Graded OTL: Part 4 - Extending Observation to Learner Reviews & other processes

Overview

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Extending Graded Observations to learner recruitment, review & guidance

Lesson Observations are now firmly embedded within most Colleges and Training Providers operating within the learner and skills sector. High quality observations have proved to be one of the most effective and robust ways of measuring how well teaching and training is actually managed and delivered. Inspection consistently demonstrates that organisations which achieve excellence invariably use observation to measure the effectiveness of a range of learner journey processes not just core teaching and training.

Monitoring quality by auditing the documents completed during processes such as Progress Review, is very valuable for financial and systems audit purposes but it rarely provides a sufficiently robust indication of the capability or development needs of the individuals involved to inform and enable real improvement action.

To achieve significant improvement in how progress reviews and other types of sessions are delivered, organisations need to accurately identify what aspects of delivery need to change. Graded observations help to deliver this.

Observing any activity performed by another person, where the Observer is required to make robust, accurate and/or graded judgements requires significant skill. It is important that effective processes are developed and that observers are appropriately trained, to ensure that graded observations maximise the benefits available, and do not de-motivate those being observed.

This workshop focuses on how to conduct graded observations in the following three activities

Recruitment Interviews
Progress Review sessions
Guidance sessions*

*Examples of Guidance Sessions covered by this workshop include:

A Jobcentre Plus funded programmes, where a member of staff works with a client to look things such as the effectiveness of what the client is doing to get a job, or what further types of support they need to enable them to get work.
Sessions on an E2E programme where a tutor or mentor is working with a learner to explore behavioural issues which are inhibiting their progress

The approach demonstrated in the workshop will help organisations ensure that observations are undertaken on a consistent basis and that they accurately measure what they are supposed to measure. The approach will also accurately identify staff development needs.

For Whom

This intense and highly interactive workshop has been designed for:

managers responsible for the quality and effectiveness of learner recruitment, guidance, and progress reviewing
staff who are required to undertake graded observations of colleagues of undertaking these processes

The design of the workshop assumes participants will have a good understanding of the benefits and rational behind observation practice, and what is involved in the delivery and management of learner recruitment, guidance and progress review sessions.

The workshop is considered especially suitable for all FE education providers including FE Colleges, DWP/Job Centre Plus and Private Providers. It also may offer benefit to purely commercial training organisations too.

Aims and Objectives

This workshop has been designed to help participants understand and develop the processes, skills and knowledge required to undertake effective graded observations of learner recruitment, progress reviews and guidance sessions.

As a result of attending this workshop participants will be able to:

Identify the attributes of effective, recruitment, progress reviews and guidance sessions
accurately and fairly interpret criteria to judge the effectiveness of recruitment, progress review and guidance sessions they observe
record accurate, meaningful and evaluative rather than descriptive performance notes
provide a robust evidence base for judgements
develop accurate and fair judgements from the recorded performance notes evidence
grade sessions accurately and fairly based upon the judgements and supporting evidence
manage feedback very effectively, so that the staff being observed accept the judgements made, and where necessary the development process that will follow.

Content

Key aspects of the workshop, in addition to presentations by the tutor will include:

interactive discussions on:

the purposes and key components of recruitment, guidance and progress review sessions with a focus on what exactly they are designed to achieve
how to determine whether they are achieving what they should

group and individual problem solving and development exercises looking at:

identifying different observation techniques
how to interpret observation criteria
techniques for recording performance notes
how to producing judgements
how to manage feedback effectively

application exercises involving observation of progress review and guidance sessions including:

recording performance notes
producing judgements
session grading
delivering feedback

Internal Staff Training and Development

This workshop, as with most of our good practice workshops, can be delivered on your premises. This approach is favoured by many of our clients as it provides a quality, value-for-money and highly effective route for staff development.

Running workshops internally, allows participants explore how key issues will impact on them and their organization and as a team begin to agree development action and priorities.

Typical costs for a one day good practice workshop, excluding VAT, are just £1290 + £30/person. Even with groups as small as 6 costs per person costs for internal workshops are lower than attending our open events and savings increase further when delegate travel-time costs and convenience are factored in.

More information at:

http://www.excellence-in-learning.co.uk/index.php?page=internal

Related Observation Workshops

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.

Excellence in Learning