Each
input can be adjusted for the internal needs of the college and,
if required, respond to your own inspection report or SAR
The
Bigger Picture
- What
has been happening in FE over the last five years and why?
- What
is about to happen next?
- How
does this affect your personal position?
- How
can you keep up to date without drowning in emails and brochures?
- Mind
maps on the main themes of reform, linked to sources and explanations
- Can
be adapted for managers, teaching and support staff at several levels of complexity
Learning
to Learn
- What
is the difference between study skills, thinking skills and metacognition?
- Is
'learning to learn' a logical necessity or an intrusion into syllabus content?
Both or neither?
- Why
are commercial markets showing so much interest in how people learn?
- How
do you distinguish serious ideas from fads and exploitation?
- Is
teaching really more complicated now, or are we just confused by terminology?
- Are
concepts of 'learning style' either valid or relevant? Why do Ofsted seem to require
them when increasingly academics deride them? Can we find a practical response
to the contradiction?
Lesson
Observation and Effective Feedback
- Understanding
the criteria - what exactly does 'satisfatcory' mean?
- Making
learning the focus of activity
- Feeback
as active dialogue (so how do I improve?)
- Key
weaknesses in observation systems and how to afddress them
Managing
in the 21st Century
- What
is the role of a manager in FE? Who defines that role?
- How
do you translate KPIs to PPIs (personal performance indicators?)
- From
teaching to managing - what are the key differences and similarities and how do
you sustain the change?
- The
importance of language in controlling events and motivating people.
- How
useful are typologies?
- Making
and executing decisions
- Making
information the servant not the master
Schemes
of Work and Lesson Plans - making paperwork serve your purpose
- Does
writing a SOW detract from time you need for teaching? In how many ways is that
the wrong question? What questions enable you to make progress?
- Who
reads these things and why? If it seems like a bureaucratic burden what does that
imply?
- What
does a weak SOW say about the learning process?
- What
principles should inform the design of a learning process?
- Not
wasting words and time - how to explain your position very simply.
- Do
electronic versions make the job easier or harder? What else do they change?
- How
do you get other people to write SOWS and LPs that serve the purpose. And, once
again, what is your purpose?
Personalised
Learning and Executive Function
- What
is this term, why is it being so widely used and does it have a precise meaning?
- Data
for evidence-based planning
- Assessment
foir learning
- Contextualising
metacognition
- Thinking
styles for teachers as well as learners (matching input to process to outcomes)
- Executive
functioning - why it matters and how to increase it. Includes ideas from a new
concept map developed by educational psychologists that helps teachers to understand
negative reactions and plan for a positive response.
- Includes
one year's licence for web-based diagnostic materials produced by the personalised
learning forum
Dynamic
Differentiation
- What
does it mean for your vocational areas?
- What
principles inform the process?
- What
kinds of difference matter and why?
- How
can they be allowed for?
- Exercises
and examples in making material more inclusive
-
Presenting the same idea by different means
Making
Tutorials Make a Difference, Cost-effectively
Effective
tutorials are the means by which students adopt responsibility for their own learning,
accept targets and remove obstacles to retention and achievement. With limited
time available, how do you:
- Monitor
the transition stage?
- Unify
the FE experience?
- Motivate
the disaffected?
- Set
and track targets?
- Interpret
and use information from schools?
- Liaise
with support services?
- How
can subject teachers act effectively as tutors?
- What
sort of material and training works best in your context?
- Does
motivational interviewing work?
Making
Information Accessible and Manageable at Every Level
Teachers
used to level 3 classes often struggle with levels 2 and 1, and more so with 14-16
year olds. It is difficult to make new concepts available at an appropriate level
and more difficult to encourage appropriate written responses from them. What
can be done to find the right level and help students to rise to it?
- Judging
levels and adjusting for them - reading ease, reading age and barroiers to comprehension
- Making
information multi-sensory
- Advanced
organisers, scaffolding and writing frames
- Plagiarism
and project management - teaching students how to manage and apply information
Managing
Behaviour, including Diet and Behaviour (ECM)
- Are
behavioural problems increasing, and if so why?
- What
procedures, techniques and staff training are appropriate for new cohorts?
- Whole-college
planning to manage the root causes?
- What
can FE learn from research into diet, behaviour and learning?
- Under
ECM, what practical steps can be taken to improve learning and gather evidence
at the same time?
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
What sort of equality is possible in a college?
(What do you think we are talking about when we talk about Equality and Diversity?? Why? Is anything excluded)
What aspects of a college might be dysfunctional and/or manageable in this context?
(What elements of a college experience/admin system affect what elements of our problem? How many can you actually control?)
How do you prioritise and monitor progress?
(What information do you need/have. How is it obtained and applied? How reliable is it?)
FET&C
offers a package that can raise issues, encourage reflection and develop skills
through various forms of self-expression that make CPD more dynamic. If you want something different, we can start with a plenary that looks at statistical
and pedagogical issues then offer a choice of drumming, singing, dance, weaving,
mass making (creating carnival costume) poetry and drama-based workshops as active ways to explore the issues. Adaptable for small groups or large contingents.
**
The
standard charge for most options is £400 per day, plus travel and/or accommodation
if appropriate - less than sending two people to a centralised course.
Most programmes can last all day or be shortened and repeated for different groups
throughout the day.
To
discuss locally-based training, please email info@bpfe.org.uk
or
telephone 01903 529084
