2C:How is success in teaching, training and learning recognised?
The following extracts from ALI and Ofsted inspection reports illustrate effective practice in teaching, training and learning.
Adult Learning Inspectorate | OFSTEDMuch of the teaching and learning is good or better. There is no unsatisfactory teaching. Most lesson plans and schemes of work are detailed and thorough. A wide range of teaching methods and learning resources is used. ESOL students work productively in pairs and small groups, benefiting from opportunities to share and debate ideas and correct each other's language and grammar. The use of real objects enables students to practise language structures, extend their vocabulary and develop an understanding of concepts. For example, in a literacy lesson, students used adhesive labels to build up a pictogram in a clear and visual way.
Written work is marked promptly and accurately. Teachers' comments are encouraging and constructive. The assessment and monitoring of students' progress is very good. Diagnostic assessment is undertaken for all students and is used effectively to identify students' levels of attainment. […] Students' individual needs are assessed regularly, achievements carefully recorded, and individual targets identified and updated in order to inform teaching plans and students' progression.
View the inspection report for Manchester College of Arts and Technology
Teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy lessons are consistently very good. Teachers develop very detailed lesson plans which identify clear learning objectives for each student. Each student has an individual learning plan with a programme of work derived initially from a thorough diagnostic assessment. Learning plans are clear and detailed, with challenging individual goals. All learning targets are mapped to the national standards. […] Most lessons include an excellent range of student activities, with groupwork, paired exercises and individual work used effectively by teachers to enable students to achieve their learning goals. The preferred learning styles of the students are taken into account in planning lessons. In one lesson, the teacher used a PowerPoint presentation to give a good visual example of fractions.
Initial assessment and support systems for students on courses at Level 2 and below are very good. Diagnostic assessment of students on basic skills courses is effective and leads to well-written targets on individual learning plans. A strong, well-qualified team of tutors effectively manages the process of initial assessment and additional support. Students receiving additional support have the opportunity to achieve certification through the national tests.
Most teaching is very good and some is outstanding. Lessons are well planned and effective in meeting the specific identified needs of individual students. Students learn well from activities closely linked to their interests and needs. Teachers make high demands on students whilst being supportive. Individual needs are met effectively through good use of activities to meet the needs of different learning styles. Small groupwork and individual work is well organised and combined with whole-class teaching. Students learn well from each other and acquire skills which they apply in their college courses and everyday life. Lessons are conducted at a brisk pace and students demonstrate enthusiasm and actively engage in their learning.
There is excellent use of assessment to support and motivate students. Students agree clear and specific learning targets which are recorded in detailed individual records. Teachers make particularly good use of initial and diagnostic information to select appropriate teaching methods and teaching is explicitly linked to the achievement of the identified individual targets. Students demonstrate a clear understanding of how tasks completed in lessons relate to the progress they are making towards achieving their learning targets.
Lessons are well planned and supported by schemes of work which take account of the core curriculum standards. In the best lessons, the pace and range of activities are good. For example, teachers use electronic whiteboards and computers during lessons to illustrate spelling patterns, word formation and to show video clips to stimulate discussion. In most lessons, teachers take every opportunity to extend students' vocabulary. Teachers give clear explanations of more difficult concepts and help students to develop skills for independent study.
Teaching and learning are very good. Key skills lessons are particularly well planned. The pace is lively and skills are linked effectively to the vocational area. Students are motivated and enthusiastic and work productively. A wide variety of teaching methods is used. Learning mentors play an integral part in each lesson. Assignments are linked to key skills lessons, with topics and themes relevant to the students' vocational area. There is very good access to ICT within the college. In a communication lesson, students evaluated their own presentations. They identified that use of a software presentation package had helped them to organise their ideas and deliver a clear message.
Teachers have high expectations of learners. They support learners in building their confidence to undertake new tasks. In the best lessons, teachers and support assistants praise the achievements of learners, but also challenge them to make choices or to explain their understanding.
Additional support is outstanding and enables students to achieve very well in key skills and in other areas of learning. Support is delivered in a sensitive and flexible way, taking account of preferred learning styles. Staff plan together to meet the needs of students with different abilities. Support staff prepare adapted materials and provide pastoral support.
Teachers are well qualified and trained. Some 40 teachers are undertaking specialist Level 4 training in literacy or numeracy. ESOL teachers bring with them a rich variety of experience of teaching and work in other contexts. Resources are excellent. Good resources are used effectively in most lessons.
Resources for the teaching of literacy and numeracy are very good, both at the main college sites and at community venues. Literacy and numeracy courses are timetabled in good classroom accommodation as well as in the excellent and well-equipped learning resource bases which are used for drop-in workshops for adult basic skills students. These are equipped with computers with Internet access and appropriate learning programmes, together with practical mathematics equipment and well-designed worksheets. Teachers integrate the use of computers effectively and students are encouraged to use the wide range of software available. The team of full-time, well-qualified teachers is highly committed and provides very effective support to students. Basic skills champions, trained and mentored by the basic skills co-ordinator, have responsibility for improving the capability of vocational course teams to provide literacy and numeracy support.
'How is success in teaching, training and learning recognised?' in other guides:
- Adult and Community Learning
- E-learning
- Embedded Learning
- Family Learning
- Jobcentre Plus Programmes
- Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities
- Prisons
- The Juvenile Secure Estate for Young People Aged 15-17
- Voluntary and Community Sector
- Work-based Learning
- Young Offender Institutions for Young People Aged 18-21
