Are you fed up with telling learners how to complete their portfolios of assessment evidence? If so, this ‘call for volunteers’ might be something you’ll be interested in.. There’s a name for what I’ve just mentioned above. Not specifically the ‘fed up with telling learners’ bit, but the time you have to spend working with a learner when they don’t get it right. It’s called ‘preventable contact’. This lovely term helps you get a grip on the ‘payoff’ you might […]

Lesson observation. Every system has an impact. Do you know what impact you’re having? Is it the one you want? These teachers and governor are clear about the impact of graded, Ofsted-style observation and feedback. There is another way – The RED System www.ccqi.org.uk/RED – Lesson observation reinvented.

‘You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.’ ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ Robert M. Pirsig At the Policy Consortium, we’re fanatical about the future of FE […]

I was on inspection recently and, yet again, found myself frustrated by the college’s self-assessment report. It wasn’t the weariness brought on by the usual furlongs of PR text, it was far more saddening. You see, the curriculum leads had really worn their hearts on their sleeves and acknowledged their provision had a long way to go to reach ours, let alone their own, expectations. In some instances, it’s taken me up to two years to help providers go through […]