Learning & Skills Conference
15 May 2013
Improving teaching, learning and
assessment
Overview
To identify common problems and the key challenges
To explore strategies to improve teaching, learning and
assessment in your organisation
To consider five achievable steps that you can take in the next
three months to improve teaching, learning and assessment
in your organisation
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Sir Michael Wilshaw…..
“We
have made the link between outstanding
providers and outstanding teaching unequivocal
in the revised Common Inspection Framework.
We do not expect every lesson observed to be
outstanding, but we do believe that the
cumulative impact of high quality teaching and
learning drives up learners’ progress and
achievement.”
Findings from inspections
Positive features of learning sessions
Enthusiastic and motivated staff:
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have high expectations of learners
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help learners to work collaboratively with other learners
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plan to meet all learners’ needs
focus on learners’ vocational and subject expertise
engage learners in stimulating and challenging learning activities
using relevant & innovative resources
use information learning technology successfully to help learners
become more independent in their learning
Intermesh on-and off-the-job learning activities - set relevant work to
be completed on-the-job to support off-the-job learning
The impact of this is
Learners:
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develop strong communication skills
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gain a detailed understanding of their work, can explain ideas well,
answer questions and confidently meet their customers’ needs

produce work of a high standard, including work products,
coursework and in examinations
develop high levels of independence and can complete tasks set
effectively
Weak aspects of teaching and learning
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Poor attendance and punctuality.
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Lack of support for those who are struggling.
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Weak classroom management - not dealing with behaviour issues.
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Poor assessment that is not timely.
Learners are not clear what they are meant to be doing, or the
outcomes aimed for.
Insufficient challenge for the most able.
Weak teacher questioning – too superficial, not covering all learners,
not extending and developing learning.
Learners spend too long listening to the teacher/trainer and those
who are not participating are not picked up.
Weak aspects of teaching and learning
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Learning is not individualised with superficial planning.
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Feedback is insufficiently detailed and poor grammar and spelling is
not always corrected.
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Provider lesson observation grades are often overgenerous because
observers focus too often on teaching rather than learning.

Performance management of teachers/trainers is weak and does not
secure consistency in the quality of teaching and learning.
The pace of learning is often too slow and learners are not
challenged sufficiently in sessions or work or through target setting
to realise their full potential.
Key challenges and
opportunities facing us
What do you do?

How can you rapidly improve teaching, learning and assessment in
your organisation?

Do your teachers/trainers/assessors
outstanding?

Do you focus extra resources to improve the quality of teaching,
learning and assessment when success rates and other outcomes
measures are below the provider target?
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Are you focusing on the right things?
know
what
is
good
and
How are you using performance management to bring about rapid
improvement in teaching, learning and assessment?
Do you know:
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How good the teaching is in every session?

What progress learners are making and whether their progress is
monitored properly?
If learning interventions and coaching are good?
How good the teaching is in maths and communication?
If the assessment strategy is effective to improve the pace of
achievement for each learner?
Critical and
uncompromising
evaluation of teaching,
learning and
assessment
Instilling a culture of
quality improvement
with a clear focus on
teaching learning
and assessment
Towards good and outstanding teaching and learning
Firm performance
management to bring
about rapid
improvements in
teaching learning and
assessment
Targeted, high priority
training initiatives for
underperforming staff
Activities
Activity 1: In your group consider:
What are the most
obvious areas for
improvement in your
provision that have
stopped you being
judged good for
teaching, learning and
assessment?
What internal or
external barriers
have meant that
you have not been
able to resolve the
weaknesses?
What key
strengths does
your provision have
that you can
build on?
Activity 2: Group task – put these issues into the
order in which you would expect to tackle them to
improve teaching, learning and assessment
Progress monitoring
Attendance and punctuality
Additional learning support
Tutor/trainer expertise
Initial assessment
Progress in off-the-job sessions
English and mathematics
Planning of off-the-job sessions
Assessment/marking
Assessment to inform learning
Subject area management
Quality workbooks/handouts
?
Activity 3: The leadership challenge – do you have the
capacity to improve?
On a scale of 1 to 4 assess the
capacity to manage change of:
 the senior leadership team
 the subject managers
 the teaching/training staff
 other staff
 the learners.
How far do your answers
align with the planning
and priorities in your
action plan?
What actions can you
take to strengthen your
weakest teams?
Activity 4: How would you performance manage these
situations?
Robert Elee is your head of communications and has been teaching
for 20 years. The quality of teaching in his sessions is usually a grade
3-‘requires improvement’ and occasionally ‘good’ (according to your
senior managers) but only more able learners make expected
progress in his sessions. His planning tends to be ‘one size fits all’.
You are the new Vice Principal curriculum recruited from another
college. The quality manager is Jane Doe who was an unsuccessful
applicant for the post. From your initial analysis of the observation of
teaching and learning system you feel that Jane Doe’s observations
are the weakest out of the whole team, and show signs of significant
over-grading.
Activity 5: Think about your own self assessment, action
plan on teaching, learning & assessment
Do these features of strong action planning appear in your plan?
Having success criteria and measurable objectives that ensure good
practice (at least) and which staff can be held accountable for.
Setting a reasonable and appropriate timescale, given your capacity.
Having actions in a sequence that reflects the reality of the provision.
Having clear milestones by which to monitor progress.
Identifying who has the skills and is accountable for delivering, monitoring
and evaluating – and shares out the responsibilities.
Clearly indicating roles of external agencies, the board of directors or
governors and others.
Performance management and professional development
are both crucial in supporting improvement
Robust performance
management with clear
and measurable targets
for all staff
+
Targeted professional
development, evaluated
against impact on
achievement
So what priorities have you set
for continuous professional
development?
Think about your own planning and identify what it
means for the development of teachers/trainers.
How providers successfully improve teaching, learning &
assessment
Skilled senior managers ensure that all middle managers are also effective at
leading and monitoring teaching
Frequent and rigorous diagnostic monitoring of teaching and learning
Use evidence and engage staff in developing improvement plans
Make use of identified best practice within the provision, for example, coaching
Use other providers to share best practice and provide a vision of ‘outstanding’
Deliver high quality professional development
Monitor the delivery and impact of initiatives – achieve consistency
Targeted support and robust performance management where staff do not
respond to change
Activity 6: Is your lesson observation system effective?
 Internal/external observers
 Number observers – consistency
 Credibility of observers
Reflect on your own
system.
 Generic or subject specific
What are the positives?
 Focus on learning
 Frequency
 To grade or not to grade
 Relevance of paperwork
 Moderation
 Activities during observations
such as talking to learners,
looking at portfolios, registers
and assessment records
What will you change to
have the biggest impact?
Activity 7: Improving communication and mathematics
Discussion topic
Teaching, learning and assessment:
 Do staff have the necessary qualifications, skills and experience
to teach communication and mathematics effectively?
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Is learners’ work marked/assessed properly, do they receive
constructive feedback and know how well they are doing? Does
this support learners in understanding the purpose of studying
these subjects?
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Are they able to apply their skills in a vocational and generic
context?
The qualifications:
 Are the qualifications offered the right ones for the learners?
Are they at the correct level, and assessed in the most
appropriate way and at the right time?
Activity 8: improving communications and mathematics
Discussion topic
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Who has responsibility for this?
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How well are data collected and used? Does this look at the
effectiveness of different strategies and the success of
different groups?
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Is self-assessment of communications and mathematics carried
out separately or as part of each subject area?
Are observations of teaching, learning and assessment carried
out and how is the information from them used?
Final Discussions
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How do you currently identify underperformance in subject areas?
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What action do you take once underperformance is identified?
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Do you feel your observation of teaching and
learning process is sufficient to give you an
accurate view on the standards of teaching,
learning and assessment? How can you be
sure?
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What will you do differently that would effect
greater or more rapid improvement?
Successful actions to improve teaching,
learning and assessment
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Accurate self-assessment and clear action plan
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Accurate & honest feedback to teachers and trainers
Effective monitoring of learning in sessions
Robust monitoring of the quality of learners’ work to set
high standards
Identification and sharing of good practice
Clear identification of actions for improvement
Outstanding training for staff
Effective use of data
Strong focus on learning
Having a vision – is it good enough?
Good is the stepping
stone to outstanding
?
What would need to
change at your provision
to achieve this?
www.ofsted.gov.uk