E&D in Education: Narrowing Gaps in Student Achievement - Core & Classroom Techniques

There are no open events scheduled for this topic. It may be run as an open event again in the future. Alternatively, we can run it as a bespoke internal event for your organisation.

241

Understanding & Implementing Core Classroom Solutions
Schools, Colleges & Learning Providers

Narrowing the Gaps in the Progression and Achievement Rates between different groups of students is a key requirement of the Inspection Frameworks. This means that Colleges, Private Providers and Schools need to pro-actively identify which groups are underperforming and then take positive action to reduce the disparities in progression and achievement rates. 

Even for the best performing schools, colleges and providers this is not an easy task.

Whilst performance of those covered by the Equality Act (and the protected characteristics within) may be monitored, the inspection frameworks require schools, colleges and learning providers to delve far deeper. Individual progression and achievement can be affected by a huge range of variables; for example, disadvantaged backgrounds, hidden disabilities, financial problems, family problems and cultural issues - all present challenges.  Unfortunately these issues are seldom isolated so any failure to identify and address the individual issues can lead to the creation of under-achieving groups.

This intensive but fun one-day workshop explores some highly effective ways for identifying many of the underlying problems our young people face, but never talk about.  It then demonstrates some tried and tested strategies to help overcome them.   In so doing it will help participants understand better the actions they can take to ensure individual students progress and achieve.

For Whom

This workshop is designed for all involved with young people, to increase their understanding of what can be done at classroom/training course level to help prevent underperformance and reduce any gaps in learner achievement.  The workshop is suitable for:

  • Representatives from:
    • Primary Schools
    • Secondary Schools
    • Sixth Form Schools,
    • FE Colleges
    • Private Learning Providers
    • Local Authorities
    • Universities
  • School Heads & Deputy Heads
  • Operational Managers
  • Centre Managers
  • Heads of Department and Year
  • Team Leaders and Teaching Staff
  • Verifiers and Assessors
  • Learning Support Teams
  • Quality Assurance Teams

Aims and Objectives

This highly participative and interactive workshop is designed to help teaching staff within Schools, Colleges and Learning Providers personalise their teaching, learning and support for all their students.  It will enable participants to

Delegate Feedback

'It was amazing - practices so many ideas for implementing differentiation in the classroom. Practical applications.'
Lecturer in Health, Cirencester College

'Thought provoking and very stimulating.'
Senior Tutor, Cirencester College

'Stimulating in terms of preparing for teaching & learning - variable for all students.'
English Teacher, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College

Content

1. Identifying Underperforming Groups
The first session looks at the ways we can identify those students at risk of under-achievement and/or dropout, both formally and informally.  It will examine the pros and cons of how this has been done traditionally and explore ways of improving this.

2. Understanding and Identifying Barriers to Learning
Session 2 looks at the students themselves: what we know about them from what they (and/or parents) say; what they are not saying, and what they do and so not know about themselves.  It will help delegates to identify (but not diagnose) dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD/H/D, Irlen’s syndrome and autistic spectrum disorders and understand how these conditions are inter-related

3. Some Useful Strategies in the Classroom
This session looks at some tried and tested strategies which really work.  Issues tackled include inattention, concentration difficulties, impulsiveness, lack of organisation, sequencing and memory problems and issues caused by poor handwriting and/or spelling. It also shows how the knowledge of learning styles can be used for true differentiation.

4. The organisation-centred barriers
What might your organisation and learning activities be doing that are actually counter-productive to learning for some students?  This session looks at matching the right students to the right courses, examining what staff actually need to know about students’ abilities and skills levels and designing courses around student needs instead of trying to make students fit into what is on offer. It also shows how course-specific diagnostic assessment can be used to individualise Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) and short, medium and long term targets.

5. Improving self-esteem and student behaviour
This is a session in which the under-estimated effects of low self-esteem are examined and how this impacts on behaviour that prevents effective learning of your 'at risk' students as well as the rest of the group.  As well as explaining the self-esteem spiral and what building blocks need to be in place to stop the self-esteem from sinking even lower, delegates will look at some useful strategies for those students seeking attention, power or revenge.

6. Reflection
The final session provides a period of reflection and consolidates action planning. You should leave the event with a clear plan of what to do next, who to involve in your organisation and how to go about implementing this in your organisation.

Delivery and learning styles applied

Internal Staff Training and Development

This training workshop, along with most of our other best practice training workshops, can be delivered as an internal training course at your premises. Even with groups as small as 6-8 delegates, the course fees per person for internal training workshops can be lower than for open events. The potential savings are even greater, if the travel time and the travel costs of the delegates are included.

Running training workshops internally is very convenient and it allows the participants to explore how key issues will impact on them and their organization. Then as a team they can begin to agree upon a development action plan, with priorities. This approach is favoured by many of our clients as it combines a high quality service with excellent value for money and is a highly effective route for staff development.

» More information

Related Equality and Diversity Workshops

Certificates of Professional Development.

This course is recognised for CPD purposes by most professional institutes and associations including the Law Society, the CIM, the CMI, the ICAEW, the Institute of Learning and the CIPD. Formal Certificates of Professional Development will be issued by email to participants who successfully complete this course. These certificates will enable participants to evidence the update of their CPD records. The workshop will consider how to best apply the knowledge gained by the delegates upon their return to the workplace. This element of the programme is designed to maximise the benefits of attending and enable participants to make valued judgments when recording CPD activities