Training
programmes
Collegenet offers a comprehensive range of training programmes
as listed below. All the courses are available for in-house delivery from small audiences up to whole college presentations. In some cases half day condensed programmes can be delivered. However, the half day option repeats the same course
morning and afternoon to give two attendance opportunities. We are also happy to customise any of our courses to better suit your needs.
Select from the following standard courses:
Dynamic 14-19 diploma delivery
The grade one lesson
Expert learning skills 14-19
Observation windows ( a model for peer observation)
Developing Observation skills ( new lesson observers)
Reflective observation skills (experienced lesson observers)
Challenging Behaviour
Essential teaching skills
Leading a team
ENQUIRIES AND AVAILABILITY
To check availability and/or to discuss the course programmes
please email info@collegenet.co.uk
Dynamic 14-19 diploma delivery
Diplomas offer new opportunities for advancement for many students by combining academic and practical hands-on learning. Planning to deliver the new diplomas is a challenge in terms of building a shared approach and common standards across a consortium and delivering active learning opportunities.
This one day programme is aimed at those at the 'sharp end' who are tasked with teaching the diplomas. The course will assist you to:
1. understand the key components within the diploma framework
2. develop a year planner to guide the delivery of the diploma
3. Develop best practice in writing related, effective Schemes of Work
4. Blend Personal Learning and Thinking Skills and Functional Skills within the programme
5. Plan an exciting and dynamic learning programme which will stimulate and motivate.
The trainer is Anne Sykes Lead Consultant and Trainer for 14-19.
The grade one lesson
This very popular programme provides practical guidance for what inspectors are looking for to award grade one and offers a host of practical examples of how to lift satisfactory teaching and learning into Ofsted grade one. The ideal group size is 20-25 but this course can also be sucessfully delivered as an 'all staff' conference day. The course includes 'traffic light' self assessment against Ofsted grade one descriptors and an exploration of the key methods and strategies to transform satisfactory teaching and learning into good or better. The programme is structured around the themes identified in the Update circular 'Advancing Learning' ( see Downloads on the home page ) and in particular takes the staff through the nine step 'diamond' recipe for best practice in teaching and learning. Each step is covered with practical examples of how to raise satisfactory teaching and learning to Ofsted grade one standards. A key part of the new content includes guidance on effective groupwork.
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Expert learning skills 14-19
The term 'expert learning' is at the heart of Vision 2020 and the proposals for Personalising FE. It is also the core of the new 14-19 diploma programmes i.e an emphasis on building employability and thinking and learning skills. This course provides an overview of the Personalising FE proposals and the new Diploma framework. Consider a set of practical suggestions to improve learner motivation and to establish a 'learning culture.' Build in visual approaches to lesson plans and schemes of work to share the curriculum and to motivate to study ahead. Attention is paid to the development of improved study/learning skills by using Personal Action Steps to Success (PASS) recording and simplified progress monitoring of Performance, Attendance, Coursework and Effort (PACE). The aim is to achieve a personal learner commitment to improvement actions. In particular there is a detailed consideration of how to build personal thinking and learning skills using a series of templates to develop skills in evaluation and analysis. Guidance on how to coach effective oral presentations will also be included to assist learners to practise and develop this vital skill for the future.
Overall the course will focus on how best to support and coach learners to move beyond passive learning into active participation to achieve a high outcome in their Diploma programmes.
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Observation windows
This course provides a framework for the introduction of peer observation and may be attended by the lesson observation team, quality team and curriculum managers to explore and decide whether to adopt and promote the model. In doing so it will deepen awareness of the focus on learning in the second round of Ofsted inspection.
Alternatively ( or as well) it can be delivered to individual curriculum teams to assist the team to identify and confirm best practice. There are three elements:
- team talk to discuss and confirm best practice
- team publication - templates to capture and record best practice
- peer observation - short observation 'windows' to see best practice in action.
Observation windows is entirely a 'positive' peer observation model with no grades or specification of improvements but firmly anchored in the development and dissemination of best practice.
The 'windows' relate to the observation team identifying best practice in relation to 'windows' within the lesson e.g. lesson start, use of ICT, question and answer techniques, group working, embedding functional skills, addressing personal thinking and learning skills, checking learning and lesson summation etc. The aim is to confirm best practice standards in each case ( with due attention to Ofsted criteria). This focus on best practice should help to develop a learning culture. The observation windows system is simple to adminster as it involves no paperwork or admin demand but can empower teaching teams to discuss and confirm their best practice.
Note: If your observation team has not attended the 'Reflective Observation' training day then consider whether this might be more suitable. All teams are at different levels of experience and development. The Reflective Observation training offers a sharp focus on self assessment against Ofsted grade one standards and provides a summary of best practice in teaching and learning plus opportunities to watch and grade videos to confirm team consistency in grading. The 'observation windows' course assumes this knowledge/awareness.
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Developing observation skills
This one day course introduces new lesson observers to
OFSTED and Lifelong Learning standards and
to the skills of effective lesson observation. The course
delivers a focus on the chief factors underpinning a Grade 3 satisfactory
lesson followed by
the key triggers for moving up or down the grading scale.
Time is taken to differentiate between the identification
and recording of strengths as opposed to expectation and awareness
of significant areas for improvement that may result in an
inadequate judgement. Two videos provide observation practice
and role play sessions are used to develop feedback skills.
This training may be followed by the optional validation of
new lesson observers and the award of a certificate of competence.
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Reflective observation skills
This one day course is aimed at experienced lesson observers
and provides lesson observation teams with a full update of
Ofsted expectations for 2005-09. The key focus will be on
the evidence and quality of learning and how to coach staff
to raise saisfactory teaching to good or better. A collation
of evidence from the Ofsted Chief Inspector's report and Ofsted Grade one reports is used to illustrate what makes
a grade one. The traffic light scoring system is used to gain
a team self assessment on the key areas for improvement actions. In
particular observers will focus on 'strengths above expectation'
to help refine grading judgements and to consider the key
triggers for moving up or down the new 1-4 grading scale.
Video segments are used to consolidate this training. Finally
consideration is given to how the lesson observation programme
can highlight areas for improvement and contribute to the
dissemination of observed good practice.
Challenging behaviour
Some of our students exhibit challenging behaviour either
in a direct disruptive manner or in a series of low level
but exhausting challenges to progress within the lesson. The
result is the significant loss of learning time because the
teacher's attention is regularly diverted to dealing with
poor behaviour.
This course identifies the key areas for action to build
and sustain better behaviour from the induction course forward.
The starting point is a clear learner contract coupled with
consistent team enforcement to set a culture of expected behaviour
and social norms. However, most of the course deals with practical
guidance on classroom management, diffusing tension, avoiding
confrontation and how best to handle disruptive learners.
It is particularly useful for staff teaching 14-16 provision.
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Essential teaching skills
This one day course delivers the essential standards demanded
by OFSTED and Lifelong Learning aimed at new and especially new part-time
staff. The content encompasses effective lesson planning,
teaching strategies, and differentiation strategies to ensure
at least a satisfactory standard but aimed at good or better.
This course is ideal for new FT or PT staff waiting to join
a teacher training course. For Adult Education staff and others
who are unable to access weekday training this course is also
available on a Saturday.
This course will provide all untrained staff with a clear
platform of essential skills to enhance their performance.
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Leading a team( for curriculum managers)
Leading a team demands a new skill set and in particular
the ability to motivate and support teaching teams to deliver
a first class learning experience. Explore leadership styles,
motivational strategies, effective management of meetings
and how to establish and foster a learning culture.
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Trainer: Director of Training and Development Bradley
Lightbody
Bradley Lightbody has enjoyed a 27 career in Further Education
with 21 of those years in management positions related to
Sixthform, Adult Education, Learning Resources, Quality, Learning
Development and Teacher Training including PGCE. He is a very
experienced trainer. 
Download his CV (click
here)
The following are a sample of evaluations received for
training courses:
"maintained my interest.
Professional delivery. One of the best training sessions I've
attended at the college".
"Always find Bradley Lightbody
sessions inspiring".
"Very good, well paced and expertly
delivered".
"Excellent from start to
finish...all teaching staff would benefit from Bradley's delivery".
"Excellent clear knowledge of
subject delivered in a continually engaging manner."
"A very good presenter".
"It is unusual for me to grade
a seminar { grade one for every category) across all the criteria
but this occasion deserves it".
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