Further Education

Possibility Thinking: Reimagining the Future of Further Education and Skills

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These essays are deliberately optimistic and each responds to a ‘what if’ question, with authors being invited to respond with deliberate idealism about the future possibilities. The collection has not been designed with the intention of providing a single narrative, but rather to open up new trains of thought, to offer provocations and challenges, and it covers divergent themes and ideas. We have focused on what the sector can do for itself, mindful of the policy context, but occasionally identifying ways that policy might enable, rather than constrain, sectoral innovation and public value

About the authors 2

Acknowledgements 4

Foreword - Dame Ruth Silver 5

Introduction - What if the further education and skills sector got a little more optimistic? - Mark Londesborough 7

RfT - Carl Rogers and Classroom Climate

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There's an old saying in teaching, 'Don't smile before Christmas' (meaning 'don't show your nice side before you've shown them who's boss'). But Carl Rogers' work led him to believe passionately that teachers should do precisely the opposite. He believed that teachers should seek to create emotionally warm, supportive environments in which they worked collaboratively with their students to achieve mutual goals.

Come Say Hello!

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with our exciting work in the coming months, be it face-to-face at any of the conferences we're attending or by signing up to our new programme of CPD set to begin this Autumn!

(Stone) Building Mathematics Skills In A Vocational Context

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Various occupations require the practical application of mathematics and most employers want workers with good maths skills. Yet many students who take vocational subjects struggle with maths and problem-solving skills. Vocational subjects potentially offer rich opportunities for students to use maths to solve work-place problems. Teachers of vocational subjects sometimes give anecdotal evidence of students who finally begin to understand abstract mathematical concepts when they see them applied to real situations. This American study investigated whether teaching mathematics during vocational lessons could improve students’ performance in maths and found quantifiable evidence to suggest that it could.

Leadership of Professional Development and Learning

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"Over the next five years implementing the curriculum, assessment and qualification reforms will present significant challenges to teaching and learning. Schools will need to:

  • develop teacher capability to deliver reformed GCSEs and A levels, including a focus on preparing pupils
  • for the new style of examinations
  • develop teachers’ ability to undertake assessment that evidences pupil progress in learning
  • build capacity in middle and senior leadership related to curriculum design and development"

 

So says the Guidance Paper recently published by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) - with CUREE and TDT – setting out why its members should be as aspirational about the development of their professional colleagues as they already are for their students

Local Leadership of Education and Training

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http://www.et-foundation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/9-messages-from-Leadin…
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Getting with the Zeitgeist – devolution and the leadership of education

Four FE colleges in different parts of England explored strategies for leading the local education system in preparation for greater devolution to city regions following the model started in Greater Manchester. Through the lens of various leadership methodologies (but particularly Design Thinking) our college leaders worked with key stakeholders to flag the opportunities, the challenges and some ways forward