Feedback from providers

What might be the impact of our training on your own staff?

  • Click on the provider-drop down list to browse feedback by the providers.
  • Click on ‘Filter by session’ and then select a title from the drop-down list.

Please select a provider:

Please select a session:

Recruitment: increasing the impact

Hull College

  • Inspiring.
  • To imagine the ideal and then work out how it’s do-able.
  • Thought provoking.
  • Aspirational recruitment process.
  • Very good morning of CPD.
  • Light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Aim high, create experiences, be exciting!
  • “Bloody marvellous!”
  • Awakening.

Learning Issues and Solutions Database (The RED LISD)

Bolton College

  • Enlightened.
  • Able, aspirational, motivated, like being a new tutor again with a desire to problem solve.
  • A ray of sunlight peaking out of a cloud on a cold day.
  • Inspirational, thought-provoking.
  • Excited about possibilities, feel so many barriers before we can be outstanding though.
  • It was a river of knowledge, allowing my brain to flow with new ideas.
  • I was treated as a grown up, collaborative discussions, voice listened to.
  • Gyre-widening (see W. B. Yeats: The Second Coming).
  • It is fit for purpose, simple and efficient.
  • I love it. I would love to see it as an approach for OTLAs.
  • Easy to read, useful and will try in lessons.
    I like how it is structured and gives the teacher a step-by-step support.
  • Set-up really well. Easily accessible and easy to navigate.
  • It is quite clear and easy to follow. It supports you and takes you on a journey through the thinking and development process. The case studies were useful and the more the resource is populated with other cases the more useful it will become. Sharing is so important and especially between departments.
  • I like the colour coded headings and the clear structure, easy to follow and definitions helped me to decide what the actual problem/issue was. It helped to reflect on what my contribution to the issue might be but in a no blame way. Therefore easier to admit and discuss.
  • Clear, demanding a next step/decision/narrowing/focussing.
  • I think that the format of each section is clear and follows a process that allows you to think through the issue you have selected, and what could be the cause of the issue before exploring the strategies.
  • It encourages sharing of best practice within the organisation and both offers support to those with issues as well as offering praise and reward for those who are best serving their learners.
  • Great, lets us problem solve without being told one method and gives us the confidence to say that it can be solved.
  • Wonderful, collaborative and informed by practice.
  • To have the lessons seen and heard without prejudice is really refreshing. I have already included many ideas, from Tony feedback and his blogs and lesson.
  • It is good to look at learning issues in this way, methodically…seeing the problem and the reasons behind it helps to find a solution.
  • I like it and would use it. I like the links that take you through to further information.
  • Felt a little upset by the barriers that I found myself coming up against that I can usually mentally overcome in the moment/when filling out a form because of the demand of professionalism it suggested.
  • I like that the approach is a collaborative one, using real examples from across the college. I hope that it will inspire the college to further embrace cross departmental working to share ideas and strategies for learning. This will motivate staff to try new ideas, and be more comfortable with colleagues in their classroom without the fear of failure. I also like that it will be a working document for staff to add to so it can evolve.
  • My learning outcomes will never look the same again. I’ll be tapping into those attitudinal changes.
  • I think it has been extremely useful and has made a big difference to people’s attitudes. I have noticed that when Tony said he could solve how to make learners never be late again in submitting work to a deadline, many staff had a negative attitude and were quite defensive. This makes me see how the tutors need to be open minded as I know that’s how they want the learners to be. “Crossing the carpet”. Thank you for your lovely compliments of my session.
  • I love this approach. It’s teacher supportive and friendly.
  • Thank you very much for the session 🙂
  • Some really useful ideas. This got me thinking that there might be solutions. The college needs to be supportive in their implementation. At the moment it feels like we are being swamped with admin tasks and teaching and learning is taking second place.

Behaviour Management

Hull College

  • Highly educative
  • It will help me in my classroom management especially the attention war, over-contributor.
  • Dealing with over-contributors – set them a challenge, allow them to answer a more difficult question.
  • It was very interactive with lots of team/group discussion and popcorning of ideas.
  • Inspirational. Restores belief in outstanding teaching.
  • You’ve been fab, would love to learn more from you.
  • Forming, storming, norming, performing. Ideas from today can be implemented in class.
  • I will change my approach to sessions – for example: 1. Deal with over-contributors 2.
  • Transactional management.
  • I have learned simple techniques to understand and improve learner behaviour and productivity.
  • The interactive tools like Jamboard and handouts were amazing.
  • Transactional Analysis, Transitional Change, Active Listening – all fantastic!
  • Brilliant (Always!)
  • Looking at curriculum plan for adding excitement for challenging times. Continue to reflect on own practice.

Kendal College

  • The curtain was pushed back further to see possibilities for development.
  • Insightful, useful.
  • I am already using intuitive strategies and there are more I can learn.
  • Strategies to enable high-performing groups.
  • Thank you so much, I really enjoyed the training. You were clear, retained my attention and I would have happily stayed on the class for longer.
  • Thank you Tony, Today has provided me with a chance to reflect on my practice in depth and consider new strategies moving forward to benefit both myself and my learners.

Ofsted Ready

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Bath College

  • A refreshing afternoon.
  • Confidence is being authentic in an approach to quality. Not obsessing on unstable factors.
  • Fantastic opportunity to sit down, discuss and think deeply. Thank you.

Bristol City Council Community Learning

  • A sat nav. for self reflection on our strengths and weakness as a centre! “Turning a weakness into a strength.”
  • Bringing transformation to the attention of an Ofsted inspector.
    Thinking ‘wildly’ outside the box for inspiration.
  • “Tackle” Ofsted in a positive way – not wait for things to happen, but have things in place – e.g. reflections on how to improve things (not at the end of a course or unit but at the time when issues materialise).
  • Food for thought. The use of wiki was really good and it was great to see what others had written.
  • Taking the horse by its reins. That we can take control of the OFSTED process by actively working together to improve our service.

East Kent College

  • Such a rewarding session, not what I expected at all but have some key takeaways to really reflect on and action.
  • Think more creatively, invest in the students’ experience, create an Ofsted position statement for maths and English.
  • I thought the breakout room size was going to be limiting but it was actually great, loads of dialogue and ideas – I couldn’t fault the session.

JTL Training

  • It has caused me to change my whole approach to an OFSTED inspection, thank you Tony
  • Hope is on the horizon.
  • Like opening a book.
  • Very interesting and informative.
    It has given me ideas to use within my own teaching practice.
  • Again Tony delivers a content heavy course with great skill and ease, ensuring all delegates are involved and creating great discussion topics to challenge myself and colleagues.
  • Like a fog clearing.
  • Peeling an onion, lots of layers in learning.
  • A dry subject whetting my appetite.
  • The session has caused me to reflect on, and change the way I would view an inspection.
  • Good to look at it feeling a little more empowered
  • I think that it’s focused me on how to improve class engagement, make it more enjoyable for the learners and for me in my task to improve learners being able to retain information long term which I am looking forward to accomplishing.

Morley College

  • Really interesting and motivational!
  • Using the research activity with my colleagues and looking at the emotional learning journey as part of the SoW review and implementation.
  • I also get a bit obsessed by Ofsted’s requirements and need to try and relax a bit on that!

North West Training Council

  • Challenging thought provoking.
  • Red Bull (energising).

Purple Beard

  • Clearly lit up a gloomy rainy day!
  • The mechanism of actually going about it was brilliant.
  • Creative and thoughtful about the approach to improving our provision.
  • Project based makes it more achievable to make improvements.
  • Thank you so much for enabling a collective approach to improving a provision.

Preston College

  • There are so many research projects we could implement!
  • To complete my own judgement statements on my curriculum impact/intent paper to support my meeting with inspectors.
  • Small changes needed to enable my team to be even better.
  • Informative. Taking away EIF – issues to explore and research.
  • Eye opening – thought provoking.
  • How to justify and show evidence in a way that puts across clearly what needs to be celebrated.

Quest Training

  • Want to go away do the wiki with staff and look at implementing action research projects in my setting.
  • Great session as always, my to do list has grown even more.

Serco

  • Really useful session, thank you. Gave me inspiration as to how better to engage the wider team in understanding and managing the self assessment process in preparation for OFSTED.

TPM

  • Brilliant. Feel more enthusiastic, will be looking at ways I can better support the learners.
  • Inspirational. Enjoyed interactive activities – will use these going forward.
  • Enjoyed evaluating provision and how to set up the working groups.
  • Thought provoking. The use of aspirational language. How to make the learning environment memorable. Gamification into teaching.
  • Committing to research themes and researching these areas so we can come together as a team and make a difference.

TTE Training

  • Consider the word ‘experience’, make it memorable.
  • To steal others’ good ideas
  • Nuggets of wisdom
  • Make the learning experience a pleasure (as was today’s session)
  • Realisation of what we do, how we do it and how to achieve the best in every aspect.
  • Enabling tool to evaluate and develop to meet change.
  • To look at research projects and encourage team to develop themes they have selected then share the practice.

Tools for Online Engagement & Blended Learning

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Access Creative College

  • Absorbing, Factual and Useful…not always the case with CPD.

Bolton College

  • I really enjoyed learning about some new resources, but the main thing for me was relating it to the pedagogy. It will make me think more about WHY I am using a resource and what I want my learners to get out of it, rather than simply a ‘have they remembered what they have learned?’ scenario.
  • We have been provided with a wealth of resources and ‘how-to’ sheets which means I have all the support I need to be able to experiment with what I have learned.
  • I aspire to be as fab a teacher as Tony – it’s not all about coming on to learn new things…it’s about watching a fab teacher in action and picking up on the way he does it in order to improve my own delivery.

B-Skill Limited

  • It was fantastic to see them being used throughout the session as well as having the opportunity to have a go. Throughout the session I have taken ideas and jotted these down about how these could be implemented within the sessions. I really liked the fact that tools were listed in order of difficultly from easiest to most complex. Some staff have a reluctance to changes towards technology based teaching and I am going to introduce these tools from easiest to hardest to make their experience more positive and help them develop confidence that they can incorporate technology into their sessions.
  • Fantastic engaging session and this has enabled me to reflect on my own service and how this can be developed, thank you.

Cogent Skills

  • I am a technological space tourist. I have travelled through numerous technologies that were unknown to me at the start of session. Very worthwhile.
  • It is not just the technology that will be different, it will reasoning behind them that will be more prominent. Pre-learning for instance, will play a bigger role and with that the technology that you have taught.

D H Associates

  • I can get distracted when listening, but I felt today’s session kept me engaged at all times.
  • It’s a meal worth waiting for.
  • The Lightbulb Moment, was able to see how these tools can be used for 1:1 learning.
  • Will help with pre learning, interactive learning within the session and post learning to ensure continual progression and readiness for EPA.
  • I have used whiteboards when completing teaching before but I have never used it in the ways shown today.
  • Yes, for sure! I will definitely try and use some of the new platforms to help increase engagement and interaction.
  • I will definitely be downloading the how to guides to remind me how to complete certain tasks.
  • I like to make my sessions as interactive as I can and these tools will definitely help me to do this. Thank you!

Halton Borough Council

  • ‘Learning is like a search for hidden treasure!’ This session for me gave a whole plethora of treasures for engagement and bringing learning and pedagogy to life through digital means both for in class and learning remotely.
  • Being guided to the valuable objects in a cluttered and overflowing storage room.
  • It Cut the Mustard.
  • Yes! It is having the guides and practical chance to play with the difference tools and options.
  • Gosh yes totally. Some superb resources that I can see being used regularly. It takes time to find all these resources so I am very appreciative of the work that has been put in for us.
  • Tony is very personable, supportive and has such strong knowledge that explanations are clear. His passion shines through which helps to engage and motivate delegates, even in scorching heat!!!
  • The session was very good and from a delivery point of view outstanding. The experience could have been better if the handouts had been downloaded in advance (I would make this even more clear next time around!) and there were some issues with confidence/equipment that were handled with patience and grace!

Hereford College of Arts

  • This was such a great session. Really refreshing to have such high level training that was generous, practical and learner focused.
  • A smorgasbord of healthy teaching and learning resources.
  • A very positive and energising training session that gave me the drive to apply my learning and make one change at a time. Delivered with intelligence, empathy and inclusiveness.

Innovative Alliance

  • Chomping at the bit now to put new learning into practice. Very inspirational session!
  • Like a swan above the water and a motorboat underneath…
  • It has given me a pleather of ideas to take away and improve our online offer in our organisation.
  • I feel you have given me a wealth of knowledge and resources now to go away and engage with and train my team to improve the learner experience.

Lincoln College International

  • Lots of food for thought as usual!!
  • Every week I’m planning to test 2 tools from the session to not overwhelm students.
  • The session supports my thoughts around the importance of ‘social presence’ (and backs up the research out there) and ‘investment and payoff’. There are so many tools to use but they should only be used if they enhance the learning (pedagogy pedigree – fabulous term and now in my repertoire!!) not technology for technology sake.
  • I enjoyed it thoroughly, as I am always looking at ways to upskill myself. In today’s session, I was shown so many options I can use in my lessons and I’m excited to try them all.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • Both sessions really inspiring.
  • Provided me with an opportunity to recap on technologies and previous CPD I have already engaged in and used and evaluate how to use them more effectively. Gave me the motivational push I needed to re-invigorate teaching, assessment learning and inspire educators to do the same. As a service we are using Teams/Office 365 so I am interested in how we can use the tools already available in Teams to develop highly effective online learning.

NPTC Consortium of Work-based Providers

  • Tony has such a gift in making you feel inspired and motivated to try out his suggestions. Can’t think of a metaphor today but in the words of Winnie the Pooh “But what if I fall?” “Yes but what if you fly?”
  • I loved how its given me a new view on teaching the same sorts of subjects but now it can be done in different ways making it feel less repetitive.
  • Great pace, direction and content. I have attended many sessions over my training career of 22 years and have found these to be the most engaging and interesting since my original training to become an assessor/Trainer in late 2000. Thank you!
    Inspiring – has given me the confidence to explore different techniques.
  • Absolutely outstanding, really challenged preconceived ideas on learning and evidence gathering
    very informative, easy tool to use, feeling more confident to explore tool for blended learning.
    Good session sharing tools for online learning.
  • Great to see new technologies and stimulated by the ideas.
  • Thinking of how the learner feels, how to improve learning for all learners. I have already booked a day in with my colleagues to look at Blendspace and wiki and make use of it.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • A melting pot of useful tools.
  • My brain is a bed of blossoming seeds.
  • ‘The past doesn’t equal the future’
  • Discovering new technology is like getting a parcel that you can’t remember ordering.
  • I think it has given me so many new ways to prep and engage with my learners. I think Blendspace will create a great pre learning for my learners.

Quest Training

  • Fantastic session, lots to take away and have a try at making resources and sessions with. I just need extra days in my week to try them all.

Retrofit Academy

  • We can do a lot more to make our presentations and courses engaging for the learners, catering for different abilities and learning styles.
  • Useful tools. Great that they are all free.

Sefton Community Learning Service

  • It’s like someone has opened the curtains in a dark room and I can see the light.
  • Feel 100% more confident in using technology that is new to me.
  • Tony you’re inspiring – this session has impacted on me greatly and I can’t wait to start implementing what I have learnt today when I cascade this to tutors (after further practise). Well and truly taken out of my comfort zone – thank you.

Southport College

  • This was an excellent session – very interactive and has given me lots of good ideas for things I can implement in my own teaching as well as cascade to the rest of the group.

St Helens Chamber

  • Learning is the spark that starts the flame.
  • I will be using Blendspace (QR Codes) and inputting pre-learning sessions. I will also be using breakout rooms during my online sessions.
  • Tony provides resources and how-to guides which are the most likely areas of support I would need which is great.
  • Excellent session, allowed me to interact and gain inspiration from other providers. Thank you very much, will definitely be recommending.

Sysco

  • Very engaging session with lots of resources/information and valuable IAG provided by Tony regarding tools for online engagement. Definitely will make me reflect and review this going forward.
  • Fountain of knowledge and new information. Looking forward to trying Prezi video on zoom.

WEA

  • I was originally daunted by the thought of a 3.5 hour session but the time passed more enjoyably and easily than other much shorter training sessions that I have attended, as the sessions were interesting and engaging. They were well put together, skilfully delivered and very useful. Thank you.
  • It opened my mind to the options available and just how much more creative online learning can be. I feel as I have been provided with some tools to venture out and explore further. I also need to look at my current practice as a curriculum manager and determine what steps I need to take to start incorporating some of these new ideas and promoting them with staff.
  • I need to build on the knowledge I have gained in this session by spending time with the different technology options we covered. In particular Prezi and wikis are completely new for me and I would love to be proficient with these.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Eye Opening, what a fantastic session.
  • I will try to embed pre-learning and also involve follow up after training sessions a lot more.

Workforce Training Services

  • Teaching is gardening.
  • In my new role I will be able to use the tools I gained in the session to disseminate to other staff with the hope of improving teaching and learning across the organisation.

Learning Theorists and the Emotional Learning Journey

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Coleg Cambria

  • It has been interesting and insightful, looking at lesson planning from a different perspective.
  • To consider the emotional response (outcomes) I want from learners, rather than simply focusing on the topic learning outcomes.
  • Timings were effective to allow discussion. Great circulation around the breakout groups to ensure we were on track and completing tasks correctly. I am frustrated that I have not attended the previous two sessions, so will have to look out for these next time around.
  • Excellent delivery. It would be useful to have a session delivered by Tony on remote learning and the use of technology.

Derby Adult Learning

  • Enriching.
  • Greater knowledge of key learning theories and examples of teaching and learning strategies that are relevant to them.
  • Thank you for a very useful and informative session. Access to your website with additional resources is very useful.

Grimsby Institute

  • This should be a national programme.
  • Lots of simple strategies which are easy to implement – excellent.
  • It was really refreshing that a topic such as learning theorists was delivered in such a way as to make it practicable. It should be a ‘dry’ session – it wasn’t! Really enjoyed it.
  • Opening the toolbox of my mind.
  • Team meetings will be reinvented.
  • Deeper exploration of how to design learning experiences.

Hopwood Hall College

  • I am fizzing with theoretical ideas after this session! Educational theory does not have to be heavy and laborious! We can develop our understanding in more engaging ways.
  • Today I am meeting with the Head of Quality and the Assistant Principal to start a quality standard for induction.
  • Whilst it would be great to do this face to face the online session was very interactive and enjoyable.

Hull College

  • Lightening in a bottle.
  • (Saying) ‘Less experienced’ rather than ‘less able’ will focus on preparedness to reduce fear and anxiety.
  • Sunshine. Differentiating approach not expectations – reinforcing this to staff.
  • Focus on emotional state of learning – addressing that before the lesson.
  • That the learning journey is the most important. If they are happy, they will achieve.
  • I liked the idea of Blendspace, scaffolding – differentiation and taxonomy teams.
  • Switching on a light!
  • To implement theories in own practice – explore ‘fifty shades of teaching’ in more detail focusing on the less-experienced learner.
  • Caterpillar to butterfly.
  • (Produce) ‘Learning experiences’ not ‘lesson plans’. Blendspace.
  • Great to see Tony again. Very knowledgeable – look forward to the next time.

Lakes College

  • My brain feels fizzy with ideas! A great way to start a year!
  • Can’t wait to model some of this with trainee teachers. Super.
  • I love that loads of the theories can be applied easily. I am going to try to use a different card every week.
  • The pre-learning technique, perfect lesson notes, barrier removal strategies.
  • More strings to my bow
  • A working machine.
  • Thanks – brilliant, useful session.

Macclesfield College

  • Connectivism to tutorial is illuminating like the full moon on a clear night.
  • I will be using different research strategies as part of Tutorial to invigorate and engage through gamification rather than test.
  • Would love to look at some examples of gamification in these areas to produce for core subjects.
  • Thank you for your time – incredibly inspiring!

MK College

  • A eureka moment.
  • If I am honest, I have always had a downer on Behaviourism, but today I have noticed that it has many benefits and all theories have a place. It is the thing we hope to change, the level of learners and what they need to learn that can influence our choice and we shouldn’t just stick with one theory. Having knowledge of the underpinning theory alongside the emotional learning states can help us to select the best approach. Locating the position our learners are at and where they need to be is a great tool and provides an excellent starting point to develop effective teaching and learning.
  • Having the material beforehand was really useful because we could do some pre-learning / reading. Clear instructions were given for the game.
  • I think the supporting material is fabulous and effectively supports the delivery. And fantastic takeaway ideas.
  • I think it is great and your technology is amazing!

Quest Training

  • Fab session again – really enjoyed this.

Shipley College

  • Social constructivism is the key to unlocking learning.
  • Pandora’s box. Lifting the lid on learning theories.
  • Loved how the different tools are numbered and put under the different theories.
  • I really appreciated learning about the emotional learning states and how teaching and learning strategies can be used to produce the positive or overcome challenges.
  • A game-base approach to learning about learning theory.
  • Really enjoyed it and will definitely use the tool with the 2nd year PGCE students.

Southport College

  • A new idea is the spark that lights an eternal flame.
  • Very interesting and productive session that enabled me to understand the way different teaching strategies were linked to theorist. I think this would be a great resource for teacher training courses to lighten up a very heavy module about theorists as you are able to look at it all in a practical way.
  • Provided a deeper understanding of the learner journey which was differentiated. Good range of strategies were looked into which linked to theorists’ ideas of learning and explored that range of emotions from a learner’s point of view rather than the teacher’s. Helped look at ideas in a different way and provoked different thoughts on how strategies could work from a number of different view points.

Sysco

  • Rewarding.
  • Brilliant insight into a variety of learning theories and the emotional learning journey. Always incredibly informative.
  • I felt the session helped me to link learning theories to outcomes for learners with the categories used.
  • Yes absolutely! I will now put more emphasis on the learners emotional states when lesson planning.
  • Today’s session was like going on an expedition, there are lots of things to do but I feel like today’s session will help us as a team to take the bull by the horns and revamp our delivery styles.
  • My boat is well and truly rocked.
  • Thanks again Tony, you really are inspirational.
  • I was already very familiar with learning theories but I think today’s session helped me look at our curriculum models with a fresh pair of eyes and consider how we can make these connection with these with our learners.
  • The exercises in the breakouts were really helpful to understand different learning theories and how they could be applied in practice. I am planning to use learning strategies 25, 27 and 34 in my future design and delivery.
  • I found all information beneficial with me being new to teaching.
  • As I am new to teaching I found something I can build on to be the best I can be ?
  • Today’s session has helped me to embed emotional learning into my planning and delivery.
  • I am going to make more use of connectivism methods to see if it helps me to save time.
  • Thankyou Tony for giving me this experience.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • Excellent.
  • It’s not about planning lessons, but it is about planning experiences.
  • That workshop was a game-changer for me.
  • Learning is like building a house – all parts are integrated with each other.
  • I learnt that Connectivism seems to integrate advances in neuroscience and learning. It takes into account the behaviours of learners in the “digital age” in an explicit way that is absent in other theories.
  • I was glad that at the end of the workshop I was able to figure out the suitable strategy for one of the addressed challenges. I was impressed my self 😀
  • I’ll return to the materials as a great source. It provides me with a new vision of how to choose the best strategies.

The Learning Foundry

  • As deep as the ocean. I can see so much to look into and learn over time.
  • Learning theories are a melting pot.
  • Exciting.
  • Insightful
  • I learnt a lot from the session today, I found it very interesting and I understood it as I could link to my learners and real life experiences.
  • The breakdown of learning theories was very useful giving a detailed overview of each and providing strategies and identifying the emotional learning elements.
  • It has opened my eyes to the amount of different theories there are to look into and explore in more detail which I am excited about. From the session today, I have written down around 12 [teaching strategies to explore] and I am prepared to look at each one and see how these can be adapted for each individual learner.
  • Enjoyed the focus of how emotions impact on learning and planning to provide differentiated learning experiences, as opposed to a step-by-step / one size fits all process.
  • I will change my approach when planning a lesson to see what emotional response I might get from the learner prior to delivering. Depending on whether it is positive or negative would say whether I want to build on the emotion or reduce it to improve the learners’ understanding.
  • It helped me revisit what I had learned many years ago. It also opened my eyes on how I could apply them in my delivery so the learners take ownership rather than relying on me to direct them.
  • I will think more about the emotional elements of my learners prior to our sessions so I can ensure I am finding ways to keep them engaged.
  • I would like to thank you for your time and the quality of the resources used and the amount of knowledge gained from today.
  • I found the interactive graphics on screen and being able to see you as well a very good teaching aid. I will be looking in to how I can use this in the future with my own delivery. A course on how to use this technology would be great!
  • Tony is an excellent teacher, I find him very engaging and motivating.

Varndean College

  • Lots of bright little ideas like a sparkler.

Weston College

  • Reflective, like the sun on a puddle.
  • I am going to work with staff to think more about their intent of their session focusing on the emotional states that they want to illicit with the group.
  • I would like the resources – great session.
  • 1 hour isn’t enough – would like longer please.

Lesson Plan Review

Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • I found it interesting that if you change your outcomes how this necessitates a change in my planning, and how different the lesson content would be.
  • Relating this session to the CIF and the recent inspection report has hit the right level of realisation with tutors.
  • I will use the review strategy to search for flat areas of sessions and create a range of activities to use or have available to reduce possible reductions in learner engagement.
  • I will review my lesson plans, reflecting on the highs and lows of my sessions.
  • [I need to] Think about Mind and Body outcomes and how to incorporate expert learning traits.
  • I feel a little like British Rail… I am getting there J
  • I will keep practising and trying to improve the way I view the ‘end prize’.
  • I will put into practice the colour strategy for learning outcomes and put more thought into what makes green and orange.
  • A very helpful and refreshing session.

Clarifying Governance

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • Today was like an epiphany.
  • Very thought provoking. Excellent – insightful.
  • I have a greater understanding of the impact of my role as a governor and the influence on the culture of WLL.
  • I need to see the bigger picture.
  • Really interesting to see the origins of the approach the Council Life Long Learning Service has taken this year.
  • Good balance of practical activity and discussion. Very interested in concept and approach to changing culture.
  • Brilliant. Made a big difference and about raising my own view on Governance.

Perfecting Development Plan Writing

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Boston College

  • I found the whole day quite liberating! This was a challenging day, that enabled me to reflect on my own practice and my organisations approach to self assessment and continuous quality improvement.
  • I found the issue and symptom activity particularly useful in helping to drill down to the real problem. I also liked the ‘what does outstanding look like for our college’ discussion, especially for English and math and induction.
  • The practical resources were fantastic and certainly something we will be using further. The whole day was practical, well paced and productive. I came away feeling exhausted, but informed and motivated to apply and build on what I had learnt. Thank you!
  • I would value support from a more strategic perspective on reviewing our college SAR/QIP process. I am keen to attend the online session in October to learn more!

Bury College

  • It’s show time! We are ready to step up to the plate.
  • I really like the concept of saying to an inspector that I would like to show you the issue I had, what I did about it and the impact it has had on my learners.
  • This approach provides a framework for affective critical thinking – need to make this happen.

Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College

  • Marching through the pearly gates of development plan writing heaven.
  • My eyeballs have been spruced up a bit (window-cleaned).
  • The emotional aspect is so important to me. It impacts our students considerably & staff and I feel this was clearly acknowledged in your session.

Buxton & Leek College

  • Changed the way that I think!
  • You get that penny drop moment when you think of how effective SAR writing can have a positive impact on the quality and improvement of delivery.
  • I wish I’d have known this sooner.
  • Really informative session, the session leaves you with a lot to think about which requires time to digest.
  • It will make me stop more and consider the symptom/issue situation.
  • I will introduce more time for professional discussion and focus the team’s efforts on root cause analysis. Make sure the development plan is a priority. More focus on the digital impact of the last 18 months and IAG and induction.

College of West Anglia

  • Inspired.
  • Allocating champions, rather than making someone responsible has the power to change the game in terms of ownership and staff buy in.
  • The group work was really useful as well as the one to one support you offered.

Grimsby Institute

  • Chomping at the bit to discuss changes.
  • How a QIP doc can be used more effectively without unnecessary additional work #keepitsimple. I really liked the concept of a celebration box and will be championing this asap. It was the usual interesting and engaging session I have come to expect from Tony.

Homefield College

  • Hit the nail on the head.
  • Format of development plan to enable improved information – less restrictive and reward of completion so document doesn’t get larger. Ensuring that you are getting to the root cause rather than just trying to deal with the symptom.
  • The training was delivered with clear enthusiasm, which further improved the learning experience. Good combination of input, practice and reflection.

Hull College

  • Like arriving at the top of a mountain to finally get the most fantastic view – a clear view, no background noise.
  • Looking for clarity to identify the root cause rather than focussing on symptoms.
  • The skilled use of zoom as a presentation tool with Prezi overlay, shortcut buttons, using wikis etc is a whole training course in itself. Fantastic delivery.
  • Today was a reflective experience.

Kingston Maurward College

  • Sharpening the saw!
  • Really useful to reflect on the current plan and how to avoid common issues that don’t facilitate rapid improvement e.g. symptoms not issues, end point data etc.
  • Our new QIP process will use similar format to one shared with each ‘issue’ becoming a project for a project manager (champion) to take on … before putting it in a celebration (impact) file.
  • Loved to see some of the advanced Zoom techniques being used. I am googling how to have a transparent presentation next to me on screen! I am keen to work with the team on self-assessment process more and may well engage some or all in future sessions. Thanks Tony.

Learning and Enterprise College Bexley

  • Be more mindful of the masking words and finding the root cause.
  • The blended delivery was working well for me as it was difficult to travel on this occasion. Tony skilfully switched between participants and I felt included.

Nottingham College

  • Like picking at a scab when you are child. Picking and picking until finally it peels off to uncover ….. (a great feel of satisfaction).
  • Adding ‘however’ to strengths – but not including what you need to do to improve.

OxfordSaudia Flight Academy

  • Going from ‘standing’ on my head to standing on my feet.
  • Shift the focus to finding the issues, instead of focusing on the symptoms.
  • I’ll need to go through the process with a colleague to ensure I’m focusing on issues, not symptoms.
  • A great session with great ideas. Thank you Tony. I am new to this position, so it’s all part of the learning process for me. Using an effective development plan will massively improve the assessment of “symptoms” and “issues”, which I will communicate with other departments.

Peterborough College

  • Lots to take on board.
  • Moving text to appendix on SAR. Issues and symptoms. Layout of QIP – well paced with lots of activities. I enjoyed it. Need to apply to this year’s documents. Good working with other colleges.

Skills and Education Group

  • ‘Worth its weight in gold’!
  • Lots to change…. the wording of ‘responsibility’ to ‘champion’; linking symptoms to root-cause issues; putting everyone in the college central, either directly or indirectly, to the learner’s success.
  • Looking at the insight to development plans. This will help us to train staff in the understanding of how best to writer their development plan in the future.

Solihull College

  • I now have a much clearer idea about how to address symptoms when writing QIPs.
  • The day was really well scheduled and managed. I cannot think of any improvements.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • Now I can differentiate between issues and symptoms and suggest solutions accordingly.
  • It help me to understand the wobble moments and how to work on the root causes of the symptoms and work on these indicators to write objectives.
  • It helped me climb another milestone for perfecting development plan writing and also I caught a golden fish by getting my hands on your development plan – its so awesome!
  • A new idea is the spark that lights an eternal flame.
  • The development form shared is very useful and practical organizing the information and targets to meet the objectives.
  • Excellent.
  • I would like to change the perspective of only working on weakness but focus on strengths and become champion.
  • Self dissection.
  • I will be better able to explore and assess my development plans in future. And will be able to resolve symptoms and identify their root cause issue.
  • Differentiate between symptom and issues.
  • Sailing exploring new land.
  • Thank you for the rich session.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • The QIP slate has been wiped clean.
  • Change QIP to a series of Development Plans.
  • Really enjoyable and completely changed my attitude towards quality improvement planning and processes.

York College

  • The little boy has his finger in the hole but he needs to rebuild the dyke!
  • It gave me an insight into your ideas about this topic and it will help me in my task of changing the college. As discussed with Tony, I am learning from him and hope to share/collaborate as part of York’s journey to a new way of doing QI.
  • It was brilliant.

Learning Outcomes for Independent Learning

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon & Witney College

  • Lifted the fog.
  • I now am able to use learning outcomes (again) to benefit my learner’s learning!
    More importantly it will make a wider difference across our college as we look to improve how we use learning outcomes and plan for them on our ‘slim’ scheme of work.

Barnsley Adult Skills and Community Learning

  • This has supported me to go back to ‘thinking outside of the box’ with my planning and how I am going to support the learners to achieve what I set out for them to achieve.
  • It is like being new to teaching again, I feel more positive and focused on exciting lessons and challenges as I did feel I was in a rut and wanted to challenge this for my learners and my practice.

Bristol City Council Community Learning

  • Hadn’t thought of ‘attitude’ before. Will try to incorporate this and try new teaching techniques (even if they don’t work well at first!)
  • Changing the ‘chug along’ motor for a gleaming sleek Daimler.

Cogent Skills

  • Very informative, enjoyed the session and was engaged throughout.
  • Use of technology, such as the card sort, which can be used as an assessor tool.

Coleg Cambria

  • When I read the preparation material I thought – oh heck, not another session on learning outcomes, but the session was much more than this.
  • The training has shone a light on the the elements of my practise I need to revisit. A cauldron bubbling with ideas and possibilities.

College of North West London

  • Like restarting to build a house after being inspired.
  • After 20 years of writing LOs this insightful session has really focused my attention on the importance of Brain, Body, Attitude LO writing, which I will share with teacher training students to stretch their thinking and to give them strategies to make a difference.

Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies

  • You know when you know you’re going to a wedding / other gathering where there is going to be a lot of extended family and you just think ‘Christ, this is going to be a painful few hours’ and then you get there and the ones you’re worried about being there aren’t there and you end up having a good time, make some new friends etc. It felt like that.
  • I have a great trepidation at the start of any of these events that it’s going to be buzzword overkill, the shilling of the latest teaching techniques scrawled on a piece of paper as the ‘trainer’ sits on the corner in a dingy bathroom trying to work out how to get out of the mess they’re in and they suddenly design a new lukewarm teaching idea that they can sell. Plus those that attend to show off how smart they are, or how much they hate teaching and want everyone to know about it. This wasn’t that. It was great and I look forward to more.

Crosby Training

  • Being a ‘learner’ and entering into a session which I was quite apprehensive about, this has given me an insight into the values of both ‘engagement’ and ‘open mindedness’ – I like to think that I applied them both…and it paid off!
  • In spite of the initial technology/access issues of a colleague, I think that the tutor coped extremely well with this. I can’t think of any negative terminology that he used – every issue was a ‘challenge’, ‘lesson’, ‘learning curve’ – and I feel that his continued positivity undoubtedly kept me engaged, despite the potential disruption and subsequent negativity that this could easily have caused.

East Coast College

  • I particularly liked the Zoom set up Tony used – especially the whiteboard interaction and break out room facilities which I haven’t used before – I felt like we were in an actual classroom – brilliant!
  • Tony Davis – always gets you thinking and questioning your practice.

JGA Group

  • I am designing a traineeship course, will use the method today to design the learning sequences.
  • Continue with the interactive, it was great to be a part of a collective thinking process, which was visual on the learning outcome builder.

JTL Training

  • In general I find it really difficult to write learning outcomes and today has helped with the colour coding and 3 steps. I also want to add in more ‘body & attitude’ learner outcomes rather than ‘brain’ as teaching English and maths has historically been this – with some ‘body’ thrown in. Using the session today will help me improve learners’ learning skills by improvement of my own outcome writing.
  • Key to unlock potential in learners through creating challenging teaching. On reflection, mine look a bit sterile and generic, being developed from the awarding body’s original statement.

Grimsby Institute

  • I will start with discussion with colleagues around how we encourage the teaching staff to use learning outcomes as a whole session approach and refrain from using lots of unnecessary aims and objectives. There is a place for these but..
  • The journey across the carpet and other metaphors were very helpful and will support the illustration of what I am trying to achieve in coaching others.

Groundwork

  • Changed my way of writing plans. Going to start from the result and work back.
  • I see the value of planning for attitude change rather than just skill outcomes.
  • It felt like I had a half-built wall that just toppled and I constructed it sturdier from scratch. The methods I used until now will be greatly improved by what I learned.

Hull College

  • My learning outcomes have been transformed from arpeggios to cadenzas! I’m definitely using the learning outcome builder strategy – very helpful.
  • It’s frightening how much improvement I could see in my teaching.
  • A fantastic fully immersive session, definitely plenty to think about! Left feeling like the door to the ‘box’ had been opened.

Innovative Alliance

  • The journey maybe long and winding with bumps in the road, but once you realise the bumps were there to slow you down to take in the view then the journey becomes worthwhile.
  • On reflection my thought process on learning outcomes is very similar to that taught today. The challenge for me is taking my belief and getting the team to buy in to the same approach. I am not sure I could teach this to others, yet, but can really see the benefits and the pedagogical experience grow so much for our learners once change is achieved.

Kendal College

  • A delightful boat ride on a river of learning.
  • Jaw dropping.

Lakes College

  • Outstanding experience with excellent takeaway examples to support my professional development and leadership practice. Reimagined!
  • Brilliant! Really enjoyed all aspects and would love more! I will really spend a bit more time on my learning outcomes. In particular how I cultivate more expert learners.

Leicester College

  • Absolutely fab session. Obtaining a clear colour coded structure to write effective outcomes is going to transform my planning and make it so much more efficient, just changing the verb to a skill makes so much more sense creating clearer direction to a key focus of the session.
  • The differentiation of writing outcomes that support resilience, curiosity etc will be a challenge, I can see this having a real positive outcome of my students learning journey.

Lincoln College International

  • It’s been a transformative learning journey, realizing that by crafting the right learning outcomes you can create the expert learners you wish to have in your classroom. A road map for effective teaching.
  • I’ll write my objectives and learning outcomes in a better way. Every 2 sessions, I’ll focus on one trait for expert learner in my learning outcomes. I’ll add body, and attitude learning outcomes to my lesson. Also in some of my lesson plans, I’ll add objectives that will be shown later to develop curiosity.

Mode Training

  • It changed my perception of learners’ behaviours.
  • A rollercoaster of new ideas. Meeting with head of department to discuss strategy to move forward.

Newcastle College

  • Re-evaluate the writing of learning outcomes and look at delivering a session similar to today to a selection of staff – ensuring I take coloured pens
  • Excellent session, informative. Always good to learn new knowledge and collaborate with external colleagues.

Northamptonshire County Council

  • Breathless and mind expanding! I loved Tony’s enthusiasm thoroughly grounded in the topic.
  • Will aim to include an ‘excellent learner skill’ outcome in as many sessions as possible.
  • The Brain, Mind and Body approach profoundly challenges the approach to standard induction sessions where tick boxes and Service standards for Safety, Group interaction etc have to be covered as well.

Nottingham College

  • It’s has shown me how I can break down a topic to allow my students to understand something better.
  • Learning new ideas is like turning on a light bulb!

Quest Training

  • This was a fantastic session, really useful.
  • I am booking on further courses to help open my eyes with stopping “stuff” and looking at “difference” as would really like to embed this in our company structure.

Sefton

  • Climbing a tree – started off struggling to reach the branches of technology, but soon found myself able to move around from branch to branch.
  • Encouraging learners to take charge of their own learning, using evaluative language and at the end of sessions as well as recapping give learners the opportunity to critically reflect on the session outcomes, to name but a few

Skills & Education Group delegates

  • I have attended many courses and masterclasses. This was outstanding, the model for planning outcomes and the language used (What’s on the table?) have helped me to understand how to write and simplify learning outcomes. This will have a really positive impact on my students. But more importantly for me, as a teacher I can visualise that planning for my sessions will be much more efficient.
  • Writing learning outcomes can be as easy 1 (label), 2 (skill), 3, (What’s on the table)

Shipley College

  • Honestly, I thought at the beginning “how can we discuss LOs for 3.5 hours” – I have to say it went in a flash – and my brain hurt. I really had to think and work hard.
  • A charcuterie board of delicious delights. I liked the meerkat metaphor for curiosity. I liken myself to a squirrel now with bright eyes and ears pricked as I try to fill my cheeks with all the ideas.

Sparsholt College

  • I am now going to put this into my practice, ensuring every outcome has a skill, outcome and label.
  • Like a kid in a candy shop – thank you for the useful tips and lots of ideas to teach independent learning!

Southport College

  • A flagging bird given wings.
  • Inspiring session with a true reflection of the FE learning journey. Lead to Gold.
  • MOT. This has helped me sharpen my focus – I liked the stuff and difference concept and I know I’ll be considering ‘on the table’ ideas more clearly.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • Driving the same route to work every day and suddenly discovering there are lots of others I could have been taking.
  • I recognise now that LOs can be longer and also a way to inform my pedagogy – I do not need to share the sane LOs with learners. Show understanding of … by … will help me to write more effective LOs – hopefully!

St Helens College

  • Adding the gravy to my pedagogical pudding and chips.
  • Dismantling the car and re-building it better.
  • My initial confidence in objective writing was exposed as being only partially formed. As a result of this session I will strive to move both learners and myself out of our comfort zones of cognitive skills development towards attitude and behaviour development too. If I really want to build learners’ independent skills then I need to consider the whole person and not just the exam focused skills.

Sysco

  • The session was excellent, Tony is very knowledgeable and really made us think about improving our use of technology and planning for teaching sessions further.
  • I got more from this session than expected, Expert learning traits activity awoke my mind so will do this with students.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • This different perspective will make a huge difference not only in the quality of my lesson plans, but I now fully understand the range of writing quality outcomes.
  • I always struggled with developing Learning outcomes for independent learning in skills sessions. Today’s session helped me realise where I went wrong. Thank you very much Tony.

TPM

  • This session has definitely made me think about the wording of my outcomes and can’t wait to amend my existing lesson plans.
  • I am now more aware of the language I can use to motivate learners and how sessions can be improved.

Warrington & Vale Royal College

  • Relook at effective lesson objectives – think aspirational and at wider Expert Learning Skills.
  • Consider the emotional learner journey revisiting the learner outcomes as a college. Learning objectives for attitudes.

WEA

  • The session challenged me beyond my comfort zone but in a way that was good for me, enabling me to consider a much wider range of teaching and learning options than what I had become used to. Tony skilfully ensured that everyone was involved without making them feel put on the spot. I now want to try out more engaging methods to support learning such as the use of wikis and also learn how to be more creative when presenting information in the style demonstrated today. I am not scared of technology but do feel as if it has overtaken me recently and I need to catch up!

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Enlightened and ready to delve further. Very interesting particularly around behaviours which is something we have tried to focus on a lot during induction this year, and hope to continue to develop.
  • Thank you so much for yet again a very interesting and inspirational session. The comments about developing an independent learner, with transferable skills particularly resonated with me as some of our Uniformed services students are unable to enter into the military service of their choice due to certain factors but are leaving as well rounded and good citizens. Not quite independent learners but we are getting there.

York College

  • I’ve walked into a whole new way of thinking and creating lessons!
  • I feel much clearer on how I will create lessons that are suitable and appropriate for the levels of learners I teach. I am going to work on creating learning outcomes that include the attitudes and the ‘expert learner traits’ as they are often what my learners lack.

Perfecting Progress Reviews

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Adult Education Wolverhampton

  • Eye opening.
  • Give our students the wings to fly themselves.
  • Refreshing and inspirational.
  • Use the … to encourage student contributions. Get the student to summarise the talk. Develop expert independent learning skills.
  • This session has encouraged me to use prompts instead of leading questions to create independence in my learners and encourage self-reflection.

Askham Bryan College

  • Make changes!!
  • Allow the student to make their own progress report with my support. Follow up on this – roleplay. Fantastic!!
  • Great delivery that looks critically at expected inspection ideologies.
  • Opened the curtains.
  • I really enjoyed it! Not confrontational but got everyone involved.

Barnet and Southgate College

  • Today was like walking along a sandy beach and finding interesting shells to take home and finish covering my gift box for my personal tutors and students.
  • It’s provided me with a springboard to set standards for our progress reviews, instead of looking at just the process. I tend to focus too much on the process. Also I felt the way you designed and delivered your session was very developmental and I will take you techniques on board.

Cheshire College South & West

  • I learnt a lot about the review process and began to question if our review sheets need to change.
  • Enjoyed the session, very interactive.
  • A jar of marbles sums up the session for me. At the start of the day my jar was empty and at the end it was full.
  • The icing on the cake! (In a positive manner!)
  • I liked the interactive parts of the course as it means you are not just sitting there for three hours. For once, I didn’t lose track or feel bored. I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. I often find that training sessions never give practical tips, just reading out knowledge of what they want us to do. It really helps when proper examples are included that are totally relevant to what we are doing on a daily basis. If I can’t relate to the training then I find it hard to get involved.

Chesterfield College

  • Pleasantly tired from all the ideas and enthusiastic about the future!!
  • Music to the soul.
  • Use of curious questions to draw out learner with no agenda.
  • Loved the use of the video for this session.
  • Help staff develop ‘language’ of mastering curious questions…
  • Crossing a river.

City College Peterborough

  • Metamorphosis of a chrysalis to a butterfly. Transformative!
  • Scrapping what Ofsted are looking for and it being a tick-box exercise for them, and creating a standard that is learner specific. Looking at the Organisation’s aspiration for achieving ‘outstanding’ by collating emotional and academic evidence. Changing terminology to actually mean something to the learner and demonstrating ‘rich pedagogy’.

City College Plymouth

  • Achieving creativity.
  • Thinking about who should be present during a review. Rather than go by a checklist, develop a high quality example for staff.

East Coast College

  • Inspired to complete more meaningful progress reviews.
  • Thought provoking. Not used the GROW model before so interesting to see this.
  • Like a soap opera, looking forward to the next episode.
  • I think the structure of our reviews needs to change to allow us to focus on the important things rather than ticking boxes for Ofsted/funding.
  • It was like having a window opened up on what I do. Very revealing and a breath of fresh air!
  • The lightbulb moment.
  • Thanks Tony – A really useful session – I particularly enjoyed the way you broke down the video clip into a range of different activities and will be stealing this for future sessions if I can get my head around the Zoom breakout room and whiteboard!

East Kent College

  • Student led reviews are the way forward. The person that talks the most gets the most from the experience!
  • We will be looking at developing our paperwork to try and focus not so much on the stuff but rather on the difference.
  • Very engaging. Tony is an expert at what he does and clearly explains things so everyone understands. Nice to have training relevant to exactly what is happening in the sector.

Geason

  • My journey opened up new horizons.
  • Creating a quality standard that would encourage independent learning management.
  • Tony gave space for and encouraged contributions throughout the session. He valued opinions and views made by the group.

HETA

  • This identified that progress reviews will be a cultural change and not a procedural change.
  • A great session. Very informative
  • Get the learner engaged more
  • Let the learner lead in a review
  • Well presented and interesting. An excellently delivered subject.

Hopwood Hall College

  • Today was the start of a journey to empower my learners to take ownership and identify their own strengths and areas for development.
  • Be more specific but subtle and encourage learners to take ownership of their own reviews and progress, to take the initiative.
  • Insightful. I will consider the questions I use during tutorials and plan them better before they take place.
  • Reassured me that we can make a difference.
  • Less focus on ticking boxes and allowing for a more natural conversation to flow.
  • Engaging, interesting informative. Excellent presenter.
  • I really enjoyed taking part in the Jamboards and Breakout Rooms.

JTL Training

  • I think for me it would be the lightbulb moment of understanding that the main focus and goal of my job is making the difference to a learners life and not just their apprenticeship experience.
  • Time well spent. Clear, engaging and thought provoking.
  • It taught me about how to be more present in the moment, worrying less about statistics and more about knowing you are making an impact on the learner and as long as progress is made and they gain fulfilment, that is enough!
  • Pace was excellent.
  • Thank you Tony for your time and making us feel welcome and valued.
  • It was really engaging, the right mix of theory, discussion and group tasks (including the Jamboard) kept my interest for the entire session. Thank you!

MTC Training

  • New assessment strategies to make the learners actually learn and be self-critical and evaluative.
  • A new perspective: making the learners independent which is the actual meaning of learning and gaining knowledge.
  • Climbing to the ‘top-deck’ of the assessment ship.
  • I will definitely build in more informative assessment activities as a basis for my lessons rather than shoe-horning in.
  • Really enjoyed this session – a good reminder to step back and keep it simple.
  • Building for a more varied world.

Myerscough College

  • Perfecting progress reviews. ‘It’s coming home’.
  • Like floating across a ‘Red Carpet’ and enjoying the journey.
  • Music to my ears.
  • I will approach reviews with a new method and look more towards tackling the barriers that students face.
  • It has helped me to look at different ways to improve my progress reviews. I will now work towards making the students take ownership of their review and help them to look at targets on our college system.
  • How to softly approach topics, what to do/not to do.

North West Training Council

  • It made me feel enlightened.
  • Think it’s great! Thanks Tony.
  • Steak and Chips (Tasty)
  • Approach my progress reviews with less of an emphasis on a tick box exercise and more focus on handing the review to the teacher.
  • Excellent.

Northern Trains Ltd

  • I don’t currently do progress reviews but the development of quality standards that focus on the best outcome and can be used to reflect on performance are really useful and inspiring for my other programmes.
  • Great discussion around agreeing what good progress reviews look like.
  • Refreshed my knowledge and understanding how reviews can be conducted.
  • Discuss with my colleagues how we can improve our progress reviews. I will personally think about my questioning techniques in my reviews.
  • Inspirational.

Nottingham College

  • Transformational.
  • Mindset changing and a different idea of reviews. I would like to be more open-ended in my progress reviews.
  • Uplifting and informative.
  • It tore up some of the old myths around what used to be a good progress review.
  • Refreshing to see a different approach which works for learner rather than tick box for quality!

NPTC Consortium of Work-based Providers

  • I love listening to Tony- he is a fountain of knowledge and the sessions are so informative. Thank you for all of the hard work you have put into this. It has been invaluable to me in my role, especially being new and not from an assessor background.
  • No words- best session to date. Defiantly do my reviews separate with the learner and the employer to draw more out of the learner.
  • It’s my mission to improve the way in which I approach the review process.
  • I’ll need to make more use of open-ended statements and questioning, to enable the feedback to come from the learner and less from myself.
  • Frustrated – with myself. I do everything that I should do with my learners the majority of the time, but I do not record all of it, as it is time-consuming, and therefore I do not use the reviews on smart assessor correctly. From now on, I will make a conscious effort to include more of our discussion on the forms to evidence this.
  • Inspired and positive. Will allocate more time to my reviews to ensure I’m spending enough time with student.
  • Thank you for the last 4 sessions. Great delivery style and lots to think about.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • EXCELLENT course which kept us engaged fully!!!
  • A deep dive into the field of progress reviews, splashing out my previous thoughts and feelings, allowing brand new ideas to flow forth!
  • Incredibly informative and interesting training with the right balance of activities and engagement with speaker – the best CPD event I have attended !!
  • Stage one: slow sheep, Stage two: curious cat, Stage three: enthusiastic border collie.
  • I will be using the GROW model to carry out future reviews and make sure that they are more learner lead.
  • Attitude: invested in the process. Action: plan to elicit difference and not focus on process.
  • I have really enjoyed all of the sessions I have attended, and will be recommending them to my colleagues.

Quest Training

  • Information and examples can clear the murky waters.
  • This session has totally made me re think the systems and process we have in place in my setting and how we can change our focus moving forward.
  • It certainly helped me to re think our review process, we will now develop our own standards with our team and change the paperwork we have in place.
  • It was a great session and it’s always lovely when you hear other peoples’ ideas and how they use the reviews etc.
  • I will certainly be attending more of your sessions. It’s lovely to have someone who is enthusiastic about what you teach.

Reaseheath College

  • A sea of inspiration.
  • I wished it could have been longer. It is one of the best uses of zoom and presenting I have seen and it kept me engaged in the topic.
  • Excellent, very practical.

RNN College Group

  • Motivated to make change.
  • I am keen to explore how some of the ideas today can be moulded to use around the current structure I have to abide by. There were lots of helpful tips to make the process more meaningful and to support a move away from ‘stuff’.
  • I think the session was really well structured. I think I have a range of new tools in my toolkit, I just need time and scope to try a few out.

Solihull college

  • I love your style, you are different and engaging.
  • I am bubbling with excitement for my reviews.
  • Reviews are the most powerful tool we have to empower a leaner and raise the standard.
  • Several points that should be obvious, but are often difficult to put into practice, so useful to reflect.
  • Playtime in an art room.
  • As a new assessor I have been focussed on the tick boxes but I have good communication and motivational skills so I need to chill out and use them effectively.
  • The approach to the training session was refreshing and engaging. Would love the college to do a day on the Assessment and the Art of Lazy Teaching for our next staff development.

Suffolk New College

  • My next progress review can’t come quick enough.
  • Deliver group progress review sessions to build on learners’ communication skills, reflective skills and team building. To also ensure I am ‘passing the talking stick’ more often.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed the session and took a lot from it.
  • Thank you for such an inspiring afternoon, I think I took 6 pages of notes with some fantastic one liners..

Stretford Grammar School

  • Absolutely fantastic. I actually feel quite energised.
  • Approach to progress reviews will be different.
  • Great event – worthwhile on every level.

Sysco

  • Really beneficial session, I am new to the education world so it was really useful.
  • Readying revolutionary, rigorous, robust reviews are recommended and a revelation.
  • Change my approach to progress meetings.
  • Provided me with a clear focus on how to enhance our current review process focussing on the impact on the individual.
  • Really great session, engaging really enjoyed the observation section this gave me a chance to practice my listening skills.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • Your art work is a master piece only you can sometimes see. Perfecting progress reviews is what you and your team (students) want your masterpiece to look like, and the difference you want to make to help them become that artist.
  • It was an inspirational lesson as always, focusing on letting the learner have autonomy of her learning, in a very conscious way.
  • The slides were brilliant.
  • Fantastic. I will do this more frequently to improve my students performance and making them more independent.
  • The video analysis and discussion was so helpful realizing how it need to be done.
  • Enlightening.
  • I am feeling UP.

TPM

  • Like climbing a mountain, reaching the top you get a great sense of achievement.
  • Need to meet with other leads to discuss changes that will better reflect learner aspirations, progress, development etc.. Thank you for a great session.
  • An enjoyable experience. How to encourage learners to take ownership of the progress.
  • I enjoyed the use of the interactive resources.
  • An exciting session, very interactive.
  • It was good to compare our work/ideas with other providers’ ideas.
  • Excellently thought provoking – Excited for the difference it will make.
  • Particularly like the barrier identification. Really inspiring session, thank you.

Trafford College

  • Really informative session.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Really informative session and has given me lots of food for thought. I will view my performance reviews now in a new light and thought it was a excellent session – got to be the best online teaching session I’ve ever witnessed! Thank you
  • Enjoyed the session! Lots to take in!
  • An excellent and thought provoking session. Useful active listening skills and notion of putting the learner at the heart of the review. Not just a process but actually making a difference. looking forward to discovering further with my team.
  • Thanks for the clear guidelines in focusing on what is important when carrying out the progress review and what yardstick to measure.
  • Atomic view of a high performance engine.
  • I am new to progress reviews and am due to complete my first reviews on Friday. This will enable me to plan and prepare and make these student centred. I will check out the resources on your website.
  • Another superb session, enlightening & thought provoking.

The Art of using Target Setting

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Adult Education Wolverhampton

  • I need to change the way I have been setting targets.
  • Inspirational.
  • Feel my knowledge have been expanded.
  • Planning learning experiences not lesson planning.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • Watching a favourite film which has never been remastered in colour. I can now see the screens properly.
  • A clearing through the brambles.
  • Using activities to generate targets. Thinking of a particular course, I propose to use part of the session at the start to generate aspirational targets.
  • Really helpful. Helped us to clarify target setting.
  • [I need to] Think about how to make targets more challenging – to make learners take more control of their targets.

Bolton College

  • It was like finding a beautifully grained piece of timber.
  • I will need to look more into splitting things up and thinking more from the learners point of view.

Chesterfield College

  • Bacteria to amoeba to fish to lizard to dinosaur to bird.
  • Very interested in the Emotional Learning Journey, evaluative vocabulary; will definitely look at/think about this more.
  • Loved it thank you ? You really challenge my thinking.
  • An awakening and realisation. Rollercoaster ?
  • Empowering/using the project management tool, using the ‘colour’ code method. Enjoyed the session!

City College Peterborough

  • Previously missing the target but now hitting bulls eye.
  • Writing targets which the learner understands and being appropriate to the individual; being able to coach learners with their aspirations; completing initial diagnostics over a period of weeks rather than at the very beginning which might result in poor data.
  • The main thing I will take away is when you mentioned about not stealing provenance by leading learners to do what the tutor wants them to do just because they’re passionate about their own subject.

Coleg Cambria

  • Blinkers – removed.
  • Re-ignition.
  • Tunnel – Light!
  • Thought provoking ideas on how the learner is taking charge of their learning.
  • [I need] More emphasis on aspirations.
  • Innovation, and looking from the students’ view/experience.

Derby Adult Learning

  • This session challenged existing thinking and helped reshape a new and more effective way of thinking that is more inclusive and makes a difference.
  • Introduce a more ‘project management’ method of target setting, to help learners develop key study skills and focus/drive motivation.
  • Many thanks for another excellent and insightful session. You are motivational and able to help provide ‘meerkat moments’ to us as ‘learners’ in your sessions in an active and engaging way. You provide an environment in which I feel comfortable to contribute and receive constructive feedback to contributions, to help challenge pre-conceived ideas and pedagogy for the better.

Derby College

  • Motivating, exciting and engaged.
  • Consider target setting for student value, work in collaboration with the student to devise, personal, motivating targets that align with aspiration and progress.
  • It was brilliant, a great balance of input and interaction.
  • I want to explore Blendspace. A thoroughly enjoyed session, Many thanks.

East Coast College

  • It helped me find the kernel of target setting via links to destinations and differentiation.
  • Thank you this was a great session very inspiring.
  • Although the dog wags the tail, at times the dog should follow it’s nose to where the tail is happier.
  • Insightful.
    Thinking about targets/destinations/future changed selves/project management as a normal way of working from the start. A lot of key phrases that will help e.g. linking curiosity to homework.
  • It has helped me better understand the use of language and trigger words/phrases I will now refrain from or increase use of.
  • I am going to use the project management as a tool with my tutorials. We will use this to help commence the individual tutorials so they remain person-centred being conscious not to make it purely academic but holistic.
  • This can be embedded into everyday classes without the need to create separate targets that are restrictive.

HETA

  • Progression in the law of the mind. Aspirations become a staff of power to mount dreams on.
  • The sun came through the clouds
  • Enjoyable subject which was not expected.
  • I would focus on aspirational target setting.
  • Enjoyed the session. Clearly some of it new to me in the way of concepts but it gave me some fresh ways of looking at my in-work coaching role for learners.

Hopwood Hall College

  • Broke the stereotype of SMART targets
  • It made me seriously consider how I set targets and has massively encouraged me to hand the mantle over to the learner so they become more enthusiastic about targets. I also loved the idea of target setting to solve an issue rather than concentrating on the symptom.
  • The journey to the centre of the Earth.
  • Encompassing.
  • It has been a really great experience and has given me a lot of new knowledge to bring into my role in September.

Hull College

  • The cogs have started to turn!
  • Thank you I intend to use ‘project management’ instead of SMART and will start to input this into my Schemes of Work.

Inspire College

  • Extremely important and engaging.
  • Great target setting will allow for the person to bloom into a beautiful flower.
  • Like opening a small door from a dark room into a space flooded with a rainbow.
  • The session was inspirational. I will be using the resources to further understand how to use this in my context.
  • Amazing training session, Thank you. I feel energised and inspired.

JTL Training

  • Like opening an old book and realising you never really understood what it meant.
  • A bullseye shot into target setting.
  • Music to my ears.
  • Today’s session was inspirational, using ‘real’ examples, good practice and a detailed knowledge of the education landscape.

Lincoln College International

  • Good to be reminded that we should differentiate the support and teaching strategies and not the expectations.
  • What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become when you achieve them – love this. Qualitative over quantitative.
  • This session helped me looking into target setting differently. I am excited to go back to work while using this method.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • It’s soooooo interesting, enjoyable and engaging. Loved it.
  • Learning to dance – aspiring to do it backwards and in high heels.
  • How to scaffold the learners when they set their own targets. The vital importance of aspirations!
  • The exercise for learners’ target setting makes it more interactive and an enjoyable task rather than a chore.
  • The session has broadened my outlook to making my classes more efficient leading to better work.
  • A perfect balance between the stuff you do and the difference you make.
  • I have had a ‘Eureka’ moment! Forget the straight-jacket of normal target setting and view the course as ‘Project Management’!

Northern Trains Ltd

  • Great refresh on communication skills from coaching session.
  • Will start to embed aspirations more within reviews.
  • The sun kept shining all day. I enjoyed the day and felt engaged and interested throughout.
  • Excellent. Enjoyed the session.

Nottingham College

  • The session has been music to my ears! I cannot wait to feedback to the departments I work with, as I know they will really be able to grasp these concepts and break away from the stagnant boxes!
  • The delivery was clear and the host used excellent tools in order for the concepts of mastery, expert, and ambitious goals to become “alive”.
  • I have taken away some useful information that will help support my teams in the development of their learners’ journey to become reflective, self-aware, and independent! Thank you!

NPTC Consortium of Work-based Providers

  • Today was like filling in the gaps of a puzzle. I have all the edge pieces put together but today helped me complete the middle.
  • I feel like the passion for helping others learn has been re-awoken in me. I always set targets with the learner not for the learner but will definitely put more of today’s learning into the target setting process.
  • Go back to the drawing board. Go back to basics, my metaphor really means go back to the beginning of my own learning journey of becoming an assessor and use the skills I learned and have maybe been forgotten as we get too tied up in meeting contractual obligations rather than listening to our learners.
  • Excellent Session as always, perfect to getting us all to think of how important the targets are to each learners aspirations, real eye opener and good to reintroduce learner led targets, thank you.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • Looking in a mirror and realising how ridiculous you look.
  • I have always felt that Target setting has baffled me and therefore been unable to support my learners in a way they’ve needed. I now feel I can grasp the target setting and pass it on to the learners for them to develop the skills.
  • As a result of this session, I appreciate so much more the art of target setting. I always knew it took time and expertise, but I’ll change my approach to make sure those aspirations are made clear up front.

Reaseheath College

  • I genuinely believe this is the best session I have ever done on targets.
  • A game-changing mindset.
  • It helped me understand that there are ways of differentiating to get the same outcome. I will be doing more research in to how to change the tutorial set up and incorporate the target setting in to this process rather than it being a separate discussion. No longer call the targets SMART targets and work with Quality and Learning to change the wording on Promonior.
  • I have really enjoyed this session. It is the most informative and engaging CPD I have done for a long time. Thank you Tony.

RNN College Group

  • Inspirational, thought-provoking.
  • I will share with colleagues in the hope to move away from the restrictions of SMART as an organisation, in the interim, as organisational change does not happen quickly, I plan to use the information gained from today in my own teaching sessions, linking to reflection and personal development which are key processes for my students to embrace.
  • I think I will have a go at some changes, do some deeper reading, and revisit the training again in the future to refresh.

Sefton Community Learning Service

  • I no longer teach as I have moved into management many years ago. I want to teach again after today’s session.
  • Worth every minute. Inspirational.
  • The matching game makes you really think, which is good.
  • Absolutely great lesson, provided clarity and very concise ides.
  • He is a brainbox.

Steris

  • I read previous feedback from other providers – Sunshine through rain clouds. A light switched on. Cannot say more than that.
  • I think as part of our quality review look at how we set targets, do we currently set targets? Probably not. After today though there are so many ideas in which we can get our learners engaged and for them to take control of their own aspirations.
  • Unexpected. I was expecting to learn about how to set SMART targets well and the benefits of this, however it was totally the opposite about SMART. It was a very good session. Lots of opportunity for interaction and good use of various technology methods.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • Playing a game of Rugby and suddenly being told that you can pass the ball in any direction.
  • What we think we are asking isn’t always what people hear us ask. Today has once again helped me hold up a mirror and encouraged me to resist the urge to ‘feedback’, however nicely it is couched.
  • Really enjoyed it the session as always. Have never walked away empty handed (or headed?).

St Helens & Knowsley College

  • Inspirational methods alternative thinking.
  • Engaging tasks, informative content, and great links to the art of teaching.
  • Thank you for opening the path to good practice, we just need to walk down it now.
  • Like pressing the reset button on the principles of target setting.
  • I will work with senior managers to review and re-write our traget setting strategy.
  • We need to move away from ticking procedural boxes to igniting purpose and ambition by empowering learners to be their own project managers.

Sysco

  • Learning is like building a house (one step at a time when setting targets).
  • Excellent session and very comfortable environment set by Tony.
  • More emphasis on learners setting targets.
  • Supporting students to discuss, define and formulate their own targets (mini project managers). Direct and meaningful involvement should lead to greater ownership and hopefully progress.
  • Reinforcing the importance of motivating students and giving them realistic steps to achieve their goals.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • It was an amazing session!!
  • It has given me a more clear picture for target setting and I would plan this in the Individual Learning Plans of my trainees where they will be filling in details and setting targets for themselves which would be then reviewed regularly to see where they have reached. Definitely, not all will be on the same page, so, I would have one-on-one sessions to help them to get back on track again.
  • It was perfect, especially the target setting skill builder which I’m going to use with my trainees in the future. I would like to have some training sessions on online teaching or how to make it more interactive and engaging.

University College Isle of Man

  • It opened doors to a whole new learning experience for me.
  • From the interactive way the session was structured, to the delivery, case studies and most importantly the topic, I am walking away with new questions, notes and actions.
  • I will be looking into implementing the learning outcome in my own teaching as well as working with lecturers and colleagues at the college. Thank you for a highly interactive session.

Warrington & Vale Royal College

  • One size doesn’t fit all Stop reinventing the wheel.
  • There is light at the end of the tunnel – clearer focus on the learner journey.
  • An explorer navigating unknown lands, but familiar territory.
  • Really rewarding to see what we do is on the right tracks.

Weston College

  • My learning journey today was like the sun starting to shine on a cloudy day.
  • Review induction period and how we support learners in their target writing, really focusing on the Project Management. Review staff development and target writing focus – taking away SMART but bringing in aspiration and progression.
  • Really got me thinking, thank you. Really enjoyed the Wiki resource and Desmos too. I will take those away to share with colleagues. I am now going to watch/read the other resources shared. Also a very professional, smooth and informative training afternoon thank you.

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • Eye opening. Refocusing – on what matters and what we’re actually here for.
  • I’m working with one tutor to implement the design cycle – which came out of discussions we were having re aims of curriculum. This training has given me the confidence and impetus to develop and push this approach through to a much broader set of tutors and curriculum areas.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Eye opening. Think more about how student feels. Great session thanks.
  • Build in critical thinking skills early on to allow learners to write own targets.
  • Today has helped clear some of the fog of the administrative airspace.

Yew Chung Education Foundation

  • Like cracking a code.
  • It has made me more aware of why students find target setting so difficult and how I can further help teachers to support the target setting/achievement process. It has also given me some ideas on how to approach target setting for our teachers, particularly those unqualified.

Supported independent study

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Hopwood Hall College

  • Realised we need to own the problem in order to solve it.
  • Excited for the new academic year; new possibilities and tools to add to my repertoire!
  • Thinking about the root and cause of issues, language use: conversations with learners rather than challenges.
  • Session was useful and relevant to what we do. Handout with pedagogy activities on will be useful to reflect on.
  • Looking forward to changes that will come about as a result of this session.
  • Eye-opening.
  • I would like to create a more welcoming environment for learners.
  • The trainer had extensive knowledge in the subject, and provided very useful information.
  • The curtains being opened with new possibilities of a fresh day.
  • [I need to] Speak more directly to the learners on a one-to-one basis.
  • Incredibly useful.
  • Thinking about ways to present toe iLearn sessions differently and convey the importance of them.
  • Superb!
  • [I need to] Look at how our mindset impacts on learning; change our approach.
  • Thank you once again for a thought-provoking session that has given us much needed input and ideas.
  • The session helped us to identify our own departmental issues and as a result we’ll now look into making changes to our attitude to learners and their behaviour as to not seem as antagonistic.
  • Session was fantastic. A great session that has enabled us to identify where we need to be and sown the seeds of how we get there.
  • I really enjoyed it and I am excited to see what will become of this session.
  • [I need to] Create a better/different induction to achieve the iLearn sessions being valued and helping learners wanting to be there to complete work.
  • This session has helped very much and what I would do differently would be to find the root cause and to work from there.
  • You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink it. [I need to] Think more about my actions upon learners and how they feel in our centres. Thinking about wider staff understanding of iLearn or blended learning.

Learner-Centred Assessment, Feedback and Questioning

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • My knowledge bucket is officially overflowing with goodies :).
  • Loads of great practical ideas to try out in the classroom. Many thanks, terrific training.
  • Differentiated support, not targets.
  • More inspiration to be creative with.
  • Like a new chapter of a book.
  • [I need to] Introduce learner critical reflection/evaluation.
  • I picked up some tips on questioning and assessment that was really helpful.
  • New ideas and techniques for formative assessment.
  • Thank you. Enjoyed it and found the day valuable.
  • [I will] Definitely use the critical thinking ideas; critique work then pass back to original source; pairing, sharing questioning/coaching.
  • Very enjoyable and informative.
  • [I need to] Use more higher-level based questions.
  • Very thought provoking – must try 1 or 2 techniques out asap then move on to another!
  • I particularly enjoyed the part on coaching answers out of students and how to avoid putting them on the spot.

City College Coventry

  • A beginning of a new journey. [I need to] Use some of Tony’s techniques.
  • The start of a journey – the way forward.
  • Using post-it notes and answers to make sure comments are anonymous.
  • Paired exemplar marking and avoiding the ‘but’.
  • Some further tools to share with staff.
  • Sharing feedback anonymously to encourage peer learning. Encourage peer assessment to reduce marking loads.
  • A move towards enlightenment. Peer assessment. Learner critical reflection.
  • Differentiation techniques – All learners should have same outcome, with different support levels to achieve it.
  • New approaches and feedback to share with the team.
  • Helpful to revisit self-assessment and marking.
  • Rethink the [feedback] sandwich model and engage learners in feedback giving.

Initial Assessment and Differentiation Controversy

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Adult Education Wolverhampton

  • A breath of fresh air (despite the heat!)
  • An Oasis.
  • I’d like to look again at the whole IA process and impact on the learner.
  • Differentiating support. Loved it, thank you.
  • Not a metaphor but just “wow”. Thank you.
  • The definition of differentiation and the support needed to achieve outstanding learning outcomes.
  • Looking at learning outcomes and differentiation differently.
  • A rollercoaster ride of old and new concepts! It was appreciated however!
  • Understanding the need to scaffold and then removing scaffolding as regards the role of support staff.
  • Flash of light.
  • A great session that really made you think and consider first impressions by the learner.
  • Eye opener. Fast and furious.

Bury College

  • Providing a life jacket in an ocean of pedagogy.
  • A Eureka moment. Why did I not know this before?
  • I crossed the carpet and left a changed teacher!
  • Too many to list – really useful and informative. Really good CPD for all experience levels.
  • The importance of not always allowing student to hang onto the support until the end.
  • Great delivery/fantastic session.
  • Change of purpose of ILP and IA
  • Another outstanding session that will have impact on my approach. Thank you!
  • I’m in front of a huge appetising buffet I can’t eat all at once.

The Learning Foundry

  • Inspired.
  • It will help me deliver initial assessment differently. Furthermore, it has enabled me to be more aware of the barriers that hinder independent learning. I feel more confident in building appropriate learning outcomes. Thanks so much for all your help Tony!
  • Tony has opened my eyes to changing attitudes, starting with my own.
  •  [I need to] Focus on attitudes not just skills.
  • An interesting day, delivered in a fun and exciting way.
  • [I need to]  Develop skills and attitude of learners from the start.
  • The session was fantastic. Tony gets everyone engaged and involved so this is more interesting. This session has made me realise we need to focus more on ILP. Loved training. Very useful!!

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • Putting my glasses on for the first time and seeing the detail in a Van Gogh!
  • Brain changing. I will focus on the student/learners being able to be independent post the course.
  • Do not be afraid of being creative when writing lesson plans. Very clear and informative.
  • I need to look again at how we create our modern languages initial assessment in order to diagnose needs and barriers to learning. Thank you ever so much Tony!
  • Structure of learning outcomes – to be expressions of what differences will be made.
  • Erecting and gradually dismantling learner support scaffolding.
  • To prepare learners to remove the scaffolding and focus more on the ‘difference’ and less on the ‘stuff’.

NPTC Consortium of Work-based Providers

  • Totally blew my mind! In a good way.
  • A passion to learn is a deep seeded fire in all of us. A teacher can become the extinguisher or igniter of those flames. This course is petrol.
  • Music to your ears!!
  • A refreshing session. I’m a few weeks into this role so it’s been good timing for me to recap on good practice and learn new things.
  • I felt inspired by teaching and learning and will discuss the use of different initial assessments.
    I feel encouraged and empowered to improve the initial assessment process for learners to increase the importance placed on this by both staff and learners. This will help to improve the support put in place from the start of the learner’s programme.

West Lancashire College

  • Open windows and doors of the mind.
  • [I need to] Write a better lesson plan and [learner] profile.
  • [I need to] Amend my learner profile to be of greater value and show greater attention to strategies for support needed by individual learners to achieve outstanding outcomes.
  • As a manager new to apprenticeships and the need to support staff, this really gave me an insight into how to support staff to ‘individualise’ apps.
  • Mind opening. Writing meaningful learning outcomes.
  • [I need to look at] Scaffolding for ALS support and thin SoW.
  • Challenging.

West Thames College

  • The penny has dropped.
  • The imagery of the scaffold was clear and I had never thought about support in this way.
  • Rather than reinventing the wheel, I have tools to make my practice more aerodynamic.
  • Label, verb, outcome – very useful.
  • Astounding.
  • [I need to] Create lesson plans differently!
  • Colour coding of learning outcomes. I will use this approach to write my LOs in future.
  • Use of materials to develop a lesson plan. Fantastic resources.

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • Excellent facilitator. Found the session really inspiring and interesting!
  • Tony – you have re-instated my faith in training! Thank you J
  • Creative sessions leaving me more curious to explore a variety of methods.
  • Excellent training, very thought provoking.
  • A journey across the carpet!
  • The teaching was chilled and non-demanding. Initial assessment – I will change the way I get information about learners from learners.
  • A shooting star.
  • Have to say overall I found today very helpful.

Lesson Observation Service

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Bolton Adult & Community Learning

The feedback I received after both days from the tutors I saw was really positive and they truly appreciated your warmth and your coaching style.

Achieving Grade 1 for Employability Skills

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

East Coast College

  • Like opening a door to new possibilities
  • Walking through a familiar corridor only to find how unfamiliar it actually is.
  • Unexpectedly useful.
  • You gave me new ideas to try that I hadn’t considered in the past.
  • Having no idea what to expect, this session was most interesting. Understanding individual needs requires attention.
  • Opened up expansive thinking. Should make the further debate necessary easier.
  • Making sure the learners can explain how and why they are doing something and how it relates to work.
  • [I need to] Vocalist the things we are already doing so the learners are more aware because if you ask them what we are doing for employability, they will say ‘nothing’ so break it down into language they understand and will use.
  • Learners’ ability to articulate how they have developed skills.

Runshaw College

  • Possibly the best training session since I started here.
  • Paradigm shift.
  • The session helped me to see past the current issues and identify our current strengths. We need to work backwards and improve understanding and ‘buy in’ from students to improve placement and skill development success. Excellent session. Very motivational.
  • Excellent delivery, which was exceptionally engaging. This has given me insight which I will now share with the rest of the team.
  • Thought provoking and inspiring! Reflect, reflect, reflect!
  • It’s made me want to reflect what I do on my own course/department, identify areas of improvement and use the top employability skills to devise motivating and engaging employability activities.
  • I enjoyed the ‘write your own Ofsted report’ exercise using the grade 1 words – highlighted what I need to achieve.
  • Forward with confidence.
  • Creating a new path across the gap between college and employability. It has helped to understand what is ahead regarding Ofsted.
  • I’ve walked across the carpet

Wakefield College

  • Arrived discouraged – left uplifted.
  • Today’s session was an employability dream.
  • I’ve been inspired to be more creative and dream bigger.
  • We need to review our scheme of work and how we deliver it.
  • Shining a light on creativity in education.
  • I have unlocked my creative thoughts by realising ‘I’ could make a difference.
  • Today is the start of a journey.
  • Thought provoking and challenging session. Will introduce some skill development project work into sessions.
  • Grade 1 session.
  • [I need to] Try to be more creative and let the students lead their learning more, and apply more directly to employment skills.
  • Quite challenging for one who is not naturally creative.
  • Snowball of exciting ideas.
  • Fantastic and enthusiastic delivery.

Assessment and the Art of Lazy Teaching

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon & Witney College

  • Two key points: ‘Preventable contact’ and ‘INformative assessment’

Adult Education Wolverhampton

  • A brain reset.

Antrec Limited

  • I have long been a believer in ‘letting students do the work’. This has given me more scope and belief to be able to develop the learner ability to think and learn independently.

Aspire Education Academy

  • This was really engaging and provided lots of thought-provoking ideas. It highlighted how I am able to take different assessment methods and create a lesson plan with such ease when you have been given the resources and tools to succeed.

Barnet and Southgate College

  • Felt I was opening up a new box of chocolates and discovering new ‘flavours’ of assessment techniques and teaching strategies.

Bath College

  • It was like entering an art gallery and finding yourself staring at 50 masterpieces, each worth the time to study it.

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • My cataracts have been cleared. Meaning: Before the session I knew that my learners needed to be more independent and there should be less of me marking piles of work, but I had only a very foggy awareness of how to change that. Now my awareness is clearer.

Blackburne House

  • Start at the door – walk the carpet – come out a different person.

B-Skill Limited

  • This is the first training session in a very long time that I have come away feeling excited and motivated. It has reminded me why I do this job and given me the inspiration to make a real difference within the classroom. Thank you.

Bristol City Council Community Learning

  • I’m so excited to start the new academic year and use some of the ideas from today. It will have a big impact on my teaching. My shoes were dancing without me.

Canterbury College

  • Thank you for you excellent presentation and some excellent tools, looking forward to using Provocation, Trick Questions and Mobile [Phone Documentaries].

Central Bedfordshire College

  • I’m itching to implement as many as possible next academic year. Keep up the good work. You had us engaged from beginning to the end. Popping candy for the brain.

Chesterfield College

  • As if by magic, the shop keeper appears. That was an extremely useful session, probably the best bit of CPD I’ve ever done. I will certainly be making use of the resources in the months (and perhaps years!) to come. Thanks very much!

Coleg Cambria

  • A whirlwind of excitement of new ideas. Another inspirational session with lots of ideas to develop my formative assessment.

Complete Skills Solutions

  • 50 shades of assessment will give me a new approach in quality to support learners gain the best experience we can give them – and make a difference. Thanks for the re-awakening!

Craven College

  • Out of this world! Galactic.

Crosby Training

  • Fabulous session.

East Coast College

  • It is like taking a lift to better practice. I will incorporate one of the strategies into my teaching each week.

East Kent College

  • A breath of fresh air. Mind blowing.

Fashion Enter

  • I was a blank canvas and the enthusiasm shown by the facilitator shone through. I will share with colleagues and think of how we could improve lesson planning and rewording criteria.

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

  • Road to improvement. This session was brilliant! [I need to] Read the 50 ‘tips’ and try some per week (2-3) and reflect on what works and for what groups.

Grimsby Institute

  • This is a whole new world of assessment, shinning, shimmering, splendid – a dazzling place I never knew. This course made me feel like I had been dragged out of the quicksand and placed into a lovely bath of assessment infused bubbles!

Groundwork

  • T’was brilliant. Thanks for exercising my brain!

Hereford College of Arts

  • I feel like I started on a camel and left on a fully functional cruise ship.

Hull College

  • A great session – kept me gripped throughout.

Inspire College

  • I get it – Bloody brilliant conclusion. It’s an ‘all you can eat’ buffet of assessment ideas.

JTL Training

  • Really good presentation, delivered within context, in a language that was non-academic so as to communicate with differing types of teachers from different backgrounds. Honest, clear and to the point. Any personal opinions were backed up with clear reasoning. A cauldron of ideas.

Kendal College

  • Opening a door in my mind to release new ideas. Assessment can be quick and simple – ultimately it makes lessons more engaging.

Leicester College

  • Forget ‘food for thought’ – this was a banquet! Learning is like cracking a code – today you have given us the code to 47 effective assessment tools.

Lincoln College International

  • Plenty to think about, as a manager never mind a teacher. What have we as observers been doing all these years???? How many of us have T, L and A strategies? Terminal – dead… We need to be alive and kicking!!

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • Great! The information on outcomes & assessment. The whole session was excellent. Loved opportunity to practise and lots of useful information.

Mid Kent College

  • Wide saucer eyes of enlightenment. Thank you for given me a new lens to look at my teaching through.

MK College

  • I think the afternoon was very comprehensive and having the PDF to take away will enable me to continue to develop my assessment. Thank you so much, it was great to see this in action and I am looking forward to trying out the assessments in my session on Thursday this week!

Mode Training

  • I have another quiver to my bow.

MTC Training

  • It was a melting pot of fantastic ideas.

Myerscough College

  • Candy floss! I was just a stick – got whirled around the sugar a number of times during different activities & came out a candy floss – sticky learning.

North Kent College

  • It’s like putting on a pair of magic spectacles; the overlap between teaching, assessment and learning is brought into sharp focus in this session.

North West Community Services

  • A really engaging course and Tony was extremely knowledgeable and encouraging throughout. I have recommended this course to a colleague who I know would hugely benefit. Really enjoyed the breakout rooms (although I didn’t think I would!)

North West Education & Training

  • The world is your oyster.

North West Training Council

  • An assault-course/rollercoaster. It is the difference that is important not the stuff.

Quest Training

  • Thank you so much for your great resources, think you should sell your cards.

Sefton Community Learning Service

  • Excellent session. It exceeded my expectations. Fantastic collaborative activities, very well presented and managed, inspiring. It was so engaging that time flew by and I have learnt so much in one training session, I can now cascade to colleagues.

South Eastern Regional College (Northern Ireland)

  • I learned a lot from the session yesterday. I will definitely explore some of the assessment strategies that I can utilise with my group. It was good to learn from other participants too.

Southport College

  • The best inset event we have had for years. Stimulating and full of good ideas, like a burst of cerebral sparks. Loved the game approach to the session: application of what is promoted, which does not always happen. It was original and stimulating.

Sparsholt College

  • They (The Fifty Shade of Assessment) can be integrated into lessons more easily and are less time consuming than I thought. I will try and see them as teaching rather than just assessing.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • Helped to free the mind!

St Helens College

  • High performance fuel for the brain! Blew my mind! Totally different perspective on LO.

Stoke College

  • My brain feels soaked in knowledge. Meerkat teaching – I want all my lessons to be Meerkat! I will endeavour to use 5 new assessment techniques in lessons by half term. I will try them and reflect on how they can be improved for my learners and my subject to build excellent learning skills.

Sysco

  • A fantastic insight into all aspects of assessment at this level of teaching. A whole new perspective on assessment strategies and how to implement during teaching.

The Learning Foundry

  • I will be concentrating on learners enjoying the journey rather than just completing the journey (end results). I did not know there were 50 assessment strategies – I now have a lot more to think about! Very interactive.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • Formative assessment can really become part of the lesson and blur the line of lesson and assessment. Tony has put into words what I strongly believe, students can develop if they know how to analyse themselves, and he has given me 47 strategies to work with, Thank-you.

TPM

  • Absolutely illuminating. Just a complete pleasurable experience. All 4 sessions – what L&S sector should be about.

TTE Training

  • Giving the learner responsibility to evaluate their own performance.

Vocational Solutions

  • Invigorating. Some new assessment strategies and ways to get my tutors to work together to develop curriculum.

West Lancashire College

  • Change is in the air! I am definitely going to implement some of the strategies learnt in this session. Really enjoyed the Community Challenge game and the chance to apply the strategies to given scenarios and discuss differing perspectives.

Weymouth College

  • This was absolutely inspiring – by far the best, if not the only staff development session – Ever. Bird in a cage, door opened…

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • My lesson plans are dinosaurs. Amazing and eye opening. I loved the session. It has made me think more about the learners.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • This was super engaging and it felt emotional to have someone stand up and truly understand. Thank you.

York College

  • I feel like I have climbed a hill – but instead of pulling the students up behind me – they are along side me, if not in front of me on this journey and, by the way, at the top of this hill is the best and most beautiful landscape – that is where the students are heading whilst I sit at the top of the hill for a little rest.

Differentiation in English and maths

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon and Witney College

  • Spread creative wings even more!
  • Brilliantly delivered, many thanks.
  • It has given inspiration to start the journey.
  • It reminded me what differentiation is and how to hook learners in with creative ‘wow’ moments to begin a lesson.

Carlisle College

  • I have licked a sweet and it has fired my imagination!
  • It has enthused me for trying different learning approaches and creating alternative resources – and to giving them to students in advance of the lesson.
  • A train trundling through a tunnel into the light – picking up speed.
  • Stimulated alternative ideas for pre-topic learning.

 

Formula for Happiness

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Hopwood Hall College

  • Remove limits and barriers from planning.
  • Roller coaster of discovery.
  • Got us to think big and creatively.
  • It was like learning ideas from our own brain.

Solihull College and University Centre

  • Very busy day. Hugely inspiring. Thinking of ideas without boundaries has enabled me to develop new strategies.
  • Blinding.
  • The moment the ship starts to slip down the launch slipway.
  • Andragogy. Re-designing and refreshing learning space.

The CCQI Self-Assessment Strategy

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon & Witney College

  • I can see clearly now the EIF has gone!
  • Now I have a tried and tested strategy to presents to my colleagues.

Blackburn House

  • I feel that the session today will help me to develop improved quality systems as well as the self assessment process.
  • I will look to change the format of the SAR and the process that we go through to arrive at the judgements.

Bury College

  • Big conversation captured on a simple form.

Buxton & Leek College

  • Going on a walk and reaching a fabulous view point.
  • Will try again to ensure there is an ongoing process. Like the idea of ‘Champions’, rather than ‘responsible’. Will use the idea of the learner journey as the basis of the self-assessment process rather than the EIF.

City College Peterborough

  • It was like dancing in the rain rather than wading through mud.
  • Identifying the ‘symptoms’ before getting down to the ‘issue’ Go down the rabbit hole and keep digging.

College of West Anglia

  • Yes certainly! I think the potential to increase staff confidence with Self-assessment, whilst eliminating fear of the process will be powerful.
  • I know feedback with suggestions is always helpful, but I think the sessions have been great as they are. There have been a variety of tasks throughout the series of the sessions and I’ve had the opportunity to meet/network with some lovely, like minded people. I’ve really enjoyed every session.

Debut Training Academy

  • Excited to have had this learning today.
  • I don’t use my however correctly. I always say what we are going to do and not just leave that for the QIP. I wish it was longer.

Grimsby Institute

  • Valuable
  • The session presented a range of considerations and processes to consider in relation to re-developing our self-assessment procedure, particularly around working with staff to get to the root cause of issues.

Leeds Arts University

  • I’ve got my head stuck in the sleeve of a jumper. It was someone else’s jumper and it didn’t really feel like it fit but I probably should’ve started putting the jumper on sooner. I can see the light down the sleeve but it’s going to mean changing the jumper design whilst wearing it. Also, we need to go on a diet but it’s not about eating less it about making good choices about what we put in and understanding why?
  • I really hadn’t though about comparative data sets – revelation.

Leicestershire Adult Learning Service

  • It felt like I was given the key to the secret world of writing SARs!
  • The importance of the SAR thinking process to guide organisational development plans. The importance of knowing what the issues are and how comparative data sets can help you to understand what is happening in your organisation.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • A ray of sunshine through a dark cloud 🙂
  • This was really good individual feedback and support given throughout. Very enjoyable.
  • Basing it [self-assessment] on issues/root causes and learner journey.
  • Enlightenment is mine… ‘however’. Today I heard the click!
  • Hopefully we will have a better system – identifying root causes and actions to improve – more systematic approach. Hopefully more effective!

Michael John Training (Manchester)

  • Total change, from PR to evaluation.
  • The light bulb that was switched on has just burned brighter!
  • Click – lightbulb!

OxfordSaudia Flight Academy

  • Can’t be more impressed! Changing a long, dull, time-consuming, & painful process into a learning journey broken down into several steps & stages with simple yet effective tools & resources.
  • A great sense of relief! A clear, honest, inclusive, and impactful approach. Linking all elements of this approach to our entire quality process. I have a clear understand and vision of how to contextualise it to our model. Keep up the great work and thank you!

Quest Training

  • This has been really useful to help give me ideas to take back to my company to try to look at self assessment in new light.
  • Fantastic session Tony, Great resources to support the session and further reading.

Retrofit Academy

  • Great session and lots of takeaways which I hope to implement. “Why is that then” will be used as a staple within our SAR’s in the future.
  • Really enjoyed the session and I will be booking on again and as we spoke will be adding my colleagues to future sessions.

Shift Media

  • De-layering an onion without crying 🙂
  • I liked understanding how to stay with a perceived problem to a solution – so no ducking out of it.
  • Waves of enlightenment!
  • It helped develop my understanding of SA. I will change the way I approach it – delving deeper to the root causes and always putting the learner at the centre.

Skills and Education Group delegates

  • Going on a walk and reaching a fabulous view point.
  • I was blind, but now I see.

Stockport College

  • Stunningly simple approach to self assessment.
  • My 2 dimensional SAR glasses have been modified to 3D.
  • It has given me a totally different view and understanding, as if I am on the outside looking in.
  • Brilliant session, thank you. It will change what I do and how I do it.

Sussex Downs College

  • Blue sky opening up after a dark, wet morning!!
  • It feels like we are getting there!
  • A dream of shimmering visions and opaque water with limbs strong, but the land not yet in view. Excited about the work, but anxious about the task of introducing it to the team whilst giving them ownership.
  • Excellent stimulus material and a fantastic working environment. Challenging and enjoyable.

Sussex Downs College – support staff

  • Opening a door to ‘let in’, rather than closing a door to ‘shut out’.
  • Enlightened! Really proud of the work we have started so far.
  • Steep hill, but it was worth it!
  • Vroom! We are off!

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • Invigorating experience. Stimulating, got me thinking about aspects I never paid attention to before.
  • It helped me realize that there is a solution for everything if we follow the process in its true spirit.

Trafford College

  • Be prepared to be comfortable with being uncomfortable! Learnt a lot today and now my brain hurts.
  • The presentation style – using Zoom and the adapted Prezi is really clear and easy to follow.

Warrington & Vale Royal College

  • The depth of the rabbit hole will be as deep as the discussion it took to get there!
  • I will definitely be asking Curriculum Managers: “So why is that then?”

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • I went to see a man about a dog, but I saw the dog!!
  • Thanks, very useful and will change how we do our SAR & QIP & the service.
  • Team needs to change our system significantly to make self assessment dynamic, useful & questioning.
  • Small group session was particularly effective, I thought.

Yeovil College

  • Thought-provoking. Creative.
  • Structure of the learner journey. Using low level data. Getting to the root-cause of issues as well as causes of outstanding areas. Design of development plans.

York College

  • That feeling when you get new glasses and realise things have been a little out of focus for some time!
  • We have the bare bones of this but we need to find a way to keep the SAR live rather than just the QIP. Currently Improvement Plan is revisited regularly but the Self -assessment element is an annual event, largely conducted by managers. We need a better approach to incorporating individual tutor voices throughout the year.

21st Century Pedagogy

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon and Witney College

  • Lots of Eureka moments and pennies dropping – everything made sense.
  • Opened my mind – again!
  • The three colours of learning outcomes – really tricky to do, but once done (investment) can transform what then happens with learners.

Blackburn with Darwin Borough Council

  • Mind is a whirlpool of fresh thoughts and ideas which need time to impact!

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • This was absolutely fascinating!!

Bolton College

  • Had the rug pulled out from underneath established things I’d been taught. The point about inspiring curiosity and not capping expectations has really stuck.

Chesterfield College

  • Teaching an old dog new tricks!

City College Coventry

  • Really helpful. Going to deliver the ‘Sandbox’ to my team.

East Coast College

  • This training should be a session in the teacher training qual and also repeated for tutors biannually/annually. More teachers need to attend this training if we are to overcome TLA.

Knowsley Community College

  • On an education shopping trip to gather loveliness.

Lancashire Adult Learning

  • I feel the session has enabled me to understand the importance of lesson strategy and how objectives should focus on ‘mind outcomes’ – therefore enabling learning to continue through curiosity – fuelling conversation for further lessons.

Leicestershire Adult Learning Service

  • Loved the idea of creating curiosity in my learners from the outset, encouraging them to learn outside the lesson.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • I will revamp my lesson planning and get to grips with my objectives! I will most certainly enjoy making my weaknesses my most valuable assets!
  • I am going to use the summer break to re-find the enthusiasm I started teaching with!

Milton Keynes Council

  • Older and wiser! He came, he saw, he conquered (hearts and minds).

New College Nottingham

  • As a new tutor I struggle to develop lesson plans. This session has opened my eyes on teaching.
  • Cannot wait to try out lots of new ideas.

Northern College

  • Standing at a crossroads, thinking I instinctively know the best way to turn, and having someone point out a different route that I’ve not spotted before.

North Lindsey College

  • Insightful and now eager to complete LP (lesson plan) with more thought – using colour-coding to reorganise my LP.
  • (I need to) completely change the way I address lesson plans.

Plymouth College of Art

  • Connected well to the morning session [Transformational Lesson Observation] and challenged my approach to learning outcomes.

Solihull College and University Centre

  • Breath-taking.

Sussex Downs College

  • Bubbling like Prosecco!
  • Avoid trap of equating ‘doing stuff’ to actually ‘learning’.

West Cheshire College

  • Excellent session. It was Bleak House, but we now have Great Expectations, and Tony is our Mutual Friend.
  • I will read the web-based info again and again.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Like being trained to run a 5K in an organisation that has equipped me for a 3-legged race.
  • Value added. Has given me a (much needed) update.

Inspiring Induction Practices

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Boston College

  • I feel that the session has provided me with a new perspective on induction. Because of the ‘tick off the checklist’ type induction that is usually run, induction has always felt like something to be endured before the ‘real’ stuff begins. This session has made me realise that an (extended) induction period can be crucial in helping learners.

Burton and South Derbyshire College

  • Feeling inspired about induction.
  • A new way of looking at things that is very much needed. This is how my mind works anyway. I really hope it sparks a change in others.
  • Always great learning from you Tony.

Central Bedfordshire College

  • Like Alice falling into the rabbit hole.
  • Eye opening. Shook up my ideas for creating engaging and stimulating induction activities.
  • I think today went really well and I got insight into things that I did not consider before.
  • It was amazing day for me!

Chesterfield College

  • An inspirational session this morning! Thank you. I took my induction idea to the JOYFE ideas room tonight and explored it further with a group from around the country! Watch this space?‍♂‍we are collaborating across colleges?
  • Like sailing out across the ocean.
  • Will be disseminating this Friday – the team who attended were really buzzing… fingers crossed.

City College Peterborough

  • By creating a Gold Quality Standard which provides learners with an outstanding experience which sets the scene for the rest of their journey with the College. Consider how to ensure evaluations are based on the ‘differences’ and not ‘the stuff’. Providing our ‘formula for happiness’.

East Coast College

  • Waking up from a deep sleep. I feel inspired.
  • ‘From prison to freedom.’
  • [I need to] Think more about what I want the learner to ‘look’ like after induction. What difference do I want to make..?

Greenhead College

  • Many thanks Tony. Lots to reflect upon.
  • Thought the emphasis on the ‘extended’ induction was great as all too often, we get through the initial enrolment and move on without sufficient reflection from a learner viewpoint.

Hopwood Hall College

  • This was an amazing session. We have now written our own quality induction standard. So inspiring and informative.

Hull College

  • Thank you Tony for a fantastic session, given me a lot of food for thought going forward 🙂
  • Ideas are raining like cats and dogs.
  • As an organisation we must be led by how we want our learners to be different as a result of induction, rather than compliance of checklist activities that have limited or negative impact.

JTL Training

  • A melting pot of creativity.
  • I feel this has helped me challenge my perceptions of what induction should look like and will enable me to breathe life into future inductions.
  • Ensure more inspirational learner involvement. I might change EVERYTHING! Actually…I was already going to, but now it has MUCH better focus!

Lakes College

  • [I need to] Redesign the induction process using a ‘zone experience’.
  • Please come back – we need more of these sessions.
  • [I need to] Completely rethink induction – big inter-department project between construction and engineering??

Leicester College

  • The flames of inspiration shot up faster than a trio of lightning bolts.
  • I don’t directly deliver as I am a contract manager for our sub-contractors but this has been useful and inspirational and will enable me to provide our sub-contractors with ideas and understanding.

Lifelong Learning & Skills

  • Somersaults. The thrill and excitement of doing something a bit different that brings rewards.
    I very much like to turn things on their head and get out of old thinking!

Lincoln College

  • Fantastic session. Superbly facilitated Tony. Thank you.

Loughborough College

  • Inspirational
  • I want to make our distance learners feel part of something bigger than completing their short 12-16 week course.

NESCOT

  • Unlike ‘footprints in the sand’, this will hopefully stay in my brain!
  • One of the first training courses that kept my interest throughout!
  • A twisting, green-slimy feeling of guilt and abject excitement.

Nottingham College

  • That we need to work as a team to agree on quality standards and steer clear of an ‘induction checklist’.
  • I really like the idea of an extended induction in terms of planning for an event in week 8.
  • If I want students to have high aspirations I need mine to be higher too.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • A journey on which the fog was lifting with every mile travelled, unveiling exciting new ideas that were there all along.
  • I need to be far more creative during induction!
  • Think bigger!

Preston’s College

  • [We need to] Make the boring stuff unforgettable.
  • Making us think differently.
  • Realisation of truth.
  • For visual and performing arts [I’d like to develop] a festival of remembrance with British Values and Prevent themes embedded.

Skills and Education Group 

  • Confirmation that there should be ambition in the planning of induction during unique circumstances.
  • The idea of wanting to bring about change in an individual rather than merely ticking off a checklist of activities. Interesting to consider how we see ‘outstanding’ and how this can adjust how well we evaluate what we do…

Solihull College and University Centre

  • Happy, excited to change.
  • A fresh breeze let through a stuffy house. Really refreshing.
  • Jaded to Jazzed.
  • I feel empowered to take control of induction.

Weston College

  • I am going to use the quality standards and ask curriculum to plan what exceptional looks like for their targets SKB’s.

Windsor Forest Colleges Group

  • Clearing of the fog.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Especially the bit about taking the worst bit and making it the best.
  • The sandcastle analogy was really good. Changed my view.
  • It was mind blowing.

York College

  • Extremely inspiring session

Grade 1 Leadership and Management

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Birmingham Metropolitan College

  • Light at the end of the tunnel – move towards ungraded, developmental observations..

Kingston College

  • Like trudging through mud to a field of gold.

NESCOT

  • Tony was like a Cheshire cat; provoking curiosity and a desire to find a way out of the madness.
  • Inspired to be curious
  • Inspirational talk. The symptoms vs issues debate and implications was enlightening.
  • Lots of food for thought.
  • A bookshelf full of ideas.
  • Enlightening moment of clarity.

Tower Hamlets College

  • Inspirational and thought provoking.
  • I really loved this session, it will definitely impact on my life as an AP (advanced practitioner)/teacher.

Worcester College of Technology

  • Cow jumping over the moon.

English skills: an easier life for teachers

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Access Creative College

  • Socially engaging and visual. Encouraged teaching and learning strategy thinking.
  • Inspirational assignment briefs that triggered learning.
  • Online delivery and engaging resources eg: Prezi that was being used in session was effective.
  • An enriching exercise to inform present practice.
  • Contextualising GCSE English materials into the different vocational subject areas.
  • Sharing good practise using the Quality Standard.
  • The focus on ‘difference’ rather than ‘stuff’ to achieve effective outcomes.
  • Well organised and planned session.
  • Vital for Life!
  • Stuff & Difference. Creating the Need for Knowledge Spread over a longer time.
  • I am looking forward to watching the recording back so I can break it down, some parts went quickly for me!

Hopwood Hall College

  • A very engaging and informative session. I never knew that English objectives/outcomes could be useful to develop expert learning skills.
  • Returning to college in the new year can sometimes be a baptism of fire, but your molten bronze drops of wisdom helped us to see the light at the end of the Ofsted tunnel.
  • As a teacher of English (and a teacher educator) I love the way you presented the AOs for GCSE Eng Lang as required content in every curriculum.
  • Such fantastic concepts!
  • You have started to restore my faith in teaching and learning.
  • Very informative, increased my knowledge of keeping learners engaged.
  • Learning was fun, like a fairground!
  • Rollercoaster of learning.
  • Looking at learning as an experience and not only as a learning outcome.
  • Think about and consider the emotional journey of my learners.
  • ‘Curiosity’ – need to bring this into my introduction and recap sessions.
  • Very motivating and allowed me to reflect on my own practices and how it can be implemented.
  • Changing how I word and look at lesson plans.
  • The distinction between ‘stuff’ and ‘difference’ was very good and useful.
  • The ‘January low point’ was great!
  • My learning experience was ‘banging’ as Brian Cox would say.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed this session, I feel motivated.
  • The 3 broad experience groups is a much nicer way to describe my learners’ levels at the start of the year.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Curiosity skilled the cat.
  • [I need to] Change SoW to engage, use positive reinforcement and excitement.
  • Make your weakest [aspect of provision] your strongest.
  • [I need to] Use one of the assessment activities to incorporate literacy into our sessions.
  • Excellent, informative session. Really interesting and well presented.
  • [I need] More English within sessions using comparative text, etc..
  • Motivational, coming up with better ideas.
  • [I need to] Change the way we interpret English language into our lessons.
  • Use English tools to integrate into the classroom – also look at SoW.
  • [I need to] Make more lessons (subjects) fun. Always engaged with the presenter.
  • Curriculum areas and English have been running parallel for years on a train track, heading for the same destination, but will never meet. You have to derail the train so that the tracks meet, to meet the final destination. Please do a session for English staff!! Derail that train!! 🙂
  • I think parts of this session could be adapted for the English team – adapting SoW to engage students, [to] engage those who we think are not going to pass.
  • A rolling subject gathers some English skills.
  • [I need to] Use English tools to integrate into my own area.
  • Making learning fun. Changing ways of delivery and embedding English into sessions – motivation.
  • Inspiring. [We need to] Use sex more! 🙂
  • Bruce Lee said: ‘You should always train your weakest side first’.
  • A cloud with a silver lining.
  • [I need to] Make it more exciting.
  • I could have listened and learned all day.
  • Sharpened our pencils!
  • A duck to water 🙂 Even more great ideas and inspiration. It’s always a pleasure to attend your lessons.

West Thames College

  • Always look towards outcomes, then build strategies towards that end.
  • A journey of new understanding.
  • I found it useful to see the assessment objectives for GCSE English and have the time to think about how drama can serve these objectives, and embed them in every class.
  • Shamazing!!
  • Changed my own mindset.
  • I enjoyed the session – very motivated.
  • It was delivered very professionally.
  • Enlightening.
  • Light at the end of the tunnel.
  • I thought we’d be talking about [GCSE English] exams. We actually talked about how to develop learners’ skills. I found this much more useful and inspiring – building skills for the future – skills students can use. It needs to be longer.
  • It was like being cocooned in a warm, pleasant sweatshirt.
  • Moved perspective.
  • Enjoyed the delivery style – matched my own.
  • Very useful in generating ideas of how to embed.
  • It was a great session.
  • Really interesting session – active and thought provoking.

Supercharged Evaluation Skills

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Blackburn with Darwin Borough Council

  • Fantastic lecturer with a great sense of knowledge and understanding. His approach was very professional.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • Scaffolding! Waterfall of information to be flowed throughout organisation.

Bracknell and Wokingham College

  • I found the big picture element of this session stimulating and will reflect upon this in days to come. Extremely relevant to my current college.

Bury College

  • Much better understanding of differentiation and stretch and challenge.

Canterbury College

  • It’s clear that staff have been inspired by the ideas presented and are going to make positive changes to their practice as a result.

Coleg Cambria

  • Can’t wait to try and implement what I have learned.

Derby College

  • The session has helped the fog to lift after a long summer break.

East Coast College

  • This was the best English lesson I’ve ever had, 🙂 Very enjoyable.

EMFEC

  • I plan to develop a vocational thesaurus and adapt the induction process to culminate in a ‘zone experience’.

Framework Housing Association

  • As a facilitator, I feel I’m now moving into a first class train carriage from second.

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

  • With tentative, smart steps I’ve been taken from the side of the stage to performing music in front of an audience.

Halton Borough Council

  • Work from desired impact backwards.

Highbury College

  • Good starting points and exercises that built up my understanding and encouraged me to think more creatively in terms of word colours and higher-order thinking skills.

Hopwood Hall College

  • I have been blown away by some of these lovely ideas. I am thinking in colour!!

Itchen College

  • Full-colour vocabulary – awesome.

Kingston College

  • Excellent day and hosts. It has made a huge positive impact.

Knowsley Community College

  • Love the scaffolding approach. Will use it, 100%.

Lancashire Adult Learning

  • A cacophony of rainbow adverbages that will initiate a colourful journey of language exploration throughout my teaching.

Leicester College

  • Changed my perception of differentiation. The most productive training event attended in a long while.

NESCOT

  • The pieces that were missing from the jigsaw puzzle have been found!

Newbubbles delegate, Portsmouth

  • Fantastic. Really keen to spend more time on these areas. First class.

New College Nottingham

  • Thinking beyond the straightjacket of my sector.
  • This is the best CPD session I have attended in at least 5 years – your facilitation style is brilliant!

Northern College

  • The ‘full colour’ writing is a brilliant way to enable students to understand what they need to do and how to do it.

North Lindsey College

  • Fast, furious and exciting.

North Nottinghamshire College

  • Epic.

Palmer’s College

  • Excellent!

Solihull College and University Centre

  • Zeus’ thunderbolt.

Stockport Continuing Education Service

  • An exquisite and engaging journey across the room.

Sunderland College

  • I will be using the colour-coded sentences in order to get learners to create effective analytical sentences.

Sussex Downs College

  • Like discovering a chocolate cake in a box labelled ‘chore’.

Weston College 

  • I found the strategies presented to be useful for providing a framework to consider learners’ learning skills. It prompted me to think about a process that all staff can use.

West Cheshire College

  • Inspiring! 🙂 Though we practise these philosophies already within the area, the structure of how to approach it holistically will help immensely in the planning of curriculum.

West Lancashire College

  • Loved the activities – very engaging and made me work, but in a confident and supported environment.

West Nottinghamshire College

  • My head is spinning with ideas!
  • I need to develop learners’ ability to give their opinions and my higher-order questioning skills.

West Thames College

  • Tony was very knowledgeable and it was extremely enlightening to revisit differentiation and stretch & challenge. I now feel more equipped to ask higher-order questions.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed all the input and the professional approach.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Wow!

Creative Learning Teams

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Birmingham Metropolitan College

  • It made me think more about what I was doing and it was interesting to see some of the mistakes I make happen in others’ practice (offering direct early advice rather than coaching) and what I could do to combat this.
  • Good to see my fellow colleagues teach a similar topic and the different ways we all do it. Much more friendly approach to observations and more learning occurred.
  • I found that seeing the other staff’s good practice has enabled me to understand the use of different teaching strategies and their effect on students.

East Coast College

  • Creative, collaborative and inspiring.
  • I have a greater understanding of my own methodology through the eyes of experienced peers – this means a lot to me.
  • Great to receive such a wide range of ‘steals’ from other teachers.
  • It gave me a completely different perspective. I loved the idea of making students curious.
  • Thank you. I feel enriched.

Leeds Arts University

  • The observation of others’ techniques when working on similar goals. The recording of the session raised issues in my ‘unconscious’ questioning techniques I hadn’t previously been aware of.
  • Observing everyone’s sessions under this system allowed for an unexpected and valuable new reading of what was seen. It also has made me reconsider how I encourage students’ engagement.
  • Excited leap forward.
  • The observation process is much more thorough and professionally relevant than a ‘grading’ system.

The Sheffield College

  • It was like wiping a window clean.
  • It gave me the confidence to talk about what I haven’t achieved and what I want to achieve.
  • Consider (lesson) timings more carefully and allow students a little more space to think before responding to questions.
  • Consider desired impacts before establishing strategies.
  • I was able to reflect on my current practice and now know areas to address. I thought it was a fantastic day

Workforce Training (NI)

  • Door-opening experience.
  • Use questions to encourage own learning. Don’t ‘direct’ feedback.
  • I will try to use coaching and prompting more in my lessons.
  • Picked up some really good teaching methods from the other tutors. Found it really interesting and challenging.
  • Saw things I would never have looked for in my lessons.
  • A very worthwhile exercise which can only improve the learning impact of the organisation.

West Cheshire College

  • Filled me with inspiration, helped me get out of a rut.
  • Can’t wait to deliver the next lesson.
  • Difficult at first, but the pieces of the puzzle eventually dropped into place.
  • Assessing impact and observing teachers in other areas was invaluable.
  • Made me look at each section of teaching and how it impacts on each learner.
  • (Must) consider impact more fully when writing learning outcomes and planning sessions.

Tricked out tutorials

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Blackburn with Darwin Borough Council

  • I like the idea of helping learners to fly.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • The difference between being locked on a rigid train track with a single destination and a scenic, pleasurable journey where the details on the way are just as important.

Bolton College

  •  A road map to outstanding.

City College Coventry

  • I really love the idea of differentiation I learnt today. I will apply it.
  • An eye opener on what we could do better.

Hills Road College

  • Highly stimulating.
  • Clarified the notion of considering the IMPACT that process can make and that all discussions and interviews should be conducted with positive change in mind.

Lancashire Adult Learning

  • Brilliant start and excellent examples.

Newbubbles (open event)

  • The use of data is especially interesting and something I will encourage colleagues to look at, as is the quality standard.
  • Inspired by leader’s passion for developing education.
  • Enlightened by Tony’s passion for the subject.

Newcastle College

  • Some fantastic guidance which is transferable within my role.
  • Your visit has been like a breath of fresh air, and because you come from Ofsted it was exactly your opinions people needed to hear!
  • It was like eating a sprout – I like sprouts, they are good for you, but not everyone gets them.

Northern College

  • I will create more space to develop the story/narrative, to develop the context of the tutorial.

Preston’s College

  • Mega lightbulb moment 🙂
  • Loved the session. Helped me to think about how to get my review process to be outstanding.

Solihull College and University Centre

  • Insightful. I want to put these new skills into practice.
  • Our review paperwork is clearly not fit for purpose.

South Downs College

  • Another excellent session. I experienced another session which was led by Tony many years ago. One of the very few I have remembered!!
  • A candle being lit.

The Learning Foundry

  • Like the barn door being opened and being let out into the sunny meadow.
  • How to set a scene, ask questions without being too intrusive. Getting info without putting words in [learners’] mouths.

West Cheshire College

  • (We need to) standardise this practice throughout the college.

West Thames College

  • Target setting on its head.
  • I love the way Tony always turns things upside down and inside out and makes me think outside the box.

 

Service area self assessment

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Grimsby Institute service-area teams

  • Buckets full of ideas.
  • Better understanding of the cogs in the wheel of self assessment.
  • Gave me a lot to think about, but very helpful.
  • Made me realise that there are many more things to consider.
  • Don’t write (about) symptoms – write issues!
  • I haven’t looked at self assessment in this format before. It helps me think and conclude differently.
  • Bit like an iceberg. Have realised SARs are just the bit we see on top and there is a lot to go on below the water level.
  • This was a great way of ‘building’ quality standards.
  • I will be more involved in self assessment in future.
  • Much better understanding of what is required now.

 

The RED System

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon & Witney College

  • A bit of a rollercoaster. Change to a more empowering model that trusts teachers.

Birmingham Metropolitan College

  • You can teach an old dog new tricks.
  • It was hard and tiring, but definitely worth it.
  • Resetting the sails on a ship to chart new or forgotten waters, discovery or rediscovery.
  • Climbing out from under the microscope and looking down the lens yourself.

Bolton College

  • Thank you, Tony! I can’t wait to implement RED
  • Whirlwind!
  • My inspirational juices are flowing.
  • I feel more confident to organise the days and I am really looking forward to it.
  • How to analyse and avoid leading questions.
  • Wonderful as always. Enjoying, interesting and most of all inspiring.
  • Really found the mock CLT meetings useful.

City College Coventry

  • Rude awakening!
  • Questioning. [I need to] Get my team to identify their areas for development.
  • Empower the teachers to measure impact.
  • It gives me a better way of undertaking observations, I am new to the manager’s role, so is useful.
  • Insightful and inspirational. Started to understand the need to flip accountability to supportive process.

Chesterfield College

  • A roadmap to success.
  • Storms are created as a natural part of life and a natural part of every ecosystem.
  • Loved it – perhaps challenge perception of what managers do!
  • Icing on the cake!!
  • Loved it thank you 🙂
  • The myth of Sisyphus, but with a different ending (He gets it over the hill).
  • It can be factored into our current system and COPs.
  • Like climbing a ladder to reach the stars!
  • Really liked the way in which each phase is structured, in particular 6, 7 and 8.
  • Really enjoyed it, thank you.
  • The future is bright and ever changing.
  • Evaluation and continuous improvement.
  • I found today’s session very inspiring and I feel RED will re-energise our college.

East Coast College

  • An inspiring journey. This session reinforced my own views on how observation should be a developmental process and I feel it really helped staff to see the opportunity provided by the RED System.
  • Gives a much clearer indication of how the concept works in practice. Informative, lot of creative thinking. Good delivery and explanation.
  • Change my use of language when reflecting on the session with the tutor. Use the Learning Momentum curve.
  • Change in attitude, sell the idea to others – might have to be gradual.
  • Overflowing cup.
  • In particular it was really good to go over the opening questions for the ‘transition point’ during the discussion with teacher. Really good reminder on ‘open’ questioning, devising a bank of open questions to start and the use of ‘funneling’ to encourage ownership by the teacher of the positives, negatives, missing and unintended impacts. This has helped to hone my skills a bit more and made me realise that I need a bit more prep on the questions beforehand to avoid ‘leading’.

Halton Borough Council

  • Changed the direction of my thinking in terms of observation and impact on learning.
  • Holding a mirror up to habits I didn’t fully recognise I had developed.
  • I am now more aware of my propensity to offer advice and solutions that are not invited.
  • Having the paperwork to give a framework to any future improvements has been very helpful.

Hereford College of Arts

  • It’s like when Derren Brown hypnotised a concert pianist.
  • A signpost to Everest! We’ve got a huge climb ahead. There will be challenges along the way but we’re going in the right direction and have taken the first steps.
  • Great understanding of how observations will work.
  • Changing the terminology from learning observations/walks etc. Empowered to take control of our standards.
  • Thank you so much – great thought-provoking day. I wish all my team had been able to attend – I will definitely be sharing with them.
  • Really interesting and engaging session.
  • Walking the carpet.
  • A lot! Taking risks, how to observe effectively. The learners’ journey / the impact is most important.
  • Enjoyable workshop/session as it made me more aware of how to approach the conversation following lesson observation. Let them talk!

Lincoln College International

  • Unlocking more educational practice doors.
  • I will start looking at implementing changes to the current approach to observation processes to this impact-oriented system.
  • The session was spot on in terms of its purpose, administration, and task integration.
  • Fantastic session! Definitely looking forward to attending future sessions and growing within educational quality management.
  • Take a risk and do something new. Empowering.

Nottingham College

  • Turning the formal observation process on its head! A refreshing system that puts teachers at the heart of their CPD!
  • Teachers always feel very twitchy during the observation windows, and this model allows them to take control, which will reduce stress and anxiety!
  • This session has encouraged me to think differently about lesson obs and the impact that they have. I will definitely use different language and encourage more teacher reflection. Truly inspiring!
  • Start of a ‘new journey’ to change the culture and development of TLA at our college. I like the ‘research element’. The feedback/emphasis on the observee to undertake the detailed reflection.
  • It is completely different from our current system. This process will enable the teachers to feel more supported and to take risks with their teacher. Would need the trust of the staff to buy into the new process.

OxfordSaudia Flight Academy

  • The process is long, but it’s the right way. I LOVED the quick but effective information about transactional communication with the parent, adult and child. This will DEFINITELY help me in both my professional AND personal life.
  • Can’t wait for it to happen!
  • Takeaways in terms of the philosophy behind the RED system (such as creating and sharing collaborative tools to share insights, discussions, etc… Takeaways from the trainer qualities: being insightful, being witty, keep all engaged in different ways (verbal & non-verbal communication), etc…
  • The stars are dancing! Building trust. Culture shift. Quality. Reflection.

Quest Training

  • A wealth of meerkat moments.
  • This session has really helped me to look at how I can adapt my ideas already to change the system we have in place. Just added 100 things to my to do list as I always go away with wanting more knowledge.
  • Well done it was a fab session. I will be in touch to book in with you – Thank you for the one to one time also today.

Serco

  • Putting tutors at the heart of observations.
  • New role, and new to observations. This was a great session to support my learning and understanding.
  • The key takeaways for me are the overview and methodology of the RED system and moving more towards a model with the quality observations with our partner providers that includes evaluative feedback.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • Another chance to adapt and overcome!
  • Key Questions What is our philosophy of education? Do we emphasise the efficiency of learning enough when promoting research approach?
  • Key phrase: Change one thing!
  • In every other circumstance I would choose face to face over online learning, but you have managed to translate your sessions beautifully to the online environment, which has resulted in an enriched rather than a lesser experience.
  • Always take something useful and something innovative from these sessions – an elusive blend!

The Sheffield College

  • A really challenging, inspiring & enjoyable event, which will certainly impact my own practice. I hope the college moves forward with this as a whole.
  • Enlightening.
  • Eye opening. It helped me look at my teaching in a more objective way.
  • Confidence building and motivational to embrace change.

Workforce Training (NI)

  • I really understand what it is all about – impact on learners. Did they cross the carpet?
  • Real eye-opener.
  • The coaching on how to ask a question to a teacher to try and pry out the positive/negative impact on learning…
  • A change in perception of what it is to effectively observe. Rather than my opinion or judgement, a move to open discussion on how to improve, i.e. the observation is a means to facilitate discussion.

Yew Chung Education Foundation (China)

  • The session allowed me to put a number of our practices under the microscope, separate the composition of the cells and consider what aspects of manipulation would yield the greatest short term and long term impact.
  • It was a welcome opportunity for me to refocus on the ultimate purpose of lesson observation and how well we communicate that to our community.

Learning motivation: designing unmissable experiences

Click here for an overview of the training. 

Aspire Education Academy

  • Gaining knowledge regarding new teaching skills. Also, I enjoyed learning about emotional learning journey. I feel that Tony provided an excellent class and a lot of brilliant knowledge.

Barnet and Southgate College

  • Motivated and inspired.
  • Thinking of something the learners can look forward to. It was a very interesting and inspiring session.

Blackburne House

  • “Walking the learning carpet!”
  • Reaching for the stars regarding our learner provision/experiences.

Bryson Futureskills

  • Today has been fantastic in igniting that fire in my belly.
  • I loved hearing about how a positive beginning to the learning experience during induction put learners in the right mind-set to focus and want to learn.
  • I will be reflecting on my own induction and identifying how to ‘ignite’ the learning journey.

Chesterfield College

  • This session lit up a corner of a dark room that I have just entered – and will get brighter the more I learn, teach and adapt these techniques.
  • Absolutely – especially in regards to my department. Hearing new ideas, techniques and understanding and implementing approaches to learning with unmotivated/disengaged students and activities.
  • Brilliant delivery and very engaging. Appreciate the lesson and enlightening.

City College Coventry

  • [What might you do differently?] Everything.
  • Yet another road to Damascus.
  • Think big. Thank you for inspiring my staff so much 🙂
  • Wow, I really enjoyed it… The reassurance that mistakes made through experimentation are ok.

City of Westminster College

  • It was like building a house.

Coleg Cambria

  • It was the match to an extinguished fire.

Complete Skills Solutions

  • Like a rollercoaster ride with no end! (This is good by the way!)
  • Use language differently when talking about problems – replace symptoms with ‘issues’ – focus on curing issues and make our QIP actions now the best bits in the future.

East Coast College

  • I got very excited about planning a zone experience in low points in the academic year to excite my learners.
  • It was a simmering pot of ideas.
  • From tiny seeds big trees grow!
  • Make something exciting to look forward to each term.

Grimsby Institute

  • Riding the waves on a sea of great ideas.
  • I’m taking away the thin scheme of work and mapping unmissable events and motivation low points to inform planning.

Heart of Worcestershire College

  • How I can look at my planning from a different angle (emotional) to improve leaner motivation.
  • Think about my smiley points! SOW which is well sequenced to include emotional sticking points (January!)
  • Time to reflect and think about to influence change across my college.

Hull College

  • Feel very inspired to keep challenging myself.
  • Change my SoW to remove X (low points) and replace with smile (high points)
  • I was in danger of falling into a bit of a rut having reflected many a night on how to resolve the issue. Now feeling very positive. Every class is now a positive as I know I can improve the experience for both myself and the learners.
  • “Teaching is not teaching”. Dare to go wild with planning. Stop boring lessons.

JTL Training 

  • Always informative to share a meeting with Tony, his though process is different to most in education. Another lightbulb moment.
  • We have so many ideas. Concentrating on the worst engaged lesson and turning it into the most engaged lesson is now my mission.
  • Like peering through the curtain to a brave new world.
  • Rethink my approach to lessons that I may have subconsciously written off as “dull” and something to “plough through” .. and try to make them more engaging.

Learning Curve Group

  • I enjoyed the course, I took more from the course than the content being delivered. I particularly enjoyed your on-line delivery set up and found it engaging.

Lincoln College International

  • Exhilarating…
  • Tap into my imagination more and always plan with the end in mind. Simplifying assignments so that I am still able to meet the deadline but my students are also just as engaged as I would like them to be without burning out.
  • The teacher has become the student.
  • It was like finding the soul for every future class.

MidKent College

  • Light at the end of the tunnel.
  • More unmissable events to look forward to on the SoW.
  • It would be really nice to do a training session with my teaching staff, we will be looking into planning this.
  • I was so inspired by the video at the end. It would be so amazing to do a collaborative induction term with the college.

Mode Training

  • Went from a kitten to a roaring lion when sharing ideas.
  • It’s not as difficult as I thought to make learning exciting.
  • Add exciting lessons in known dark weeks. Take lessons outside.
  • When developing SoWs, lesson plans and activities, give higher priority and consideration to what motivates my learners and not what I would necessarily find interesting.
  • Think big and then plan how to modify and adapt the idea into a workable entity.

Myerscough College

  • Rhizomatic.. travelled in different directions but grew and strengthened throughout.
  • Lots of practical guidance and structured reflection.

Newcastle Sixth Form College

  • An eye opening insight into what should have been done years ago.
  • It provided me with a major understanding of motivation techniques and how I can use them to improve.
  • Great applied examples.
  • Re-engaged in my teaching after Xmas break.

Nottingham College

  • Like being released from prison!
  • Absolutely! It makes me think I need to change everything I do in terms of ‘class time’. Loved it!
  • Thank you so much for reminding me why this is the best job in the world!
  • I’m going to focus on making my most difficult elements of my teaching course my best.
  • Honestly, this session was superb for me. It has been ages since I’ve felt completely engrossed in a training session. Thanks Tony!! Loved it.
  • Honestly, the best training/CPD I have had in years. Thank you!

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • A leap of faith, followed by a solid landing! It was excellent. Probably the most inspirational INSET session I’ve experienced in years (the last one I valued this highly was about 20 years ago!!).
  • AWESOME!
  • Feels like a metamorphosis!
  • Recognise periods of low motivation in the timetable and fill them with unmissable events.
  • I hope you will come back to NPTC Group of Colleges so that I have an opportunity to attend more sessions.
  • A great example of good online teaching practice. I liked the way you put us at ease by describing how to use Zoom – this removed some barriers to learning (even though you may have felt you were stating the obvious). I think technology can put students off, if they are not used to it, but as tutors, we forget because we use it every day. It was a valuable experience for me to be a student in an online lesson and helped me to empathise with them.

Preston College

  • Look at how to make January more exciting for the learners. Trips out. 2nd induction.
  • Initial foundation blocks put into building a new vision for the SOL.
  • Eye opening.
  • Inspirational.
  • A big warm hug.
  • Rather than differently, it has reassured me how important it is to meet learners’ needs.

Sparholt College

  • Loved it. Super useful.
  • Eye-opening experience – feel I can implement it in my interactions.
  • Our curriculum is too boring.
  • Radical reform if initial delivery. Learning key elements: ideas, research …
    Fantastic, inspiring – will implement.
  • An experience for students. Interdepartmental working. Exciting.

St Helens Chamber

  • Excellent session that has given me food for thought to refresh my session plans.
  • When Covid restrictions allow, would love to do this session in a traditional classroom environment.

Stoke College

  • Blown my mind. An awakening.
  • I came in with an expectation. I left having had an experience like a child getting on a ride for the first time.
  • [I need to] Make my boring lessons more exciting to motivate my students.
  • “This is how learners will be different” – change attitude.
  • Most intriguing set training we have had that actually made me reflect on practice rather than just go over things done in teacher training.

Quest Training

  • Really good and fab extra resources.
  • I am attending all the courses I can Tony runs as I feel they all link into each other really well. I am using this to try to update the thinking and practical ways of teaching we use in our organisation.
  • I have definitely embraced a new approach of designing experiences and not lessons. I will definitely start at the beginning and change the experiences and the curiosity for learning and development.
  • I was engaged and felt included and involved at my own pace.

Southport College

  • It was like being 16 again – a world of possibilities.
    Learning is like solving a puzzle. You think you have experience and know it all, but it is not true. So many things we were discussing today including the distinction between issues and symptoms, which I never thought about, or where happiness and stress come from, and how I can apply this knowledge when I plan my lessons for CL English courses.
  • Fireworks!
  • Tony is the king of learning motivation. Brilliant speaker and a lovely personality.

Sparsholt College

  • Loved it. Super useful.
  • Eye-opening experience – feel I can implement it in my interactions.
  • Our curriculum is too boring.
  • Radical reform if initial delivery. Learning key elements: ideas, research …
    Fantastic, inspiring – will implement.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • I’ve really enjoyed it and am leaving this room as high as a kite!

The Learning Foundry

  • Mind opening.
  • I struggle to think outside the box and be creative. This morning’s session has encouraged me to have more creative freedom. I really enjoyed this session.
  • Introduce more hands-on experiences to engage and motivate learners.
  • Think outside the box when trying to engage learners – plan ahead for key points of lack of knowledge and put exciting plans in place.
  • Fantastic session 🙂 To motivate others, first learn to motivate ourselves… by giving small exciting goals for the future. Great day again.

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • A search for hidden treasure.
  • Particularly when we were asked to think of an event at the end of 6 weeks of study. I will in future come up with some ideas which impact students’ motivation for learning. Create an event or something that really attracts them.
  • It was great, and you provided brilliant ideas.
  • I learnt today that the most valuable tools in my learning tool kit are those integrated together to think out of the box to live the adventure and do the impossible to live a real-life story in my classroom as if telling a story of Peter Pan. It is risky and challenging but who said teaching is easy.

Trafford College

  • Exhilarated! [I need to] Stop ticking boxes and plan lessons/courses that develop curiosity and deal with the ‘why?’
  • Stratospheric. Inspirational. Thank you for reigniting my enthusiasm.
  • Concepts: unmissable events; visceral learning; preventable contact; skills and attitudes towards study; creating zone experiences; formula for happiness.
  • Expanded horizons. Brilliant paced content. Thank you!
  • It made me look at the year and planning differently. I will look at the order in which I plan and approach a year. Develop skill, assess understanding knowledge.

York College

  • I was in the undergrowth of my garden all over again at the start of this session – by the end of it I had a glass of wine in hand, smiling.
  • I become even more motivated to make my students proud of what they can achieve, and to be able to have a chat in the breakout rooms is great as it gives a succinct amount of time to talk about specifics of a subject – brilliant. I am now going to take on January like never before and the students are going to get a wonderful surprize – just haven’t decided exactly what yet but it is going to be great!
  • It is really great to hear other people’s idea’s and get to talk to others who are just as committed and passionate about education – blooming wonderful.

Equality and diversity

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Canterbury College

  • You can teach an old dog new tricks
  • Broke the area down effectively and made it appear much more manageable
  • Good easy ways to embed E&D
  • Too short, but gave an insight into this vast area
  • Watching the sun rise
  • I will ensure questioning in the class is addressed by all staff
  • Really great info for me to take back and share with my team
  • It made me evaluate what we currently do in the section. made me think about questioning
  • Enlightening
  • Highly recommended for wider teaching team
  • Opening of the mind
  • Took some of the fear away

Croydon College

  • It has changed my way of thinking about E&D
  • Good to have a session which is active and literally using the strategies which it is teaching
  • Enjoyable and engaging – will refer to Quality Standard in particular
  • A journey through the keyhole of insightfulness
  • A great variety of interesting activities
  • I will consider every aspect of how I deliver and how it impacts upon learners

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

  • Thought provoking. Just turned the binoculars around!!
  • Start with what I want to achieve BEFORE I plan what I will do!
  • Extremely useful, thank you
  • Mind expanding
  • Take time out to think before doing
  • Crossed the carpet, feeling different by the other side
  • Super empowering
  • Give learners the confidence and vocabulary to bring out their opinions
  • Interesting and daunting

Bespoke Quality System Training

NewVIc

  • Your consultation on SAR has helped the college move forward with its plans to overhaul its whole approach to self assessment.

New College Stamford

  • Excellent. Highly professional approach. Helpful constructive and perceptive feedback. Stimulating and engaging commentary on the way we were approaching the SAR and improvement strategies.

North Lancs Training Group

  • Tony was excellent, articulate, animated and knew his onions!
  • Feel more willing to identify and admit to areas for development, seeing this as positive.

Sparsholt College

  • The two days were nothing less than brilliant.
  • You have made a great impact upon the management team.

Safeguarding Inspection Training

Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

North Lancs Training Group

  • I feel I now have the ability to evaluate our practices.

 

The Self-Assessment Flip

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Artswork

  • I feel my confidence and understanding has increased as a result.

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • I really got a lot out of your session and have been singing your praises to anyone who will listen.

Collage Arts

  • Light at end of tunnel.

Flexible Training

  • Recognise impact rather than ‘sell’ organisation.

Manley Summers

  • Really enjoyable day with lots of food for thought.

North Hertfordshire College

  • Huge impact.

Reading College

  • I want to do it all differently! I can’t wait to get started!

Sparsholt College

  • A great journey, full of excellent ideas. Excellent use of games.
  • The ‘however’ concept is fundamental.

 

Quality Standard

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Aberystwyth University

  • Challenging, but very rewarding when you see the results. I feel now confident that I can start the journey.
  • It has worked very well today. Many thanks for all the work behind. You have created a very collaborative project. Thanks.

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • Walking round a corner of a mountain and coming across an unexpected sunset view.
  • A cake with the right ingredients.

Bolton College

  • I am excited to feed this back to my team. Truly an enriching experience.
  • Intrigued, included, energised.
  • Something new. A chance to the put the OTLA processes back in the hands of teachers.
  • Being completely aspirational – very inspirational.

Business Advice Direct (national learndirect provider)

  • I just wanted to say thank you so much for the day. It’s certainly sent a buzz around the company and were planning Phase 2 of it at our next Regional Meetings.

Canterbury College  (support staff)

  • Useful but scary.
  • It was inspiring and a chance to discuss how each member of the team will have an impact on students.

Harrow College

  • A mystery tour of an adventure island.
  • Thinking about the end goal and reverse engineering the actions.

MidKent College (Service Area staff)

  • A refreshing view of how to achieve my dream 😉

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • Not only have I taken away new information to put in the Progress reviews, the pedagogy tools that were used were fantastic.
  • It has made me rethink the learners’ entire experience of coming to college and unshackled me of the operational difficulties.
  • Empowering and refreshing. Lovely to see the commitment level from all areas of the college working collaboratively to drive this forward.
  • Aspirational quality standards will positively affect students and their performance and in turn positively impact the staff.
  • Taken me out of my comfort zone and learning new ways of thinking. Feeling very inspired- thank you.

North Hertfordshire College

  • The best input we’ve had by miles!
  • Moving from black and white to Technicolor.

Sussex Downs College (phase 1)

  • Low aspirations can act like a lead balloon, weighing down achievements. For both staff and students to flourish, aspirational conditions need to be set in place to do so.
  • Time to break the mould!

Sussex Downs College (phase 2)

  • Stimulating, creative, sincere, pedantic, challenging, CREATIVE (pragmatic), open.
  • Creating a new culture and investing in the future.

Sussex Downs College (phase 2 – support staff)

  • Excited by the changes that we can make. Apprehensive about the journey of getting there, however, this does not diminish my enthusiasm!
  • I feel excited about re-evaluating inherited processes that we in our department always challenge. We are looking forward to the whole college being set in the mindset of change, and change for the better! And making it happen!

Sussex Downs College (phase 3)

  • Excellent stimulus material and a fantastic working environment. Challenging and enjoyable.

Workforce Training (NI)

  • Tested, challenged but enthused.
  • We feel that drawing this (quality standard) up ourselves rather than having it thrust upon us has given us much more understanding and a feeling of ownership
  • To have it (quality standard) in a working document is excellent.

Perfecting Self-Assessment Writing

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Ashton-under-Lyne Sixth Form College

  • Very enjoyable – held a large group for a whole day – impressive.

Askham Bryan College

  • Excellent event, very inspiring.

Bath College

  • From a tiger cub to a hunting tiger. Mind blown!!. Will need to review everything.

Babcock International

  • How you have always done something may not always be right!

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • Plato’s cave

Bexley College

  • I finally understand self assessment which has never been correctly explained. I understand how and why.

Birmingham Metropolitan College

  • I have grown an extra finger on my hand.

Bury College

  • Cheap as chips. Logical structure to support ‘cheap’ quality improvement. Really well delivered.

Buxton and Leek College

  • It has enabled me to look at how I can improve and perfect writing a good quality SAR. Tony was a great presenter.

Bryson Futureskills

  • I have gained a better insight into how to write an SAR. Very enjoyable.

Cambridge Regional College

  • Thoroughly enjoyed an outstanding session. 4 1/2 hours seemed like 30 mins!

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

  • New perspective on old topic.

Chesterfield College

College of West Anglia

  • Self assessment is a wonderful process but when in the throws, I find I am often too close to spot where I trip up. Your session today clearly offered insight and tools that I can use to improve. I will also approach SAR with a refreshed perspective and mindset.

Collyer’s (The College of Richard Collyer)

  • Keeping a firm grasp of the two pointers – ‘so what’ and ‘however’ – will help me to think more clearly.

Coventry Adult Education Service

  • I think as a team, we need to go back to our QIP issues! (e.g. falsely labelling things as issues when they are symptoms.)

Crosby Training

  • The session was excellent and the tutor made me wish I was just starting my teaching career!

Customized Training

  • Helped me think about the SER (SAR) in relation to impact on the learner.

East Coast College

  • Someone has turned the light on, let’s avoid the powercut!

Education & Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland)

  • Greater understanding of the dynamics of self-evaluation and development planning.

Farnborough Sixth Form College

  • I am in your debt because I don’t think I’ve ever received so much reflected glory for staging yesterday and having so many people, even the cynics, fired up!

Federation of work-based learning providers, Northern Ireland

  • It helped me clarify the purpose of self evaluation and that quality is better than quantity.

Flexible Training

  • It made SAR more understandable.

Gloucestershire College

  • Everything was considered from a different angle and a new light was shed on issues.

Grimsby Institute

  • It was the opening first ascent on a rollercoaster leading to that tipping point when you shout ‘Wahey!’ and just ‘get it’ as you go over the top!

Halesowen College

  • I am a rocket on the way to the moon.

Harrow College

  • Hard work, but uplifting.

Hull College

  • Like a breath of fresh air – seeing clearly behind all the jargon, rhetoric and fancy words to impress SLT or Ofsted. It needs to be real!

Huntingdonshire Regional College

  • Writing judgements which are objective: the practical session on this was excellent.

JTJ Workplace Solutions

  • A true light bulb moment.

Learning Curve Group

  • It made me realise how easy it is to fall into the habit of being too descriptive and the reasons that this happens.

Leeds Arts University

  • Need to be a football manager – learnt to assess on-going, not at the end.

Leicester Adult Learning Service

  • So much to reflect on! All was thought provoking and interesting.

Leicester College

  • I am considering how, as a College, we can use this training to support curriculum/departments in writing their SARs.

Lincoln College International

  • As always a session to make me reflect and consider how I can develop myself and my skill set and therefore any team I work alongside.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • Helped me identify where we need to make changes to our own system so that we are fully evaluating the impact on learners. Also made me aware of how we need to make changes to other aspects of quality assurance to ensure ‘connectivity’.

Loughborough College

  • It shone a light on some of the key aspects to be mindful of when writing a SAR. The 5 key mistakes was particularly useful.

MidKent College

  • Ironed the wrinkles out of my brain.

NESCOT

  • Sunshine on a cloudy day.

New College Nottingham

  • Finally SAR writing seems worthwhile!

NewVIc

  • I have understood for the first time how to write an SAR.

Northern Ireland Careers Service

  • I am more aware of how using the right language can change the relevance of self assessment.

Northern Ireland learning and skills providers

  • Inspirational, provocative.

North Lindsey College

  • (Now) relooking at something we have felt confident at doing for years.

People 1st (Northern Ireland)

  • Peeling back layers of bureaucracy to get to the kernel of the self-evaluation process.

Preston’s College

  • Extremely helpful. Will bin the descriptive language and use the key words: judgement/subject/impact.

Quest Training

  • A new lens.

Retrofit Academy

  • Great session and lots of takeaways which I hope to implement. “Why is that then” will be used as a staple within our SAR’s in the future.

Rotherham College

  • Light bulb moment regarding ‘Live Self Assessment’ vs. ‘historical self assessment’.

Rutledge Job Link

  • Simple, easy to understand model, this will be implemented in Rutledge as result of today’s sessions.

Sefton Community Learning Service

  • Every session I have attended with Tony has been excellent, inspiring and really makes me reflect on our current practice, providing plenty of ways on how we can improve. Excellent, thank you.

Shift Media

  • Good range of resources, well explained and comfortably engaging.

Skills and Education Group delegates

  • I loved the fact that, as a senior manager, instead of being given some high level strategies, I actually got down and into the task that I need to complete in my role.

South Downs College

  • My SAR glasses were cleaned and polished (hell, the frames were changed too).

South Eastern Regional College, Northern Ireland

  • It was like my first day at SER [SAR] school – despite 10 years of experience.

SPS Training

  • Revisiting my entire SAR process to be an internal document as opposed to a PR activity for contract re-negotiations.

Sutton Community Academy

  • The creative way in which this subject was explored and the way it has a ‘real’ (rather than theoretical) application.

Sysco

  • Tony provided clear guidance and pushed the limits of understanding too. The session really made me think differently! I’ve been thinking about masking since the session and including the “however” where something is not quite outstanding and how we can use both these methods better.

The Derbyshire Network

  • Very thought provoking – Lots of ideas to go away with!

The Oxford Partnership (Saudi Arabia)

  • The sessions were brilliantly delivered. Tony is extremely knowledgeable and his approach is sensitive and encouraging.

The Sheffield College

  • Lateral thinking – back to purpose. This was excellent!

Tresham College

  • Inspirational! I have a lot of work ahead of me rewriting our SAR!!

University College Isle of Man

  • Coming out of the woods into a glade..

Wade Training

  • Excellent session.

Warwickshire Adult & Community Learning

  • It gave me licence to be honest about what is and isn’t working.

Western Health & Social Care Trust

  • Will change how I operate.

Wirral Council Lifelong Learning Service

  • Session made us (the group) think about some very fundamental issues… Like why are we doing it and who for? Critical for any purposeful outcome.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Great session – lots of food for thought and supported my own views on what a SAR should be. I will be using the session contents to review and evaluate our SAR process. The session was interactive, Tony’s approach is very engaging and he gave valuable time to discussing the various activities with other delegates, which I found very useful.

Wrightbus (NI)

  • It will change the way I write. I did not realise I was so descriptive.

York College

  • It helped me to see the way in which your SA process is new and innovative.

Data Springboard

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Ashton-under-Lyne Sixth Form College

  • It has made us all think about the experience we give to our students and how we can make it better. Inspiring!!!

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • Very thought provoking and unusually enjoyable.

Bexley College

  • Football analogy was great.

Blackburn College

  • Different and informative – I really enjoyed the day.

Cambridge Regional College

  • All staff should receive this training.

Canterbury College

  • Actually useful and practical.

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

  • Made me consider issues from a different angle – will change my practice.

Gloucestershire College

  • This was brilliant, if we don’t have any other training this year I’d be happy to wait until Tony can return.

Heart of Worcestershire College

  • Great to look at data without numbers.

Itchen College

  • Eye opening!

Kendal College

  • Definitely will introduce volatile indicators to catch learners who are faltering earlier!

NESCOT

  • Valuable insight from a very experienced inspector and teacher.

New College Nottingham

  • Viewing data as indicators is great.

NewVIc

  • ‘After hearing about Volatile Indicators from my PTM, I decided to experiment with some ideas for our new Creative Writing A Level. There are two indicators, a tumblr share page for inspirations and the practice that we all bring the book we’re reading to class and put it on the table in front of us. The tumblr page is used for images, quotes from texts we’re reading, ideas for writing or things overheard in the world that could be used for dialogue or whatever else the student feels is inspiring! The books we bring are discussed, with passages read out in class. The teacher is required to be involved in these activities too. Both of these are checked each week (once out of three sessions), sometimes with discussion or with writing tasks linked to the tumblr posts or reading. There are the expected benefits of being able to see who is involved in the course at this level. I have been able to catch a particular student ‘drifting away’ and get her involved again through these indicators. There are the pragmatic implications that Creative Writing students have to be curious about the use of language and ideas around them and that they should be reading so these indicators communicate part of the ethos of the course.’    Andrew Zincke, NewVIc

Northern Ireland learning and skills providers

  • Like a chocolate bar. We took the wrapping off to get all the good stuff inside.

North Warwickshire & Leicestershire College

  • Thank you, an opportunity to shift culture and start change.

People 1st (Northern Ireland)

  • So much will now change.

Portsmouth College

  • Really enjoyable session and kept me curious!

Protocol skills

  • Opportunity to think outside the box.

Rutledge Job Link

  • Finally, breaking through barriers to deliver a session which speaks volumes over and above the general quality assistance received in the past.

South Downs College

  • Someone asked, on my return, whether the training session was good and I replied “Brilliant!” – then they asked what it was about and I was as surprised as they were when I replied “Data and SAR!”

St. Vincent College

  • As a new curriculum manager, the ideas to inspire the dept. and new students are exciting.

Totton College

  • Congratulations for making data interesting!
  • This is embarrassingly simple and understandable.

Walsall College

  • I remain inspired by the workshop you ran.

Workforce Training (NI)

  • Tony’s enthusiasm for the subject was easy to soak up.

York College

  • Like stepping off the merry-go-round long enough to see what it could be like.

Yorkshire Coast College

  • Leopards can change their spots and become interested in data.

 

The Evaluative Conversation – Transformational Lesson Observation

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon and Witney College

  • Highly motivated and inspirational. It has been quite a while since I have felt inspired to ‘create a new culture’.

Abis Resources

  • It’s like plotting your way from a mysterious space into a demystified ground of pedagogical awareness.

Access Creative College

  • Was fantastic. So nice to have some positive, creative and inspiring input from someone as inspiring as you!

Access Training (East Midlands) Ltd

  • From the ridiculous to the sublime!

Banbury and Bicester College

  • Today was stimulating because the ideas challenged much of my thinking.

Birmingham Metropolitan College

  • The cage door is open.

Blackburn with Darwin Borough Council

  • Unmissable!

Blackpool Adult Learning Service

  • Brilliant delivery of a complex subject and looking forward to implementing change.

Bolton College

  • It was informative, assuring and engaging. I enjoyed it and it made me feel good about my choice of being a teacher.

Burton and South Derbyshire College

  • This will significantly improve the effectiveness of my role as a coach.

Bracknell and Wokingham College

  • I have been anxious about giving “feedback” but have fewer concerns if I take this approach.

Bracknell Open Learning Centre

  • Extremely useful session which has allowed me to question the validity of our organisation’s OTL system.

Brooksby Melton College

  • Moved from my comfort zone to exploring different methods of judging learning and the impact of teaching.

Bury College

  • An awakening: what I’ve been doing wrong and what I need to do better.

Canterbury College

  • (From) Draconian to developmental.

Carlisle College

  • Modifying language, creating a culture of research, would hope this would stop people/talent leaving profession.

Chesterfield College

  • The left-hand/right-hand system (for writing lesson-reflection notes) was great.

City of Bristol College

  • Challenging fixed ideas in a positive way.

City College Coventry

  • Focus on the impact not the stuff! Conversation not feedback. Encourage staff to think about how their lessons are making a difference! If not, what needs changing.

Construction Gateway

  • Today I’m the apprentice!

Derby College

  • Gained an understanding of how ungraded observations could be implemented.

The Derbyshire Network

  • It was unmissable!

Doncaster College

  • Looking in a mirror.

East Coast College

  • I started as a half-empty bottle and ended up overflowing with new ideas and desire to put into practice.

E.Quality Training Ltd

  • More ‘reds under the bed’ than I first thought!

Furness College

  • As a quality nominee in attendance it was great to put myself in the observer/teacher role & how, as a college, we can make changes.

Goldsmiths Centre

  • A real eye-opener. I will be using this next year and feel more ready to set it up now.

Grimsby Institute

  • (We need a) cultural shift to support move to outstanding.

Halton Borough Council

  • A caterpillar emerging from its cocoon and transforming into a beautiful butterfly.

Hertford Regional College

  • Jimmy Choo moment.

Institute of Groundsmanship

  • Refreshing, enlightening, empowering

Kendal College

  • Refocused my focus on teachers! Do this asap! Really enjoyed!

Knowsley Community College

  • Created an insight into how we need to move forward as a college.

Lakes College

  • Can’t have accountability and learning – this has absolutely focused my mind and is so very relevant to my current work.

Leeds Arts University

  • More aware of measuring and looking for impact rather than focusing on strategies used. I was exhausted by the end of the session.

Lincoln College International

  • Teaching is what makes me get up every morning! Your training highlighted many aspects that me as a first time teacher would not thought of them. It was a great experience and you had such a unique way of presenting the ideas.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • [I will] Focus on tutor as a professional. Develop professional ethos and pride in our work and ourselves.

Loughborough College

  • From a Margarita pizza to one with most of the toppings.

Macclesfield College

  • It’s a great way to get teachers to reflect and subsequently ‘get there’ by themselves; encourage them to take risks without the fear of being judged.

MSI Learning

  • The session helped me shift focus from activity to impact.

NESCOT

  • The meerkats have landed.

North Hertfordshire College

  • I’ve been observing for many years and have been involved in double observations as part of Ofsted inspections. Having a significant rethink now re my impact judgements.

North Kent College

  • Shifting sand bank away from feedback to a more open, evaluative conversation which makes way for greater learning and motivation for the teacher to develop themselves.

North Warwickshire & Hinckley College

  • Inspirational – left me with a desire to make a positive change within the organisation.

North Warwichshire & South Leicestershire College

  • I am excited about the possibility of change.

Northern Regional College (NI)

  • I felt like a rocket launching into space.

Nottingham College

  • It reaffirms the idea to me of “A Leap of Faith” – As I’m still training (on placement at Nottingham College while I’m doing my PGDE) I always try and take risks, it reminds me just how important that idea is.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • I like the idea of the practitioner having control and responsibility of their own development. There is no need for negative feedback when you can empower someone to be their best. Focus on reflection and evaluation with links to common solutions.

Opps Developments

  • Insightful and inspiring.

OxfordSaudia Flight Academy

  • I went to heaven. As a manager in education, I’ve always desired non-graded observations that use a coaching approach to elicit self-reflection and evaluation. Finally, it is here!

Pathway Group

  • Greatly beneficial.

Pera Training

  • Follow the yellow brick road (without grades!).

Plymouth College of Art

  • I’ve never really thought about how my sessions might change learners.

Preston College

  • The pace was perfect and the use of technology enabled all to be involved without the fear of getting some aspects wrong……something we are all guilty of.

Pro Action Herts

  • Has totally changed my perception.

Serco

  • I recognise the value of the evaluative conversation approach to observational feedback and how this can benefit the quality observational process that we use at Serco both with our internal delivery staff and with our external delivery partners.

Skills UK

  • Really understood the meaning of impact and its importance.

Solihull College and University Centre

  • The video observations were extremely useful.

SPS Training

  • Challenges my comfort zones.

St Helens Adult & Community Learning

  • What we think we are asking isn’t always what people hear us ask. Today has once again helped me hold up a mirror and encouraged me to resist the urge to ‘feedback’, however nicely it is couched.

The Sheffield College

  • Thank you for enabling me to think differently.

Stockport College

  • Jumping through hoops? Gloves are off…

The Sixth Form College, Colchester

  • We need to establish a clear idea of the meaning of impact and ensure that all staff really understand this and plan lessons with this in mind.

Sussex Downs College

  • Lesson observation is now great – it’s all about learning. We get staff asking us to come in to observe when they’re trying something new. It’s like an epiphany!

Trainplus

  • It has challenged my thoughts on grading my tutors and assessors.

Tresham College

  • Develop a more safe environment to allow ‘learners’ to strongly believe that their ‘mistakes’ are treated as valuable learning experiences – then replace ‘learners’ with ‘staff’.

Warrington & Vale Royal College

  • The session was fantastic and an insight into how a transition in observation and conversation can impact the teaching and learning within FE and can ultimately create success.

West Lancashire College

  • Longer – loved it.

Yorkshire Coast College

  • It made me focus more on the impact of the teaching and learning observed.

“Yes, were all individuals” Brian, 1979

Click here for an overview of the training
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • TED talk.

Canterbury College

  • Really enjoyable. Found Tony very knowledgeable with a lovely, calm way of delivering.

Carlisle College

  • It’s like analysing my golf swing and identifying some broken components.

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

  • A creative Ofsted inspector – I didn’t know they existed!

Isle of Wight College

  • I can see coaching and Q&A in a completely new way.

Kendal College

  • I have learnt that I usually focus on my low achievers and have discovered methods of challenging my other students.

Newcastle College

  • Like a breath of fresh air – a great way to start the new year!

Northern Regional College (NI)

  • Rub out some of my thoughts on differentiation and rewrite.

North Hertfordshire College

  • Really enjoyed the participation and being included, even though I am not teaching staff.

Reading College

  • Mind blowing – blooming brilliant!

The Sheffield College

  • I came in to see what individuals were eating and stayed to feast.

Trafford College

  • Very informative and made me want to change the way I deliver some of my units at level 3.

 

 

Wiki Wonderland

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Reading College

  • Great use of wikis.
  • Inspiring.

Reaseheath College

  • A very exciting rollercoaster (I like rollercoasters).
  • As head of learning support it has inspired me to revise our study skills provision.
  • Fast and strong.
  • Informative session. Thank you! Especially the ‘perfect lesson notes’.

Stroud College

  • Like a box of chocolates.
  • A rich overview of new ideologies to learning.
  • Ray of sunshine.
  • Eye opener.
  • Like browsing a flea market and finding an antique you’re fascinated by.
  • Excellent session, and a pleasure to be a part of.

Independent Learning

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Bellerby’s (Brighton)

  • I loved the idea that we are ‘choreographers’.

Bellerby’s (Cambridge)

  • Encouraging students to move beyond the cards they’ve been dealt.

Bellerby’s (London)

  • Climbing the upper reaches of a tree!

Bellerby’s (Oxford)

  • Very exciting and the time has flown too fast.

Blue Yonder

  • Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, it improved learning independently.

Canterbury College

  • I have had so many lights switched on!!

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

  • Teaching and old dog new tricks.

Chesterfield College

  • A journey into the light.

Collyer’s (The College of Richard Collyer)

  • It helped challenge pre-conceived notions.

DBS Music

  • I thought this was the next dimension regarding the learning process.

Epping Forest College

  • Yes!! I am going to research different resources to use to generate curiosity to encourage learners to do independent work.

Farnborough College of Technology

  • Flowering.

Hertford Regional College

  • I will look at developing independency skills rather than just allowing students to work independently.

Lutterworth College

  • Curiosity engages learners.

Myerscough College

  • I thought I had reached the top of the mountain regarding learning strategies. Now I feel like I’ve plenty more climbing to do.

New College Nottingham

  • Zone idea – excellent.

Novus LTE Group

  • Inspirational. I could listen to this subject all day.

Solihull College and University Centre

  • You brought back memories of how I felt when I first began to teach.

Sussex Downs College

  • I feel like I’ve been given a parking permit after 3 years of parking on yellow lines!

Trafford College

  • A squeezed out, dried up dinosaur teacher that’s just been re-hydrated.

Tresham College

  • I feel like a caged animal whose cage door has been left open…

West Nottinghamshire College

  • From darkness to light.

West Thames College

  • By adapting this approach to learning at a college level, a lot of the bureaucracy could be eliminated.

HoT2 – Techniques for engaging learners

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Abingdon and Witney College

  • A magical tour.

Abis Resources

  • Inspiring, engaging.

Andover College

  • The lights are on! I am going to use my play-day session.

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • A wilted flower that’s just been given a drop of water.

Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College

  • Thought I knew a lot about this, but it’s really challenged my thinking about planning for impact and end points.

Carlisle College

  • It has rejuvenated my love of teaching, there is a lot to take away from this. I will be working even more with my colleagues.

Gloucestershire College

  • 28 teaching methods really made me think!

Institute of Groundsmanship

  • Best aspect was the opportunity to develop lateral thinking ‘outside the box’ rather than accept mundane existing approaches.

Isle of Wight College

  • I needed this input to advance towards next year. My energy had been dissipated, but has been rekindled.

Northern Regional College (NI)

  • Being reborn after 25 years teaching.

North Hertfordshire College

  • Exciting session which I was fully engaged in. On reflection in the tea break, I realised I was ‘zoning’!

Reaseheath College

  • The zone experience was very useful.

Rinova

  • A very inspiring session and particularly enjoyable as it managed to address serious issues around creative delivery, but in a fun and engaging way.

Sparsholt College

  • Bumper cars of ideas.

Wakefield College

  • Inspirational

 

HoT Learning – The Hierarchy of Teaching & Learning

Click here for an overview of the training. 
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Belfast Metropolitan College

  • Can’t wait to get started!

Gloucestershire College

  • This was brilliant, if we don’t have any other training this year I’d be happy to wait until Tony can return.

Havering College

  • Simply the best, most engaging and useful training I’ve had in nearly 15 years of teaching.

Hertford Regional College

  • I’m no longer in a coal mine with a box of matches.

Huntingdonshire Regional College

  • Like someone throwing me a very different but exciting new torch to illuminate the dark corridor I’ve wandered down.

Isle of Wight College

  • Fully understand what is needed in a grade 1 lesson.

Itchen College

  • A rollercoaster.

Kendal College

  • Space travel.

North East Worcestershire College

  • Like taking the stabilizers off your bike.

North Hertfordshire College

  • Everything becomes connected. Made me nervous/excited about continuing to develop my teaching and learning.

Northern Regional College (NI)

  • I would like to say how stimulating, informative and inspiring your CPD sessions were. You have even got an old cynic enthused.

North Warwichshire & South Leicestershire College

  • Prometheus unbound.

People 1st (Northern Ireland)

  • From a spark to a flame.

Peterborough Regional College

  • I found this the most useful and helpful training/workshop the college has ever provided. Ofsted inspection? Bring it on!

Portsmouth College

  • A high-flying jet now going into outer-space!

Reading College

  • One of the most inspiring learning experiences in my life and I will undoubtedly change what I do and how I do it.

Reaseheath College

  • Totally made me realise the difference between grade 2 and grade 1!

Richard Taunton College

  • It helped me articulate what I thought was gut instinct and feeling.

Sparsholt College

  • Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get!

Totton College

  • I came, I saw, I will get a grade 1!

Wakefield College

  • I will find it easier to articulate what an outstanding lesson consists of.

West Yorkshire Music Services

  • A reluctant child finding that they do like peas when they finally try them.

Recruitment: increasing the impact

Hull College

  • Inspiring.
  • To imagine the ideal and then work out how it’s do-able.
  • Thought provoking.
  • Aspirational recruitment process.
  • Very good morning of CPD.
  • Light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Aim high, create experiences, be exciting!
  • “Bloody marvellous!”
  • Awakening.

Learning Issues and Solutions Database (The RED LISD)

Bolton College

  • Enlightened.
  • Able, aspirational, motivated, like being a new tutor again with a desire to problem solve.
  • A ray of sunlight peaking out of a cloud on a cold day.
  • Inspirational, thought-provoking.
  • Excited about possibilities, feel so many barriers before we can be outstanding though.
  • It was a river of knowledge, allowing my brain to flow with new ideas.
  • I was treated as a grown up, collaborative discussions, voice listened to.
  • Gyre-widening (see W. B. Yeats: The Second Coming).
  • It is fit for purpose, simple and efficient.
  • I love it. I would love to see it as an approach for OTLAs.
  • Easy to read, useful and will try in lessons.
    I like how it is structured and gives the teacher a step-by-step support.
  • Set-up really well. Easily accessible and easy to navigate.
  • It is quite clear and easy to follow. It supports you and takes you on a journey through the thinking and development process. The case studies were useful and the more the resource is populated with other cases the more useful it will become. Sharing is so important and especially between departments.
  • I like the colour coded headings and the clear structure, easy to follow and definitions helped me to decide what the actual problem/issue was. It helped to reflect on what my contribution to the issue might be but in a no blame way. Therefore easier to admit and discuss.
  • Clear, demanding a next step/decision/narrowing/focussing.
  • I think that the format of each section is clear and follows a process that allows you to think through the issue you have selected, and what could be the cause of the issue before exploring the strategies.
  • It encourages sharing of best practice within the organisation and both offers support to those with issues as well as offering praise and reward for those who are best serving their learners.
  • Great, lets us problem solve without being told one method and gives us the confidence to say that it can be solved.
  • Wonderful, collaborative and informed by practice.
  • To have the lessons seen and heard without prejudice is really refreshing. I have already included many ideas, from Tony feedback and his blogs and lesson.
  • It is good to look at learning issues in this way, methodically…seeing the problem and the reasons behind it helps to find a solution.
  • I like it and would use it. I like the links that take you through to further information.
  • Felt a little upset by the barriers that I found myself coming up against that I can usually mentally overcome in the moment/when filling out a form because of the demand of professionalism it suggested.
  • I like that the approach is a collaborative one, using real examples from across the college. I hope that it will inspire the college to further embrace cross departmental working to share ideas and strategies for learning. This will motivate staff to try new ideas, and be more comfortable with colleagues in their classroom without the fear of failure. I also like that it will be a working document for staff to add to so it can evolve.
  • My learning outcomes will never look the same again. I’ll be tapping into those attitudinal changes.
  • I think it has been extremely useful and has made a big difference to people’s attitudes. I have noticed that when Tony said he could solve how to make learners never be late again in submitting work to a deadline, many staff had a negative attitude and were quite defensive. This makes me see how the tutors need to be open minded as I know that’s how they want the learners to be. “Crossing the carpet”. Thank you for your lovely compliments of my session.
  • I love this approach. It’s teacher supportive and friendly.
  • Thank you very much for the session 🙂
  • Some really useful ideas. This got me thinking that there might be solutions. The college needs to be supportive in their implementation. At the moment it feels like we are being swamped with admin tasks and teaching and learning is taking second place.

Behaviour Management

Hull College

  • Highly educative
  • It will help me in my classroom management especially the attention war, over-contributor.
  • Dealing with over-contributors – set them a challenge, allow them to answer a more difficult question.
  • It was very interactive with lots of team/group discussion and popcorning of ideas.
  • Inspirational. Restores belief in outstanding teaching.
  • You’ve been fab, would love to learn more from you.
  • Forming, storming, norming, performing. Ideas from today can be implemented in class.
  • I will change my approach to sessions – for example: 1. Deal with over-contributors 2.
  • Transactional management.
  • I have learned simple techniques to understand and improve learner behaviour and productivity.
  • The interactive tools like Jamboard and handouts were amazing.
  • Transactional Analysis, Transitional Change, Active Listening – all fantastic!
  • Brilliant (Always!)
  • Looking at curriculum plan for adding excitement for challenging times. Continue to reflect on own practice.

Kendal College

  • The curtain was pushed back further to see possibilities for development.
  • Insightful, useful.
  • I am already using intuitive strategies and there are more I can learn.
  • Strategies to enable high-performing groups.
  • Thank you so much, I really enjoyed the training. You were clear, retained my attention and I would have happily stayed on the class for longer.
  • Thank you Tony, Today has provided me with a chance to reflect on my practice in depth and consider new strategies moving forward to benefit both myself and my learners.

Ofsted Ready

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Bath College

  • A refreshing afternoon.
  • Confidence is being authentic in an approach to quality. Not obsessing on unstable factors.
  • Fantastic opportunity to sit down, discuss and think deeply. Thank you.

Bristol City Council Community Learning

  • A sat nav. for self reflection on our strengths and weakness as a centre! “Turning a weakness into a strength.”
  • Bringing transformation to the attention of an Ofsted inspector.
    Thinking ‘wildly’ outside the box for inspiration.
  • “Tackle” Ofsted in a positive way – not wait for things to happen, but have things in place – e.g. reflections on how to improve things (not at the end of a course or unit but at the time when issues materialise).
  • Food for thought. The use of wiki was really good and it was great to see what others had written.
  • Taking the horse by its reins. That we can take control of the OFSTED process by actively working together to improve our service.

East Kent College

  • Such a rewarding session, not what I expected at all but have some key takeaways to really reflect on and action.
  • Think more creatively, invest in the students’ experience, create an Ofsted position statement for maths and English.
  • I thought the breakout room size was going to be limiting but it was actually great, loads of dialogue and ideas – I couldn’t fault the session.

JTL Training

  • It has caused me to change my whole approach to an OFSTED inspection, thank you Tony
  • Hope is on the horizon.
  • Like opening a book.
  • Very interesting and informative.
    It has given me ideas to use within my own teaching practice.
  • Again Tony delivers a content heavy course with great skill and ease, ensuring all delegates are involved and creating great discussion topics to challenge myself and colleagues.
  • Like a fog clearing.
  • Peeling an onion, lots of layers in learning.
  • A dry subject whetting my appetite.
  • The session has caused me to reflect on, and change the way I would view an inspection.
  • Good to look at it feeling a little more empowered
  • I think that it’s focused me on how to improve class engagement, make it more enjoyable for the learners and for me in my task to improve learners being able to retain information long term which I am looking forward to accomplishing.

Morley College

  • Really interesting and motivational!
  • Using the research activity with my colleagues and looking at the emotional learning journey as part of the SoW review and implementation.
  • I also get a bit obsessed by Ofsted’s requirements and need to try and relax a bit on that!

North West Training Council

  • Challenging thought provoking.
  • Red Bull (energising).

Purple Beard

  • Clearly lit up a gloomy rainy day!
  • The mechanism of actually going about it was brilliant.
  • Creative and thoughtful about the approach to improving our provision.
  • Project based makes it more achievable to make improvements.
  • Thank you so much for enabling a collective approach to improving a provision.

Preston College

  • There are so many research projects we could implement!
  • To complete my own judgement statements on my curriculum impact/intent paper to support my meeting with inspectors.
  • Small changes needed to enable my team to be even better.
  • Informative. Taking away EIF – issues to explore and research.
  • Eye opening – thought provoking.
  • How to justify and show evidence in a way that puts across clearly what needs to be celebrated.

Quest Training

  • Want to go away do the wiki with staff and look at implementing action research projects in my setting.
  • Great session as always, my to do list has grown even more.

Serco

  • Really useful session, thank you. Gave me inspiration as to how better to engage the wider team in understanding and managing the self assessment process in preparation for OFSTED.

TPM

  • Brilliant. Feel more enthusiastic, will be looking at ways I can better support the learners.
  • Inspirational. Enjoyed interactive activities – will use these going forward.
  • Enjoyed evaluating provision and how to set up the working groups.
  • Thought provoking. The use of aspirational language. How to make the learning environment memorable. Gamification into teaching.
  • Committing to research themes and researching these areas so we can come together as a team and make a difference.

TTE Training

  • Consider the word ‘experience’, make it memorable.
  • To steal others’ good ideas
  • Nuggets of wisdom
  • Make the learning experience a pleasure (as was today’s session)
  • Realisation of what we do, how we do it and how to achieve the best in every aspect.
  • Enabling tool to evaluate and develop to meet change.
  • To look at research projects and encourage team to develop themes they have selected then share the practice.

Tools for Online Engagement & Blended Learning

Click here for an overview of the training.
Click each provider’s name to see a detailed list of impact on staff.

Access Creative College

  • Absorbing, Factual and Useful…not always the case with CPD.

Bolton College

  • I really enjoyed learning about some new resources, but the main thing for me was relating it to the pedagogy. It will make me think more about WHY I am using a resource and what I want my learners to get out of it, rather than simply a ‘have they remembered what they have learned?’ scenario.
  • We have been provided with a wealth of resources and ‘how-to’ sheets which means I have all the support I need to be able to experiment with what I have learned.
  • I aspire to be as fab a teacher as Tony – it’s not all about coming on to learn new things…it’s about watching a fab teacher in action and picking up on the way he does it in order to improve my own delivery.

B-Skill Limited

  • It was fantastic to see them being used throughout the session as well as having the opportunity to have a go. Throughout the session I have taken ideas and jotted these down about how these could be implemented within the sessions. I really liked the fact that tools were listed in order of difficultly from easiest to most complex. Some staff have a reluctance to changes towards technology based teaching and I am going to introduce these tools from easiest to hardest to make their experience more positive and help them develop confidence that they can incorporate technology into their sessions.
  • Fantastic engaging session and this has enabled me to reflect on my own service and how this can be developed, thank you.

Cogent Skills

  • I am a technological space tourist. I have travelled through numerous technologies that were unknown to me at the start of session. Very worthwhile.
  • It is not just the technology that will be different, it will reasoning behind them that will be more prominent. Pre-learning for instance, will play a bigger role and with that the technology that you have taught.

D H Associates

  • I can get distracted when listening, but I felt today’s session kept me engaged at all times.
  • It’s a meal worth waiting for.
  • The Lightbulb Moment, was able to see how these tools can be used for 1:1 learning.
  • Will help with pre learning, interactive learning within the session and post learning to ensure continual progression and readiness for EPA.
  • I have used whiteboards when completing teaching before but I have never used it in the ways shown today.
  • Yes, for sure! I will definitely try and use some of the new platforms to help increase engagement and interaction.
  • I will definitely be downloading the how to guides to remind me how to complete certain tasks.
  • I like to make my sessions as interactive as I can and these tools will definitely help me to do this. Thank you!

Halton Borough Council

  • ‘Learning is like a search for hidden treasure!’ This session for me gave a whole plethora of treasures for engagement and bringing learning and pedagogy to life through digital means both for in class and learning remotely.
  • Being guided to the valuable objects in a cluttered and overflowing storage room.
  • It Cut the Mustard.
  • Yes! It is having the guides and practical chance to play with the difference tools and options.
  • Gosh yes totally. Some superb resources that I can see being used regularly. It takes time to find all these resources so I am very appreciative of the work that has been put in for us.
  • Tony is very personable, supportive and has such strong knowledge that explanations are clear. His passion shines through which helps to engage and motivate delegates, even in scorching heat!!!
  • The session was very good and from a delivery point of view outstanding. The experience could have been better if the handouts had been downloaded in advance (I would make this even more clear next time around!) and there were some issues with confidence/equipment that were handled with patience and grace!

Hereford College of Arts

  • This was such a great session. Really refreshing to have such high level training that was generous, practical and learner focused.
  • A smorgasbord of healthy teaching and learning resources.
  • A very positive and energising training session that gave me the drive to apply my learning and make one change at a time. Delivered with intelligence, empathy and inclusiveness.

Innovative Alliance

  • Chomping at the bit now to put new learning into practice. Very inspirational session!
  • Like a swan above the water and a motorboat underneath…
  • It has given me a pleather of ideas to take away and improve our online offer in our organisation.
  • I feel you have given me a wealth of knowledge and resources now to go away and engage with and train my team to improve the learner experience.

Lincoln College International

  • Lots of food for thought as usual!!
  • Every week I’m planning to test 2 tools from the session to not overwhelm students.
  • The session supports my thoughts around the importance of ‘social presence’ (and backs up the research out there) and ‘investment and payoff’. There are so many tools to use but they should only be used if they enhance the learning (pedagogy pedigree – fabulous term and now in my repertoire!!) not technology for technology sake.
  • I enjoyed it thoroughly, as I am always looking at ways to upskill myself. In today’s session, I was shown so many options I can use in my lessons and I’m excited to try them all.

Liverpool Adult Learning Service

  • Both sessions really inspiring.
  • Provided me with an opportunity to recap on technologies and previous CPD I have already engaged in and used and evaluate how to use them more effectively. Gave me the motivational push I needed to re-invigorate teaching, assessment learning and inspire educators to do the same. As a service we are using Teams/Office 365 so I am interested in how we can use the tools already available in Teams to develop highly effective online learning.

NPTC Consortium of Work-based Providers

  • Tony has such a gift in making you feel inspired and motivated to try out his suggestions. Can’t think of a metaphor today but in the words of Winnie the Pooh “But what if I fall?” “Yes but what if you fly?”
  • I loved how its given me a new view on teaching the same sorts of subjects but now it can be done in different ways making it feel less repetitive.
  • Great pace, direction and content. I have attended many sessions over my training career of 22 years and have found these to be the most engaging and interesting since my original training to become an assessor/Trainer in late 2000. Thank you!
    Inspiring – has given me the confidence to explore different techniques.
  • Absolutely outstanding, really challenged preconceived ideas on learning and evidence gathering
    very informative, easy tool to use, feeling more confident to explore tool for blended learning.
    Good session sharing tools for online learning.
  • Great to see new technologies and stimulated by the ideas.
  • Thinking of how the learner feels, how to improve learning for all learners. I have already booked a day in with my colleagues to look at Blendspace and wiki and make use of it.

NPTC Group of Colleges

  • A melting pot of useful tools.
  • My brain is a bed of blossoming seeds.
  • ‘The past doesn’t equal the future’
  • Discovering new technology is like getting a parcel that you can’t remember ordering.
  • I think it has given me so many new ways to prep and engage with my learners. I think Blendspace will create a great pre learning for my learners.

Quest Training

  • Fantastic session, lots to take away and have a try at making resources and sessions with. I just need extra days in my week to try them all.

Retrofit Academy

  • We can do a lot more to make our presentations and courses engaging for the learners, catering for different abilities and learning styles.
  • Useful tools. Great that they are all free.

Sefton Community Learning Service

  • It’s like someone has opened the curtains in a dark room and I can see the light.
  • Feel 100% more confident in using technology that is new to me.
  • Tony you’re inspiring – this session has impacted on me greatly and I can’t wait to start implementing what I have learnt today when I cascade this to tutors (after further practise). Well and truly taken out of my comfort zone – thank you.

Southport College

  • This was an excellent session – very interactive and has given me lots of good ideas for things I can implement in my own teaching as well as cascade to the rest of the group.

St Helens Chamber

  • Learning is the spark that starts the flame.
  • I will be using Blendspace (QR Codes) and inputting pre-learning sessions. I will also be using breakout rooms during my online sessions.
  • Tony provides resources and how-to guides which are the most likely areas of support I would need which is great.
  • Excellent session, allowed me to interact and gain inspiration from other providers. Thank you very much, will definitely be recommending.

Sysco

  • Very engaging session with lots of resources/information and valuable IAG provided by Tony regarding tools for online engagement. Definitely will make me reflect and review this going forward.
  • Fountain of knowledge and new information. Looking forward to trying Prezi video on zoom.

WEA

  • I was originally daunted by the thought of a 3.5 hour session but the time passed more enjoyably and easily than other much shorter training sessions that I have attended, as the sessions were interesting and engaging. They were well put together, skilfully delivered and very useful. Thank you.
  • It opened my mind to the options available and just how much more creative online learning can be. I feel as I have been provided with some tools to venture out and explore further. I also need to look at my current practice as a curriculum manager and determine what steps I need to take to start incorporating some of these new ideas and promoting them with staff.
  • I need to build on the knowledge I have gained in this session by spending time with the different technology options we covered. In particular Prezi and wikis are completely new for me and I would love to be proficient with these.

Wirral Metropolitan College

  • Eye Opening, what a fantastic session.
  • I will try to embed pre-learning and also involve follow up after training sessions a lot more.

Workforce Training Services

  • Teaching is gardening.
  • In my new role I will be able to use the tools I gained in the session to disseminate to other staff with the hope of improving teaching and learning across the organisation.