Sharing Innovative Approaches to Delivering Study Programme Principles: English and mathematics

Transcription

1 Sharing Innovative Approaches to Delivering Study Programme Principles: English and mathematics Preface In March 2011 Professor Alison Wolf, of King s College, University of London, carried out an independent review of vocational education and how it could be improved for 14 to 19 year olds. The report included recommendations for successful progression into the labour market and higher level education and training. One of the key recommendations set out in Professor Wolf s report was that all year olds should undertake well thought-out programmes of study which do not limit their options for future study or work. The Study Programmes reform is, therefore, intended to ensure that every post-16 provider offers coherent Study Programmes with breadth and depth that allow students to successfully progress into skilled employment or higher education. The new Programmes were introduced from September Providers of education and training to year olds are now aware of the new delivery requirements and funding methodologies for the academic and contract year as well as the related introduction of the Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) Study Programme Principles The new Study Programme offer is designed to be flexible and to allow providers to determine what is best for each individual student, supported by a new funding system which is student-led rather than qualifications driven. Thus no single model is seen as correct although all providers should ensure that they meet the broad Study Programmes principles as well as the needs of their students. The aim is for year olds to study coherent, well thought-out Programmes which offer them breadth and depth and do not limit their future options. Programmes should include a mix of qualification-led and nonqualification activity, tailored to students prior attainment and career goals. The Department for Education (DfE) would expect Study Programmes to include substantial qualifications (which can be GCSE A levels or larger vocational qualifications) or, where appropriate, a traineeship, or an extended period of work experience and employability preparation. Study programmes should also include non-qualification activity, such as tutorials or work experience, relevant to the programme goals. Students who fail to achieve a grade A*-C GCSE in Mathematics and English by age 16 will also continue to work towards achieving these qualifications as part of their Study Programme. 1 P age

2 The Funding of Study Programmes To support the introduction of these study programmes, funding is allocated per student rather than per qualification thus providing more freedom to design educational Programmes that meet student needs and removing the perverse incentives in the previous system to pile up small qualifications, some of which may be of little value to students. Funding is adjusted for retention, disadvantage, Programme costs and area costs. Acknowledgements and background to the paper Our thanks go to colleagues at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) for their support as well as to the staff, students and trainees at Barking and Dagenham College, Skills Solutions, part of the Economic Solutions Group, and Westminster Kingsway College. Representatives from each of the organisations participated in a seminar at the Institute of Education, University of London, in January 2014, as well as providing case studies of their work in the delivery of English and mathematics on Study Programmes. Three case studies of innovative practice can be found at the end of this paper. The related film can be found at: Click here for the film. Our thanks also go to Evans Woolf Media for the production of the film. 2 P age

3 English and mathematics as part of Study Programmes Taking a whole-curriculum approach Many providers of Study Programmes - Further Education (FE) colleges, Independent Training Providers (ITPs) as well as Sixth Form Colleges and schools - have taken the opportunity to provide whole-curriculum and whole-organisation approaches to the teaching, learning and formative assessment of learners skills in English and mathematics. Skills in these subjects are valued across all curriculum experiences, those focused on success in academic, vocational and applied qualifications as well as those required for work placements and other enrichment and progression activities. Crucial to taking a wholecurriculum approach, which values English and mathematics skills in various contexts, is ensuring that teachers and those who support learning have the knowledge and skills to design motivating and effective learning experiences and to provide appropriate feedback to learners on the application of mathematics and English across the curriculum. Many providers have found it necessary to invest in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for their staff in order to develop their own English and mathematics skills, particularly where they may be teaching a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in this subject for the first time. Some Centres have designated certain members of staff as English and mathematics ambassadors and use them to motivate staff and students alike. Involving all staff Involving all staff in the delivery and formative assessment of these skills represents an embedded approach to skills development, although in all of the following case studies discrete delivery by English and mathematics specialists is also always a key part of provision. Whether offering discrete or embedded approaches, all of the providers reported that they work to build their learners engagement and motivation through using materials that are relevant to their futures and carefully tailored to their stage of learning. Initial assessment and careful programme planning are both important in ensuring appropriate personalisation of the curriculum. Making use of a variety of learning contexts to enhance motivation Both colleges and independent training providers stressed the importance of taking every opportunity for young people to learn in varied and stimulating settings. Employers are often reported in the popular press as having concerns about the lack of English and mathematical skills that young people bring to the work place. Using work experience to reinforce the importance and value of these skills, as well as providing an opportunity to use these skills in a real work setting, helps to build learners motivation and engagement with the subjects. Other approaches include the use of stimulating environments and resources, such as specially designed Science and Technology centres or Employment Hubs. Enterprise centres and Entrepreneurial Clubs have been developed where learners engage in a range of activities for which the effective use of English and mathematics is essential. Partnership-working The building of effective partnerships is common to all innovations related to the building of English and mathematics skills post-16. These partnerships are both external and internal to the college and providers. Reference has already been made to the importance of drawing on the motivations of employers during work experience to value English and mathematics as well as to the building of staff skills in English and mathematics through opportunities for CPD. Internal partnerships involving specialist English and mathematics staff working together with academic subject and vocational sector teaching staff to identify curriculum 3 P age

4 time for developing learners skills in English and mathematics is a key feature of successful and effective teaching and learning in this field. Re-writing and revisiting schemes of work and lesson planning has been an important activity in some centres in preparing for Study Programmes. These new schemes of work not only pave the way to embedding English and mathematical skills, they are also revisited when preparing to support learners to succeed with a Grade C or above in the English or Mathematics GCSE. The skills and knowledge required for success in the GCSEs are different from those required to be successful in Functional Skills qualifications. Working with other providers and learning from good practice elsewhere is an essential way of enthusing staff and students, as well as a cost-effective method of not constantly reinventing the wheel. Initial assessment and carefully tailored learning The importance of success in the relevant GCSEs has been a focus for all providers. The careful assessment of learners needs, personalisation of their programmes and an ability to differentiate learning experiences are key to ensuring success by age 19. Initial assessment and previous achievements provide centres with the data needed to build appropriate programmes for individuals and groups of learners. The use of bridging or stepping stone qualifications, including Functional Skills, prior to a learner s entry to a GCSE helps build confidence and track progress towards success rather than reinforcing failure. Using technology and social media Using technology and social media not only for teaching and learning but also for assessment and feedback have been reported as important tools for underpinning skills development and for building confidence and engagement. Young people identify with both the media and technology in their everyday lives and many use it to real effect in building and testing out their skills. It s everyone s responsibility In all successful approaches to developing learners skills in English and mathematics schools, colleges, independent providers and other senior leaders, managers and their staff all agree that developing these skills is everyone s responsibility. It is not just down to the efforts of English and mathematics specialists that our young people succeed. The following case studies provide further details and examples of how others have approached English and mathematics development and should be read in conjunction with watching and listening to the related film which can be found at: Click here for the film. 4 P age

5 16-19 Study Programmes Case Study Barking and Dagenham Focus on English and mathematics Name of Contact Person: Lesley Graham address: Telephone number: Ex 7153 Brief Overview of the organisation Barking and Dagenham College (BDC) is a large general Further Education (FE) College situated on the eastern boundary of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, approximately 11 miles east of central London. It caters for students of all ages from 14 upwards. Unemployment in the area is high with one out of every eight people actively seeking employment or training, making it the fourth highest in London. The proportion of students attaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, on entry to the College is below the average for similar colleges. Entry to Higher Education (HE) in the area is lower than the national average. About 19% of residents have no formal qualifications and, since the closure of the larger manufacturing industries, the majority of firms, at least 82%, are small to medium, employing 10 people or less. In , the College had 3,589 full time students and 9,219 part time students, a total of 12,805 students. Of these, 10,629 were learner responsive students, 3,160 were aged year and 7,469 were 19+. Other groups and funding streams included: year olds, 261 Work Place Learners, 576 Apprentices, 280 HEFCE funded students and 1,399 full fee paying students. 43% of students were recruited from minority ethnic groups. 36% of year olds were female and 64% were male. 512 received support for a learning difficulty and/or disability. The College s annual turnover for 2012/13 was 33 million. 49% of funding was derived from the EFA, 34% from the Skills Funding Agency and the remainder from HE courses, school and students fees income. Approximately 13% of the College s income was generated by thirteen sub-contracted partners most of whom are based in East London. 5 P age

6 BDC was inspected by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in April 2013 and Graded Outstanding for Leadership and Management and Good for Outcomes for Learners, Teaching Learning and Assessment and Overall Effectiveness. What Barking and Dagenham College set out to do and why The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, where most of the college s learners come from, is on record as the 8th most socially and economically deprived Borough in London, 4th lowest in England for literacy and 2nd lowest in England in numeracy (see Many of these young learners are among those whom Professor Alison Wolf describes as... in and out of education and short-term employment, churning between the two in an attempt to find courses that offer real chance for progress or a permanent job (Wolf, A, Review of Vocation al Education: The Wolf Report, Department for Education, pdf). Even though one of the college s priority is to enable learners to develop and improve their skills in mathematics and English, getting them to attend or to engage with these subjects has been a significant challenge for the college. When asked their reasons for not attending or engaging in lessons, learners complained that most of their mathematics and English lessons were boring, irrelevant and too much like school and unfortunately, the college concluded, some of these observations were true! Consequently, a whole-college approach to improving the delivery of English and mathematics was put in place and the mathematics and English teams made the decision, backed by the college s management, to review the delivery and make necessary changes. Innovation, practice and outcomes The biggest change to the practice of delivering English and mathematics was the revamping of the college s schemes of work (SoW) to ensure that they were robust enough to support and engage learners. The English and mathematics teaching staff agreed, as a team, that changes needed to be made so as to include activities and develop resources that were exciting, engaging and relevant to the experiences of all of their learners, reflecting issues that these learners would encounter in their life and work. Three particular innovations are discussed below. Engaging learners in the classroom The college has begun to proactively use familiar and fashionable technology in the classroom. Instead of the constant battle to get learners off their mobile phones, tutors are being more innovative with using tools learners won t part with as part of the resources. Students love it according to the students themselves... using my mobile phone is good as it enables me to look up things quickly and check things like spelling. Two examples of using this technology are illustrated below, firstly through Google Tools, and secondly through Twitter and Prezi. Google Tools The Google tools drive, account and search engine are easy to access and are free. 6 P age

7 Learners recognise the symbols anywhere and know they can use them anywhere in the world. Every learner who has enrolled at the college gets put on the Google account so that they can have access to the different Google tools. These tools are not just exciting to use in the delivery of mathematics and English, they also have the following particular strengths. They encourage collaboration as learners are able to share ideas, work in groups and carry out peer assessments. Tutors are also able to give immediate feedback to learners during the lesson. The tools are great tracking devices as tutors get notices when learners access documents on the drive. When asked what they thought about using the Google apps, this was one learner s feedback, When I am working on Google Drive, my teacher is able to make suggestions whilst I am working, and give advice on how I could improve, this saves me going off in the wrong direction and makes sure my work is good and I can also work with my friends on the same piece of work which is really helpful. The tools can be accessed anywhere and on a variety of devices which means learners don t have to sit in front of the computer to do or submit their homework or carry out a research project. Sometimes I like to work on my own away from the noisy classroom, I can also do it at home or anywhere I want. These tools give learners the freedom to learn on their own, for example using the Google search engine, as they are able to find out answers to any questions they have, sometimes by reading the questions out instead of typing them on the search engine. Twitter & Prezi As with Google these tools are used to engage learners both inside and outside of the classroom. They allow for group participation and immediate feedback and also make it easy for both learners and tutors to receive or provide feedback respectively. Accessibility and independent distance learning also make these tools attractive to learners. Although the use of these tools is introduced in classes, the college encourages cross-curricular participation and for many learners, the thought of getting feedback from other learners across or outside of the country, such as employers or industry experts, challenges them to want to put in their best efforts. A source of significant challenge! Using college partners as resources Defined loosely, the college s partners include other colleagues, employers, professional bodies or external speakers. For instance, the college uses materials from the Barclays Money week as part of the resources adopted during that week; they invite a member of Barclays staff in to the college to provide a lecture on careers in the banking industry. They ensure that such talks highlight the importance of mathematics and English skills in real life. Such sessions are then further developed and used in the college s mathematics and English sessions. For example, the English tutor might decide that the students will do a presentation on Responsible Banking or the mathematics tutor decides to look at percentages by looking at the pros and cons of credit cards and loans. Using resources from professional bodies such as CITB and JTL helps learners to identify links between their courses and their future careers. However, the college does not just use the professional bodies physical resources, they also invite speakers from these organisations to talk to learners about how being members of these professional bodies can enhance job opportunities and then use these talks to promote the importance of developing their mathematics and English skills in preparation for the appropriate professional 7 P age

8 examinations. Working collaboratively with colleagues, staff tap into events and projects or use their areas of expertise as opportunities and resources to develop all learners. As an example the mathematics and English teams invite the college s Human Resources staff into sessions on Curriculum Vitae writing and developing interview skills; colleagues and students from the Entrepreneurial Club are invited in to discuss issues such as planning your own business and work on vocational projects. This is done so that learners approach English and mathematics where the mathematics and English naturally occur. Using stimulating environments to apply mathematics and English in context The college has invested significantly in its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre and what it calls the POD and the college is taking good advantage of both resources. The STEM Centre provides opportunities for different learning activities of which many have mathematics and English embedded within them, which allows for mathematics and English tutors to work collaboratively when delivering sessions in the STEM centre. Mathematics and English staff members also work with the STEM Centre staff to agree how they could use these activities to deliver or help their learners apply skills that they have learnt in the classroom. Many of these activities allow the embedding of English and mathematics skills in the same lesson, which provides a significant advantage to mathematics and English teaching staff. As noted by one student, I like the way we see English and Maths in our own courses, it makes sense to help us in both lessons and I feel I have learnt a lot more this way the STEM Centre is also a brilliant place to come to learn new skills, much more exciting than a classroom. Apart from these activities, English and mathematics teachers also use the rooms and physical resources in the STEM centre to plan and deliver their own lessons. The POD is designed as a centre where future entrepreneurs can do their blue-sky thinking as they plan to launch out into the world of business. Mathematics and English teachers work with vocational staff to tap into the projects that are being designed by the learners, taking advantage of those areas where they could naturally embed mathematics and English. Mathematics and English teachers make themselves available to help learners proof read their business plans; discuss their budgeting skills; help them to prepare their presentations and give them feedback on presentation skills and get them to appreciate the importance of shapes in their design and of getting their ratios, areas, volumes etc. right when opening a shop or designing a space. Next steps for Barking and Dagenham College Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for tutors to improve confidence and skills in using these new initiatives Recruit more ambassadors who will support other colleagues who are struggling with the buy-in to these innovations Increase partner base consider possible collaboration with mathematics and English colleagues outside of the college Continue to revise SoW / resources / activities Continue to strengthen collaborating with current partners 8 P age

9 Key learning points Challenges Innovations are usually seen as the excuse to introduce more work or force people to leave their comfort zone and so, the biggest challenge has been getting a buy- in from all mathematics and English teaching staff. The innovations also require resources to be free and available when needed. This means booking spaces, computers (or appropriate gadgets ) and people very early on to ensure availability. Unfortunately, this hasn t always been the case as staff either forget to book resources or these resources might become unavailable when needed for, sometimes, very valid reasons. Successes Tutors who have tried these innovations have found that learners are more engaged in lessons and are sharing what s happening in their lessons with their friends. Learners are participating in group tasks and doing work outside the classroom Tutors are becoming less stressed about what to do with learners and their mobile phones! The desire to share and use new/ good ideas and resources has increased within the team- staff are becoming more adventurous and daring Opportunities are being created through partners for learners to learn about the importance of mathematics and English in the real world and to think about how to get on the career ladder. More CPD opportunities for staff are being identified and utilised. Mathematics and English tutors are being more proactive in building partnerships A more rewarding and exciting learning experience for learners and tutors has been created 9 P age

10 16-19 Study Programmes Case Study Focus on English and mathematics Name or Organisation: Skills Solutions Name of Contact Person: Alan Benvie address: Telephone number: Brief Overview of the organisation Skills Solutions is part of the Economic Solutions Group of not-for-profit economic development service delivery companies. Skills Solutions delivers skills training, employment and recruitment services to businesses and individuals across Greater Manchester and throughout the UK. One of the largest Apprenticeship providers in the North West, Skills Solutions programmes range from foundation level to HE degrees. Skills Solutions Study Programme provision is delivered from 11 Training Centres and Skill Centres across Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Historically over 50% of their learners have come from lower super output areas that are in the top 10% of the most disadvantaged in the country. Over half their learners join Skills Solutions without any nationally recognised qualifications and over two thirds of the organisation s young people join with mathematics and English abilities at or below Entry Level 3. What Skills Solutions set out to do and why Skills Solutions had previously delivered Functional Skills as an integral part of their Foundation Learning curriculum. However, they decided that, despite significant concerns that the GCSE s current specification would be inappropriate for most of their learners, they would provide the option of working towards English and mathematics GCSEs. This has involved meeting some important staff development needs that the organisation is still working through. In addition to the delivery of the GCSE, Skills Solutions have also aimed to 10 P age

11 further develop their approaches to both the discrete and embedded delivery of English and mathematics. Innovation, practice and outcomes All tutors are involved in the delivery of mathematics and English across all areas of the curriculum, whether or not the declared delivery model is embedded or discrete. This includes the development of these skills within work placements. All tutors are involved in monitoring the development of mathematics and English for their case load of students, which they undertake as a Personal Tutor or as a student s Key Worker. Areas for development are identified at case conferences and at subsequent reviews, which include placement reviews. Skills Solutions aim is to provide a cohesive approach from original interview through to the learners progression. At interview, including an initial assessment, the appropriate route for continuing to build learners skill in English and mathematics is identified. This could be Functional Skills (from Entry Level 3 to Level 2); GCSEs (re-sits or first timers); booster/top up classes (in line with the student s progression aim). Mathematics and English specialists are attached to each Training Centre and they work alongside vocational tutors and other key members of staff plus partners. Skills Solutions have lead Internal Quality Assurers (IQAs) for mathematics & English who facilitate very frequent cross-company standardisation and sharing good practice events. Staff development is not ring fenced for subject specialists, up-skilling opportunities exist for all tutors (either for embedding maths & English and/or for improving own personal standards). Next steps for Skills Solutions Engaging with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) Programme Increasing the delivery of GCSEs to learners Key learning points Challenges Investment in time and effort to establish new resources Moving from an exclusively roll-on roll off programme with daily starts to cohort starts Staff development, particularly in mathematics Successes It is too early to quantify this year s achievement rates however recent learner feedback, particularly from the GCSE classes, is extremely positive. This is significant in light of past experience with Skills Solutions traditional client group. Students undertaking Functional Skills are also benefitting from some crossover of sessions. 11 P age

12 16-19 Study Programmes Case Study Westminster Kingsway College Focus on English and mathematics Name of Contact Person: Kim Caplin address: Telephone number: Brief Overview of the organisation Westminster Kingsway College offers a wide range of full-time and part-time courses giving students the opportunity to gain vocational, professional and academic qualifications at different levels. The College is one of the largest in central London with centres in Camden and Westminster. It has about 15,000 students across all age ranges. The college offers learners aged programmes across academic and vocational areas specialising in Culinary Arts and the Creative and Service sectors. In there were 2, learners of which 2,400 were on full-time programmes. Learners are recruited across all London boroughs. The proportion of learners from black minority ethnic groups in was 79% and the gender split is 52% female to 48% male. Westminster Kingsway College was graded Good (2) at its last Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) inspection in February It has strong partnership links with local authorities and with other stakeholders, including employers. What Westminster Kingsway College set out to do and why The Study Programmes initiative has meant that the College has needed to completely overhaul the offer of English and mathematics to its learners. Prior to 2013 the college had not offered GCSE to learners, preferring to offer Functional Skills, and prior to that Key Skills. In preparation for the current academic year, , Westminster Kingsway College trained a number of staff that had experience of teaching English as a 12 P age

13 Second Language (ESOL), or Functional Skills to be able to teach and meet the learning needs and requirements of the English GCSE specification. In the college has offered the GCSE only to those students who had previously obtained a GCSE in the subject at Grade D. Those learners who had not achieved a GCSE Grade D were managed differently according to their programme. Learners on Entry Level; Level 1 and Level 2 courses have been offered Functional Skills at the appropriate level. It was felt by staff and management that this was appropriate as the students are only on a one-year course and need to have achieved qualifications in English and mathematics for their next steps. This is also the case for any year two learners on Level 3 programmes. For those in the first year of their Level 3 programmes, who had not already achieved a GCSE at Grade D, the college designed a Preparation for GCSE programme. The reasoning for offering a different course for those on the first year of a Level 3 programme was: Learners are largely preparing for university or higher-level employment and will require the GCSE prior to leaving although they are not yet ready to succeed. The reinforcement of failure at this stage would not be helpful to these learners. Functional Skills are generally not that helpful in preparing learners for GCSE. This is especially the case in mathematics, as there are no elements of trigonometry and algebra. The Preparation for GCSE course provides learners with the opportunity of maintaining and improving their skills in these subjects prior to preparing for success in the GCSE in the second year of their programme. Innovation, practice and outcomes The college has made the strategic decision not just to continue to provide for success in Functional Skills, but also to work on embedding and teaching the skills and knowledge necessary for Grade C or above success in GCSE English and mathematics. Staff who have had s experience of working on GCSE elsewhere were given the time to work on a scheme of learning with Functional Skills colleagues. In addition to writing a bespoke course, this also enabled further training for staff to help those wishing to teach GCSE in The learners have been told that they are being prepared for the GCSE exam in A modular approach has been identified with assessment opportunities occurring three times in the year. The modules contain both elements of Functional Skills and also the preparatory elements for GCSE. It is also planned to reassess students using the Initial Assessment tool to assess progress since the beginning of the year. Next steps for Westminster Kingsway College The college needs to complete the assessments to review progress and arrange guidance for the students progressing to the GCSE. A summer pre-gcse pack is to be written, and made available on Moodle, to support the students transition to the GCSE. 13 P age

14 OCR modular qualifications need to be identified to structure the course next year, allow for the condition of funding and continue to build on the work undertaken this year. To support this development the College also needs to continue to implement Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) policies across the vocational areas and embed and value through formative feedback on building skills in English and mathematics. Key learning points Challenges The challenges of implementing the English and mathematics policy and commitment at Westminster Kingsway College have been considerable. The college currently has too few staff that have the necessary skills to teach English and mathematics to secure learners success at Grade C or above in the GCSEs. Some students also see English and mathematics in a very negative light due to their past experience and there has been a need to ensure that new teaching and learning techniques are used. Some learners have specifically requested Functional Skills assessments and this has been facilitated. Successes The main successes from introducing the Preparation for GCSE programme are: The upskilling of staff in preparation for them to teach next year A more relevant course to prepare students for GCSEs A course that can encourage students to feel achievement rather than continue to take examinations which reinforce failure. 14 P age

15 Professor Ann Hodgson and David Smith Centre for Post 14 Education Research and Innovation Institute of Education University of London 20 Bedford Way London WC1H 0AL March P age