Practically perfect: the pursuit of teaching excellence in the Learning and Skills sector

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Practically perfect the pursuit of teaching
excellence in the Learning and Skills sector

• Ann-Marie Bathmaker, UWE Bristol
• SWitch Conference 4 November 2008

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Constructions of excellent and outstanding
practice in the Learning and Skills sector the
case of HE in FE
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Overview

• The context
• Some key players
• Defining outstanding and excellent practice
• The implications for teaching and the training of
  teachers in the Learning and Skills Sector

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The pursuit of excellence

• Identification and dissemination of good
  practice have been part of the UK governments
  strategy for improving education and training for
  a considerable time
• The pursuit of excellence is more recent
• But excellence is not enough

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Excellence is not enough

• Excellent Of the highest or finest quality
  exceptionally good of its kind
• http//www.thefreedictionary.com/
• Excellent of the highest quality
• http//www.wordreference.com/
• Outstanding Superior to others of its kind
  http//www.thefreedictionary.com/
• Outstanding distinguished from others in
  excellence http//www.wordreference.com/

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Excellence for all outstanding for the few

• Excellent practice might be possible for many to
  achieve viz QAA subject review scores of HE
  teaching and learning provision
• Outstanding practice suggests individuals/individu
  al institutions that stand out from the rest

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Who decides? When? Using what criteria?
Mary Poppins Practically perfect
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The context

• Widening participation in HE, in FE, in lifelong
  learning?
• Osborne and Gallacher (2007) attempts to
  increase flexibility in HE provision challenge
  constructions of what constitutes knowledge at
  Higher Education level and the means by which
  knowledge can be acquired and demonstrated.
  (Osborne and Gallacher, 2007, p.7)
• Chris Duke (2005) arguesHow far should we
  stretch the notion of university? What is
  essentially higher about higher education? Should
  we better concentrate on the notion of
  lifelong, enhancing access and approaching
  universal participation in societys
  cultural-intellectual goods? (Duke, 2005, p.1)

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The context

• HE in FE an increasingly recognised role with a
  growing power base The Mixed Economy
  Group(Foundation) Degree Awarding powers

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What is HE in FE?

• Is it always distinctive?
• Is it always work-based and/or occupationally
  oriented?
• Is it for widening participation students?
• Is it for non-traditional students?
• Is it for lower achieving students?
• And what are the implications for teaching
  excellence?

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Some key players in defining excellence in FE/LS
and HE

• Ofsted
• Quality Assurance Agency
• Higher Education Academy
• Institute for Learning
• Centres of Excellence
• LSC and HEFCE Student surveys

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Ofsted

• Inspects teacher training provision in the
  Learning and Skills sector
• Has introduced grading criteria, which include
  grading for the observation of teaching, with
  grades of outstanding, satisfactory, good,
  inadequate

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Ofsteds criteria for outstanding (1)

• ensure that all learners make progress so that
  they fully achieve the challenging intended
  learning outcomes
• teach learners to be able to explain how the
  teaching helped them to make progress
• teach lessons that invariably capture the
  interest of learners, are inclusive of all
  learners, and feature debate between learners and
  between learners and the teacher
• have a rapport with learners high-quality
  dialogue and questioning, guiding learning, with
  attention to individuals and groups
• monitor learners progress to evaluate quickly
  how well they are learning so that they can
  change the approach during the lesson if
  necessary, and provide detailed feedback and
  targets to individual learners that are focused
  well to ensure further progress

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Ofsteds criteria for outstanding (2)

• demonstrate the ability to apply their own depth
  of subject knowledge to support learners in
  acquiring understanding and skills, often showing
  understanding, through application of a range of
  different approaches to ensure that all learners
  make the expected progress
• demonstrate flexibility and adaptability by
  changing pace, approach and teaching method in a
  lesson in response to what learners say and do
• make links with other aspects of learners
  development and understanding (for example,
  linking to work in other subjects)
• fully exploit possibilities to promote learners
  understanding and appreciation of social and
  cultural diversity.

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Quality Assurance Agency

• Inspects HE in FE provision
• Does not define excellent or outstanding
  practice
• Sets benchmarks, and reviews standards and
  quality, and expresses confidence or not in
  provision

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The Higher Education Academy

• membership organisation for HE lecturers
• The HEA has a National Teaching Fellowship Award
  which defines excellenceIndividual
  excellence evidence of promoting and enhancing
  the student learning experience.For example by
  arousing curiosity to stimulate and inspire
  learning, organising and presenting resources
  cogently and imaginatively, recognising and
  supporting diversity of student learning needs,
  drawing upon the results of relevant research,
  scholarship and professional practice, engaging
  with and contributing to the established
  literature or the nominees own evidence base.

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The Institute for Learning

• membership organisation for FE teachers
• The IfL has a STAR awardThe QIA STAR Awards
  recognise and reward the work of those
  individuals who have made an outstanding
  contribution to the quality of teaching and
  learning that millions of people receive in
  England every day. These hidden STARs, in their
  many varied roles, are the unsung heroes who make
  a real difference to their organisations and make
  the further education system so vibrant. The
  awards are one of a number of programmes and
  services managed by the Quality Improvement
  Agency (QIA), which seek to recognise and promote
  excellence in the further education system.
• (The QIA defines excellence by referring to
  Ofsted)

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HEFCE CETLs

• 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and
  Learning established in 2005
• The Centres for Excellence in Teaching and
  Learning (CETL) initiative has two main aims to
  reward excellent teaching practice, and to
  further invest in that practice so that CETLs
  funding delivers substantial benefits to
  students, teachers and institutions.
• http//www.hefce.ac.uk/Learning/TInits/cetl/

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HEA subject centres

• 24 Subject Centres, which include HE in FE
  sub-sections. They are intended to enhance the
  student learning experienceThe Academy's mission
  is to help institutions, discipline groups and
  all staff to provide the best possible learning
  experience for their students.
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/institutions/h
  einfe

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Student surveys

• HEFCE National Student Survey
• LSC National Learner Satisfaction Survey

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Some issues raised in the literature

• All HE teaching cannot be judged in the same way
• the impact of disciplinary differences
• the ways in which work cultures influence and
  impact on learning
• Different pedagogies, for example e-learning
  pedagogies, inquiry-based learning(Savin-Baden
  et al, 2008)

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Issues raised in the literature

• All HE students are not the sameFor example
• mature students appreciate andragogical
  approaches, involving more practical, free and
  independent learning with well-developed learning
  materials, while young students prefer
  pedagogical approaches, with human contact,
  communication with teachers, friends and fellow
  students, both within the classroom setting and
  out of class.(Yoshimoto, Inenaga and Yamada,
  2007)

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Issues raised in the literature

• WP may change what teaching and learning
  approaches are neededStudents may increasingly
  need
• the provision of clear learning outcomes
• the ready availability of lecture notes
• pedagogic guidance through workshops, tutorial
  support or handouts
• routes to additional support that bypass tutors
  and lecturers and enable students to raise their
  concerns in confidence
• clear feedback on submitted work (Watts, Bridges
  and Eames, 2008, p.iii)

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Issues raised in the literature

• Asking students about the quality of teaching
• criteria for best practice are no longer being
  driven by the dictates of the intellectual field,
  but by the degree of client satisfaction.
  (Morley, 2003, p.89)
• Edutainment Keeping students happy and in a
  comfort zoneLouise Morley argues that although
  students are being asked about the quality of
  teaching, they are reconstructed as consumers, in
  a way that encourages them to look for
  satisfaction, but not necessarily for
  intellectual challenge.

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Implications for teaching and the training of
teachers in the L S Sector

• Who defines what counts as good, excellent
  and outstanding practice?
• How do WE define what we understand as good and
  excellent practice?
• How do we address and debate the different needs
  and contexts across the sector?

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Not forgetting

• The need for situated understandings of practice
• The need to embrace and cope with difference,
  diversity and contestation
• The impact of change and new initiatives on the
  development of good and excellent practices

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Mary Poppins Transgression for perfection
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Ann-Marie Bathmaker Ann-Marie.Bathmaker_at_uwe.ac.uk
brilleBristol Centre for Research in Education
and Lifelong Learning