Practical, pragmatic & effective ways to deliver functional skills
2010 is the year when the new Functional Skills qualifications replace Key Skills. Many providers still appear woefully unready for the change. Feedback from the trials has indicated a raft of issues including:
- A lack of co-ordination of functional skills delivery
- Significant variances in the quality of teaching and learning of functional skills
- Too much overlap to adult literacy and numeracy programmes
- Function Skills too frequently delivered in isolation from the main learning
- Too much dependence on specialist English and Mathematics teachers
- Too little contextualization or relevancy to the main qualification subject/s
- Learners are being forced to focus on the achievement of examinations
- Too much focus on performance league tables
- Too little focus on individual learner's needs.
In short, Functional Skills delivery is far from functional and in many cases is not meeting the individual needs of the learners. Be it from an ethical or inspection perspective it is imperative that learning providers and those tasked with supporting and enabling learners to develop their functional skills, ensure that the services they provide are effective.
This workshop explores practical, pragmatic and above all effective ways to teach, train and deliver Functional Skills qualifications.
Contextualisation
There has been much debate about the readiness of young people to take Britain into the 21st Century in order to successfully compete with our European rivals. Repeatedly reports demonstrate that employers continue to demand not only higher level skills, but basic application of communication and mathematics in an everyday context. The fact is, that nobody knows what the world will look like in 5 years time never mind 25 years and this requires today’s learners to develop a set of transferrable skills that will meet their future employers need for an effective workforce.
Despite learners becoming more technologically adept at an increasingly younger age, the need to be able to apply the use these skills in the right places, at the right time and in the right context is even more crucial to enable a smarter and more cost effective workforce.
Not only are Functional Skills within the future 14–19 curriculum generally, they are a critical component of Foundation Learning.
For Whom
This workshop is designed for all those leading on or delivering Functional Skills. It will be of interest to representatives from all organisations (including General and Specialist FE, HE, Private Training Providers, Local Authorities, Schools, Connexions, brokers and industry delivering contracts) delivering learning in areas such as :
- Pre- and post-16 provision
- DWP/JCP contracts
- Traditional routes (GCSE and A levels)
- Apprenticeships
- Diplomas
- Foundation Learning
- Community Learning
- Offender Learning
- Consortia Leads
to name but a few!
Aims and Objectives
This workshop enables participants to:
- Gain a greater understanding of the frameworks and awarding organisation requirements
- Understand the Outcomes, Implications and Opportunities suggested by reports
- Experience a range of pedagogical approaches to developing Functional Skills in context
- Identify additional forms of support outside of this workshop
- Identify strategies for improving the functionality of Functional Skills
Content
Participants will experience a range of approaches for developing their understanding whilst exploring and exchanging ideas and approaches to use with their own learners, whether in direct contact or not. This workshop provides opportunities to identify strategies to take away, whilst examples of emerging Functional Skill practice will be provided for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to challenge current practice within their own organisations and may appreciate how they might need to further develop themselves or others within the organisation.
The day is split into 5 sessions
- Developing an understanding of the Functional Skills frameworks and latest developments by use of:
- Government intelligence
- Awarding organisations’ directives and perspectives
- Background to the agenda
- Understand and recognise the outcomes, implications and opportunities of key documents, reports and reviews such as:
- Sir Alan Jones
- Chris Woodhead
- Ofsted
- DCSF guidance
- Awarding organisations
- Through discussion, debate and sharing of knowledge, experience a range of pedagogical approaches to developing Functional Skills in context, including:
- Breaking down the components of the frameworks and relating theory to current practice (delegates are advised to bring along examples of current delivery models as listed below)
- Exploring key pedagogical approaches for delivery and assessment
- Considering assessment methods against criteria and additional opportunities that may arise
- Relating government (and others’) expectations to assessment
- Discussing case studies / scenarios
- Identify additional forms of support outside of this workshop
- Networking opportunities
- Access to resources
- Producing strategies for improving the functionality of Functional Skills by:
- Consolidating learning outcomes from today, relating to own practice
- Using examples brought along to identify relevant and manageable strategies with time made available to provide focus for development
- Identifying responsibilities and timescales for strategic development
Delegates are asked to bring along examples from their organisations, to help contextualise the learning, such as:
- timetable models
- schemes of work
- session plans
- specifications
- resources
- workforce skills audits
- development plans
- LA area-wide plan for FS delivery (if available)
- internal action plans for developing FS delivery
- data (FS results, learner group profiles)
- curriculum plan
- relevant workforce job descriptions.
Delivery Style
The workshop provides many opportunities for open debate and challenge. It provides a range of activities to help participants understand alternative approaches to Functional Skills delivery. The activities are planned to support the development of topics to take away and develop as a result of the day.
Certificates of Professional Development
Formal Certificates of Development will be issued, by post, to participants who complete this workshop. These certificates will detail the key learning aims and the face-to-face learning hours undertaken, enabling participants to update their CPD records and logs accordingly. The workshop also allows time, during the day,for participants to reflect on and record their personal learning development and consider how to best apply the knowledge gained on return to work. This element of the programme is designed to maximise the benefits from attending and enables participants to make betterreview judgments when recording CPD activities.
Related Programme Development Workshops
- Foundation Learning Programmes - Practical Implementation
- Getting the Most from the QCF
- IAG - Improving Effectiveness of Information, Advice & Guidance
- Identifying, Recording and Developing Soft Skills
- Making Functional Skills ... Functional
- Techniques for Developing Personal Learning and Thinking Skills
Certificates of Professional Development.
Formal Certificates of Development will be issued, by post, to participants who complete this workshop. These certificates will detail the key learning aims and the face-to-face learning hours undertaken, enabling participants to update their CPD records and logs accordingly. The workshop also allows time, during the day, for participants to reflect on and record their personal learning development and consider how best to apply the knowledge gained on return to work. This element of the programme is designed to maximise the benefits from attending and enable participants to make better review judgments when recording their CPD activities.