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Case study 4: Sharing training between schools
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Case study 4: Sharing training between schools
This case study shows how a group of schools worked together as part of the Excellence in Cities project to improve the teaching of 16- to 19-year-old gifted and talented students.
local Excellence Challenge, made up of thirteen secondary schools, two sixth-form colleges and one FE college
'in-house' trainers from one of the schools running a one-day course on creative teaching ideas for gifted 16- to 19-year-olds
teachers learnt new techniques and were enthusiastic about implementing them
Background
The Excellence Challenge, which is in north-east England, aims to widen the participation of young people in higher education. It is one strand of the Excellence in Cities project.
There are 13 secondary schools (including two 11 to 18 schools), two sixth-form colleges and one FE college in the partnership. While some students come from affluent areas, others are from some of the most deprived wards in the whole country. The staying-on rate post-16 is about 65 percent below the national average.
The Excellence Challenge coordinators agreed to:
- try to improve teaching and learning styles post-16;
- focus on accelerated learning skills.
Accelerated learning skills cover a series of practical approaches to learning, motivation, self-belief and accessing different types of intelligence. The headteacher and staff at a school that had piloted accelerated learning agreed to lead a one-day course with an emphasis on the most able students. The course was funded by the Excellence Challenge.
Implementation
The course was opened up to schools and colleges across the area and about 120 staff who work with 16- to 19-year-olds attended.
The team leading the course wanted to challenge teachers' perceptions about teaching and learning. In particular, they wanted to examine the idea that classroom practice involves a teacher delivering the syllabus in their preferred style, irrespective of the needs of individuals. Accelerated learning starts from the learners' needs and allows them to fulfil their potential through differentiated, motivational and inspiring methods. Students learn how to learn.
The staff on the course had the opportunity to find out about the practical implementation of accelerated learning in their school or college and to discuss its implications with practitioners. Workshops aimed to support senior managers exploring the management of change and teachers in different subject areas planning schemes of work. They included a workshop on accelerated learning and the new GCSEs in vocational subjects.
Impact
The staff were very enthusiastic about the course and were motivated to implement accelerated learning techniques in their own classrooms. Another one-day course is being arranged to check on progress.
Monitoring in individual schools and colleges will be carried out by Excellence Challenge coordinators. Evaluation will be based on a common approach, drawing on classroom observation and interviews with teachers.