experience, in
ways which the wider teaching staff could not only
accommodate, but also support and deliver. These
included:
• raising the profile of Skills for Life provision;
• integrating Skills for Life into CPD across the
organisation;
• involving learners in the design and ongoing
refinement of Skills for Life programmes;
• integrating Skills for Life into other curriculum
areas; and
• creating teams of LLN teachers and teachers in
other subject areas.
So how did they do it? The descriptions below give a
flavour of how individual organisations realised these
strategies in practice.
Raising the profile of Skills for Life provision
Skills for Life leaders took practical steps to get LLN
18
Learning vital skills
on their colleagues’ agenda. Sometimes they literally
made sure it was on the agenda – at meetings across
the organisation. Otherwise each department’s
development plan was required to include LLN
objectives, and CPD with a LLN focus was offered to
all staff.
Integrating Skills for Life into whole
organisation CPD
Different organisations arranged various kinds of
professional development for non-LLN staff including
Skills for Life awareness training, and sessions on
using tools, such as writing frames. CPD leaders also
supported vocational staff to adopt and adapt teaching
and learning strategies to teach LLN to particular
groups of students, such as ex-offenders. One college
introduced levels 4 and 5 literacy and numeracy
programmes for staff to improve their own skills and so
build LLN teaching capacity in the locality.
Drawing teachers into Skills for Life through
engaging CPD activities
North Warwickshire and Hinckley College has
developed an extensive approach to CPD to help all
staff develop their capacity to teach LLN. The report
describes the activities CPD leaders have used to
help teachers better understand the issues learners
face and related approaches to teaching and learning,
including some simple but effective techniques. For
example:
• following origami instructions and then identifying
the numeracy and literacy skills required;
• a 15-minute lesson carried out in a foreign
language to raise awareness of issues faced by
ESOL learners; and
• introducing grammar and semantics in a light
Inside Evidence
hearted way through the correction of ‘howlers’,
such as ‘the teeth in the top are fine, but the ones
in my bottom hurt horribly’.
Involving learners
Several organisations raised the profile of meaningful
learner involvement in programme development. One
FE college ensured its ‘Test the City’ programme
was what learners “wanted as opposed to what other
people thought they needed” by conducting research
with its students. The research produced interesting
findings for the tutors, who were often surprised by
how much their own perceptions differed from those
of their learners. Another, community-based, provider
developed learner-led literacy projects, including the
production of a documentary film, and a museum
exhibition. The learners were also interviewed for Radio
4’s ‘The Learning Curve’, all of which yielded valuable
feedback on their progress and perceptions of the
programme.
Integrating Skills for Life into other curriculum
areas
Teachers in the fashion department in one college
introduced ‘One Big Friday’, which brought together all
the fashion learners to work on Key Skills and one core
unit. Learners were grouped according to their Key
Skills level, with the result that success rates in Key
Skills improved by 30 per cent. A work based learning
provider engaged the services of an ex-apprentice
to design its ‘Guide to Key Skills in Apprenticeships’
– which explains the importance of LLN skills for his
line of work.
Creating teams of LLN and teachers in other
subject areas
One college organised teaching teams consisting
of LLN staff and vocational teachers, so they could
plan and deliver the vocational curriculum with
LLN at its core. Examples of similar collaborative
arrangements which have worked well can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/vocational-courses
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
The report concludes by describing things that
organisation leaders do to support effective teaching
of LLN. These were not only based around vision and
robust systems for planning, quality assurance, and
evaluation, but also on teamwork and professional
development. In particular the report recommended
leaders focused on:
• promoting collaboration between LLN and
vocational teachers;
• strong support of training and development activity;
and
• team working, good communication and shared
responsibility
as a way of taking LLN practice forward.
Take action
You might be entirely happy with your LLN
arrangements. If not, why not:
• link up with vocational/LLN colleagues for
curriculum planning and/or identify examples
in your organisation where this is already
happening?
• do more to raise the profile of Skills for Life
agenda through an organisational marketing
campaign (making use of notice boards around
your buildings, creating working parties and
blogs and involving learners as champions etc.)
to highlight its importance?
Evidence source
Howard, U. & Kings, P. (eds) (2010) Why leadership
matters: Putting basic skills at the heart of adult
learning. London: NRDC. Available at: http://tinyurl.
com/why-leadership-matters.
This research is based on a series of case studies
drafted by a range of organisational leaders in the
learning and skills sector.
19
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Practitioner led research
Letting learning happen: getting the best from assignment workshops
Bedford College offers the option of the BTEC National Diploma in Applied Science (Forensic
Science) as an alternative route into science at A Level. Two lecturers at the college found some
surprising results when they set out to explore the effect of varying the length of time learners
could work together on this programme. The work was undertaken as a Research Development
Fellowship project supported by LSIS and SUNCETT (the University of Sunderland Centre for
Excellence in Teacher Training).
John Henry and Tim Bartlett are lecturers in science
and mathematics, and psychology at Bedford College.
Together they set out to explore an area of the BTEC
National Diploma in Applied Science. As part of the
course, learners were entitled to an amount of inclass time to write up their assignments. John and
Tim wanted to know why learners needed that time,
and how much in-class time was necessary for them
to achieve results. As a psychologist, Tim was also
interested in group learning and social interaction, and
what effect this might have on learners’ assignments.
They both wanted “to facilitate an environment where
independent learning and social interaction took place”.
What did the project involve?
The project involved John and Tim developing a series
of workshops for the learners in which they could work
on their assignments. The workshops were designed
so that the learners could work together and with their
tutors as well as develop their independent learning
skills. Students’ time management was a particular
focus as this is an issue for the BTEC National
Diploma. John and Tim hoped the workshops would
successfully address this.
Assessment
Week 1
Week 2
Health &
Safety
During the workshops learners could share data
and material and access learning resources such
as scientific text books, course notes and writing
materials. At the end of each the learners completed
a questionnaire to establish how useful they found the
structured time, what work they completed and how
practical they found them in terms of meeting targets.
What impact did the workshops have?
There was a substantial amount of data that suggested
learner satisfaction levels were higher after the 50
minute workshop than after the 25 and 10 minute
workshops.
Week 3
Week 4
10 min
workshop
10 min
workshop
25 min
workshop
10 min
workshop
Week 6
Deadline
10 min
workshop
25 min
workshop
Table 1. Workshop frequency
20
Week 5
50 min
workshop
Periodic
Table
Chemical
Bonding
To answer the question of how much time the learners
needed to complete their assignments the workshops
were designed around different timetables. The
project ran over the course of three unit assessments.
Learners were given six weeks to complete the unit
assignment from the date it was issued. The timings of
workshops were altered for each unit of assessment;
for one the learners had one 50 minute session, in
another unit learners had five 10 minute workshops,
and for the third they had two 25 minute workshops
(see Table 1).
10 min
workshop
Deadline
Deadline
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
They also reported substantially lower “satisfaction with
duration” for the 10 minute workshop than either the 25
or 50 minute workshops. Learners also gained most in
confidence after the 50 minute workshop than after the
other two. For John and Tim the most interesting result
was on grade performance. Assignments handed in
following the 50 minute workshop achieved an average
of 70.5 per cent. This was 22.5 per cent higher than
assignments handed in after the 25 and 10 minute
workshops which averaged 52.1 per cent and 50.1 per
cent respectively. Both John and Tim thought “short and
often would focus the mind”, so were surprised to find
the opposite.
Disappointingly, the workshops made little difference to
the learners’ capacity for meeting deadlines. All three
workshop frequencies resulted in the same 58.4 per
cent average for meeting deadlines. John and Tim are
interested in exploring other interventions to improve
this statistic, but have not yet decided on an approach.
Where next?
The surprise increase in grade average that the 50
minute workshop delivered has enthused John and
Tim to find out more: ‘Why does it happen? What is it
in the workshops that is making the difference?’ They
suspect there is more to it than just duration. Results
from the questionnaires picked up on the mood within
the workshops, both from the tutor and from the
learners. Tim believes that the group dynamic of the
learners (who were a close group) may have had an
impact on the mood of the workshop and so influenced
productivity. They are interested in establishing if the
same would happen with another, not close, group of
learners.
From an empirical research perspective, neither
are convinced that time is the major factor. They
are interested in finding out what other factors there
were during the 50 minute workshop that could have
John and Tim
influenced the substantial increase in grade average.
They collected data in several forms during the project,
including interviews and focus groups with learners,
so further analyses of these results may provide other
indications. John and Tim are hopeful they will.
Take action
John and Tim’s approach to their workshops is an
excellent but rare (in education research in the
UK) example of a structured experiment. What’s
more, it produced positive results that they were not
expecting. Could you adapt their approach for your
own circumstances? For instance, could you:
• provide similar workshops for your learners, to
encourage social interaction amongst them in
order to raise confidence and achievement?
• run an experiment yourself with course design by
varying one aspect of it and monitoring its effect?
You might get surprising and positive results too.
Evidence source
Full reports of Research Development Fellowship
projects can be found on the Excellence Gateway
at http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.
aspx?o=274143
21
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Featured Research
How can FE colleges improve progression for younger learners?
Both internal college practices and wider system factors have an impact on the transition of
16–19 year olds from school or college to further study and the workplace. A recent study set
out to examine the enablers and barriers to learners’ transition to working life or higher study
through in-depth examination of patterns and practices in one college.
The researchers found that most of the Entry/Level 1
and Level 2 learners they spoke to:
• wanted to be at the college;
• felt they were on a course of their choice; and
• knew where they were going next.
But high satisfaction with the college and courses
did not always translate into positive progression for
learners. Around half the learners progressed to higher
level courses. Most (80 per cent) of the Level 2 and
two thirds of Level 1 learners had achieved their short
term-goals.
The impact of history
One problem noted by the researchers was that many
learners who entered the college had not achieved the
benchmark of five GCSE grades A*-C. The admission
requirements for higher level courses and the amount
of progress the learners had to make to meet these
standards meant that, for many, and particularly those
at Level 1, the nine-month (on average) courses were
not long enough to make up ‘lost ground’.
The researchers also pointed out how Level 1 learners
were often in a particularly difficult situation. They were:
• more likely to have had family or personal problems
and to have viewed school as a bad experience;
and
• less likely to be in their first choice course, have
clear progression goals or be socialised into the
college and its expectations.
Looking for safe outcomes
The learners’ focus was primarily on progression
to a higher level course and career goals. But the
researchers found that tutors and managers tended to
focus more on participation, retention and successful
completion of courses than on progression per se
(the result of further education funding mechanisms,
inspection and performance targets). For example,
tutors on higher level courses were anxious to recruit
22
Knowing where to go next
learners they felt confident would succeed to ensure
maximum funding. They also did not want to ‘set
learners up to fail’. They were conscious too that
inspections looked very closely at course success
rates.
Other reasons given by staff for the differences
between their focus and that of their learners included:
• lack of communication between tutors about
progression;
• being part of a multi-site institution; and
• lack of relevant provision for learners to progress
onto.
A few tutors and managers also highlighted external
barriers such as learners’ financial and personal
circumstances.
What the researchers thought
The researchers acknowledged the existence of
external structures and pressures affecting progression.
Nevertheless, they suggested a number of useful
college-wide strategies:
• a clear definition of progression which is used and
understood by all within the college;
• a more explicit focus on progression within all
courses from the beginning of the academic year
to stimulate progression aspirations, particularly in
Entry/Level 1 learners;
• a greater emphasis on support with progression to
apprenticeship, full-time jobs with training and the
potential for further and higher education;
Inside Evidence
•
dissemination of good course-based practices,
including fostering learners’ skills and capacities for
progression; and
an investigation into internal barriers to
progression.
•
Take action
Do you know whether any of these issues apply to
your learners? If not, could you find out (for instance,
by capturing a learner’s history on admission and
comparing progression outcomes)? If they do, could
you make a difference to your learners’ progression
prospects by, for instance:
• gathering your learners’ views on their aspirations
at the start of a course you teach via focus
groups and exploring with them how you can
work together to keep progression as a clear
and informed objective at each stage of skills
development?
• working with colleagues to audit the skills that
learners need to have for each level to help
teachers suggest the appropriate progression
routes for individual learners?
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Is it the system?
Some colleagues who have read this article pointed out
that nine months was simply not long enough for some
young people to achieve good enough Level 1 skills
to progress. Others have asked what contribution IAG
(information, advice and guidance) made (a topic not
directly addressed in the research). Do we need more
flexible approaches to make sure we get it right? What
do you think? Contribute to the debate at http://tinyurl.
com/IE-discussion-forum
Evidence source
Spours, K. Hodgson, A. Brewer, J. & Barker, P. (2010)
Improving progression for younger learners in further
education colleges in England. Journal of Vocational
Education & Training, 61(4), pp.431-446.
The researchers interviewed 118 young learners and
23 of their tutors from 19 lower level courses in a large
general FE college.
Tools
Bites
Research Bites are very short summaries extracted from research designed to give busy people a very quick
introduction to something potentially interesting and useful. In PowerPoint format, they should take only 2-3 minutes to
scan.
Available at http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/311134
Available at http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/311131
Tasters
Research tasters are ‘nuggets’ extracted from a substantial piece of research. They are designed to help you look at
a teaching and learning issue, find out about that issue in your own context (classroom, workshop etc) and try out a
new approach based on the research evidence. The two selected here are:
•
•
how can assessment help learners take control of their learning? - http://tinyurl.com/5slwe2a
what experiences of being independent learners do students bring with them from school? - http://tinyurl.com/
5t2fcwh
23
Inside Evidence
Winter 2010/11 Issue 10
Acknowledgements and contacts
We would like to thank our co-producers and reader
panels for their contributions to this edition.
Co-producers
Reader panel
At New College Nottingham our special thanks go
to Catriona Mowat (Head Coach: Teaching), Lisa
Artliffe (Head of School for Art and Design) Linda
McDonald (Head of School for Functional Skills), Jo
Ritchie (Course leader L1 Childcare), Jan Bohan
(Course leader L1 Care), Val Tidmarsh (Programme
Area Manager - Additional Learning Support)
and Anne Hallam (Programme Area Manager Foundation and Supported Learning).
Andrew Morris, independent consultant
Ann Hodgson, professor of education, consultancy
and knowledge transfer / co-director centre for post14 research and innovation, Institute of Education,
University London
Elizabeth Johnston, assessor, Royal National
College for the Blind
Garth Clucas, HMI, principal officer, strategy
directorate, Ofsted
Gemma Knott, communications officer, 157 Group
Joanna Brannen, lecturer in foundation studies, City
College Norwich
Michelle Jennings, CPD strategic adviser:
networking and communications, Institute for
Learning
At the Royal Artillery
Centre for the Professional
Development our special
thanks go to Sara Hunter
(Chief Executive) and Simon
Upton (Innovation Director).
What’s the evidence?
All the research we report is first assessed to
ensure that the findings are trustworthy, relevant
and useable across different contexts. Your views
of the articles in this edition will help us to work out
whether the material really is useful and help others
identify ways of building on the evidence. Let us
have your thoughts by emailing us at:
research@lsis.org.uk
Inside Evidence is distributed around three times a
year in a number of digital formats to subscribers. It
can be downloaded from the Excellence Gateway,
from the inside Evidence section of Research
pages, or by following this link http://www.
excellencegateway.org.uk/311137.
What did you think of this
edition? Good, bad or
indifferent? Add your view,
and see what others said, by
visiting our quick survey at http:
z//tinyurl.com/IE-survey.
24
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