In this project, the adult and community learning service of Essex County Council, ACL Essex, invited teachers from the ESOL and Family Learning teams who were not confident in using technology to develop their teaching practices. The aim was to improve learner participation across a wide range of courses.
The team chose to focus on the theme of digital accessibility looking at the question, “Where are you now and where do you want to be?”.
The project, which was funded by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), enabled time off the timetable to focus on training and reflection for the following staff:
The participants were supported by the ETF EdTech Mentor Alistair McNaught, a specialist in digital accessibility.
“We hoped to improve teachers’ practice and confidence in using tools which would improve participation and to share these skills and knowledge across the Service through peer-to-peer engagement.”
Jo Loss, Project Lead
Practitioners were asked to:
The Project Lead was responsible for:
The ETF EdTech mentor Alistair McNaught supported the project through regular weekly meetings, coaching the team in specific aspects of digital accessibility and signposting training and resources available on the Enhance Digital Teaching Platform to match their specific interests.
Each of the three practitioners had different areas of interest where they wanted to improve their practice.
Project Lead, Jo, was interested in digital accessibility to help remove barriers for learners, including better access to documents and overcoming language barriers. She wanted to work through the Accessibility, Connected and Effective and Digital Teacher training modules on the EnhanceDTP with a view to re-evaluating existing policies, creating new guides for tutors and developing staff training.
Gillian was interested in wellbeing and aimed to complete the Digital Wellbeing training and associated badges on the EnhanceDTP, as well as exploring the Accessibility and Digital Teacher modules.
“Specifically, I am interested in Digital Wellbeing, as this is an area that I feel has been somewhat neglected. Learners are expected to learn from home and although we teach wellbeing, the length of time they sit at their screens is not always taken into consideration.”
Jane was also interested in The Digital Teacher training on the EnhanceDTP – specifically flipped learning – as well as digital accessibility and digital wellbeing.
“I am keen to try flipped learning with my employability students when the course starts in April.”
Sharon was interested in digital inclusion, looking at the Dealing with Difference and Diversity modules on the EnhanceDTP, as well as improving her online teaching practice using the Managing Online and Blended Learning modules. She set herself the goal of gaining at least one three-star EdTech award badge on the platform, which requires completion of training, reflecting on application of the training, and creating a resource for sharing with fellow practitioners.
“I really need to improve my own knowledge and understanding of using technology to effectively teach my classes. I feel like I am not as effective as I could be in all aspects of teaching, planning, delivery, feedback – not because of a lack of knowledge, rather a lack of not knowing how to transfer those skills into a digital environment and the platforms that are there to enable me to do this. I want to be as confident an online teacher as I am a classroom teacher.”
In addition to completing training modules, the team submitted reflections on applying what they had learnt to their teaching practice on the #EdTechSwap Awarded Practice Wall to gain two and three-star EdTech award badges on the EnhanceDTP.
The project team also used the EnhanceDTP Management Dashboard facility to track and support staff progress in the use of the EdTech and Essential Digital Skills CPD resources on the Enhance platform. The Service subscribed to the free facility in October 2020.
There are now nine staff registered on the platform and sharing their learning data with the Management Dashboard.
Overall, the Dashboard shows that the nine registered staff have completed more than 200 modules and gained 113 badges on the platform.
Jo Loss
Gillian Brotherwood
Jane Coughlan
Sharon Roberts
#EdTechSwap Awarded Practice Wall
Management Dashboard
Gillian explored new practices to help improve her learners’ digital wellbeing:
On space for independent research and preparation:
“I often felt that some of my learners were fatigued after my sessions, and I certainly was too. The Explore modules on Digital Wellbeing showed me the importance of ensuring that learners have time away from their screens – that they feel comfortable carrying out tasks independently before sharing information with the group. This week I tried putting in more breaks and opportunities for learners to find books and other learning material together to discuss with the group. It worked very well.
“It’s also invoked my thought process about putting together some short workshops for parents about digital wellbeing that they can share with their families… I am now keen to run a series of workshops in order to help the learners know what is coming next and give them time to reflect on their learning between each workshop.”
On the idea of collaborative homework:
“A shorter project that I am working on is the introduction of co-homework outside of the online learner forum to encourage a wider learning community. I started this week with some of my learners. I set them homework of making a vision board using Sway. The learners were very enthusiastic about completing this task in twos.”
On using Class Notebook for collaborative learning:
“I am working on a project with two of my peers and we have been developing a strategy to work cohesively and to include our learners in this process. We have worked well together and are now using this tool effectively and more regularly.”
Jane worked through the Connected and Effective and Digital Wellbeing modules, gaining two-star badges in three areas. She also looked at the ETF’s EdTech webinar on Digital Wellbeing. She decided learners would benefit from a two-hour course in using technology for wellbeing.
“The modules on ‘Engaging Learners’ have caught my attention and made me consider altering the way I deliver a session on workplace health and safety, giving the learners a chance to do their own research before we look at the topic in class.”
Sharon tried out ideas from the Digital Teachers and Dealing with Difference and Diversity modules:
On applying the module ‘Planning for teaching with technology’:
“Based on the suggestion in the planning for teaching with technology (Digital Teacher/Exploring), I decided to have a go at the beginning of one of my lessons using the ‘poll/quiz’ feature of Big Blue Button to test my learners on the concepts from last week (using present continuous tense). I was aiming to get a clear picture of how well they had actually grasped the concept and if they were able to incorporate it into new situations. I hoped it would allow me to see individually who might still need help. I also saw it as a great way to start the class off ensuring that everyone is actively participating.”
On applying the module ‘Resolving intermittent and disrupted attendance’:
“Two new strategies that I am going to try… These are putting together visual charts for individual learners showing both their missing attendance and missing assignments. I am hoping that sharing these with the individual learners will really let them see the impact this might have on their learning experience and chance of success in exams… I did actually put together some visual charts for individual learners showing both their missing attendance and missing assignments. These were broken down into half termly increments and shown as percentages. I then arranged online meetings through our VLE where I shared these.”
On Wakelet:
“This week, thanks to a mention on one of the EdTech badges I discovered Wakelet – my life will never be the same! I had been looking for a way to set up online interactive classes for those who missed synchronous classes to catch up and when I started looking into the possibilities of Wakelet I couldn’t wait to start putting one together to trial.”
Gillian Brotherwood
Jane Coughlan
Sharon Roberts
The project was brief, but there was already evidence of impact both on organisational practices through Jo’s work as Learning Technologies Manager and also for the teachers involved.
“We have changed the digital policy and accessibility policy to include technology.”
“I am also working on how to use the [EnhanceDTP] modules for impact following on from a session visit, for example, a tutor’s area for development could lead to a suggestion to complete a module to reflect on their practice. I have done this for the Digital Wellbeing modules already, as we are launching ‘Digi Fit’ across the Service to talk about our digital wellbeing.”
“By completing the wellbeing modules, I have thought about and reflected on my use of time… I have looked at my calendar for next week and tried to ensure I plan in ‘me’ time. This will enable me to reflect on my workload, priorities and also personal development/ wellbeing. Outlook has a tool that does this, but I had turned it off! I have turned it back on again.”
Jo Loss, Project Lead
On introducing Class Notebook:
“This week I had the confidence and knowledge to clearly go through Class Notebook, set my expectations and show the learners where to save documents. This has then given them the confidence and will save them time moving forward to upload work rather than email me their work.”
“I have completed a two-star badge of the Connected and Effective modules which has helped me with reflecting on the learning. It has also encouraged me to research the subject further.”
Gillian Brotherwood
On introducing a poll at the start of a lesson:
“Somewhere in this module it talks about building blocks (I think the Rosenshine article). Doing a poll at the beginning of class is a great way for me to see what has been retained from the previous lesson and if I need another lesson to reinforce this or if class are ready to move on. Spending more time if needed will ensure I am building that strong foundation that learners are ready to take that next step which connects with those blocks.”
Sharon Roberts
Jo Loss has seen initial evidence that the learners have engaged with the new approaches and have benefited from the increased confidence of their tutors within the limited timeframe of four teaching weeks during the project.
On introducing co-homework:
“The learners seemed buoyant about having the opportunity to work together. They left the class on Wednesday inspired about completing their homework. The wellbeing of the learners increased positively. They all said how much they were looking forward to working with each other and started to positively talk to each other to make arrangements of when they were going to meet up.”
Gillian Brotherwood
On using Teams and interactive PowerPoint for the first time:
“This is a class of pre-entry English learners. It is my third class with them. I feel they were more engaged (talking, asking questions, affirming using body gestures) because the technology/presentation method I used was more interactive enabling me to better present/teach.”
Sharon Roberts
Impact of giving learners visual charts showing missed attendance and assignments:
“I just think that the actual visual representation was a bit of a shock. It was very clear how many classes had been missed, how many assignments had not been turned in and how this would in turn affect their chances of passing exams… Combined with this and through my readings from this module I have become more aware of the need to ensure learners have access to all content that has been covered in missed lessons.”
Sharon Roberts
On introducing Wakelet:
“What worked was interaction, sharing of ideas, learners being able to see the contributions of others, learners being able to make comments without having to email them to me, all of our ideas in one place, something concrete that belongs to us as a class.”
Sharon Roberts
Impact on tutors
Impact on learners
Learning Technologies Manager, Jo Loss, has already started to introduce changes to professional development practice as a result of the project.
After achieving a two-star badge at Leading level for Digital Accessibility training on the EnhanceDTP, Jo has made changes to the organisation’s digital and accessibility policies and is planning training and guides to support teachers and learners:
“I will also suggest that all areas of the Service have some digital accessibility training which is appropriate to their role and continue to push for all documents produced to be meet the WCAG accessibility regulations regardless of who they are produced for.”
“I have realised we need to offer training in the tools which are built into Word / Windows PCs etc. I am planning the Summer term’s digital training offer and these courses will feature as they will benefit learners online and in centres when we return. I am also creating simple handouts which can show tutors how to easily change features within Windows and will have these on the desktop of every PC in the classroom.”
Essex County Council commissions Adult Community Learning Essex (ACL Essex) to provide learning across the county, excluding the unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend. Essex is a large county with a rapidly growing and ageing population of around 1.4 million. It has a wide range of communities spanning rural, urban and coastal areas with widely varying qualification levels and areas of significant social deprivation. ACL Essex is principally a direct delivery service and has adult community learning centres in most of the major towns in Essex. In addition to the ten major community learning centres, courses take place at 190 community venues. ACL Essex provides accredited and non-accredited adult learning in 13 subject areas and apprenticeships in three. Just under a third of courses are accredited.
(Extract from Ofsted report 2018)
Six Reflective Exploration projects were funded by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) from February to March 2021. The aim of the projects was to help teachers and trainers in six organisations to develop their digital skills by engaging with the resources and communities of practice on the Enhance Digital Teaching Platform. The projects were focused, in particular, on the opportunities for skills development and pedagogic dialogue around submission and sharing of reflections and resources to gain digital badges.
Practitioners worked in groups of up to three supported by a Project Lead, who was also involved in the reflective CPD process. All projects were supported by an ETF EdTech Mentor. Projects were invited to focus on one of the following six themes:
Participants produced reflective diaries and short videos to record their CPD experience and the impact on their practice. Feedback from the project is being used to help refine and develop the badging and community of practice models on the Enhance Digital Teaching Platform.