New blogging toy

I have an iPad to upload my blog entries to so I'll see if it enhances the experience of blogging!


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New job

I've changed jobs from Shrewsbury College to Herefordshire College of Technology. Still senior management but a whole new different perspective on my role! There are some fab people here! I'm learning that clear processes are also vital and I'm in the middle of clarifying and refining some of these for the faculty by working on a course tutors' administration handbook. Learned a lot today and yesterday about HCTs admissions and MIS processes ready to brief staff later.


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Values and mission

With teams, we're going through the draft values and mission. it is clear that everyone wants to embrace a common set of values, but they want it punchy.


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Fish

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Fish

Sing happy birthday to them.

"you don't have to be here, it's a choice"

"fish sticks" book.





ISBN: 9780340819807

Google 'fish'

All the post it's went in the 'choose attitude' column.

Staff across the board are saying morale is low. Economy. "you have to bolster people up". You LIG it? Don't trivialise it. Teachers have to be in the present as not to affect the students.

"every day is a gift"...

"Emotional drain when there are no funds is awful"

"teams are worried" - it's hard.





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Fish

Play - energy, committment, fun

Make their day - love your job and let it show. People want to join on if you're having fun.

Choose your attitude - do what you can to have a good time or not. Are you going to be happy or upset? Always laugh!

Be present - be aware of what the customers are saying. Just be decent and acknowledge.


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Safeguarding

External training. Points to note:

ISA
OFSTEDs view of training and ensure a robust and logical training plan!
Work with SSCB! OFSTED need to see this partnership



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MDP

Friday 29th January 2010. Working on the College's vision and mission. Not sure whether we managed it! All agreed that three things were important, including financial health, satisfaction and success.


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MDP Jan 8th 2010

This was great. Pete's messages rang true. Catch your team doing good stuff and congratulate them for it; be passionate about the important things too. Resonated. Also managing in your own way. Some of me team felt
unsettled by the semi-autonomous thing meaning that no management was taking place. I've encouraged mine to think strategically and set goals, but to ensure that the day to day stuff runs smoothly without micro managing. I can see one or two reacting to this comment in ways which may not be helpful and I'll have to be careful! I'll follow this up!
The tour of the Rowland suite!


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OFSTED and SAFEGUARDING

Common Inspection Framework

Safeguarding & E&D - have grades attached to them.


• Still a 4 point scale
• See page 4
• Greater focus on learning
• But other colleges haven't seen much of a difference
• Observers will drop in on lessons
• Common Inspection Framework for Further Education andSkills 2009
• NEW: P5 - KQ1 - 5 themes
• Outcomes for Learners
• Postcode analysis - transport issues and analysis about those with difficulties - Paula
• OUR differences in groups
• See page 11 for grade structure
• There will be a sector skills subject area needs
• ECM is now KQ1 -can bring everything down
• Safeguarding & ECM can bring everything down.
• Possibility of unannounced inspection - not always 2 - 3 weeks
• You need to let all users know about inspection
• Lead inspector will give web details to notify about S&Ws from us & students - i.e. Students can comment. Learner voice! We need the info first really (Len)
• Changes - teachers get grade. PROPER FULL OBSERVATION - but not a sample.
• Feedback to learner reps too -will require reps!
• Strong emphasis on Learner Voice
• E.g. Student advocate system to assess what's happening in the college. Improvements on T&L has been good.

• Safeguarding & E&D:
• FEEL SAFE - do students FEEL safe?
• Level 2 localboard = outstanding Good would be 'planned for'
• Online process OFSTED did
• Safety demonstrated in all aspects of work
• Embedded at curriculum level... Not just ME!
• Pregnancy student? Illness? Kicked out of home? PERSONAL TUTORING
• Links to Social Services
• Have students got a 'welfare' officer if they're not happy
• Student liasion officer
• Welfare / security officer
• E&D how are providers narrowing any achievement gap? Identification then action - long journeys in
• Discrimination
• How do we promote E+D
• How do we manage complaints
• Postcode analysis
• Recommendations are needed

Photo1295

In this activity, we had to make an egg protector using the materials provided, and by working as a team. We used minimal materials to do ours! The balloon, with the egg inside, was filled with water. It worked!

Photo1293

In this activity, we had materials to make a farm, and on each of the three farms, we had to ensure that 3 separate reservoirs delivered water to them, without leaks.... we WON! Not that I am in any way competitive!

TQM: 16th October 2009

Run by Clive Alderson; I like this man's delivery. He makes a lot of sense to me. Here are the things that struck me from today's session:

• Remember that my student journey project will need to factor in any impending government changes / policy influences - I'll need to know what these are;
• There are a number of industry standard quality frameworks: EFQM, ISO 9000, Voice of the Customer (1980) that I'll need to look into;
• In terms of our brand, the college's brand is weak (my opinion). We're not clear about our mission and we don't celebrate and advertise success, both internally or externally well enough yet;
• FISH: That when we come to work, we choose our attitude (mood hoovers);
• That it's harder to be positive than it is to be negative due to the human condition;
• That sometimes negative brainstorming is easier to do than positive - e.g. "tell me all the things that make a bad brand" rather than the good version;
• Greg spoke about the customer's recommendation, and that we're growing our reputation in that way (viral) - whilst I agree that this is powerful, I felt that the comment was as an alternative to a branding initiative; I don't think that the two are mutually exclusive, and that one can inform the other;
• I liked the analogy of 'scatter gun' marketing as opposed to 'sniper' - meaning that selecting your audience to market to carefully is far more effective!
• I liked the notion of using EVERY route to promote good news stories, rather than tired, tried, tested ones;
• In terms of the 'cost of quality', Clive endorsed 'getting it right first time'. I struggled with this, as it contradicted my observations on 'bedding in' of a system or process - when something is new, there are bound to be mistakes due to the lack of familiarity. Take learning the piano for one, or touch typing. Repitition makes for perfection.... however, perhaps Clive is simply talking about processes rather than stuff that requires skill?
• Conveyance: means moving people about and is an element of waste. He endorsed the 'one stop shop' idea. Need to consider this as part of PID;

Walking the Walk...

Is cudos important as a manager?

I do believe that as a manager, response is more positive when you can demonstrate that you've 'walked the walk'. I have taught for 12 years; 5 of these have been non-teaching management work.

Should managers teach? Yes, I do believe that they should.

I taught in Art and design and feel that it's important to show students that I can 'walk the walk' in terms of teaching too... whilst I believe that teaching is about teaching to learn, the response is SO much more positive when one can show that they've walked the walk too...

It's been so long since I've done any of my own work and I really need to find the time to do so again. Here is an example of the relief printmaking that I used to do (more to come; lots in the loft) and I really feel I ought to do more. Never one for suicide prints (where you do a run of base colour, then cut into it and layer the next colour, so on and so forth), if I ever used colour, I made multiple prints and registered in the most careful way. However, if there were little bits of uneven line-up, I liked it. It added to the quality as far as I was concerned. Now, I'll need to get back into this...

Understanding LSC Funding - March 2009

2 hours

To be honest, the matter of funding has always been difficult. The LSC doesn't always seem to know what 'the rules' are, and to some extent, getting the best deal from the LSC is determined by who you know and experiences in the past of your local branch!

However, when Len delivers CPD, he makes it sound 'logical'. He is good at taking a complex issue and making it make sense.

During Len's session, he spoke about SLNs - I can't say that I've committed this to memory, but know of the SLNs existance. Given that SLNs are capped, it does mean that some courses are more expensive or hours rich to run than they'll get money for, and this 'capping' seems to admit that. It's also a connundrum to me that there is a 'provider factor'. This would seem to be ensuring that poor performers are eliminated (since they cannot stay in business), however, the criteria aren't fair. And to improve, there are often resource needs.

I'm even more confused by the different branches of government funding different things.... ARGHHHH!

It is very useful to have the context and mechanisms by which to work out funding, however, as I've said above, it does take someone with a deep knowledge of the people in the local LSC, the history and relationship with the college and the local 'quirks' plus an understanding of the history in order to 'pull the strings' in favour of the college.

International EV training - September 19th 2009

This was the task that was set...

You'll need to click on the picture and rotate it clockwise...

http://www.edexcel.com/international/Pages/home.aspx

As a result of training, here are my answers:

Task 1:
If I was faced with this scenario, I'd talk to all the staff in a positive and friendly manner about my role as an IEV and the plans that I had for the day. This way, I could reinforce my visit plan, fulfill their desire for a 'speech' and get the relationship off to a good start. At the end of the feedback session, I'd outline some key points about my role and what to expect the next time I visited. I’d state that whilst I was delighted to talk to them all about the role, I would benefit from a discussion about whether anything other than what was on the visit plan was possible or not next time, to ensure that my time is spent focussing on doing the IEV work, supporting the centre and giving them the best possible service.

Task 2:
To plan more effectively for this visit, it would be critical to improve communication prior to the visit. Being explicit about expectations for assessment practice and I.V. may have helped the centre to prevent their misunderstood process for work production, assessment and IV. This is a developing centre who will need a lot of clarification and support and clear communication is key. I'd have emailed (if possible) the Assessment Toolkit in advance. I'd have asked, during the initial communication (if possible) if the staff had had implementation training, or if they sent any assignments to Edexcel. That way, I'd know if they'd have had the basic information, or whether this centre was likely to be a challenging one. Getting information about past visits and any training already given would enable me to triangulate and form a judgement about whether the situation I would subsequently find myself in was 'can't do' or 'won't do'. Won't do is more easily addressed by explaining consequences of not following the protocol; won't do is much more challenging and the centre would be in need of a package of training and support in order to develop their practice.

Task 3:
My list of points to be discussed at the feedback session are as follows:

Clarification of registrations (this work will already have been done in the day, but during the feedback I'd clarify the situation).
The whole assessment planning process: I'd present the usual best practice cycle of assessment, from task setting to IV. Setting tasks which cover the units (assignment design), the generation of acceptable theory and evidence, how to assess the work (using the Assessment Toolkit), what IV is for, and how to ensure best practice would be explained. If the centre is easy to communicate with, they will already be identifying areas for their own development by comparing their practice with the exemplar version; thus making the 'bad news' more palatable. If however, they are challenging in terms of communication, I would need to set out what is expected throughout the whole cycle. In both cases, I'd set out what is required going forward. If possible, I'd use OSCA to show examples of assessed work, and point out why it is different to what they had been doing. I'd ensure that this was done in a positive manner, and try to ensure that I took the team here with me.
The students' evidence: I'd talk about types of evidence expected by Edexcel for assessment purposes; that it needs to show knowledge and understanding as well as competence - I'd make it clear that covering theory (e.g. just handouts) and internet printouts are not showing how the student is competent at applying that theory in practice. I'd refer the team to OSCA to ensure that they were clear about how 'competence' evidence can be captured in many different ways.


Task 4:
Areas of Good Practice:
Staff at Mid Asia College are extremely positive and supportive. Students feel well supported and staff are clearly committed to developing existing approaches to Edexcel work in order to achieve best practice in future.

Actions for the Centre:

(Not on QRF): What: Confirmation of visit plan to be received by IEV, to ensure that the centre is clear about the running order and activities for the day. When: 2 weeks in advance of visit. Who: Programme Manager

WHO: Centre Staff. WHAT: receive training on the assessment cycle, setting assignments, generating appropriate evidence, assessing and feeding back and IV in practice. WHEN: before next IEV visit

WHO: Centre Staff. WHAT: read Assessment Toolkit. Where there are areas needing further clarification, inform IEV for advice. WHEN: Within one month from visit.

WHO: Centre Staff. WHAT: write assignments which cover the criteria adequately, and which allow students to generate appropriate evidence of knowledge, understanding and competence for each unit covered. WHEN: 6 weeks before delivery.

WHO: Programme Manager. WHAT: Ensure that English on assignments is significantly improved. WHEN: 6 weeks before delivery.

WHO: IV. WHAT: verify assignments before students receive them checking that points 4 & 5 above are fulfilled. WHEN: 5 weeks before delivery.

WHO: Centre Staff. WHAT: review examples of assessed work for [this subject] on OSCA and note methods used. WHEN: Within one month of this visit.

WHO: IVs. WHAT: read guidance on IV process in order to understand how to check the competence of each assessor. WHEN: Within one month of this visit.

WHO: IVs. WHAT: During IV, produce a sample plan, which selects a sample of assessed student work from an assessor and the range of units that they have assessed. (This doesn't need to be all assessed work). WHEN: One week before the IV activity is to take place.

Reflection:

As a result of training, it is clear that this is a challenging role; working in an international centre will not be like working in the UK, where there are assumptions about understanding. For example, I was surprised to find out about the fact that lots of Chinese centres wish to convert grades to percentages, since grades mean nothing to them! Working diplomatically is key.

Foundation Learning Tier - 24th Septemer 2009

This was an Edexcel run event. Things I learned from this were:

• The word Tier is going to be dropped, so it'll be Foundation Learning.
• Workskills will be a big deal for Edexcel. They are a suite of units geared towards developing skills for work and I know that they're also pushing this internationally.
• They had little idea how the FL framework would work across awarding bodies.
• A certain percentage of units needs to be done at a certain level for that level to be awarded.
• The qual will be called 'vocational skills in...'
• Credits are 10 GLH
• Some units are one credit, others are more than one credit, so check
• 1-12 credits is an award
• 13-36 credits is a certificate
• 37+ credits is a diploma
• The NQF is morphing over to the QCF - the Qualification Credit Framework
• They DON'T have to do PSD, unless it's deemed appropriate. Same with Lit and num!
• It really is pick and mix, and I can't see how it'll work. Seems to be a logistical nightmare!

www.edexcel.com/fs

www.edexcel.com/workskills

Teacher Conference 2009 - Geoff Petty

The three resounding things that struck me with this day were as follows:

1. Visual Organisers. I have always maintained that visual organisers help (force) students to make sense of a complex topic. This may be because I am myself a visual thinker, or it could be as a result of my graphic design degree (erring on the information graphics side of things). Whatever it is, flowcharts, venn diagrams, same and different etc. all force students to make decisions in order to assimilate complex topics. I watch with interest those who err towards discursive texts - usually no conclusion is formed from these and it does not easily allow the reader to form an opinion or learn something new, until they themselves use a graphic organiser to make sense of what's going on. But perhaps this is something to do with our own learning styles?

2. Red Herrings. As a lead EV, I am often involved in training EVs to write clear and articulate reports. At Edexcel, I have a reputation for writing very good, concise reports. In order to do the training, we normally include 2 very good reports, 2 satisfactory (but could benefit from some 'tweaks') and 1 fairly grim one, and get the EVs to feedback. Clearly, they ALWAYS pick up on the poor reports - even when the originator is in the room! The red herring approach works well in this way. I used the same method for the PFD team, when training them to do IV.

3. Sarah and Sandra's approach to reflective practice. Again, linked to 2, above, getting students to scrutinise and feedback on other reflective journals, some good, some mediocre and some bad, will allow them to form a well seated view about what's good and what's bad. It is when a learner is faced with the 'blank sheet of paper' that the learning block can set in. Backing this up with Kolb's theory of learning was excellent, since what they found in terms of best practice had some credence!

Enginuity - Team Building Day - 11 Sept 2009

Management Development Programme - Enginuity

Report " Pride or Prejudice? College teachers' views on course performance"

REFLECTION

This document was given out at the training, and will prove to be a very powerful document for the PFD team. I was particularly interested in the finding on page 5, fifth bullet point, which states:

"Teachers of courses with high retention and achievement have a relatively negative view of 16-19 year old students' abilities, but make every effort to motivate, inspire and support them"

This was explained as this: regardless of the fact that students' abilities are declining (seemingly), good teachers recognise this, don't moan, but are proactive and adaptive to students' needs.

The aspects that we shall share with PFD are around team work. At present, there is a resistance to make time to work together (the evenings are the only free times) and this resistance could jeapordise the team from maturing in terms of shared schemes of work, quality etc. We will design an activity with the team which will get them to scrutinise the report and guage themselves against it.

Following lunch, we went into the Enginuity room; here are colleagues 'having a go':

Shadowing in Connecticut (blog import)

www.shadowinginconnecticut.blogspot.com