Digital Community of Practice
An ETF funded OTLA Digital Project for South Tyneside
September 2018
About South Tyneside
Hello and welcome to our second project digital newsletter.
South Tyneside is a great place! We have so much to offer, including a rich cultural heritage, spectacular scenery and a strong community spirit.
We have an excellent skills base for sectors including Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, Business Process Outsourcing, Port and Logistics, Low Carbon Energy and Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles, Construction, Leisure and Retail, Culture and Tourism and Health and Social Care.
The education and training offer aims to cater for the current and emerging skills requirements. Online learning will be an important strand of this.
Marsden Bay, South Shields, South Tyneside" by Andrew Whitaker
Catalogue number: ST003H
About the project
In this newsletter you can find out about the progress participating providers are making.
The video link will provide you with a short introduction.
Judy Hunter, tutor and managing director
Dave Brown tutor and company director
Community Interest Company
Promoting and Embedding English and Maths
CFNE provides post-16 education and training. Occasionally learners aged 14-16 attend full time. CFNE provides specialist support for vulnerable learners, particularly young parents. The range of provision has expanded and also includes Initial Teacher Training.
CFNE understand that developing life and employability skills must include promoting and embedding English and maths across the curriculum. Self-assessment has evidenced that the delivery of English and maths is as good. However, it is a key area for this provider to improve in order to demonstrate outstanding teaching, learning and assessment.
The aim is therefore to explore through action research what specific areas require improving and how can a digital approach improve the promotion and embedding of English and maths.
Project Successes
CFNE has conducted detailed research with practitioners. The summarised questions and results are:
Q. How confident and competent do you feel in embedding maths/English within vocational subjects?
A. Tutors were more confident in embedding English than Maths
Q. How confident and competent do you feel in embedding E & D within your sessions?
A. All tutors felt relatively confident or fully confident in embedding E & D
Q. How well do you feel you know the FS curriculums?
A. Tutors felt they did have a fair knowledge of the English and maths functional skills curriculums
Q. To what extent do you source specific FS resources?
A. All practitioners scored lowly in answer to the question re whether they sources specific FS resources
Q. To what extent do you assess FS and E & D within your marking?
A. When marking and assessing vocational provision, English and maths and equality and diversity were assessed, but it was primarily the English that was marked
Q. Where do you currently access FS resources?
A. Answers given to sourcing FS resources were very generic e.g. internet, TES
From this research, CFNE identified some practical ways to improve. Some of these were non-digital. For example, in arranging session for functional skills tutors to update vocational tutors in English and maths targets and delivery techniques; use of homework and extension activities.
Practitioners have attended a number of CPD sessions to explore what digital approaches would add value to their approach. CFNE now believes it has found a suitable vehicle in using Google Sites (including Google Classroom).
CFNE aims to establish a site where English, maths and vocational tutors can co-ordinate, promote and embed English and maths across the curriculum. Approaches will be piloted with a Level 3 full time programme.
It is anticipated that the site will:
· Share knowledge and understanding, specifically focussing on English and maths targets and delivery techniques
· Develop specific resources for stretch, challenge and extension activities
· Promote weekly ‘hot topics’ where English and maths issues can be explored across the curriculum
· Enable practitioners to address the areas for improvement identified in the research.
Project Challenges
There remain a number of practical barriers to be overcome. For example, the centre internet connection is limited and learners do not usually possess a working ‘smart’ phone. Staff travel and work between two centres which makes co-ordination and communication more difficult. Developing the online presence will help address these issues
Looking Ahead
CFNE plan to have their Google Site established by mid-September for the start of full-time delivery of the Level 3 programme. Practitioners and learners will be involved in further evaluation to determine the extent to which practitioner knowledge and skills are improving and the impact on teaching, learning and assessment. Further self-assessment will be undertaken using the JISC self-assessment tool. This will be to measure changes/improvement and distance travelled in effective practice and use of technology. Practitioners are attending training provided by Sunderland Home Care on 3rd September and bespoke full day training on 6th September in using Google Classroom and related products.
Developing Links with Employers
AutismAble provides specialist education and training for those learners on the autistic spectrum. For many learners, the pathway to employment can seem distant. It is often difficult to get work experience or any other experience of the workplace. Additionally, many employers are hesitant and untrained in how to support the needs of a learner with autism. This might be in either simply delivering informative and motivational talks, offering work experience or interview opportunities to learners.
The aim of the project is to establish a ‘digital bridge’ with local employers and, through effective partnership, improve the learners’ experience and understanding of the work place.
Working collaboratively, AutismAble set out to create videos with employers that can be used in the learning environment regularly and repeatedly to enhance understanding.
Project Successes
Learners have been involved from the outset in developing their project approach. They have created their own Padlet for sharing ideas and have created digital newsletters for parents and employers, for example. Through a Business Administration Study Programme, learners have planned and organised an Employer Engagement event in April 2018. They presented successfully to a group of employers, speaking of career aspirations and barriers to access. Two employers have given assurance and joined the digital project
One of the employers has provided a Digital Skills Master Class in image editing. Learners have created storyboards for employer interviews
Project Challenges
Looking Ahead
AutimsAble will be utilising the videos developed in its delivery model for 2018-19. They will conduct further research with learners and practitioners to determine the extent to which improvements have been made in teaching, learning and assessment. Further self-assessment will be undertaken using the JISC self-assessment tool. This will be to measure changes/improvement and distance travelled in effective practice and use of technology. Practitioners will be attending training arranged by Sunderland Home Care and bespoke training in using Google Classroom and related products.
Online Teaching and Assessment
SHCA learners are both employed and unemployed. Employed learners work in various health and social care roles. Action research with both tutors and learners indicated there were some delivery problems. It was sometimes difficult for learners to get to scheduled sessions due to work commitments and shift patterns. Training and updating is needed regularly. The travel distance, time spent travelling and associated costs for both employed and unemployed learners were also factors in determining why changes were needed.
Distance and blended learning was the solution to be explored. SHCA looked to pilot Google Classroom as a way to address these issues and at the same time reduce the administration work and costs associated with producing paper based work products to learners.
Following some initial training, The Safe Handling of Medication course was uploaded onto Google Classroom and piloted with a group of learners. This has been successful. Further research and feedback from learners had helped SHCA to identify what worked well, what did not and what was liked and not liked about the delivery.
Project successes
The pilot of Google Classroom has worked well and SHCA is now looking to introduce this for all the courses they deliver. Paper based materials will remain available for those who prefer.
SHCA has been able to learner from good practice elsewhere and apply to learning. For example, Plickers has been introduced into all delivery sessions in place and is being used at the beginning of each session as a way to check understanding from the previous session.
A suite of suitable laptops is being purchased to ensure that IT access is not a barrier to learning. Other aspects of delivery are being trialled online. For example, SHCA hope to use Google Forms to provide more regular course feedback which can be used to plan improvements in subsequent delivery.
Sunderland Home Care are now providing in-house training for all project practitioners on 3rd September.
Project challenges
Google Classroom was new to both tutors and learners. Seemingly small barriers needed to be overcome, for example, in creating a valid gmail account or access code. Learners had variable digital skills levels which creates practical problems to be resolved prior to beginning learning. IT access was limited.
Looking ahead
SHCA is looking forward to further specialist training in using Google Classroom and associated products scheduled for 6th September. Further action research will be conducted with learners and practitioners to determine the extent to which improvements have been made in teaching, learning and assessment. Further self-assessment will be undertaken using the JISC self-assessment tool. This will be to measure changes/improvement and distance travelled in effective practice and use of technology.
Sunderland Home Care
Bringing it all together
OTLA dissemination at Ramside Hall 5th September
South Tyneside Training Provider Network meeting 19th September
Google for Education training 6th September
Project Lead - Peter McKenna
Email: peter.mckenna@southyneside.gov.uk
Location: South Shields Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields, UK
Phone: 0191 4246559